Loving Thy Neighbor

Fresh blossom...

2012-01-27T21:29:00.000-08:00

There is a beauty in GOD's faithfulness that is so captivating. His love will never fail. His loving efforts will never grow weary. His patience will not thin through time. His love will endure forever!

We have a gentleman that has become our friend. I shall keep his name out of this...
He recently had a difficult time with his health, which ultimately resulted in Open Heart Surgery and nearly 3 weeks in the hospital. He is unlike the majority of our guests. He has a likableness about him that I can't quite explain, but for those of us that know him, understand what I mean. He is one that truly wants to get off the streets, and his new health condition make things all the more worse for him. By the grace of Jesus Christ, this friend was able to get a bed in the SDRM this past Monday morning. Against all the horror stories he's heard from those of the streets, he decided to give it a shot.

This morning, he shared a desire to participate in our Ministry from the other side of the tables. It turns out that he really enjoys the SDRM! I'm not one to toot the horn of another Ministry, but it sure sounds like this friend has went against the negative advice from his acquaintances and has truly seen the good side of things. It was really pleasant to see the joy this friend had tonight in serving his peers. This immediate change gave others hope about a way out, which points them to Jesus Christ. I can already see how GOD is going to use this man in mighty ways to reach those he associates with.

As for the events of the evening, all went well without any problems to mention. Everybody was fed physically and spiritually. More and more people are showing appreciation for the gospel of Jesus Christ. It still surprises me to know that although there are plenty of churches or facilities that give out meals to the needy, there are still people that attend those functions who claim to have never heard that Jesus died for them! As long as GOD is directing us in this location, there will never be a time when His Word is not preached or shared.

The community

2012-01-20T20:36:00.001-08:00

These past few weeks have been extremely exciting for us, as the people of the community have started to take notice of what 'good' our Ministry has on the area and the positive impact we are making.

To my knowledge, tonight went really well from all aspects of the Ministry. There were a few people who opened up with me and allowed prayer. There was plenty of food for everyone to enjoy the feast. Blankets were distributed accordingly to those in need. The clothing area has been very organized since being given over to Danna to oversee. (That has been a very big blessing for Amanda and I to let go of!)

One of our guests/friends was back at the beach, after a long period in the hospital for open heart surgery. Sadly enough, Paul is unable to find a shelter at the time, which I can only imagine to put him in a higher risk due to his health. I ask that the readers, please remember him in your prayers.

The Ministry is growing before our very eyes! We will soon need to invest in another table or two and also another freezer for the food donations that have been coming in. GOD is doing something really awesome and I'm excited to see what He's going to be doing in the near future. Our volunteer base seems to be growing as well. I think that tonight we had close to 15 people or so.

Growth

2012-01-13T23:16:00.000-08:00

His word was more encouraging to our neighbors than any of us could have ever imagined.

His love through our works of charity and willing hearts, has made an impact on people we would never have imagined. His ways are not our ways... and I thank GOD for that. Perhaps had any of us had the ability to look into the future of our past, we might have gotten in the way of what GOD had been planning from the beginning.

Our team was blessed to have some extra hands tonight. For those new friends, it was a completely new experience for them, which I can only trust to be a satisfying feeling at the end of the night.

Our team is currently going through a transition in the growth process where we are now starting to be at the point where leaders take ownership of their duties in whatever the LORD has called them to do in the Ministry.

This week we received a blessing of additional food, which is always a great help financially. That growth is leading us towards the purchase of more materials such as extra chaffing dishes and tables.

I often find myself, during my alone time with Him, asking things like: 'What next?' or 'Are you still leading or am I stepping over you?' My position in the Ministry has given the freedom to roam the area, pray with people, and to join Jason in worship. It seems like GOD always sends the right people in my path to be the right encouragement that I need at the exact time... Tonight, our of our long time guests, had mentioned her car was having mechanical problems. She asked if I would pray with her regarding the issue. Together we lifted it up to the LORD and by the time we were done, she was crying because of the love that she's been shown through GOD in our faithfulness.

It is soooo worth it, even if 1 more person comes to know the LORD!!

