Friday, June 22, 2012
It works two ways ...
In a recent post, I mentioned the visit by the Governor-General's Leadership Study Tour to Gospel Mission/The Lord's Rain earlier this month. This past Saturday, Amelia -- who co-chaired the BC portion of the tour -- told the gang at the Mission about something they may not have considered: the impact they had -- and will continue to have -- on the participants.
Friday, June 15, 2012
Jezebel's music
I don't believe in coincidences, so I know God is behind some of the things I've seen even among those I follow on Twitter. The latest is Rick Warren, tweeting Paul's exhortation, "Watch out for anyone who causes trouble and divides the church. Stay away from them!" (Rom. 16:17) Before that, David Pitman re-tweeted this quote: "judgmentalism is 1 of most subtle sins; often practiced under guise of zeal 4 right".
Now, read on.
Jezebel is a very sneaky spirit.
We read about Jezebel throughout 1 & 2 Kings: her murderous manipulation and control and determination to destroy the followers of the God of Israel. She is the only human capable of causing Elijah, the great man of God, to run and hide.
J herself was crushed to a pulp by a chariot and what was left of her was licked up by dogs in the street, but her name lives on in a spirit that is sent to try to destroy the church. Elijah had prophesied that, in fact ... and it came to pass.
Jezebel can be counted on to show up when a church is showing signs of "success", trying to sow seeds of discord. She generally arrives cloaked in a very righteous-appearing person, who then attempts to use the Word of God to undermine the works of the church.
(By "church", I mean any group dedicated to sharing, experiencing and spreading the Gospel -- it doesn't necessarily have to be an institution, but it could be a home group, ministry outreach or prayer circle.)
Let's just say I have some pretty extensive, first-hand experience with Jezebel, going back many years. When she was first exposed in someone I'd regarded as holy and righteous -- and who had spent a great deal of time trying to "put me in my place" or "call me on my s**t" -- it was a very rude and very welcome awakening. The awakening included a loud, clear message from the Holy Spirit: "you are not the Problem!"
Hold that particular theme. Anyway, Jezebel has been showing up at The Lord's Rain lately, in the form of a woman I've known since Rainbow Mission. Immediately, she took issue with the radio we were playing and lately, she has stepped up her "cautions" about allowing "that kind of music" into a house of the Lord. "How can you call it 'The Lord's Rain' if you're playing that music that comes straight from hell?"
Jezebel's definition of "straight from hell": secular.
"We have to separate ourselves from the world," she goes on, "and not scatter the sheep. I can't stand to go in."
"Well," I replied, "as Jesus says, the healthy have no need of a doctor; we're trying to reach out to the sick ones."
Then she went on about purity and holiness.
For the record, the radio we play isn't exactly death metal. It's JACK FM, with Larry and Willy -- a couple of the nicest guys on-air and off you'd ever want to meet. (I worked with Willy's dad, the legendary Don Percy, back in my radio days: he had moved to Vancouver from Edmonton and one day we were chatting in the parking lot and I pointed to the electric plugs sticking out of his car's grille -- connecting to the block heater, which is standard equipment for any car owned east and north of Chilliwack. I said, "you won't need those anymore." He said, "Drew ... you never know." Less than a year later, he had moved back to Winnipeg, his original stomping grounds.) -- or occasionally CHQM-FM with "soft rock favorites". (I like Bro Jake on Classic Rock 101 as a person, but his rather edgy on-air persona is not to my taste.)
The reality, of course, is that The Lord's Rain is what we refer to as "soft evangelism" -- reaching out to people who need to be reached but who still aren't comfortable in a "church environment". As we've seen over the years, many of the people who've come into The Lord's Rain have since started coming to the services upstairs at Gospel Mission; and for others, it's just a matter of time. Allowing a secular radio station to be played -- which we wouldn't do in the Mission -- helps contribute to that comfort level.
But to return to my Jezebel-walking friend, she doesn't know it, of course, but Jezebel's whole tactic here is to keep a church and its people off-balance, questioning their fitness to serve God. In dealing with that spirit, the best tactic is not to try to fight it on a worldly level -- trying to use words to counter -- but to stand on what you know: the fruits, the evidence of God's blessing, the innate knowledge that you are being led by the Spirit of God, regardless of what someone else says.
And walk away. Don't bother quarreling with the Jezebel spirit.
Interestingly, one of the people I follow on Twitter sent this quote today: "Freedom keeps us soaring, but quarreling destroys our ability to fly." (Victor Manuel Rivera). And in one of those coincidences that really isn't, my friend Bruce MacPherson blogged today on the difference between appearances and reality.
Mainly, I count it all joy, as Paul would say. The devil doesn't bother with those who don't threaten him, so a visit from Jezebel should be taken as affirmation. You prepare for it the way Patton prepared for Rommel and get on with the job at hand.
.
Now, read on.
Jezebel is a very sneaky spirit.
We read about Jezebel throughout 1 & 2 Kings: her murderous manipulation and control and determination to destroy the followers of the God of Israel. She is the only human capable of causing Elijah, the great man of God, to run and hide.
J herself was crushed to a pulp by a chariot and what was left of her was licked up by dogs in the street, but her name lives on in a spirit that is sent to try to destroy the church. Elijah had prophesied that, in fact ... and it came to pass.
Jezebel can be counted on to show up when a church is showing signs of "success", trying to sow seeds of discord. She generally arrives cloaked in a very righteous-appearing person, who then attempts to use the Word of God to undermine the works of the church.
(By "church", I mean any group dedicated to sharing, experiencing and spreading the Gospel -- it doesn't necessarily have to be an institution, but it could be a home group, ministry outreach or prayer circle.)
Let's just say I have some pretty extensive, first-hand experience with Jezebel, going back many years. When she was first exposed in someone I'd regarded as holy and righteous -- and who had spent a great deal of time trying to "put me in my place" or "call me on my s**t" -- it was a very rude and very welcome awakening. The awakening included a loud, clear message from the Holy Spirit: "you are not the Problem!"
Hold that particular theme. Anyway, Jezebel has been showing up at The Lord's Rain lately, in the form of a woman I've known since Rainbow Mission. Immediately, she took issue with the radio we were playing and lately, she has stepped up her "cautions" about allowing "that kind of music" into a house of the Lord. "How can you call it 'The Lord's Rain' if you're playing that music that comes straight from hell?"
Jezebel's definition of "straight from hell": secular.
"We have to separate ourselves from the world," she goes on, "and not scatter the sheep. I can't stand to go in."
"Well," I replied, "as Jesus says, the healthy have no need of a doctor; we're trying to reach out to the sick ones."
