Friends, we need your help. Allow me to explain. A typical Friday for us goes like this... 3:45am - Amanda's alarm goes off and she hops in the shower and does her thing to get ready for work. 5:00am - Amanda arrives at work for a full 8hr day. 5:30-6:00am - I wake up and start my day. 6:15am - Walk into our stuffed garage and sift through the bag that we bring to PB. 6:20am - Refilling necessary items for the night: Packing plates, folding 100-200 forks inside napkins, pouring Parmesan cheese from the bag into the container for an easy pour, etc... 6:45-7:15am - Slicing whatever bread donations we have that week and buttering each piece, then wrapping in foil pan. 7:15-8:30am - Re-evaluting my sermon and checking for any errors, and prayer. 10:00-10:30am - Drive to Costco for pasta sauces. 10:30-10:45am - Drive to Vons for alfredo sauces. 11:00am - Pack bag with all items to be used later. 1:00pm - Strategically place each large pot, strainer, and personal weight scale, in it's rightful place for easy access once Amanda gets home. 1:15pm - Amanda leaves work and heads home. 2:00pm - Amanda gets home. 2:15pm - I start loading the truck. 2:20-3:00pm - Amanda is weighing herself first, then grabs a bag full of desired pasta and returns onto the scale to determine the weight of the pasta... all while multitasking and cooking in between weights. 3:00-3:15pm - Amanda evaluates what hygiene supplies need replenishing and fills accordingly, by walking from our living room into our backyard shed numerous times. 3:15-3:30pm - Scrape whatever remnants of sterno fuel I could reuse into lesser full cans and open new ones as necessary. 3:30-4:00pm - Finish loading the truck, including all food pans. 4:00-4:15pm - Prayer again. 4:15-4:20pm - On our way to PB. 4:45-5:00pm - Arrival in PB and immediately unload. 5:00-5:05pm - Huddle for prayer. 5:05-5:25pm - Give sermon. 5:25-5:30pm - Start serving food. In case you missed where we need the help, back up to 2:20pm. There is something wrong here. We need a commercial grade food scale for the amount of food we're handling. It seems so ridiculous to stand and reweigh over and over just to get weight for the pasta. Silly, right? The problem is the commercial grade scales are pretty expensive... at least for us. We need all you friends and readers to please join us in prayer regarding the food scale. I'm not asking for your financial contributions, just some good old fashioned prayer for something that we need. We appreciate it!

Hello to all that come across our blog... it seems as though time has just been slipping by again, so this post will account for the past 2 weeks. May 11, 2012 - This night was definitely worthy of posting sooner! From our obedience, and the faithfulness of those that have joined our team... our Ministry has become a well established entity. Over the years, many people have stopped by with kind words of encouragement. It's practically impossible to be on the boardwalk on a Friday evening and not see what's going on. I share this, not out of pride, but to boast in the things of the LORD and the work that He is doing. The works of GOD are evident. For some bicycling by, it may look like a group of nice people feeding the homeless, but for those that let their curiosity get the best of them, as they are drawn near... they soon discover much more going on than just some plates being passed down a line. Last week, I mentioned a gentleman with his wife and kid, who donated pizzas to contribute. The LORD touched his heart again this night, and again it was a tremendous help! Two of our team members, Nicole and Robert, experienced something radical this night. The Holy Spirit used these high school seniors as vessels to heal 2 of our guests! One individual, (who I can testify) has had his arm in a sling for awhile and was unable to move it... after Robert laid hands on him and prayed, the man was able to move his arm. Nicole had a similar encounter with a woman who had a problem with her leg. Upon getting in line, she could only hobble with a limp. Nicole laid hands on her and prayed... the woman walked away just fine! GOD is doing amazing things in Pacific Beach!!! I get the opportunity to speak with people all the time about why we are there. Some catch that vision and join us the following weeks. It is a real honor to serve The King of Kings and represent The Lord of Lords. May 18, 2012 - Amanda and I were able to beat the clock tonight. We arrived in our vehicle a little earlier than normal, so we used that time for prayer inside the quietness of our truck. I just knew something big was going to take place... I just didn't know what yet. With the help of some of our guests (who always help), we unloaded and got set up in no time at all. We originally thought that we were going to be short-handed, so I'd asked one of our guests if he would like to participate in serving his comrades, in which he happily took the task of hygiene distribution. We had ALOT of people to serve and there was a wave of totally new faces that I did not recognize. The message was shared to this massive crowd, and an invitation was given to accept Jesus Christ... 9 people came forward! Praise the LORD. I like to mingle with those that are waiting in line, so I walk around and introduce myself to the new faces and ask anyone if they need some prayer. One of our new guests said something so encouraging that it stopped me in my tracks. What he shared with me, I took as a word straight from the LORD. Unfortunately not everyone agrees with what I preach, so for those folks, they choose to come late (after the "preaching") while the line grows. Those few that came late did not get to eat because we ran out of food by the time they reach the front of the line. I hate feeling the way I do when I look into the eyes of desperation and disappointment. I feel like a failure when stand there empty handed and they do not want to hear of the hope that is available to them.