The truth must be told!

2012-01-06T20:49:00.000-08:00

For almost everything, there are two sides. Tonight our neighbors heard about GOD's love (which is typically expected) but they also heard about judgment of sin... perhaps for some, it may have been the first time, and for others is may have been the thousandth time. What good is always talking about Salvation, if they know not what they are to be saved from, unless somebody shares?

Shortly after the message was giving and the line started moving towards the dinner, then was some type of conflict between two of our guests. Loud words were exchanged, violent outbursts were witnessed, and episodes of spitting on anyone and anything in reach took place. Long story short... Satan used his ancient tactics to cause a distraction tonight. There seemed to be more drunkards present as well.

I think that both Jason and myself would agree that it was a bit frustrating while we were worshipping to our Father, the troubles that came along.

It's good though, because this was the exactly the type of lifestyle without Jesus, that people need to see from which they need to be saved. There is no hope, no peace, no love, no joy, no happiness, no sobriety, no purity, nor satisfaction apart from the saving grace of Jesus Christ. The episode tonight was an eye opening reminder for those present that there is an enemy out there roaming and seeking whom he may devour.

What a wonderful GOD...

2012-01-02T07:18:00.000-08:00

I apologize for another delayed entry.... this is for the last Friday of 2011.

The past few weeks, we've been blown away at His provision for this Ministry. Our home church, Horizon Christian Fellowship, was gracious enough to mention that our team was starting a Sleeping Bag Drive. Through that, we've obtained 10 new sleeping bags so far. I have a theory that will hopefully work out well if all goes as planned - There is alot of theft between the people on the streets, mostly blankets.... I figure if everyone gets a new warm sleeping bag, there won't be a need and hopefully they won't need to steal from each other. Unfortunately, we still have a long ways to go before we reach that goal... but GOD can do anything and we're trusting in Him.

Earlier this week, a sister in the LORD donated a freezer full of bread and 11 giant pies from Costco to help our Ministry share in His love. That bread is a huge relief and will save us money for awhile.

Now onto the evening at hand-
It was a mellow night. I can't tell if the gathering was smaller than normal or if less people desired eating a healthy salad, but we actually had left-overs. (Our team determines how many guests we serve by either how fast the food goes or by how much we serve and if we have left-overs.) Some of our volunteers we unable to make it down, so I was actually able to do something other than just share a message this week. It felt good to be back in the thick of the crowd, passing out waters. It had been such a long time since I've been able to help, due to the number of volunteers coming to serve.

It seems to me like more people are being encouraged through the messages that are shared. It's rewarding to see that we labor not in vain, that the LORD is touching people and giving them the ears to hear what He's saying to them.

One particular gentleman that comes to mind is a brother named Ron. I'd first met Ron during our annual Thanksgiving Outreach at church. He'd come to help wherever he could be used. He'd shared with me, that he'd been an attendee of our Ministry for several months at this point. Since that time, I've gotten to know him more & more. He truly has a heart to grow in the Good LORD and to live for Him. I now see Ron during service on Sundays.

It's just a cool thing to see that we are somehow helping to bring love, hope, and joy to our neighbors, simply by telling them the Truth.

Merry Christ-filled Christmas

2011-12-23T21:55:00.000-08:00

Wow! Tonight really felt like Christmas... from the crisp air, to the warm & fuzzies.

I'm not even sure if I know how to put all this together without sounding jumbled.

Our LTN family was fully staffed tonight and that was a huge blessing for many people. Some of our team members had been collecting clothing donations over time and brought a van load to distribute... others brought individualized gift packs... while others presented a variety of sweets for dessert. It is so neat to see the team working together, allowing GOD to use their gifts in whatever capacity He wills.

Amanda and I were blessed with a couple Christmas cards from our neighbors. Actually reading what some of them wrote to our team has touched my heart in ways that I can not explain. My last entry, I shared 1 John 4:19... not that this even comes close to such a thing, but somehow I'm drawn back to this verse because in all reality, our friends in PB would not love us, had we not first showed them love.

