Party of the Year

In Birmingham, AL on Sunday, October 17, 2010 Dave Owens turned 50. The significance of this particular birthday is that it was actually celebrated.  Following church at Mosaic Birmingham, Kaleber and friends rushed and schemed in order to throw a surprise party for Dave.  While he was taken on a wild goose chase, Kaleber and Mosaic remained in order to decorate and prepare Loft 103 for the “Party of the Year.”

After several detours and unnecessary stops, the moment had finally come…Dave was at the door…on the precipice of a birthday celebration several decades in the waiting.  Within a few short steps and silent breaths from those who awaited inside, Dave entered and was met with streamers, exclamations, and music.  Dave was being celebrated.  Having been out of practice for some time on how to receive such a moment, Dave responded with silence and watery eyes.  Visiting with each individual and expressing his gratefulness through his liquid blue eyes, Dave soaked up the moments as they washed away.

Following lunch and a time of fellowship, Dave was further celebrated through the traditional concert, cake, candles, and ice cream.  Gifts appropriately wrapped in Christmas paper awaited Dave’s best imitation of a child on that December holiday.  As Dave made his way through the multiple gifts he couldn’t comprehend the moment saying, “Man….I haven’t done this in years!”  Whether he was referring to the party, gifts, or friends…Dave was being celebrated…and I thought, how often do we really celebrate people?!  Not an idolatrous celebration, but a celebration for God’s provision of family and friends, life and story!  As a result of the joy, love, and growth that was brought about through Dave’s celebration, I encourage you to celebrate life, family, friends, story, and God.  Go ahead throw your own “Party of the Year” or just reflect on the blessings that God has provided, but celebrate. rejoice. love. grow.

While Dave left with a new tent, alarm clock, clothing, and a framed photo…We all left with a party favor.

A new family.

Dancin’ Shoes

The last 10 months or so have been amazing time of stretching and growth for Kaleber.  Since the initial meeting of Kaleber we have been seeking God’s will for His ministry and to whom and where He desires to minister.  Not realizing what Kaleber was going to look like, we jumped in blindly and in a step of faith to God’s call of ministering to the houseless.  Now if you have been keeping up with us and the blog you know that not only has this growth and stretching been spiritual, but that we have learned new vocabularies, skills, and learned priceless lessons.  These past 10 months have provided us with great fellowship and lifelong friends.  Especially since our last post (1 month-we apologize) we have began to see tremendous growth in the quality of our friendships….especially with Mike and Dave.  While Mike has moved into a veterans home we, as Kaleber, have been able to specifically focus on ministering to Dave and those that live in and around his camp.

Dave is a simple man, one who doesn’t have much and doesn’t need much.  On the nights that we visit with Dave at his home under the highway, he values the conversation and friendship more than the physical needs being met (clothing, food, supplies, etc).  You see, Dave runs a camp that serves as an informational hub for the houseless, he keeps two extra tents at his sight for those that need a place to stay until they establish themselves in the community…I guess you could say Dave’s place serves as a “halfway” camp.  Dave realizes he has been put in this position by God for a reason…and he sees this reason to be an advocate for new men in the houseless community, giving them a place to stay and providing what they need for that initial period of time.  Dave is continuously pointing people to the next step of their journey, whether that by providing them with a tent and supplies for the initial period of houselessness or directing hoppers to the right train for the next city.  God has placed Dave in a certain place for a certain time with a certain purpose.  And Dave is nailing it!  He isn’t pulling up dirt, picking corn, and making others kick rocks…Dave is living out God’s purpose for him during this time.  Dave is using the gifts and circumstances given by God to help others.  How many of us do this?