Hi again everybody. Time seems to be slipping away faster than I can manage, so I thought it best to start condensing my blog entries to every other week, unless of course something totally awesome happens and I just have to let it out. So here goes... Friday: April 27, 2012 - The absence of our beloved worship leader and his guitar has really made an impact on our evenings. Usually, the beautiful sound of praise sang unto the LORD keeps a peace over the area, and it's blatantly noticeable when we don't have anyone to lead us in worship. The events of the evening were without problems and everyone's stomachs were filled. Three of our dinner guests asked if they could attend church service with us the following Sunday... praise GOD! Sunday: April 29, 2012 - Piling into the vehicle, Amanda and I picked up Sid, Keith, and Mohawk Mike. All three of the guys enjoyed the service and were welcomed with open arms of love from our church. (I often worry how others who might be 'unfamiliar' with this type of group will react or treat them.) I'm overcome with great joy when I see such genuine love pouring out from those I congregate with. Our church had a baptism planned later in the afternoon, and Keith seemed eager to find out more about it during announcement... after service we dropped the guys back off in PB, but to my surprise, Keith ended up riding his bicycle to Crown Point to join us, because of the positive people he encountered while on campus. It was really sweet to see his big smile as he pulled up on the grass. Friday: May 4, 2012 - Tonight was crazy! As I've mentioned before, we can usually plan on the attendance being smaller at the beginning of the months, but this was so not the case. As summer approaches, it draws an entirely new sea of faces... not necessarily homeless people either... just people passing by who would like to catch a free bite to eat. Is there a line that needs to be drawn? The message was from Mark 8, where Jesus feeds the multitude for a second time using only a few pieces of fish & bread, and the miraculous multiplying of that food. It trips me out, because although we didn't have any fish with us this night, we literally did see the bread multiply before our very eyes and then some! GOD knew exactly how many people would show up this night and He met the needs to assure that all would be fed. As the line started to form after the message, it was obvious that we were going to run out of pasta. Out of nowhere comes some random guy carrying two really big pizza boxes. (I'd never met or seen this man before in my life!) He simply said, "Hey I'm here to help." and started passing out slices of pizza to those waiting in line. It was truly amazing to see and I think that for that next hour I stood there in semi-shock. Two of our newest team members, (Horizon Academy Seniors) who also happen to oversee our "Loving The Neighbor" Facebook account, took it upon themselves to and visit with the family that just donated the pizza. I'm eagerly waiting to hear how that all came about. If you're a Facebook'r please "like us" and be a fan or whatever it's called. (Can ya tell I'm not on there?) All in all, it was a really good night.

Well friends and readers, this post will be making up for the past 2 weeks. Blogger has changed their page tremendously, and it's taking me some time to figure it all out, so please bare with me. Friday, April 13th - The weather was extremely poor, with rain & winds blowing against us. Those conditions usually allow for us to fellowship with our dinner guests more... at least those that still show up, anyways. This time was no different. We served around 40 people, but the fun thing was all of us trying to huddle up and stay dry under the 3 pop-up canopies that we brought down. The wind was so bad, that I actually had to use Gorilla Tape on the canopies and the railing so that our things would not fly away! Somebody suggested that we should have shot a short video of that as a promotion for their products. Hooray Gorilla Tape! It was funny to look around and see black tape keeping everything together. All of us shared in celebrating the birthday of one of our team members. She brought her own giant (and delicious) Oreo cookie cake and wanted to spend her birthday with our neighbors. I thought was really cool of her. We actually had quite a few more volunteers show up which was a surprise, especially due to the rain storm, but it was really nice by the time were were done serving the food. We ended up breaking down our make-shift forts and took the magnificent opportunity to worship our Creator together under the glorious rays of the setting sun. The one thing that really sticks out to me from this evening was something that a passer-byers stopped and said to Amanda: "I see you guys week after week, and now I can really see your faithfulness by coming down during this storm." Friday, April 20th - This month marks our 3 year anniversary in Pacific Beach. It still baffles me how our Ministry has sustained this long, especially without any grants or financial support from any organizations. The only true answer is GOD. He is the one providing the necessities each week, faithfully He pours out His blessings, to share of His love to the houseless people of the beach. I heard a saying once, that has remained with me: If it's GOD's will, then it's GOD's bill. We are seeing that first hand, and it still blows me away! Lots of volunteers came to show support this week and help in whatever capacity was needed. My buddy, Rudy, helped make this possible by praying with people as he saw the need. Brian shared his testimony to the crowd, which I know was a GOD thing for most of these men to hear what needed to be said. Although I had a rough life before I met Jesus, I can only relate so much to this group. I never did the drugs that these people are addicted to, so my words mean nothing when it comes to that... but Brian spoke with conviction from the Lord, and GOD used that through Brian. He was able to speak one-on-one with a gentleman this night, who needed some serious help. This guy was in no condition to take on the street life, and GOD strategically placed Brian here on this night, to show the man that there is a way out.