It was a long night. Lots of ministry went on, people sought prayer, others wanted bibles and counseling... hopefully those seeds with bring forth good-solid fruit for Him.

Lights out...

2011-12-19T18:06:00.001-08:00

This past Friday totally reminded Amanda and I of what it used to be like when we first came to PB, nearly 3 years ago. This night, at most... we had 20 people, but the sweet thing about such a small gathering is the more time we got to spend in fellowship, giving that extra one-on-one time for prayer or simple friendship building.

It was a very windy night. So much so, that the wind caused one of the electrical wires above to arc. The authorities were notified immediately but for just over an hour, the bright flashes lit up the area, giving all of us an exciting show wondering what was going to happen next...

Eventually, all power to the PB area went down. Nobody likes to stay indoors with no power, so numerous folks came out on their balconies or on the pier. Our brother, Jason continued to play worship music with his guitar in the thick of the black night. The wind seemed to wind-down and the waves started to calm, and everybody was able to hear the delight of worship to our Creator on this night.

Because we had such a small attendance, there was PLENTY of food to go around, but we try our best to be good stewards of GOD's provision, so the majority of our team stayed with us for the long haul. I think we stayed on the boardwalk until around 8:30 or so.

People often ask us why we do what we do. The answer is so simple- "We love, because GOD first loved us." (1 John 4:19)

Double post for the past 2 weeks

2011-12-09T22:10:00.000-08:00

December 2, 2011

Amanda shared her testimony to the smaller crowd of approximately 75 folks. The LORD used her to be of great encouragement to those we serve, and have gotten to know through time. It was a blessing for me to see my beautiful wife sharing her heart and what Jesus has done in her life, to such a crowd.

It's always a treat to see other brothers & sisters from our church (who are not part of our team)coming out to give our Ministry a hand. As was the case this week, with our brother Richard. It's very encouraging to see how GOD has taken our small steps of faith and turned it into a full blown Ministry that He continues to provide for each week.

December 9, 2011

We have been collecting blankets for this cold weather season. I can't recall another time that has been as cold as it has been this year. Tonight we handed out all that we had, which wasn't very many... maybe 15 or so, but at least we know that 15 or so people can now sleep just a bit warmer, and with full stomachs.

It was a relief to be near full restoration in my health. Tonight I was able to again speak, and share what the LORD put on my heart for our guests. I received confirmation that the LORD was indeed speaking, when 5 people came forward after the message. One man in particular, Tobin, stands out from that group. He is back-slidden, and was convicted by the Holy Spirit of GOD tonight to repent and move forward in His relationship with our LORD. Together he and I prayed, and I was able to direct him to a church in the area that he sleeps. It's really sweet to be a part of something so amazing that GOD is doing. I'm humbled by His love.

The gathering attendance was nowhere as large as it's been in the recent past. I stopped trying to count and keep a toll. There is no importance in numbers when it comes to Ministry. Jesus even makes mention of this in Luke 15 - "In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” I only speak of the size tonight for the sake of mentioning how warm & full the people were tonight. Im pretty sure that everybody was able to have a second plate, while some even got thirds.

While we were setting up, I met a couple, from out-of-town, that showed interest in volunteering with us. That was a real blessing! We just so happened to be short handed a few folks. It worked out perfectly, and I'm sure that the couple were blessed to help out too. It's so beautiful that our team is so flexible and isn't caught up on who we allow to participate. (I'm not much for being a 'red tape' kinda guy.) I didn't get a chance to speak with the couple before we parted ways, but I was happy to see our team receiving them well as they served together.

*A praise report! I'm told that Quentin was welcomed into the home of brothers from a church he used to attend. These men have been loving on him, encouraging him, and building him back up in the LORD. Quentin has again stepped away from the alcohol and is back on the narrow path. That is such an answered prayer... Praise Jesus!

I've never been so thankful for them...

2011-11-25T23:25:00.001-08:00

Even I as I write this now, I am still amazed and humbled by the thankfulness, appreciation, and love our team was shown tonight by our guests...

As usual, we parked and were greeted by those who have grown faithful to help unload and set up. As I walked over to the tables, one of the women came up to me and handed me an envelope. With a bright smile, she said "This is from all of us. It's not much, but it's all that we can give."