You see this whole post was birthed out of a joke down at camp one day…one of Dave’s recent attendees, Lydia (who is in the hospital-please pray for healing), had a pair of dance shoes that she had left under the table.  Not knowing whose they were, we kidded Dave about his white dancin’ shoes for the rest of the day.  We got a great laugh out of this.  Of course Dave denied his ownership of these shoes in the beginning and explained whose they were.  However, by the end of the night and telling numerous people about his dancin’ shoes, Dave began to play along and tell people they should see him cut a rug in ‘em.  We still joke about these shoes, the exact ones pictured above…

I don’t just reminisce this story for the heck of it, but to remind us of our calling to use the gifts that God has blessed us with. Regardless of our desire to exercise them we need to step up, own ‘em, and cut a rug in ‘em- Whether they are white female dancin’ shoes or the gift of hospitality, teaching, or caring for the houseless.

Lets be honest, Dave would much rather be in a house and out of the camps…but he realizes the white dancin’ shoes God has gifted him with and he is doing the most beautiful rendition of a Foxtrot.  Sure we can stuff our shoes in the back of our closet, but eventually God will clean that closet and there they will be once again waiting to be used appropriately.

We are each a part of the body, we each serve a purpose….who knows you might even be the feet inside the dancin’ shoes… If you don’t have a place to dance or are having a hard time figuring the steps, we would love to have you join us at Mosaic and/or Kaleber… I’m sure Dave could teach you a few steps he has learned along the way.

So may we dance in the shoes God has given us, in order that we might bring him glory.

I Got a Big Church!

Yet another ill-prepared night at camp has come and gone.  No matter what I do or how early I start preparing to go into camp I always feel like there’s something I’m forgetting. Last time it was the ketchup and mustard, but I brought the hot sauce, this time I forgot all three.  There are other things similar that I forget as well, like water or ice or something necessary for our meal, but the more I fail in that area the more I realize that the meal isn’t the real reason we’re going down to the camp.  Every single time Dave tells us that it’s not the food that’s important to him when we come, but just the fact that we come to talk and hang out with him.  He actually had little packets of hot sauce to use today so my blunder turned into a trivial matter.  We did the same thing we always do when we go into camp, we talk about how hot it is and how we’ve all been doing since the last time we all saw each other, we hang out like men like to do.  We talked about pretty much everything tonight, from the cricket Dave ate last time, to hunting deer down in Camden Alabama.  We cooked the usual, chili dogs served on white bread cooked on the miracle grill that was donated to the camp by our associate pastor.  Everything was just like it has always been.  This has been getting to me though, in a bad way.  I know the reason we’re down there is to show these guys that we love them and that they mean something to us, but I always feel like we should or could be doing more.  I don’t want to force the Gospel down anybody’s throat but there’s got to be a time where you bring in the word of God when you’re leading Christian outreach right?  I’ve been praying about this lately, even though it’s only been a small part of my prayer time (it needs to become a more important part), it’s still been something on my mind. These are the two questions I’ve been asking God for a while now:

1.) How do I bring up your word in a way that doesn’t look like I’m trying to sell something to these guys?

2.) Should I prepare a lesson just in case something comes up and I do have a chance to share your word?

Until now I haven’t really gotten an answer for either of these so I just persisted in doing what we normally do.  I’ve also been praying for an opportunity to read the word and talk about it with the guys there.  Well tonight God showed me that I don’t have to say a thing. Towards the end of our meal when it was quieting down the only other houseless man there named Terry needed to go back to his camp and take care of his dogs.  As soon as he got up Dave spoke up and said “I’m gonna go and grab my Bible and I want y’all to read it with me.”

Wait… What?!?! Am I not the one who is supposed to say that?  God, did he just actually bring up reading your word? Here? Under a bridge?

Dave then walks a few steps over to his tent, dug around for a minute found his bible, and brought it back over to where we were sitting.  He handed it to J-Mac and told him to start reading.  (Folks, I don’t know if these words are doing this story justice but we went into a homeless camp tonight to eat and hang out and ended up reading God’s word aloud, under a bridge.)  We each took turns reading out of Ephesians and then went and read the first five chapters of Revelation.  The only reason we stopped is because it got to dark to read any further.  We could have read all night and I wouldn’t have cared a bit, and I think Dave would have liked it a lot more than I would have.

There were a lot of good moments tonight but my favorite was while Dave was reading. At one point he stopped and said “Guys I love this, this is church, you only need two people to have church and I got four! I got me a big church!”