Then she went on about purity and holiness.
For the record, the radio we play isn't exactly death metal. It's JACK FM, with Larry and Willy -- a couple of the nicest guys on-air and off you'd ever want to meet. (I worked with Willy's dad, the legendary Don Percy, back in my radio days: he had moved to Vancouver from Edmonton and one day we were chatting in the parking lot and I pointed to the electric plugs sticking out of his car's grille -- connecting to the block heater, which is standard equipment for any car owned east and north of Chilliwack. I said, "you won't need those anymore." He said, "Drew ... you never know." Less than a year later, he had moved back to Winnipeg, his original stomping grounds.) -- or occasionally CHQM-FM with "soft rock favorites". (I like Bro Jake on Classic Rock 101 as a person, but his rather edgy on-air persona is not to my taste.)
The reality, of course, is that The Lord's Rain is what we refer to as "soft evangelism" -- reaching out to people who need to be reached but who still aren't comfortable in a "church environment". As we've seen over the years, many of the people who've come into The Lord's Rain have since started coming to the services upstairs at Gospel Mission; and for others, it's just a matter of time. Allowing a secular radio station to be played -- which we wouldn't do in the Mission -- helps contribute to that comfort level.
But to return to my Jezebel-walking friend, she doesn't know it, of course, but Jezebel's whole tactic here is to keep a church and its people off-balance, questioning their fitness to serve God. In dealing with that spirit, the best tactic is not to try to fight it on a worldly level -- trying to use words to counter -- but to stand on what you know: the fruits, the evidence of God's blessing, the innate knowledge that you are being led by the Spirit of God, regardless of what someone else says.
And walk away. Don't bother quarreling with the Jezebel spirit.
Interestingly, one of the people I follow on Twitter sent this quote today: "Freedom keeps us soaring, but quarreling destroys our ability to fly." (Victor Manuel Rivera). And in one of those coincidences that really isn't, my friend Bruce MacPherson blogged today on the difference between appearances and reality.
Mainly, I count it all joy, as Paul would say. The devil doesn't bother with those who don't threaten him, so a visit from Jezebel should be taken as affirmation. You prepare for it the way Patton prepared for Rommel and get on with the job at hand.
.
Friday, June 8, 2012
Never pass up a chance to testify!
It's a rare blessing to be able to testify about God's provision and blessing on Gospel Mission and The Lord's Rain on a national stage, but we were able to do so this past week.
The Governor-General's Leadership Conference is a cross-country initiative to help develop leaders. They come from all walks of life -- business, labor, the arts, native groups, immigrants, you name it. It's a huge group to begin with, separated into groups that go to different regions, British Columbia being one of them. The group that came to the Mission is also visiting Prince George, Terrace, Vancouver Island and the Fraser Valley (not in that order), studying aboriginal affairs, the Enbridge pipeline, and Vancouver's Downtown East Side.
Their visit to Gospel Mission was actually their first chance to meet the people who live in the area, even though they had gone to InSite the day before -- but there, they were only allowed to speak to the staff and not those who use the "safe injection" location. For us, it was a chance to brag on God a little bit, pointing out the way He has positioned the Mission through history -- keeping it just ahead of the curve of needs in society. (The Mission was founded just before the Great Depression hit; it moved to bigger digs just before the end of World War 2 brought a lot of disabled ex-servicemen into Skid Row; The Lord's Rain was commanded (for want of a better word) just before the Global Economic Crisis caused people to rein in their charitable giving: as I told the group, it's one thing to say, "here's a problem - come up with the solution", but in the case of the Mission, God tends to say, "here's the solution - now, stand by for the problem".)
It was also a chance -- albeit a short one -- for people who come into the Mission to talk to the tour participants. Kim, for example, got to talk to a few of them and share a bit about his own testimony. I think I've mentioned Kim before: a man who used to come into Rainbow Mission half-cut, often arriving just as the sermon was ending and the food was about to be served. Eventually, he came to Christ, beat down his addictions and assorted other demons, and is now a very valued part of our ministry. He's preached at the Mission on occasion and also runs the video camera. When I asked him, a couple of weeks ago, to go downstairs to The Lord's Rain and sit with a disabled woman so she could take part in the service by watching it on TV in The Lord's Rain, he got very philosophical. "What happened," he said, "that the guy who used to wait and slip into Rainbow Mission between the 'amen' and 'pass the food' is now being sent to do 'security' for someone at a Mission?" Of course, we both know the answer.
The Governor-General's Leadership Conference is a cross-country initiative to help develop leaders. They come from all walks of life -- business, labor, the arts, native groups, immigrants, you name it. It's a huge group to begin with, separated into groups that go to different regions, British Columbia being one of them. The group that came to the Mission is also visiting Prince George, Terrace, Vancouver Island and the Fraser Valley (not in that order), studying aboriginal affairs, the Enbridge pipeline, and Vancouver's Downtown East Side.
Their visit to Gospel Mission was actually their first chance to meet the people who live in the area, even though they had gone to InSite the day before -- but there, they were only allowed to speak to the staff and not those who use the "safe injection" location. For us, it was a chance to brag on God a little bit, pointing out the way He has positioned the Mission through history -- keeping it just ahead of the curve of needs in society. (The Mission was founded just before the Great Depression hit; it moved to bigger digs just before the end of World War 2 brought a lot of disabled ex-servicemen into Skid Row; The Lord's Rain was commanded (for want of a better word) just before the Global Economic Crisis caused people to rein in their charitable giving: as I told the group, it's one thing to say, "here's a problem - come up with the solution", but in the case of the Mission, God tends to say, "here's the solution - now, stand by for the problem".)
It was also a chance -- albeit a short one -- for people who come into the Mission to talk to the tour participants. Kim, for example, got to talk to a few of them and share a bit about his own testimony. I think I've mentioned Kim before: a man who used to come into Rainbow Mission half-cut, often arriving just as the sermon was ending and the food was about to be served. Eventually, he came to Christ, beat down his addictions and assorted other demons, and is now a very valued part of our ministry. He's preached at the Mission on occasion and also runs the video camera. When I asked him, a couple of weeks ago, to go downstairs to The Lord's Rain and sit with a disabled woman so she could take part in the service by watching it on TV in The Lord's Rain, he got very philosophical. "What happened," he said, "that the guy who used to wait and slip into Rainbow Mission between the 'amen' and 'pass the food' is now being sent to do 'security' for someone at a Mission?" Of course, we both know the answer.