It was the most beautiful Christmas card! It was full of names signed by our neighbors. I was completely taken back for a moment and started to get teary-eyed, so I had to walk away. Talk about the effect love has on people...

The night went without any problems. In fact, everybody seemed to be on their best behavior. There are times when we can not only feel the presence of GOD, but there are also those times where we feel the thickness of oppression lingering in the air. Tonight was not of the latter.

Our team has gained a few more volunteers which has allowed others to freely be available for prayer needs (as they come) or for opportunities to simply sit and minister to one another. One of our newer volunteers, Nicole, has come from Horizon Christian Academy, where I was privileged to speak at chapel a few weeks ago. It is so encouraging to see young people catch the vision to love our neighbors through action and not words.

As the winter air strikes the our coastal sands, it's a reminder of how cold it can get on the streets without any shelter. The biggest demand at the moment is for SLEEPING BAGS. (If anybody reading this, feels like helping to meet that need... please contact us through email.)

Tonight GOD really showed me something... two things actually.
The first is very sad. Our dear brother in Christ, Quentin, has fallen back into alcoholism and is once again back on the streets and has given up on hope. (I urge all prayer warriors to please pray for him!) GOD showed me the importance it is to dilgently seek Him, not only each day, but every hour, every minute, and every breathe that is given to us, because we are all at risk of falling if we're not.

The second thing He showed me that it's not always about the outward appearance that defines 'bearing fruit', but how the hearts of those we serve has transformed.

I am truly humbled by their act of kindness to us.

Be watchful!

2011-11-18T22:29:00.000-08:00

During our vacation, the LORD really put it on my heart to warn our friends the importance it is to be watchful people, and that is exactly what I shared this week. I do not know how well it was recieved, other than a bunch of 'Amen!' shouted from the crowd... but that could just have been their que to finish the preaching to get to the food.

I'm completely trusting GOD and what I feel is Him telling me to share. Returning this week felt good. Amanda and I felt refreshed. One of the high school students from the week before, returned to join us this week. She was a great deal of help at the clothing and hygeine tables.

There was a minor incident of commotion from one of the women. I realize it's the enemy using her to cause the disturbance to our area. Please pray for us! There were quite a few neighbors from the surrounding condo's who witnessed what happened, and I fear that they will soon be calling the city to report our presence as a nuisance of some sort.

In all that... GOD is still so good. He provided for another week's worth of supplies. He's still ruling all creation. He is sovereign and loving and patient and kind and slow to anger. His mercy is eternal... and we get to serve Him through this Ministry. What a joy!

Staying updated -

2011-11-13T08:38:00.001-08:00

I apologize to the readers who expect an update on the Ministry. It is still alive and well.

November 4th
Things were good. It was a very small crowd due to the rain. Traveling on the way down to PB it was real ugly, with dark skies all around. We were praying for GOD to miraculously give us a break in the weather... He did just that! Exactly where we set up, there was an opening in the clouds with magnificent rays of sunshine beaming down from Heaven. The newest of the photos are some shots I took with my phone. Notice the awesome rainbow!

The very few down there who truly believe our motives, trusted that we would still show up, and when they saw we'd arrived, they were all so joyful and praised GOD when I shared that the sunlight is no coincidence. I'm sure they understood what I meant. As the evening went on, and the weather was kind to us, more people started showing up for dinner.

There was surely an attitude of gratefulness in the air this cold night. I thank The LORD for His continual provisions.

A few hours after this, Amanda and I left town for our anniversary trip.

November 11th
Amanda and I were still out of town, so we obviously made other arrangements to assure that LTN would continue without us. (It's never been about us) I have yet to hear reports of the evening, but when I do... I'll probably update that.

*I heard such positive things regarding this night! It was a sweet time of worship, where some of our dinner guests joined in with whatever instruments they had and sang together with the youth group. There was enough food for everyone to eat, including some left-overs. The menu had changed for the week, from Italian to Mexican - with burritos, beans, and such.

It was said the this experience really touched the hearts of the youth and alot of them would like to participate more often. We welcome that!