As we packed up our stuff to kick rocks for the night Dave told me that he wanted to do this more.  So I told him that from now on every time I come to see him I’ll bring my Bible and we can read a little bit each time.  I was completely unprepared for that prayer to be answered tonight.  Funny how God’s into that sort of thing.

Wayne

This is Wayne, I’m pretty sure that’s how you spell his name.  Unfortunately I don’t know too much about him, he’s quiet, calm and pretty distant while we’re around, but he never refuses a chili dog and he really likes sprite.  Like the rest of the men in these camps Wayne is also a heavy drinker.

Let it Rain, Let it Pour

God is good, I just want to put that out there.  Let me help you see what I’m talking about.  He took me (Austin), a nobody.  A graduate of a little Baptist university with an art degree, a cook and server at a little French restaurant.  A twenty-three year old with more bad choices made in one life than I care to mention.  He took me, and He molded me, and He used me and is using me.  And not just in your typical sense either.  The story He wants me to live is one of the most a-typical you’ll ever hear.  I’m a long-haired, bearded guy who likes to listen to folk and experimental music and He brought me into a camp.  Not just any camp, a camp that is the home for some of the best people I know.  The funny thing is that these men that I’ve met are completely opposite of me.  Their ages range from late thirties to early sixties, and most of them are veterans.  If they aren’t vets they’re country boys with an accent thicker than peanut butter.  These are the men I, a twenty-three year old wannabe hippie, am hanging out with on a weekly basis.

Mike for example, I get to see him every Monday for a few hours and every time we part ways he tells me that he loves me.  A sixty-four year old Vietnam Navy Seal tells me that he loves me.  Just try to imagine that.  It’s hard for me to believe it.  We are the two guys you would least expect to be around each other, yet God has brought us together for a reason, and one I’m not quite sure about yet.  I think it’s to show me how random I think God is.  But His ways are completely opposite of random.  He knew that Mike and I would be hanging out even before I had any idea what this ministry would look like.  And trust me, I had no idea that Kaleber would look anything like this, whatever “this” is.

Today seemed like it was all rushed and very unplanned.  I woke up late, ran around all day and barely got things done in time to go meet up at the camp (mostly my fault for procrastinating).  Most of the guys from our side of the group had plans or complications come up so they couldn’t make it.  Not a big deal but still distracting non-the-less.  So one other guy and I ran and got groceries and met up at the camp with a handful of the men who live there.  For the first hour or so I was so distracted and uneasy, and the wind picked up and was blowing dirt around and it was kind of chaotic for a moment and I felt really insecure. I can’t really explain why but this was the word that came to my mind.  The first thing I did was to pray. I asked God to relieve me of the insecurity whatever it was.  A few moments later it started raining and I mean pouring. Immediately I felt a peace and never even thought about that insecure feeling again until I got home and remembered the night.

God answered two of my prayers tonight.  The one to remove my insecurity and the one that it would rain when I was under that bridge.  I may not have actually prayed the words “God I want it to rain while I’m under this bridge” but he knew my heart and he gave me that desire.  For the longest time I always wished it would rain while we were under the bridge with these guys.  Tonight I finally got that wish.

I guess what it really boils down to is that in the midst of craziness, insecurity and confusion God is right there, He is always right there and just by praying He stretches His arms around me and comforts me and calms me and secures me and claims me.  I am His and He is mine and I will have it no other way.

Thank you Lord for being so good to me.

Answered Prayers!

Friday June 4th, Mike was released from UAB Hospital and was checked in to a motel down the street from the house he will be moving into tomorrow, Monday June 7th.  The house he is moving to is St. Benedict’s Veterans Center, a place for houseless vets.  Unfortunately the house can’t open to vets until it undergoes more renovation and is up to the VA standards.  However… Mike has officially become a volunteer staff and will be allowed to move in.  Along with getting out of the camp he and Dave lived in he will have a place where he can have oxygen and medication delivered and nurses there around the clock.  We as Kaleber have been blessed with seeing God’s hands at work with this man, only a month ago Mike was getting ready to move to North Carolina because of a ticket and now he’s been helped off the streets, Praise The Lord!