We only had half an hour and some of the visitors said they wished it could have been 90 minutes. But the early feedback is very positive:
- a man who, among other things, had worked on the judicial review in Rwanda, spoke with one disabled aboriginal man, finding out about the apartment where he lives, and the fact that he does feel safe and cared-for
- a prison warden from Kingston (medium-security, not the famous maximum-security pen), felt "overwhelmed" at the kindness and welcoming spirit of the people she met at The Lord's Rain
- an aboriginal leader who found someone with a mutual friend back home: she'll be taking back word that this person is alright
- the vice-president of the Elementary Teachers of Toronto -- the teachers' union, who is also a Christian and said it was "wonderful" to see faith being acknowledged on this tour. This was the second day of the tour, and she told me there had already been a "lively discussion" about whether "religion [was] the cause of all the ills of the world." She also works with single parents through her church, a large West Indian church in TO.
Friday, June 1, 2012
Vancouver and the homelessness "reality check"
It's funny, isn't it, what a difference a word makes.
In newscasting, for example, I've been caught out at least once because someone has inadvertently typed "not" instead of "now" -- as in "Police have not arrested a homicidal maniac ..."; there was also a time in the 1970s, when then Tory leader Joe Clark was visiting the Middle East, and in the process of reviewing some troops, stumbled and nearly cut his head on a soldier's bayonet: a wire-service copy writer inserted the word "off" after "cut his head", thereby making the incident seem a lot more serious -- and Clark a lot more clumsy -- than it or he really was.
And then there's the effect of subtly inserting a qualifier into a sentence or expression, thereby changing the whole meaning. This past week, CKWX Radio reported that the number of people living/sleeping on the street -- as opposed to in shelters in the city of Vancouver -- had doubled in the past year. Nevertheless, Mayor Gregor Robertson stated that he remained committed to ending street homelessness by 2015.
But let's rewind to 2008, when the mayor was newly elected. CBC News reported at the time that Robertson's top priority was to end "homelessness" by 2015. Not "street homelessness". And there's a difference. Ending homelessness means people are able to live in a place they can call their own, with a locking door and a lack of bedbugs and cockroaches. Ending street homelessness means people who are too poor to afford that are placed in shelters where they don't clutter up the streets and remind the good folk of the city how neglectful we can be of our fellow man.
Ending homelessness, as a former public health nurse writes in the Nanaimo Daily News, takes thoughtful planning, consultation about the needs of "street people" and finding a real solution to a problem that's a lot deeper than what we see on the surface.
Ending street homelessness is a numbers game that a politician can easily win by making "number of shelter beds" equal to "number of people without shelter beds". That one added word makes the difference between the promise of 2008 and the "commitment" of 2012.
But will that end the problem that leads people to be homeless in the first place? Will it get people off drugs? Will it get them jobs? Training? Treatment for their mental health issues? Deliverance from the demons they battle on an hourly basis? Do we force people into shelters, even though quite a few would rather be on the street?
I remember bristling when I first heard a politician say that people would rather be on the street than in a shelter. I forget who it was, but he was a cabinet minister in the then ruling Social Credit party in BC, and it was easy to write off the remark as a cop-out -- an abrogation of responsibility to the disadvantaged, promoted by an ally of Big Business and the "pick up your shovel" attitude towards welfare. But that was before I actually started hearing from people on the streets in Vancouver, who said they'd rather be outside than in a shelter, where they would be surrounded by people with mental issues and violent tendencies, as likely as not to have their belongings stolen while they slept. Outside, the air is fresh(er) and the street-wise person can find a place that's relatively secure.
Overarching all of this is the reality that we are not supposed to "end homelessness" as a part of society, any more than we can ever "end poverty now" (or at any time). God has given us a responsibility to reach out to troubled people and help them on an individual basis, but as an "institution", for want of a better word, poverty and homelessness are part of God's plan for our world.
So, though, is the desire to make things better for people. On the other hand, the desire to see it as an evil that must be eradicated is part of the enemy's plan to make God's plan look bad (you know: "how can a loving God allow ...?"); the desire to be seen as a "hero" or a "political champion" for making a commitment to eradicate it is a spin-off from the enemy's counter-plan.
This is why the homelessness count is a reality check, although not necessarily about the state of poverty in Vancouver: think of it as a reality check about grandiose political promises, which are later qualified, subtly, when the ongoing situation doesn't quite match the promise.
In newscasting, for example, I've been caught out at least once because someone has inadvertently typed "not" instead of "now" -- as in "Police have not arrested a homicidal maniac ..."; there was also a time in the 1970s, when then Tory leader Joe Clark was visiting the Middle East, and in the process of reviewing some troops, stumbled and nearly cut his head on a soldier's bayonet: a wire-service copy writer inserted the word "off" after "cut his head", thereby making the incident seem a lot more serious -- and Clark a lot more clumsy -- than it or he really was.
And then there's the effect of subtly inserting a qualifier into a sentence or expression, thereby changing the whole meaning. This past week, CKWX Radio reported that the number of people living/sleeping on the street -- as opposed to in shelters in the city of Vancouver -- had doubled in the past year. Nevertheless, Mayor Gregor Robertson stated that he remained committed to ending street homelessness by 2015.
But let's rewind to 2008, when the mayor was newly elected. CBC News reported at the time that Robertson's top priority was to end "homelessness" by 2015. Not "street homelessness". And there's a difference. Ending homelessness means people are able to live in a place they can call their own, with a locking door and a lack of bedbugs and cockroaches. Ending street homelessness means people who are too poor to afford that are placed in shelters where they don't clutter up the streets and remind the good folk of the city how neglectful we can be of our fellow man.
Ending homelessness, as a former public health nurse writes in the Nanaimo Daily News, takes thoughtful planning, consultation about the needs of "street people" and finding a real solution to a problem that's a lot deeper than what we see on the surface.
Ending street homelessness is a numbers game that a politician can easily win by making "number of shelter beds" equal to "number of people without shelter beds". That one added word makes the difference between the promise of 2008 and the "commitment" of 2012.
But will that end the problem that leads people to be homeless in the first place? Will it get people off drugs? Will it get them jobs? Training? Treatment for their mental health issues? Deliverance from the demons they battle on an hourly basis? Do we force people into shelters, even though quite a few would rather be on the street?
I remember bristling when I first heard a politician say that people would rather be on the street than in a shelter. I forget who it was, but he was a cabinet minister in the then ruling Social Credit party in BC, and it was easy to write off the remark as a cop-out -- an abrogation of responsibility to the disadvantaged, promoted by an ally of Big Business and the "pick up your shovel" attitude towards welfare. But that was before I actually started hearing from people on the streets in Vancouver, who said they'd rather be outside than in a shelter, where they would be surrounded by people with mental issues and violent tendencies, as likely as not to have their belongings stolen while they slept. Outside, the air is fresh(er) and the street-wise person can find a place that's relatively secure.
