I have a friend called David. A few months ago he broke up with his wife and wound up homeless. He was also an alcoholic - a stinking drunk tramp. One day he came across our ‘Healing on the Streets’ team that goes out every Saturday to the North Finchley High Road to offer prayer for healing. I don’t know who he spoke to on that day, but all I know, he handed over his life to Christ and started coming to St B’s. I met him in his first week at church. Someone had given him a bible and he was utterly fascinated by what he was reading – especially the Jewish practices outlined in the first 5 books of the Old Testament “Sounds pretty pagan to me!”
He gave up the alcohol, and this Valentines Day we calculated that he had been ‘dry’ for just over 12 weeks. He’s moved in with my friend Julian, another church member. The other day, I dropped in to see him and noted that his room was very tidy!
“Unlike my room, which is a bit of a tip…”
He responded
“When you’ve been in a tip, you appreciate any space you’ve got”
I certainly have a better appreciation of my life
Dave’s story is not dissimilar to Josef’s. Josef came to St B’s, also moved in with Julian. Barnet Council found him a flat – I remember going on that first day to celebrate. He had tears of joy running down his face. Things were looking up for him and his life was finally getting back on track. However, just after Christmas, he descended into depression and started on the booze, things just spiralled downwards from there. Ann Marie, Julian and Dave stayed with him when he was in hospital, and afterwards checked on him at home. A couple of weeks ago he was found in his new flat – dead! Possibly from the dangerous cocktail of booze and anti-depressants- accidental or maybe even suicide
It all just seems so…. Unfair!
Why didn’t God look after Josef better?
Why did Josef give up on life just at the point when it was beginning to turn around?
There’s a new wave of homeless guys coming to church now- Steve, Lisa, Lisa with a hat, Lynn. Julian has organised a group to specifically pray for them on Monday evenings. We need God’s wisdom and direction on this. On Thursdays, Milly who owns a café on the High Road has kindly offered to give the guys a hot meal and a place to come in out of the cold for a couple of hours. These are only temporary measures though… I’d like to see the guys permanently off the streets and living whole lives.
While we were praying on Monday, I remembered the bible verses in Luke 14: 27 - 33 about counting the cost of being a disciple. The fact is, if we do take on this role of reaching out to the homeless, we will be acting like bridges –a link for these desperate, vulnerable people to get to God, wholeness, a better life, restoration etc.
Bridges are only useful when people walk on them. I shared this with the group and their interpretation- pretty obvious – is that it’s going to be messy and dirty business.
Bring it on?
Safe, cautious me? Am I willing to pay the price... to go through the pain of losing another ‘Josef’ or live constantly in fear of it happening?
I’m worried about Dave now. I’ve noticed that he’s smoking a lot more recently. Perhaps he smoked just as much before and I never noticed.
I don’t know what to do
