I talked to a man who was homeless for over a decade. He was raised in a dangerous section of NYC and ended up with both the police and a drug dealer (whom he’d ripped off and stolen drugs) looking for him.
The police wanted to incarcerate him, the drug dealer wanted to kill him, and society in general wanted to avoid him.
He fled to Texas and there roamed the streets as another of those hopeless-homeless souls that we see in any major city. He slept wherever he could find a place which included up under bridges, missions, and in churches with doors left unlocked for the night. He panhandled, and committed petty crimes to pay for his drugs and what little food he consumed. He spent some 12 years on the street in this condition.
He ended up in prison and there he met a guy, (Jack Murphy) who led him to Christ. When he got out of prison he wanted a new life free from his old ways and he started his own remodeling business which became successful enough to allow him to buy a car, a home, and some work clothes. He got married to a wonderful Christian girl and together they have prospered beyond his wildest dreams. Now he’s decided it is his time to spend some time working for the Lord and he spends most of his free time ministering to inmates and others that society has given up on.
If Jesus were to come today how would He react to the street people? Would He avoid them at all costs? Or would He walk the streets helping anyone he encountered that had a need? Anyone who has read the Bible knows the answer to that one. He would undoubtedly be helping anyone He encountered with a need. Should we emulate Him?
But let’s face it, street people can be dangerous; many are mentally ill, dirty, unshaven, smell bad, and some are infested with various diseases that could be contagious. Almost all seem desperate and that makes them prone to do irrational and even dangerous things.
I’m often amazed at how God uses the most unlikely people to fill a need. When a street person has a need in Tallahassee Florida, (be it a place to sleep, a hot meal, a place to shower and clean up, some clothes, or a visit in jail), Glenn Burns is the man that most people will call.
He laughingly calls his street friends “lepers”, stemming from the fact that no one wants to be around them. His wife is equally passionate about helping women that are in dire straits. She runs the Chelsea House to assist them in getting back on their feet again.
Glenn was a very successful businessman in his former life. He experienced some tragedy that would make most people lose the will to go on, but go on he did. In fact he and Beth are all-time heroes of mine working in an often thankless job dealing daily with some of the most hapless people in America with seemingly unsolvable problems. It doesn’t seem to faze them, nor does the danger. Glenn is fearless in walking among these sometimes dangerous streets and he has helped untold thousands of them.
I believe that God has built one of the largest mansions in heaven and located it right on prime “River of Life” real estate frontage as a reward for this amazing couple. I can’t wait to visit them there and marvel at it.
I asked Glenn, an ordained pastor now, to come to Honey Lake on March 13th to offer his testimony. Trust me you do not want to miss it!
As Glenn and I discussed it, I remarked that so many people look at those who are less fortunate and different than them as untouchables. It is my hope that he can give us some insight into how God looks at them and make us more like Him in loving them. I asked him to tell us how we can develop a loving spirit too.
Though we might not be called to walk the streets with Glenn ministering to this portion of our society, we are ALL called to minister to them. He runs thrift stores to help his ministry and they are always in need of clothing and other items; they continuously need food to daily feed the large numbers of folks who are down on their luck, and of course their ministry, like all ministries, need money to run their daily operations.
One need look no further than the Sermon on the Mount to verify that we all should be concerned with the “lepers” among us. I highly encourage you to come hear Glenn and Beth Burns at 11:00 a.m. March 13th for our special Sunday service. They will share their interesting experiences of lives transformed and share some of the miracles that they see occurring daily with lives salvaged and souls saved.
BE THERE!
Matt. 10:16
Behold I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves.
March 2, 2016 – Click here to listen