Greg

The other night we had a homeless person over for dinner. His name is Greg. My dad met him at a church he visited this morning where Greg leads a bible study for homeless people. The guy is not a bum. He doesn't stand on a street corner with a sign asking for money. He says, "there is nothing wrong with being homeless, but I shouldn't beg. I am God's child. I am doing His work. He will take care of me." And you know what? In 4 years of being homeless, he has never had to beg for food or money. Greg is thankful. First thing he says to me when he walks in the door is "Hi there, do you know Jesus? Are you a Christian?" I say that I am, and then he says "God bless you!" He then tells me he does not say "God bless you" to people who are not Christians, because he does not want to leave them with the impression that God is blessing them in their sins. He lives among people who get told "God bless you" all day long, like a ritual, and who tell people all day long "God bless you" like it can conjure up magic, and He wants none of it. But he doesn't really need to say it, he is living proof that God loves us all, even the most poor and destitute. Homeless people are known as takers. All kinds of programs exist to "help" the homeless. But Greg, Greg is different. Greg helps others. Like one time, he got a $40 gift card for Jack and the Box. He didn't ask for it. He was just given it. So what dd he do with it? He bought lunch for some other people with it. He may be homeless, but he is not stingy. One time, in front of an Albertsons, a Salvation Army worker was trying to convince him he needed the help of the Salvation Army. He said that God would take care of him and that he doesn't need to be a mooch. The man says to him, "tell me how that works out for you." 2 minutes later, another man comes out of the store and hands Greg two LOADED bags of groceries, almost more than Greg could carry. Greg modestly walks up to the man and says "this is what waiting on God can do," and then begins to share His groceries with the Salvation Army man! "Freely you have received, freely give," is a motto Greg lives by. We had a great time of discussing the homeless lifestyle and swapping life stories. We had pizza topped with pesto and avocado, but dad got Greg a chile relleno burrito, since he found out that was a particular favorite of Greg's. As we ate, he shared of how the Lord had been leading him recently. He feels the Lord has called him for ministry to homeless people. There are two parts to to this ministry. One is, of course, to tell people Jesus and to lead them to salvation. The second, is to disciple them to be productive members of society. "You live here with the rest of us, and you are not disabled or incapacitated. Clean up the city you live in. Do things for people. Stop drinking. Don't live life only for yourself. Give, don't just take." Some of Greg's ideas sound radical to entitlement American mindset. "You know what would be great?" he says. "If everyone just stopped feeding the homeless for a week. When you are hungry, it motivates you to get up and do something about it." Yeah, Greg doesn't mind stepping on a few toes to push people in truly positive directions. Before we left, we prayed together. There is a special kind of a blessing in having a someone of such a low state praying for your well being and success in life, as well as your walk with the Lord. When he said "God bless them," I really did feel blessed. The homeless lifestyle is not for everyone. Greg would never say that. Money is not evil. Work is not evil. Having a house is not evil. Greg just wants everyone to trust Jesus with their whole heart and life, and to love their neighbors. And that is something we can all be doing - whether we live in a fancy house, or live on the streets. P.S. Pray for Greg. His younger brother died a week ago. He left behind a wife and 3 adult children.