Jesus Is Always Welcome Here

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' Matthew 25:34-36

This past Saturday was our first food/clothing give away in Santa Barbara. We went out not really knowing what would happen or who we would meet, but the Lord proved faithful and directed us where we needed to go.

I'll give you a quick picture of how the day went. David Rosenberg and I met at the Community Center and after a short prayer headed out to see who we could find that could use some food and clothing. Really we had no set agenda other than to share physical and spiritual food, so we were just going to cruise by some of the places that Jerry mentioned where we might find some needy people. We had a list of about 5 places to check out but didn't really feel like we needed to hit them all. We were just going to go out and mingle and see what God would do.

We headed to Ralph's first and immediately ran into a man who was living at the Rescue Mission. He didn't want anything we had but encouraged us to keep doing what we were doing as there were so many people out there that needed food and clothing. We talked for a couple minutes and turned and left wondering if we should have done more. Our first meeting and he didn't even want anything. Hmmm...was there something else we should have done? Did we miss something Lord? We decided that there really wasn't anything else we felt we were supposed to do, but there is always this nagging in the back of your mind that you should just force the door open.

We ended up driving around the back of the stores and were just about to get back on Hollister when we noticed two men sleeping right by the side of the road..not even in the bushes. At first I only noticed one guy and my first thought was that he was dead. It just looked so unnatural to see someone lying there right next to the road. What do you do in a situation like that? Do you wake a person up or just keep driving by? We couldn't drive by, but could we wake them? So, I guess in a situation like that you take it one step at a time. We stopped the car. We talked. We prayed. It just didn't feel right going up and waking them, especially since there was ample evidence around that they would be hung over when they awoke.

We felt led to just put some food in a bag and walk over and leave it by them so they would have a pleasant surprise when they awoke. We figured that there was a good chance they would wake up when we got up close and if they did we would take it as a signal from God that we should try and minister to them.

Well, we walked up and put the food down right next to them and they just slept right on through it. We got back in the truck and drove off praying blessings over the sleeping men. I hope they had a nice surprise when they woke up.

It really is a dilemma when you go out with an image in your mind of how things will unfold and the reality is nothing like the picture. Jesus tells us to preach the gospel, but he also asks us to simply feed and clothe those in need. We are called to love people selflessly without regard to the outcome. Is it only valid if the people respond in such a way that we "feel" like we accomplished something? What about if they don't respond at all? How about if they never even figure out how the blessing got to them?

God shows mercy to the just and the unjust. He blesses mankind whether they accept Him or reject Him. Whether they believe in Him or not. So many people are asleep in the bushes and God drops off bags of blessings. They never even know how it got there.

Next we headed to McDonalds to see if we could find anyone there. Nope. Then it was off to Goleta Beach. Jerry warned us that there are "some bad ones in this bunch" and to be careful. Undaunted and with most of our stuff still in the back of the truck we headed to the beach.

We immediately found a group of about 5 guys hanging out shooting the breeze and having a couple beers. We walked right into the middle of their campout and asked if they knew of anyone that could use some food, clothes or blankets. One guy (Donnell) wanted to know if we had any jackets and Life just started to unfold. We gave away quite a bit of food and some clothing which was definitely appreciated, but our real goal was to give out the bread of life. All the men were thankful for sure, but each had a varying degree of receptivity. It eventually became apparent that Dennis, Donnell and Albert were the most open and so we just naturally focused in on them.

Donnell was well versed in scripture and said with conviction that if he could have a million dollars but never be allowed to read his Bible he would never give up the word. He said that the word of God is his inheritance. He literally received a Bible the day he was given over to a foster home and rejected by his natural family and the scriptures are what sustains him. The word of God became his comfort. He prays for his homeless brothers and tries to walk in love and forgiveness. His eyes sparkle when he talks about his Lord.

Dennis seemed to be the unofficial overseer of the camp with a heart to help and see that his buddies were taken care of. He wanted to make sure that everybody got what they needed from us and even tried to contact some other guys that were close by so they could get some supplies.

Albert had had an especially rough upbringing and confessed to David that he was having a tough time forgiving people and it often resulted in anger. He also had some other issues he didn't know how to confront and asked David what he thought he should do. With wisdom from the Spirit David said that we should pray and ask God for his wisdom and intervention in Albert's life.

So, with heads bowed four pilgims prayed to the God of the universe in the middle of the parking lot at Goleta Beach and the Spirit of God brought love and compassion. After we prayed hugs were exchanged and more encouraging words were spoken. Eyes were shining and I believe angels were singing.

As we prepared to go we told them we would be back with more "stuff" in a couple weeks. A chorus of men voiced their approval, and as we turned to leave I heard someone's voice call out, "Jesus is always welcome here!"