Prayer for Mike

As many of you know, we have made some close friends during our time under the bridge. Tonight we write urging each reader to pray for our dear friend, Mike (see the post on Mike further down). Yesterday Mike was rushed to the hospital suffering from a clot in his lung. Over the past year Mike has suffered from several of these and they get increaseling worse. The night that Austin and I spent with Mike and Dave, Mike informed us that he only has %15 usage of his lungs. With that said, pray that the doctors are wise, that God brinds healing, and that God might use this as a positive within Mike and the houseless communty. Thank you all for supporting and following along!

Our Night At Camp

24 hours ago…..Austin and I (Hunter) found ourselves sitting beneath the Birmingham highways, taking in the night with Mike and “Dusty” Dave.  The night started around 6:30pm as we  arrived at camp with Dave awaiting with open arms and a hospitable heart directing us to, “pull up some dirt.”  Once Mike arrived a few minutes later the night in earnest began.  Following some initial conversation we presented our two friends with a new camping grill/stove that Landon (co-pastor/friend) had picked up.  This present came at the subtle hints dropped by Mike and Dave during previous visits as they would envy the camping stove with which we cooked.  We had never before seen what happened next….our 50 and 64 year old friends lit up with more gratitude and joy than when a kid sees Santa’s big belly bust through the fireplace on Christmas!  Scripture discusses the joy that comes through giving, and we definitely experienced that last night.  We were thoroughly touched by Mike and Dave’s genuine reaction to their new grill.  We will never forget that moment.

During a conversation that ranged from how to make your own ink for a prison tattoo to the most important part of Jesus’ ministry we finally got to eat with these guys.  We brought in chili, some spicy chili beans, Mike had some black-eyed peas and hotdogs and finally we topped it all off with some hand-crumbled cheez-its.  This meal was nick-named hobo chili by Dave himself (and by the way, the grill worked wonderfully).  And of course Hunter and I (Austin) forgot to bring in plates or bowls, so we made do by using the cans from which the meal came.

It was hard to fall asleep with the noise of the cars soaring overhead and the trains that crept by with their square wheels but somehow we managed to call it a night.  The never-ending noises in the wilderness of the city made it hard to tell if we ever actually slept, but we woke up around 7:30 to instant coffee in day old paper cups accompanied by more uplifting conversation.

With conversation had, a hobo meal consumed, faith discussed and friendships strengthened Hunter and I reluctantly crawled beneath a train past the gravel and back into our middle-class city lifestyles…

…soon to return.

Track Side Vernacular

Ok, over the past few weeks we’ve been hanging out track side with some pretty awesome guys.  These men live less than three blocks away from where we have church yet they live completely different and excluded lives than any of us.  They are so close and yet so far away.  I figured I would try and shorten that distance of realities by teaching those of us who haven’t met and gotten to know some of these men.  The first idea I had was to put up this blog, and from that stemmed these pictures and stories.  The next step I’ve thought about is some typical terms these men might use on a daily basis that we’ve never heard.  Consider this a crash course in the vocabulary of a different culture… because that’s exactly where these guys come from, a different culture.

Vocabulary List

The Bull- The railway police, if you’re going to visit the camps you need to be aware of their presence and that it is illegal to cross a train while it’s sitting still.  Therefore we crawl under the train.

A Cadillac- typically used to describe a cigarette of high quality (i.e. a Camel Light compared to a Bugler Hand Rolled Cigarette), however it can also be used to describe anything that is a better brand than what can be afforded at the camp-site.

To Catch Out- To get a job for the day.  Typically if a homeless man has a job it’s only for a day and with some kind of construction company or moving company where the manager/owner will pay them for a days worth of work.

An Excuse- Mike’s definition- A skin of a reason stuffed with a bag full of lies (think on it).  We all make excuses as to why we made that poor decision.  Mike tells us to never make excuses, but to live up to our decisions, or to make decisions we won’t regret.