Good Friday

Today, Christians all around the world celebrated the day that our LORD Jesus Christ was crucified. We do this, because it was His death, that brings to us eternal life... through faith in Him.

It's GOD's provision, that allows this Ministry to continue each week. This week, He did something extremely special that I think will be spoken of for years to come... Amanda was able to obtain a 4 pack of tickets to the Padres vs Dodgers game (GO PADRES!!!) We thought it would be so awesome to use the 2 remaining tickets to bless some of our 'neighbors'. More of that later...

The message shared tonight was well received, and 2 of our team members took the opportunity to speak & pray with those that showed an interest in giving their hearts to Jesus. That was really cool to see! Our volunteer numbers have grown in the past few weeks, so it was great to have the men be able to go among those the crowd. That has always been the hard part for me, because there are just so many people, and I can't get to everybody at once, so it's really nice to have that assistance available from time to time.

Everything went smoothly as far as the dinner went. We brought down a large bag of the awesome hats that we were gifted with last weakened. It seemed like most people were appreciative of them. It's always a blessing for us to see how something like a beanie can bring such a beautiful smile to somebody. (Please take this moment to consider, even the small things in your life, and never take them for granted.)

Onto the game we went: Amanda, myself, Sid, and David. Neither of the guys had ever been to Petco Park. It was a treat for all of us. The LORD hooked us up with a fantastic parking spot through another brother in the LORD. Although the Padres got stomped, we all had a blast!

Love covers a multitude of sin....

but love also covers the heads of cold people, through the loving generosity of an amazing Knitting Ministry called, Hearts & Hands. This particular Ministry has given our team hand-knitted beanie caps over the years, which has brought such a joy to everybody that received them.

This past Saturday (March 31, 2012)... Hearts & Hands held a ceremony for the Ministries that have been impacted by the love of this group. I'm pleased to announce that Loving Thy Neighbor (LTN) was one of honored Ministries, that spoke on behalf of everyone whose received a knitted gift from this group.

Before Amanda and I left the ceremony, they presented us with a very large donation of freshly knitted beanies! I'm not talking about a few or a grocery bag full either... there was an entire table filled with stacks & stacks of beautiful, hand-knit hats for our cold friends down at the beach.

I wanted to give a shout out to the wonderful ladies that GOD has called to Hearts & Hands, and honor them by asking all readers of this blog to please pray for them and the supplies they continually need to keep this awesome and unique Ministry going.

They are currently working on filling an order of 40+ blankets for an orphanage in Romania.
Again, all I ask is that you please pray for them and if it's on your heart to help in any way you can contact them through their website: http://heartsnhands.webs.com/

Busy

Tonight was incredibly busy for the team!

There were a few factors that made it extremely busy for us...

1) It's the end of the month, which brings more people to the free meals because all the their SSI finds come been used up.

2) Our team was short-handed by a few members, while other volunteers were running late or fighting to find street parking.

3) Due to an abundant and blessed food donation, we switched up the menu and gave our dinner guests an option of cuisine to choose from, which in turn created more work for all of us.

I was humbly reminded that our ways are not always in the perfect plans of GOD...

I'd arranged for one of our brothers to share his powerful testimony with our neighbors today, which would have given me an opportunity to find some rest for a change. (It can be difficult at times not having an assistant that I can turn to when I need a break.) Anyways, our guest speaker fell through last minute due to his work schedule, and I was unprepared to give a sermon. The LORD reminded me of what He showed me yesterday from the book of Daniel, so I shared about the second dream of King Nebuchadnezzar. It was pretty amazing to fully rely on GOD to use that story to reach the crowd tonight.

We gave some of our neighbors the opportunity to participate in serving their friends and helping us out at the same time. I feel that this hands-on experience is something that those men will not soon forget. It amazes me how the few that actually want to help, express their desire so strongly and are willing to 'give back' in any capacity.

Thanks to our recent connection with CVS Pharmacy, through the network of a friend, we have been getting our cases of water for free every week. Being short-handed allowed others to go pick those cases up for us. It's only 1 short block in walking distance, but the fact that these guys are willing to do something for somebody other than themselves is certainly a big improvement!

I love watching GOD work and down there you can literally see Him doing something to the lives of each person that comes across our Ministry, whether it's our own team members, people passing by, or those that join us for dinner.... something happens, that only GOD will one day be able to make clear to all of us.

Praise Him!