Giving Thanks!

Well, we did it! And I mean “we” as in all of you. One thing that is so obvious is that in order to touch people on this kind of scale we all need to come together to make it happen. You have laid out a banquet before many that will never be able to repay, but were so appreciative of your kindness. Our reward won’t necessarily be in this life, but the reward is there nonetheless. Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." Luke 14:12-14


Here are a few praise reports. Let’s keep our eyes and hearts focused on serving others! “I watched Coleen Van Nostrand for awhile. Her seamless service was incredible. She drew no attention to herself ever and did heavy work with grace and did it appearing as though it were effortless...but I have a brain in my head...she was carrying heavy things and in hot places and the beauty and grace of Christ was all over her. I was blessed and strengthened just by seeing her. I keep seeing her and praying for that same grace and beauty to be in me that I saw in her and for Christ to refresh her.”

“The table of people I served were, all but three, unable to get up and serve themselves. Each of them were filled with joy from God. They each wanted to know something different about our church. One wanted to know who the chef was and how he could make so much delicious food at once. One wanted to know who the pastor was and what time church was. One wanted to know if she could give a donation...she could only whisper and asked if I would pray that she would live to be able to come next year. The gentleman in the walker loved the worship music. I was running around getting things for each of them and at the end they were very surprised to find out that one of my family was the pastor ;) I gave a specific word of blessing that God was giving to me to each one as it was clear that was real receptivity for that and then went into the other room to serve there. It seems to just get better each year....though it is so good I don't know how that happens. God knows.”

“One thing that comes to mind is a conversation I had with an elderly gentleman named Paul, who talked about the importance of praising the Lord during the day with mind and spirit, and mentioned how others can see this in the Spirit, even though they may not recognize what it is, that this attitude of praise brings light to the world. It just confirmed what I've been hearing from the Lord recently, that the louder and more steadfastly we praise Him, seeking gratitude whatever the circumstance, the more confounded the enemy becomes.” “I think my donation story was really neat, and really made me realize that the leading of the Holy Spirit is so subtle but so persistent.I had a list of possible stores to call and had calledthem all except Rite-aid... the number I had was the automated answering service at the pharmacy and for some reason I decided not to pursue it. I'll be honest I was kinda pushing down a feeling that I should pursue it.

The last day when I was picking up the donations I had received I just felt really compelled to call rite aid again, and after patiently waiting through the automated system I was connected to a person who happened to be the manager. Well, after talking to him he said it was too late to send a donation request to corporate, but if I were to come in he would donate something out if his own pocket. I didn't know what to expect, but I had a feeling he was going to be generous. I met him and told him about what the dinner was all about, and I got the feeling he was a Christian. He said something about how he could tell me all about his past and how he got to where he was today, but there was no need. Then he handed me a $100 dollar bill and said that was what he had decided to give!! I was quick to shower him with thank yous and God bless yous, but his response was"Faith without works is dead!" So true...God bless Dave the manager of Rite-Aid.”

“I was having a conversation with one of the men who had come for dinner, and then he and his friend wanted to help clean up, so they came back . . . helped to put away tables etc. They were getting ready to leave and I thanked them for their help and one of the men began sharing his story. He said he was only fearful of one thing . . . the wrath of God. He said he believed in Jesus and I assured him that by believing in Jesus, the wrath was no longer applicable. After he was done, I invited him to come on Sunday and he promised he would. I hope to see him at the service.”

“It seems that every year when we take dinners out to I.V., we have the exact amount needed. I can't remember if it was last year or the year before, we were heading back home from I.V. with four dinners leftover. When we entered the church parking lot to drop someone off, we noticed a car pull up, and a family of four pile out. They looked a little lost so I asked if I could help. They said they came for the Thanksgiving dinner. When I told them that it was all over and everything was closed up, their expressions turned despondent. But then I remembered that I had four meals leftover - just the right amount!

This year, when we left I.V., we had only one meal leftover. As we were driving home, Douglas remembered that he had promised someone, who was disabled, a Thanksgiving meal. He had recently undergone surgery for breast cancer and was getting ready to have a kidney transplant when he was run over by a car in front of his house. Although he was in a tremendous amount of pain from his cracked ribs, he was elated to have this surprise gift show up at his doorstep. He couldn't stop thanking us for the meal. It seems to me that there is just as much thanksgiving to God for having the opportunity to represent Him in giving, as it is to be the recipient of a gift from Him.”

“I am extremely grateful that I belong to a church body that welcomes and supports all of us that the Lord isn't quite finished with yet; a place where we can come as we are and be accepted and loved and continue to grow.” For more photos. Thank you!