Burning Bridges

 

 

"I don't regret burning bridges.
 I regret that some people weren't on those bridges when I burnt them."

 

That may sound terrible, but my whole life has been like this. I have burned more bridges, my face should be plastered on the Post Office wall as a the worlds biggest arsonist. By the way, you won't find my picture in the Post Office for any reason, I checked. I grew up under several rules. Dad believed you walk away from a fight 3 times then you clean their clock. Mom's rule "family should be first, by only after she was taken care of." So, as a child I took the both rules and made it my own. You treat me wrong and I will tear you up. I have done that for so long, sometimes I find myself wishing the worse on people who have hurt me or mine even to this day. Not exactly what Christ had in mind for me when he died on the cross. What a horrible example of a founder of an amazing ministry.

Several months ago, I had a person do my ministry wrong. Not just one thing wrong, but a long list. Several things border illegal. To be honest, when it comes to my family or my ministry you don't mess with. But I realized two things in this whole mess. There is a new sheriff in my life and He means business. He is the only one that has any authority over my life. Justice is His and His alone. So, this arsonist is out of business. Second thing is that I have inherited sin and I am really good at it, so I need to be reading that special manual Christ hand delivered to man to change this inheritance. Not every Sunday, but seven days a week. And guess what, if you have a question, don't raise your hand, just place them together, close your eyes and talk. He may not answer right away, but He will answer. That is my promise to all my fellow sinners. And to those that are perfect, let me build you a cross, because I believe Christ could use the company.

 

So, now what?

 

"Burning bridges only makes it harder to get around and cover more ground."

 

 This is my new motto. We have such a huge area to cover. Just in Columbus alone we have so many homeless. We have so many friends living on the streets and honestly it is impossible to cover all the ground in the city and help everyone alone. I know we need the support of fellow Christians and true believers in Christ. So, instead of burning bridges, it's time to become a construction crew and build. We need to build every bridge possible. The plans were made hundreds of years ago. Maybe it's time to blow the dust off and start the process of bringing people together. In Columbus there are so many people looking for a place to share God's love. I don't know how many times I have heard that I wish I had somewhere to serve! Or, why are there are homeless and they have no where to live? As a Christian, shouldn't the real question be, why are these lost souls sitting on a curb Sunday mornings, rather than in a church? Why are we letting so many people feel forgotten and feel like the only way out of this life is a bottle of whiskey and a nap on the railroad tracks? Why do we have empty seats on Sunday morning in our churches? Why do you close your eyes, to your brothers and sisters? It's easy to feed them food and fill their bellies, but why is it so hard to feed their hearts and souls with the word of God?

 

Let me give you a small story. I know this girl and last night she stood in line at the Salvation Army, waiting to be fed the one meal she gets for the day. As she sits down, with the little food they gave her she looks across the room and she notices her grandmother eating the same meal. They don't talk because they are both embarrassed to talk about the way their life turned out. After eating this girl walks down to a bridge where she has a few blankets hiding. She makes her bed near the drain area of the sewer plant. For the next little while she thinks about her life. She pretends to be strong, but for those few moments she gets to be a girl again, she let a few tears flow, and then she falls asleep. As I put down these words my heart hurts like no other. This young lady is like so many of our campers that have parents that are worried about them. It just happens that this young lady is my daughter. She is my little girl. The same little girl that used to lay on my chest falling asleep with her tiny little finger wrapped around mine. She used to look up and smile, because she knew that her Dad would always be there. As she grew older, times have changed her. She has fallen into the wrong crowds and her life has changed for the worse. My little baby girl has grown into a stranger. That is something I will have to live with for the rest of my life. I lost my little girl to the streets and I refuse to let any one of our campers feel they are walking their life without Christ. I can't do that.Oh and that grandmother she saw across the room, that is my mother. The woman who gave birth to me and the baby girl that I helped bring into this world, they are lost. They know where they are at but they do not understand that God is there, and that all things are possible. For them, they may believe that the bridge is burnt when it comes to Christ.  The fact is, that bridge will always be there. When Christ looked down at that crowd, there wasn't a "why am I doing this", he was looking down and saying Stephanie, this is for you, my child.

  

My daughter Stephanie 

I know Stephanie's whole life I was not a Christian, and was was not a Dad. That is my regret, that is my burden to carry. I pray everyday that she knows that I have changed and I love her. Most of all, I pray she finds her way to Christ. This weekend we are having a movie night. We will be watching a movie with our campers. After that we will gather in a circle and say a prayer. While that prayer is going on, I will be looking at the stars and I will say a special goodnight to my daughter. We will be sharing the same stars, and I pray that God sends a warmth over her, if just for a moment. Stephanie you are in my heart and this bridge will never be burnt. I love you!!!!

 











 This is Abby





This angel is my daughter Abby. She has been raised as a child of God and she knows who Christ is. Abby has been the light in my eyes since the day she was born. She is a young minister that teaches even the older ones on the streets. She has been building bridges since she was 3 years old. I have seen her move the hearts of many on the streets. I have lived two lives and I know my kids before I found Christ have a hard road ahead. I also know that this little one, will continue to serve long after I am gone. For this, I am a happy father.  For this, I can say I am born again and I have a family that loves Christ. The picture below shows the love that a simple child can show the world. 





 "From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise" Psalms 8:2

 

So, here is my challenge. I ask that you take a small moment and think of all those homeless sons and daughters. Think of what they are going through at this moment, and pray for them. I ask you pray for Shaggy, Fox, Frances, Sis, Fay, and all our friends living under the stars.
 

Brothers and Sisters it's time to rebuild those bridges. it is time to bring our campers home to church where they belong.  It's time to come home.

 God Bless!!!