Get Somewhere- See Kick Rocks

Hair of the Dog- The first (typically alcoholic) drink of the day, this can be used to soothe a hangover.

Hay Maker- When you hit someone upside the head.  The best Hay Maker is an uppercut.

Head Knocker- A heavy, blunt instrument.  Commonly used to fend off unwanted guests, drive in tent stakes and “knock sense” into someone who is too dull to understand what it means to “kick rocks.”

Kick Rocks- To leave, usually by way of a rocky path.  When someone tells you to kick rocks you might want to leave.

Kitty Night- ‘Little’ Dave’s cat.  He’s black and Dave found him near a job site about a year ago and brought him home to camp.  Needless to say Mike and Dave’s camp has very few rat problems.  Also the first cat I believe I’ve seen that hasn’t been neutered.

Meat Sucker- One’s mouth.  Typically this term is used when someone runs their mouth too much.

Pencil Whipped- Similar to winning at golf where you keep score with a pencil, but this translates into winning at dominoes where the score is also kept with a pencil.  Can also be heard as pen whipped if the score keeping tool is a pen.

Pull Up Some Dirt- Have a seat, very similar to pull up a chair but since there are few chairs around these camps dirt is the next best thing.

A Roll-Up- A hand-rolled cigarette, the usual brand is Bugler or Top.

A Shister- Someone who is considered questionable.  See Shisty.

Shisty- Not good, very questionable, easily doubted.

Tater Water- Vodka.  Cheap vodka is usually made from potatoes sometimes called taters.  This is also Larry’s nick-name because it’s his favorite drink.

A Train-Dog- This is a chili dog with ketchup, mustard and a chicken finger on top. Discovered by Jason and enjoyed by Austin and Hunter.

The next lesson will consist of Train Lingo.

Ezekiel 34: A Message to all God’s so-called “shepherds”

If you haven’t read this chapter of the bible I strongly recommend you do, and do it soon. It’s not that long and it’s very eye opening.  I actually recommend you read it before reading this post.

It talks about how we as the Lord’s shepherds have actually scattered His flocks instead of tending to them.  We’ve taken advantage of them, and eat the fat ones and use the wool for ourselves.  We’ve muddied the water they’re supposed to drink and trampled the grass they’re supposed to eat.  The things we were supposed to be doing for His flock, we aren’t doing.  We don’t go and find the ones that go missing, we don’t help the ones who are in trouble, we don’t bind up the ones that are hurt and need healing.  We are supposed to be taking care of his flocks and yet we’ve forsaken them.  We aren’t doing our job as shepherds, and now God will have to do our job for us.

You know we who are supposed to be shepherds are also considered sheep with God as our shepherd, and now God is mixing us in among the rest of the flock.  He will go and find the lost sheep, he will save them from becoming prey, he will heal the broken.  The sheep we have forsaken he will take into his arms and those of us who have scattered the weaker sheep will be taken care of accordingly.

He’s calling us out on a job poorly done.  He’s fed up with us only taking care of ourselves, and now He’s taking over! If we don’t start taking care of His sheep, He’ll do it for us! God doesn’t have to have us to do His job, He’ll save his sheep by himself if He has to.  He will not only bless them with His love but make them a blessing to those around them.  That’s what we’re supposed to be, but we’ve deviated from that path and gotten fat and strong for our own good.  He wants us to be a blessing to His sheep, but since we refuse to do this simple task He’ll take them back and bless them Himself and make them a blessing as well!

If we don’t allow God to use us as a blessing then He’ll find another way to use someone else as a blessing.  He will make other shepherds from his flock. I know it sounds kind of weird but I don’t want him to use someone else! I want God to use me as a blessing!  Let’s allow God to use us as a blessing to those who need the help and who need the healing. This doesn’t apply just to the houseless people here in town (although it’s quite applicable), but to the whole world of unbelievers! Let’s share the love of Christ to everyone who is a lost sheep, let’s bring them healing, and let’s bring them hope!