The Classroom of the Street

The Lord continues to diligently teach and prepare me for the future.  I learned so much over the last week as a result of His patience with me and continue to sense that He has me on a specific path to a specific end.  In the words of John the Baptist, "He must become greater, and I must become less." (John 3:30)  I sincerely hope I can adequately show you the Lord's shaping and guiding hand from the last 8 days.  My head still spins thinking about what He is doing to teach and change me.

Last weekend I went with one of our community pastors, Steve, around downtown Everett to walk, pray, and talk about Jesus with anyone we happened to meet.  It has been great to spend time with this brother in Christ, and he and I continue to be surprised that our hearts are as one when it comes to street evangelism.  We just can't get enough of it.  We headed down to the Everett Public Library to sit and watch the world go by.

Currently the city of Everett has placed pianos around downtown as a form of performance art.  They are there so that passersby can stop and play a tune if they would like to do so.  Last week there were typewriters on many of the corners and pedestrians could stop and type a message to anyone they wanted about anything they wanted to talk about.  This is yet another continuing effort by the city to embrace and support the arts.

I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, but we saw several homeless men taking turns at various pianos around town, and they were really talented!  We met a man named Ron who has been on the streets for several years.  He clearly has some church background because when we started talking about the Lord he began playing some old gospel tunes on the piano outside of the Library.  He easily is one of the better players I have heard in my lifetime and knew more songs than I could count.  Apparently he goes to the library and visits a website which videos someone's fingers on a piano playing various songs, and he has memorized the songs simply by watching those.  Clearly he is gifted in music ability.

We asked him the usual question about who Jesus is to him and he answered that He is his Lord and Savior.  That's always a comfort to meet someone who proclaims The Name boldly.  I gave him my card and told him that perhaps we should have him to the church to play for us.  I really hope we can make that happen.

I was surprised a second time on this same excursion when I ran into a man that I had talked to a week before during the time the HAFBC mission team was in town.  He was one who, when asked about Jesus, became very agitated and shut down my conversation.  On this day he happened to be outside the Library when we came by and he struck up a conversation with Steve and I.  While it was just small talk, I do believe he recognized me and was more at ease in talking this time around.  I will come back to this point a little later.

On Monday of last week I sensed that I needed to hit the streets during my lunch break at work.  The Lord has been teaching me to take everything on my calendar to Him, and I've really been trying to do that.  I have a simple belief that if I will bring these things to Him, He will either allow me to carry through with them or He will not.  I just leave it to him.   On this particular trek I was by myself so I just prayed for the city and for the people I was passing by at the time.  I also prayed that the Lord would help me to strike up a conversation with anyone that He wants me to talk to.  If this God can control my calendar, He can certainly determine who I get to talk to.

The Everett Transit Center.  Here one can jump on a commuter train into Seattle or various bus lines that go around Everett and greater Seattle.

I walked by a number of people and eventually found myself heading toward the Everett Transit Center, which is a large commuter train and bus station in downtown Everett.  I noticed an old man, also named Paul, who was leaning up against a wall while seated on the sidewalk.  He was picking up cigarette butts and placing them in an aluminum can.  He looked up at me and commented that he couldn't find his van.  A conversation was now started and the Lord was in it!

I talked with him about 25 minutes there on the street as others passed by.  We spoke about life, about how he is able to survive living on the streets with his van as his home.  I eventually got around to asking him who Jesus is to him.  He proclaimed that Jesus is his savior and I asked him if I could tell who Jesus is to me.  He was interested so I explained that Jesus is my Leader, the One who called me all the way from Houston, Texas to proclaim the Gospel here in Everett.  The man seemed to be encouraged by this and I was at the point where I needed to go back to work, so we prayed together before departing.  He then said something interesting that really got my attention.  I had just given him my card and told him that we'd likely see each other again when he said "yeah, I've seen you walking around down Broadway before."  It may sound very simple, but I was floored because the Lord seemed to be showing me again where He is working.



The Lord's Lesson Plan
I am beginning to notice some patterns in this street ministry that the Lord seems to have led me to.  First, I now notice many of the same homeless people on the street and in turn they are recognizing me.  People who initially wouldn't make eye contact or say anything, and even people who have said that Jesus is just a myth or have stonewalled me on talking about Him are now being more conversational with me.  It seems that there really is power in being available and being recognizable on the streets.  What a reminder that missions work is about more than just one-time events. 

My second piece of learning on the streets is yet another pattern that continues to emerge.  The Lord seems to continue to use me to encourage other believers around town.  Whether it is a couple who wants to find ways to boldly proclaim their faith or a mom on the way to the county jail to pick up her adopted daughter who was arrested again the night before, we keep encountering believers who need a moment of encouragement or prayer.  You will never convince me that these are just random encounters on the street.  The Lord is in all of them.

Psalm 34

8 Taste and see that the Lord is good.
    Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!
⁹ Fear the Lord, you his godly people,
    for those who fear him will have all they need.
¹⁰ Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry,
    but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing.

We're encountering PLENTY of people here who don't believe in God, but on occasion we run into people such as these who just need a word of encouragement to keep putting one foot in front of the other.  It is easy to see why:  this place truly is a land of contradictions.

Blatant affluence mixed with the down and out. 

God's creation coupled with legions of people who deny His existence. 

Bright sunlight and blue skies on top of great spiritual darkness. 

It is easy as a Christian to get discouraged here. 

Proverbs 27

¹⁷ As iron sharpens iron,
    so a friend sharpens a friend.

Perhaps my greatest lesson learned this week is a reminder of how much the Lord loves us.  Since moving here I have set out to do the things that I believe the Lord has wanted me to do.  At times I forced things and didn't check with Him first, but I'm learning to lay them before Him prior to engaging in anything.  Yet each time I go out to "do" in His name I have an idea in my head that I'm going to be ministering to someone and helping them.  And yet even in this the Lord turns it around and ministers to me by teaching, guiding, or making divine appointments for me.  As it turns out, He is the one who is ministering to and blessing me.

Psalm 36

5Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens;
    your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.
⁶ Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
    your justice like the ocean depths.
You care for people and animals alike, O Lord.
⁷     How precious is your unfailing love, O God!
All humanity finds shelter
    in the shadow of your wings.
⁸ You feed them from the abundance of your own house,
    letting them drink from your river of delights.
⁹ For you are the fountain of life,
    the light by which we see.