What Do You Have To Give?

When you're driving down the street, what do you see?

Are you intent on where you are headed and you only see the streets and the cars around you?

What do you see?

I see homeless people.  I see panhandlers, beggars, prostitutes, drugs dealers, street people.  I see them everywhere I go!  I know the place to go and look for them.  I could be in a strange city and still know where to find these people, to see them and know them

I've talked about it before, after seeing a woman sleeping on the sidewalk, in Atlanta, right next to traffic flying by to get on the expressway.

We all have different passions, interests and gifts, but I see street people.

My people.

I don't even have to look for them most of the time, God points them out to me.  He reminds me how much He loves them and how important they are to Him.  He reminds me how far He's brought me and how much I mean to Him and together we love them so very much.

I love them!

They are my people!

I am one of them!

You leave the streets but they never leave you.  Your life changes and becomes something else, but the street is still there, right below the surface letting you know it's not going anywhere and it will welcome you back.

Every Sunday I accept that invitation.

I go back to the streets.

I know people think I'm crazy but it is absolutely the best thing that happens to me all week long, besides my love affair with Jesus.  I love church but I belong in the streets.

I'm not afraid of the drugs dealers or the pimps and some of them have come along and been kind right back to me.  I'm not afraid when the police roll up on us, because they know what we're doing and they have no problem with it.

I love it when they ask me for things others have given me to take.  I love it when they all want to hug and tell me they love me and there are smiles everywhere.

I love the crew has assembled to love them as well, because man oh man do I love my people!  The Castrogiavanni's come all the way from Prattville, 50 miles one way, to be a part of it.  My girl Sharon is so gung ho you just about can't stop her.  There are others willing to step in when I need the help and I love all of their hearts so much!  It's important to me!

The generosity and hearts of others make it possible week after week and now we've been doing it so long, they don't even care if we have anything they are just glad to see us and be loved on.

Even the girl I had a falling out with about the socks, asked me for a hug, told me she loved me.

I tell people I do it with nothing, but I don't, I just do it with very little money.  I do it with everything I've got.  I do it with the donations of others.  I do it with the most genuine love God gives me to share.  I don't care what they smell like, how long they've been wearing the same clothes, I do it with great love and I hug everybody that wants one!  I take pictures because I love them and want others to see them and love them as well, not because we are trying to look like we are special.

My people!  My heart bursts with love over and over again, because they are God's people.

Jesus loves them!

We took jeans out this past Sunday and they went crazy.  We're building bags starting tomorrow, to make sure each and every one of them has their own bag, with personal hygiene items, clothes we know fit them and they need, mre's, water, everything we've got to give right now.

It's amazing when God points out one to me, like He did today and I had just come from lunch with Sharon, with a box of food, had water in the truck, gave him a box of cookies to stick in his pockets.  I've seen this boy before many times, but every time I turned around to go back, he was gone.  Today was the day I finally got to bless him, to hug him, to ask him where we can find him on Sunday, to continue being a blessing to him.

What do you have to give?

You have more than you think.

There they are standing on the side of the road, in need, people Jesus loves.