Overarching all of this is the reality that we are not supposed to "end homelessness" as a part of society, any more than we can ever "end poverty now" (or at any time). God has given us a responsibility to reach out to troubled people and help them on an individual basis, but as an "institution", for want of a better word, poverty and homelessness are part of God's plan for our world.
So, though, is the desire to make things better for people. On the other hand, the desire to see it as an evil that must be eradicated is part of the enemy's plan to make God's plan look bad (you know: "how can a loving God allow ...?"); the desire to be seen as a "hero" or a "political champion" for making a commitment to eradicate it is a spin-off from the enemy's counter-plan.
This is why the homelessness count is a reality check, although not necessarily about the state of poverty in Vancouver: think of it as a reality check about grandiose political promises, which are later qualified, subtly, when the ongoing situation doesn't quite match the promise.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Freedom's Door, God's will and many boats but one finish line
Going to the International Association of Ministries annual conference in Kelowna gave me the opportunity to cash in a long-standing invitation: to visit Freedom's Door, a Christ-based recovery program in the City of Apples. One of the leaders of the program is Nick Yelland, who came out of prison and into the program several years ago, and realized that's where his ministry lies. He and I first collided at Gospel Mission, in fact. While working on his BA (Theology), he came to the Downtown East Side and did some volunteering with us. From there, we kept in touch, and while in the Kelowna area, I played hooky from the conference paid the program a visit.
While all of the people on the program were in various stages of coming out of substance abuse and crime -- somewhat like The Guys at Gospel Mission -- they seemed a bit younger and more robust, by and large. In fact, they looked like some of the meanest muthas I'd ever not want to meet in a dark alley. Maybe that was because they were getting healthier, because -- unlike Gospel Mission -- they've already made their commitment to a new life, both through Christ and physically.
But I was struck more by a common factor between Freedom's Door and Gospel Mission: an underlying theme that this is an initiative that God is definitely blessing. Like Gospel Mission, Freedom's Door is totally dependent on private contributions -- churches, individuals, foundations. But there's something deeper: the program is set up in a residential neighborhood. My first thought when I arrived was that the other homeowners must have had some choice words about Those Kind Of People coming to live next door.
It turned out that God had had all of that covered. First of all, the duplex that houses the "original" part of the program -- offices, dining area and 10 rooms downstairs -- was initially a women's shelter; so any controversies over zoning, NIMBYism and whatever were already taken care of. Then, a Christian woman who lived next door passed away, and left her house and property to Freedom's Door, so they added House #3 (the duplex was #1 and #2); and finally another house was acquired on the other side of Harvey Street (Highway 97), giving them four houses.
In other words, as with Gospel Mission and The Lord's Rain in particular, it's evident that Freedom's Door was meant to go ahead, whether The World liked it or not. God cleared away the obstacles and provided for the place, so that people with substance abuse issues and a criminal past -- who Nick readily describes as being ones other agencies won't take -- can be healed His way.
***
They had asked me to talk a bit about Gospel Mission and how The Lord's Rain was built, and that brings a fresh voice to the eternal message of Hope in Christ (you can't have too many voices from too many different angles when that message is involved). But in the course of the talk, we touched on one of the key aspects in the spiritual success of The Lord's Rain, which is that it was built by a communal effort and that has infused the place with a spirit of community. That spirit passes on to those it serves.
One of the ways it became a communal effort is that we had approached a wealthy Christian businessman and asked him to underwrite the whole thing (this was 4-1/2 years ago, when the plan was first coming together). He turned us down flat, which left us scratching our heads at the time (although we were also saying, "OK, God, how do You expect us to do this?"). In the conversation I had with the businessman's assistant, she pointed out that something the Board of Directors had been concerned about, which was a lack of unity among the missions and outreaches on the DTES. They felt it would be good to see some kind of common front to deal with the situations in the area.
The trouble with that idea is that, while it may work in The World -- with groups determining goals and reaching consensus decisions on how to achieve them -- you could have a dozen different groups with a dozen different goals and a dozen different approaches; and all of them could legitimately be led by the Holy Spirit. If you're serving God, that leading in the Spirit is the #1 priority. If your leading is forced -- or even expected -- to take a back seat to some concept of "unity", you're not serving God.
"Unity" in serving God, to my mind, involves following the assignment God has given you and staying out of everybody else's way. We need to assume that others, too, are following a leading of the Holy Spirit -- and if they're not, their fruits will show it (Are people being healed? Are people emerging from their despair? Are lives changing?).
Remember what Jesus said when the disciples tried to prevent an outsider from healing people in Jesus` Name: "Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me. For he who is not against us is on our side." (Mark 9:39:40).
In fact, Paul writes, "when James, Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do." (Galatians 2:9-10).
In other words, the approach doesn't matter, so long as the goal is to draw people into a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ -- and we remember to minister to the poor at the same time.
(The "James" mentioned in Paul's epistle is Jesus' half-brother, who wrote an epistle of his own and was the first Bishop of Jerusalem. He wasn't even a believer until after the Resurrection and while Jesus was being persecuted and tried, his ears were probably still stinging from his brother's remark about "who is My mother? and who are My brethren?). Yet I believe that when James spoke, it was Jesus speaking through him: the epistle reads like something Jesus would have written.)
But I digress ... In discussing this with the guys at Freedom's Door, I used the illustration of different people in different boats, all rowing towards the same goal: the boats might be of all shapes and sizes and might take little detours en route, but so long as the goal is that personal relationship mentioned above, we're all on the right path.
***
We need to be clear about that goal, and I have to circle back to Nick to make sure it is. After my chat with the guys, a young man came over and asked to speak with me. He had been trying to come to God on his own terms, having "gotten into some bad stuff" when he was younger -- playing with a ouija board, he figures, opened a gateway for evil spirits to enter. I have a little experience with that, so I know he wasn't blowing smoke. But his attempt to get closer to God involved clearing his mind and "trying to let Mother Nature heal [him]", and that kind of talk is anaethema to my ears.
I also know better than to hammer someone over the head, that they're wrong -- rather, to point them in the right direction.
But he was looking for some kind of validation for his own approach, based on that "different boats" analogy above. It was almost along the lines of "many ways to the top of the mountain" or "one God - many paths" that are the hallmarks of New Age thinking. So I recommended that, as part of his own quest, he do Spirit-replacement therapy, reading the Psalms as his prayers.
No - the different boats represent different approaches to lead people to Christ and through Jesus, to God. One might be a ministry that offers a 12-step recovery program; one might be a healing ministry; another might involve hitting the streets with a box of sandwiches and a pocketful of tracts; but so long as we keep focused on that goal and stay out of one another's way, we will all get there, eventually.
***
As I mentioned, Freedom's Door runs on private donations from individuals, churches and businesses. The success of their program is palpable as soon as you meet the guys. Please visit their website -- www.freedomsdoorkelowna.com -- for information on how you can donate.
While all of the people on the program were in various stages of coming out of substance abuse and crime -- somewhat like The Guys at Gospel Mission -- they seemed a bit younger and more robust, by and large. In fact, they looked like some of the meanest muthas I'd ever not want to meet in a dark alley. Maybe that was because they were getting healthier, because -- unlike Gospel Mission -- they've already made their commitment to a new life, both through Christ and physically.
But I was struck more by a common factor between Freedom's Door and Gospel Mission: an underlying theme that this is an initiative that God is definitely blessing. Like Gospel Mission, Freedom's Door is totally dependent on private contributions -- churches, individuals, foundations. But there's something deeper: the program is set up in a residential neighborhood. My first thought when I arrived was that the other homeowners must have had some choice words about Those Kind Of People coming to live next door.
It turned out that God had had all of that covered. First of all, the duplex that houses the "original" part of the program -- offices, dining area and 10 rooms downstairs -- was initially a women's shelter; so any controversies over zoning, NIMBYism and whatever were already taken care of. Then, a Christian woman who lived next door passed away, and left her house and property to Freedom's Door, so they added House #3 (the duplex was #1 and #2); and finally another house was acquired on the other side of Harvey Street (Highway 97), giving them four houses.
In other words, as with Gospel Mission and The Lord's Rain in particular, it's evident that Freedom's Door was meant to go ahead, whether The World liked it or not. God cleared away the obstacles and provided for the place, so that people with substance abuse issues and a criminal past -- who Nick readily describes as being ones other agencies won't take -- can be healed His way.
***
They had asked me to talk a bit about Gospel Mission and how The Lord's Rain was built, and that brings a fresh voice to the eternal message of Hope in Christ (you can't have too many voices from too many different angles when that message is involved). But in the course of the talk, we touched on one of the key aspects in the spiritual success of The Lord's Rain, which is that it was built by a communal effort and that has infused the place with a spirit of community. That spirit passes on to those it serves.
One of the ways it became a communal effort is that we had approached a wealthy Christian businessman and asked him to underwrite the whole thing (this was 4-1/2 years ago, when the plan was first coming together). He turned us down flat, which left us scratching our heads at the time (although we were also saying, "OK, God, how do You expect us to do this?"). In the conversation I had with the businessman's assistant, she pointed out that something the Board of Directors had been concerned about, which was a lack of unity among the missions and outreaches on the DTES. They felt it would be good to see some kind of common front to deal with the situations in the area.
The trouble with that idea is that, while it may work in The World -- with groups determining goals and reaching consensus decisions on how to achieve them -- you could have a dozen different groups with a dozen different goals and a dozen different approaches; and all of them could legitimately be led by the Holy Spirit. If you're serving God, that leading in the Spirit is the #1 priority. If your leading is forced -- or even expected -- to take a back seat to some concept of "unity", you're not serving God.
"Unity" in serving God, to my mind, involves following the assignment God has given you and staying out of everybody else's way. We need to assume that others, too, are following a leading of the Holy Spirit -- and if they're not, their fruits will show it (Are people being healed? Are people emerging from their despair? Are lives changing?).
Remember what Jesus said when the disciples tried to prevent an outsider from healing people in Jesus` Name: "Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me. For he who is not against us is on our side." (Mark 9:39:40).
In fact, Paul writes, "when James, Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do." (Galatians 2:9-10).
In other words, the approach doesn't matter, so long as the goal is to draw people into a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ -- and we remember to minister to the poor at the same time.
(The "James" mentioned in Paul's epistle is Jesus' half-brother, who wrote an epistle of his own and was the first Bishop of Jerusalem. He wasn't even a believer until after the Resurrection and while Jesus was being persecuted and tried, his ears were probably still stinging from his brother's remark about "who is My mother? and who are My brethren?). Yet I believe that when James spoke, it was Jesus speaking through him: the epistle reads like something Jesus would have written.)
But I digress ... In discussing this with the guys at Freedom's Door, I used the illustration of different people in different boats, all rowing towards the same goal: the boats might be of all shapes and sizes and might take little detours en route, but so long as the goal is that personal relationship mentioned above, we're all on the right path.
***
We need to be clear about that goal, and I have to circle back to Nick to make sure it is. After my chat with the guys, a young man came over and asked to speak with me. He had been trying to come to God on his own terms, having "gotten into some bad stuff" when he was younger -- playing with a ouija board, he figures, opened a gateway for evil spirits to enter. I have a little experience with that, so I know he wasn't blowing smoke. But his attempt to get closer to God involved clearing his mind and "trying to let Mother Nature heal [him]", and that kind of talk is anaethema to my ears.
I also know better than to hammer someone over the head, that they're wrong -- rather, to point them in the right direction.
But he was looking for some kind of validation for his own approach, based on that "different boats" analogy above. It was almost along the lines of "many ways to the top of the mountain" or "one God - many paths" that are the hallmarks of New Age thinking. So I recommended that, as part of his own quest, he do Spirit-replacement therapy, reading the Psalms as his prayers.
No - the different boats represent different approaches to lead people to Christ and through Jesus, to God. One might be a ministry that offers a 12-step recovery program; one might be a healing ministry; another might involve hitting the streets with a box of sandwiches and a pocketful of tracts; but so long as we keep focused on that goal and stay out of one another's way, we will all get there, eventually.
***
As I mentioned, Freedom's Door runs on private donations from individuals, churches and businesses. The success of their program is palpable as soon as you meet the guys. Please visit their website -- www.freedomsdoorkelowna.com -- for information on how you can donate.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
An early morning in Samaria
"You can observe a lot, just by watching."
-- attr. to Yogi Berra
Thanks to my having left my set of keys to the Mission at home, I had a unique opportunity I might not have had if I'd just barged in as I'd intended to: a chance to just sit in Pigeon Park and watch the early morning world unfold. The Downtown East Side can be easily compared to Biblical Samaria, and Pigeon Park to Jacob's Well -- a place where, if you sit there long enough, someone is bound to come up and talk to you.
Actually, no one did come and talk to me, but watching people going back and forth and hearing the sing of the trolley wires as the early buses went by reminded one of the job at hand. MLA Jagrup Brar has just completed a one-month trial of living on a welfare income -- $610 -- and the stark reality that came home to him was the fact that the biggest need in the area is housing. I haven't spoken with him -- all that I've learned from his experience has been what the media have reported -- but it strikes me that he has not become an "activist" in the sense of someone who demands that someone else fix things; rather, that he has a better grasp of the problem and a determination to find a solution.
Finding homes for people is only part of the equation, and I must sometimes seem unwilling to admit that it's any part of the equation at all, when I point out that the real problem is hopelessness. But when you see people wandering through Pigeon Park and up and down Hastings Street and realize that they haven't slept, you realize how important it is and can't help wondering why it's become acceptable to so many people in positions to do something about it.
But -- as MLA Brar would be the first to admit, I'm sure -- there are no pat solutions. The solution is not x-number of housing spaces; and Heaven knows the answer is not in barracks-like shelters and cockroach-ridden "hotels". And at what point do hand-ups become hand-outs?
John and Danilo arrived with the keys, and we set about the Saturday morning opening of The Lord's Rain with a somewhat renewed sense of purpose. Our job is to instill hope in people, keep loving them and through that, drawing them closer to a new life. Give enough people hope and encouragement to reach up instead of reach out, and pretty soon, the question of housing on the Downtown East Side becomes moot.
***
Every so often, we get reminded of what we're up against in The World. A bus shelter in downtown Vancouver (I don't know the exact location) has an advert with the simple but arresting statement, "You sniff markers just to feel alive".
Some sophomoronic cave-dwelling marketing major apparently thought that was a "grabber" and that, in a city where so many lives are destroyed by substance abuse, would be an appropriate advertising statement. It's one of those "watch this space and see what comes next"-style ads, so the name of the advertiser is not displayed. It is, in fact, "The Holiday Initiative" on Facebook, and I'd encourage a boycott.
***
I can't remember if I mentioned this before, but our little two-story walkup has received a unique, if somewhat off-beat, honor. It has been included in the list of "125 Places That Matter", compiled by the Vancouver Heritage Foundation. It's a project the VHF started to mark the 125th anniversary of the founding of the City of Vancouver last year, and they announced that the time that they would lean towards buildings that didn't get much notice elsewhere. Certainly, while 331 Carrall Street has a history, you wouldn't find it on a tourism walking map.
At any rate, the VHF and its selection panel -- which includes blogger Rebecca Bollwitt (Miss604) and SFU Urban Studies Prof. Gordon Price -- agreed about the significance of our brick pile, and a plaque will soon adorn the building. Jessica Quan did the research, and you can find it online. Scroll down the list on the left of the other buildings (and you'll find we're in some pretty cool company) to "Gospel Mission/The Louvre Hotel" and click on that link to find Jessica's piece.
There'll be a plaque installed soon; it would be fair to note that the VHF has been offering sponsorships on these plaques, something we weren't able to do; but all the 125 "places" are getting plaques with or without the sponsorship (and we're not the only un-sponsored place). They're a non-profit organization that does some important work, bringing to mind the heritage and history of a city that is still just a toddler by world standards; with so many people moving here from other parts of the world, it's important that they know where the city has come from as they help take it to wherever it's going. If you can manage it, donations to the VHF would be welcome.
I also pray that people who read that will come and look at this historic building for themselves, and in so doing, see how it's still very much alive and lighting up the neighbourhood.
Of course, people in the Downtown East Side have known Gospel Mission as a "place that matters" since the 1940s, and that makes for an interesting back-story. We have outlasted every other tenant in the immediate area, including some that have been boarded up and one where the entire back wall literally collapsed one night (while we were having a prayer meeting, in fact). Truly, God has had His hand on our building, protecting it and providing for it, so His people can be encouraged, given hope, and gradually drawn closer to Him. At the end of the day, that's what Ministry in this area is all about.
-- attr. to Yogi Berra
Thanks to my having left my set of keys to the Mission at home, I had a unique opportunity I might not have had if I'd just barged in as I'd intended to: a chance to just sit in Pigeon Park and watch the early morning world unfold. The Downtown East Side can be easily compared to Biblical Samaria, and Pigeon Park to Jacob's Well -- a place where, if you sit there long enough, someone is bound to come up and talk to you.
Actually, no one did come and talk to me, but watching people going back and forth and hearing the sing of the trolley wires as the early buses went by reminded one of the job at hand. MLA Jagrup Brar has just completed a one-month trial of living on a welfare income -- $610 -- and the stark reality that came home to him was the fact that the biggest need in the area is housing. I haven't spoken with him -- all that I've learned from his experience has been what the media have reported -- but it strikes me that he has not become an "activist" in the sense of someone who demands that someone else fix things; rather, that he has a better grasp of the problem and a determination to find a solution.
Finding homes for people is only part of the equation, and I must sometimes seem unwilling to admit that it's any part of the equation at all, when I point out that the real problem is hopelessness. But when you see people wandering through Pigeon Park and up and down Hastings Street and realize that they haven't slept, you realize how important it is and can't help wondering why it's become acceptable to so many people in positions to do something about it.
But -- as MLA Brar would be the first to admit, I'm sure -- there are no pat solutions. The solution is not x-number of housing spaces; and Heaven knows the answer is not in barracks-like shelters and cockroach-ridden "hotels". And at what point do hand-ups become hand-outs?
John and Danilo arrived with the keys, and we set about the Saturday morning opening of The Lord's Rain with a somewhat renewed sense of purpose. Our job is to instill hope in people, keep loving them and through that, drawing them closer to a new life. Give enough people hope and encouragement to reach up instead of reach out, and pretty soon, the question of housing on the Downtown East Side becomes moot.
***
Every so often, we get reminded of what we're up against in The World. A bus shelter in downtown Vancouver (I don't know the exact location) has an advert with the simple but arresting statement, "You sniff markers just to feel alive".
Some sophomoronic cave-dwelling marketing major apparently thought that was a "grabber" and that, in a city where so many lives are destroyed by substance abuse, would be an appropriate advertising statement. It's one of those "watch this space and see what comes next"-style ads, so the name of the advertiser is not displayed. It is, in fact, "The Holiday Initiative" on Facebook, and I'd encourage a boycott.
***
I can't remember if I mentioned this before, but our little two-story walkup has received a unique, if somewhat off-beat, honor. It has been included in the list of "125 Places That Matter", compiled by the Vancouver Heritage Foundation. It's a project the VHF started to mark the 125th anniversary of the founding of the City of Vancouver last year, and they announced that the time that they would lean towards buildings that didn't get much notice elsewhere. Certainly, while 331 Carrall Street has a history, you wouldn't find it on a tourism walking map.
At any rate, the VHF and its selection panel -- which includes blogger Rebecca Bollwitt (Miss604) and SFU Urban Studies Prof. Gordon Price -- agreed about the significance of our brick pile, and a plaque will soon adorn the building. Jessica Quan did the research, and you can find it online. Scroll down the list on the left of the other buildings (and you'll find we're in some pretty cool company) to "Gospel Mission/The Louvre Hotel" and click on that link to find Jessica's piece.
There'll be a plaque installed soon; it would be fair to note that the VHF has been offering sponsorships on these plaques, something we weren't able to do; but all the 125 "places" are getting plaques with or without the sponsorship (and we're not the only un-sponsored place). They're a non-profit organization that does some important work, bringing to mind the heritage and history of a city that is still just a toddler by world standards; with so many people moving here from other parts of the world, it's important that they know where the city has come from as they help take it to wherever it's going. If you can manage it, donations to the VHF would be welcome.
I also pray that people who read that will come and look at this historic building for themselves, and in so doing, see how it's still very much alive and lighting up the neighbourhood.
Of course, people in the Downtown East Side have known Gospel Mission as a "place that matters" since the 1940s, and that makes for an interesting back-story. We have outlasted every other tenant in the immediate area, including some that have been boarded up and one where the entire back wall literally collapsed one night (while we were having a prayer meeting, in fact). Truly, God has had His hand on our building, protecting it and providing for it, so His people can be encouraged, given hope, and gradually drawn closer to Him. At the end of the day, that's what Ministry in this area is all about.
Friday, January 13, 2012
You can't make this stuff up ...
From time to time, I've wondered about making a movie or a TV show about the Downtown East Side. (There was a time, earlier in my life -- about 35 years ago -- when I actually harbored thoughts of being an actor and writer: I got enough paying gigs to make me realize the idea was possible ... but not probable.) The show would be called "Rev. Downtown" (my legion of fan would recognize that as the title of this blog) and it would paint a picture of the DTES as I've seen it over the 8 years that I've been there -- gritty and unpredictable but with the undercurrent of Hope that runs through what we do at Gospel Mission and The Lord's Rain. As I've tried to express over the years, it's not all bad news -- not even close -- despite the image projected by activists and the media.
But what would the script look like? And who would play the characters? It would be a tour de force for an ensemble of character actors: improvising their parts without stereotyping or ridiculing anyone. Maybe Sean Penn (if he can take time out from making politically-correct "statement" movies), Matt Damon, Philip Seymour Hoffman and maybe Donald Sutherland and Graham Greene. And if you tried to write a script, a producer would send it back with orders to come up with something "real".
(Interestingly, that's one of the reasons why I believe the Bible is the Word of God and not (as Peter put it) some cunningly-devised fable: what human could devise it? The more I'd read it, the more I'd hear, "you can't make this stuff up". But I digress.)
Take, for example, the conversations I had at The Lord's Rain on Tuesday morning -- two conversations at the same time. I've joked on occasion that you don't have to be ADD to work at The Lord's Rain, but it helps. Often, someone will start talking to you regardless of whether you're already talking to someone else, so you usually have to tune one ear to the new conversation long enough to analyze whether it's something that can be put on hold until you've finished the current conversation or something vitally important that needs to be dealt with right away.
Compounding the situation this past Tuesday was the fact that the quarterly HST rebates were distributed the day before. (For those of you not in Canada, the government sends an amount each quarter to people on low incomes to compensate (at least in part) for their having to pay the Harmonized Sales Tax.) The rebates are a great idea in theory, but on the DTES, it means more money available to spend on drugs, and by gad, that's what they did on Monday. On Tuesday morning, many of the people were showing the effects and I was caught between two conversations with a newcomer named Vance and Dale, a man I've known since my start at Rainbow Mission in 2004.
Vance was notable for his scrupulous good manners, asking politely and thanking us for coffee, a drink of water, a refill ... but he had also been sitting by himself, deep in conversation with an unseen interlocutor, and occasionally gesturing very broadly -- almost violently. Dale had sat down next to him and he and I started talking about prayer. That's where Vance chimed in, excusing himself for stepping into the conversation.
But Vance's conversation was only semi-coherent, bouncing from one thought to the next like a flea on a hotplate. (My late mother, an actor, was once cast to play a pilot who'd suffered a brain injury in a plane crash. The sentences did not connect one word to the next, and for someone who used mnemonics -- mental images -- to memorize her lines, the challenge of learning this script was enormous. She literally had to memorize them word by word.) There was a common thread through his talking, however: demons and evil spirits. He talked about Jesus with bright shafts of light coming from His face, his own Aztec spiritual ancestry, standing toe-to-toe with the demon Pestilence -- and imitating Pestilence with a stance and facial contortions that made me feel like I was looking at Mr. P right there. Vance also talked about Leviathan (another demon), the Holy Spirit, bright lights and colors and a lot of other things I can't remember.
I sat there -- not frightened -- but fascinated. Interestingly, his talk about the spirit world did not go into things like the New World Order or other worldwide conspiracy theories (others talk about those). It was all about demons and spirits. Had he been part of a cult? Does he walk around constantly thinking these things, or do those thoughts come only when he's on drugs? (And I daresay, it's at moments like that, that I'm praying someone is on drugs! I'm only half-joking.)
All through this, Dale was continuing his conversation. Dale's mind was fried long ago by the lethal combination of mental illness and crack cocaine. He primarily follows a single theme: "I'm alright, aren't I?" He talks very loud and sometimes very fast -- the volume and the speed generally depend on whether he's affected by the street drugs or his own "head" medication has taken effect. At Rainbow Mission, he took great joy in wiping down the pews after the service. "Will you anoint my head with oil," he once asked me, "so I can wipe down the pews and not bring any evil to them?"
I thought I saw signs he was actually improving, but after Rainbow closed at the end of 2006, I didn't see much of him and when he did turn up at Gospel Mission he was in worse shape ... and the descent hasn't really let up. "I'm alright, aren't I? I'm gonna be OK, right? They say they're trying to help me but they don't, you know, they don't ..." (I'm not sure who "they" are: social workers, perhaps, or public health nurses? They probably do their best, but with limited resources, they can only do so much. Try telling that to the patients, though.)
"... I pray, you know," he went on, "... I hold my Bible every night ..."
"Do you read it?" I asked. "Just holding it won't do you any good."
"I should read it more, shouldn't I? I read the Psalms. I should read the Bible more, you're right."
"The Psalms are a good start," I replied. "Build on that."
"Yeah, I can build on that. I read the Psalms years ago. I should read it more, shouldn't I?"
Dale desperately needs validation of his life. Even trying to elicit some kind of criticism for not reading his Bible more reminds him that he's still alive and can still draw closer to God. That is, in fact, a common factor among so many of those on the DTES. That's a big reason why they come into The Lord's Rain: it's become a source of Hope -- that intangible reason for carrying on -- that is in such short supply in the area. And you know what? While it's good that we have staff and supporters who approach people with love and openness, the people themselves have made it what it is.
I think it's because of that, that some situations get resolved when they might have turned ugly. A couple of weeks ago, Danilo and one of the 'regulars' (Joe is his name) got into an argument over something to do with the coffee. The argument escalated to a veiled threat to "take it outside". Joe left ... Danilo was upset that he'd nearly lost control ... John was upset that someone gave Danilo "attitude" over the coffee ... A week later, Joe came in and apologized to Danilo. Danilo apologized for his role in it. End of discussion.
Incidents like that are a good indicator of the success of The Lord's Rain: that people are able to make up after a near dust-up. It's encouraging, and you know something? People need validation -- and sometimes, so do we.
But what would the script look like? And who would play the characters? It would be a tour de force for an ensemble of character actors: improvising their parts without stereotyping or ridiculing anyone. Maybe Sean Penn (if he can take time out from making politically-correct "statement" movies), Matt Damon, Philip Seymour Hoffman and maybe Donald Sutherland and Graham Greene. And if you tried to write a script, a producer would send it back with orders to come up with something "real".
(Interestingly, that's one of the reasons why I believe the Bible is the Word of God and not (as Peter put it) some cunningly-devised fable: what human could devise it? The more I'd read it, the more I'd hear, "you can't make this stuff up". But I digress.)
Take, for example, the conversations I had at The Lord's Rain on Tuesday morning -- two conversations at the same time. I've joked on occasion that you don't have to be ADD to work at The Lord's Rain, but it helps. Often, someone will start talking to you regardless of whether you're already talking to someone else, so you usually have to tune one ear to the new conversation long enough to analyze whether it's something that can be put on hold until you've finished the current conversation or something vitally important that needs to be dealt with right away.
Compounding the situation this past Tuesday was the fact that the quarterly HST rebates were distributed the day before. (For those of you not in Canada, the government sends an amount each quarter to people on low incomes to compensate (at least in part) for their having to pay the Harmonized Sales Tax.) The rebates are a great idea in theory, but on the DTES, it means more money available to spend on drugs, and by gad, that's what they did on Monday. On Tuesday morning, many of the people were showing the effects and I was caught between two conversations with a newcomer named Vance and Dale, a man I've known since my start at Rainbow Mission in 2004.
Vance was notable for his scrupulous good manners, asking politely and thanking us for coffee, a drink of water, a refill ... but he had also been sitting by himself, deep in conversation with an unseen interlocutor, and occasionally gesturing very broadly -- almost violently. Dale had sat down next to him and he and I started talking about prayer. That's where Vance chimed in, excusing himself for stepping into the conversation.
But Vance's conversation was only semi-coherent, bouncing from one thought to the next like a flea on a hotplate. (My late mother, an actor, was once cast to play a pilot who'd suffered a brain injury in a plane crash. The sentences did not connect one word to the next, and for someone who used mnemonics -- mental images -- to memorize her lines, the challenge of learning this script was enormous. She literally had to memorize them word by word.) There was a common thread through his talking, however: demons and evil spirits. He talked about Jesus with bright shafts of light coming from His face, his own Aztec spiritual ancestry, standing toe-to-toe with the demon Pestilence -- and imitating Pestilence with a stance and facial contortions that made me feel like I was looking at Mr. P right there. Vance also talked about Leviathan (another demon), the Holy Spirit, bright lights and colors and a lot of other things I can't remember.
I sat there -- not frightened -- but fascinated. Interestingly, his talk about the spirit world did not go into things like the New World Order or other worldwide conspiracy theories (others talk about those). It was all about demons and spirits. Had he been part of a cult? Does he walk around constantly thinking these things, or do those thoughts come only when he's on drugs? (And I daresay, it's at moments like that, that I'm praying someone is on drugs! I'm only half-joking.)
All through this, Dale was continuing his conversation. Dale's mind was fried long ago by the lethal combination of mental illness and crack cocaine. He primarily follows a single theme: "I'm alright, aren't I?" He talks very loud and sometimes very fast -- the volume and the speed generally depend on whether he's affected by the street drugs or his own "head" medication has taken effect. At Rainbow Mission, he took great joy in wiping down the pews after the service. "Will you anoint my head with oil," he once asked me, "so I can wipe down the pews and not bring any evil to them?"
I thought I saw signs he was actually improving, but after Rainbow closed at the end of 2006, I didn't see much of him and when he did turn up at Gospel Mission he was in worse shape ... and the descent hasn't really let up. "I'm alright, aren't I? I'm gonna be OK, right? They say they're trying to help me but they don't, you know, they don't ..." (I'm not sure who "they" are: social workers, perhaps, or public health nurses? They probably do their best, but with limited resources, they can only do so much. Try telling that to the patients, though.)
"... I pray, you know," he went on, "... I hold my Bible every night ..."
"Do you read it?" I asked. "Just holding it won't do you any good."
"I should read it more, shouldn't I? I read the Psalms. I should read the Bible more, you're right."
"The Psalms are a good start," I replied. "Build on that."
"Yeah, I can build on that. I read the Psalms years ago. I should read it more, shouldn't I?"
Dale desperately needs validation of his life. Even trying to elicit some kind of criticism for not reading his Bible more reminds him that he's still alive and can still draw closer to God. That is, in fact, a common factor among so many of those on the DTES. That's a big reason why they come into The Lord's Rain: it's become a source of Hope -- that intangible reason for carrying on -- that is in such short supply in the area. And you know what? While it's good that we have staff and supporters who approach people with love and openness, the people themselves have made it what it is.
I think it's because of that, that some situations get resolved when they might have turned ugly. A couple of weeks ago, Danilo and one of the 'regulars' (Joe is his name) got into an argument over something to do with the coffee. The argument escalated to a veiled threat to "take it outside". Joe left ... Danilo was upset that he'd nearly lost control ... John was upset that someone gave Danilo "attitude" over the coffee ... A week later, Joe came in and apologized to Danilo. Danilo apologized for his role in it. End of discussion.
Incidents like that are a good indicator of the success of The Lord's Rain: that people are able to make up after a near dust-up. It's encouraging, and you know something? People need validation -- and sometimes, so do we.
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