Jesus Freaks!!

2011-10-28T21:27:00.000-07:00

Tonight was very special. It reminded me of the beginning stages of this Ministry, when we used to hang out and just fellowship with a few of the guys. After all the hustle & bustle of the evening, it was just some sweet down to earth conversations and getting to know each other on a personal level.

With word spreading about out gatherings, churches and other organizations have included us on a list, without our consent and that has been drawing the larger crowds more regularly. Those large crowds keep us from having that intimate time building relationships with our neighbors.

There was a wave of new faces tonight. The way I've been looking at that is like this... I have no clue if those people will ever return, so this might be my one & only chance to share Jesus with them, so I go for it. I must take every opportunity that GOD puts before me, and use it for Him. It's too easy to get caught up in doing something nice or good, and forget the main goal. I do not want to be the one to let that slip.

The message came from Luke 14:24-35. I also shared a testimony of a martyred church group from North Korea. The story was from the book Jesus Freaks. I feel that story along with the message touched alot of people tonight. A handful of people asked where they can get the book. It's encouraging to see people taking a deeper interest in hearing about our faith.

The LORD has been so faithful to the Ministry... especially lately... actually He's never been any less faithful, but it is us who are now seeing His blessings from other angles. We serve a GOD who is far beyond greater than any of us could ever put into words. It is a true blessing for our team to represent Him through this Ministry of love. My prayer is that many more would come to know Him through it. So many lives have already, but there will always be more who do not yet know.

Psalm 25:4-11

2011-10-21T21:51:00.000-07:00

His word says: Show me Your ways, LORD, teach me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long. Remember, LORD, Your great mercy and love, for they are from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to Your love remember me, for You, LORD, are good. Good and upright is the LORD; therefore He instructs sinners in His ways. He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way. All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful toward those who keep the demands of His covenant. For the sake of Your name, LORD, forgive my iniquity, though it is great.

The LORD has given us such a beautiful gift. The free gift of Salvation & Forgiveness through His Son, Jesus Christ. It is by His power that lives are transformed!

Earlier in the week, I was blessed to speak with the Horizon Christian Academy student body. It was there that I shared how the LORD Jesus Christ worked in my own life, and how He is now using this wretched man, to show love to a less desirable group of people. Yesterday our Ministry was blessed far more than we could have ever imagined, by the youth of the Academy. They graciously gave to the Ministry, which will help further the work we are doing. I am personally very grateful for the generosity they showed us. We look forward to working with the student body in the future!

Tonight our good brother, Jeremy came along. Most who follow our blog should recall Jeremy. His life now is such a tremendous encouragement to those he used to drink with on the beach. The LORD has been doing awesome things in his life. He is maturing in the LORD each day, and I'm sooooo blessed to see the fruits of our labor.

We had another near record breaking attendance again. Thankfully the LORD put it on Amanda's heart to make additional food tonight. I'd guess we were just shy of 200 people tonight. As this Ministry takes on a life of itself, it's really cool to watch everything work together so well. Our volunteer team has grown. Our financial support has multiplied, simply by word of mouth. We have faithful people praying for us as we serve and throughout the week.

Not a single mouth went away hungry, nor did anybody walk away without hearing the Word of GOD with direction how to receive eternal forgiveness. I thank GOD that He has given me such boldness in these days. It's very encouraging to conquer my own silly fears and reap the benefits of people sharing how the message GOD has put on my heart, has touched them in a certain way.

I'm thankful for GOD's unfailing love. I'm thankful for His faithful direction & instruction. I'm thankful that GOD has found anything in me to use for His sake, no matter how difficult it was for me. I'm thankful for the cross and the life He paid...

My prayer is for others to see that we indeed are different then this world, and a curiosity would stir in their hearts, and a door would open allowing us to share of Him, The Author of Salvation!

His Spirit was present...

2011-10-14T21:12:00.000-07:00

Peaceful is the only word that I can use to best describe tonight.

Not only was there peace, in the sense of no violent outbreaks or loud foul mouthed slander, but a genuine peace was present that only GOD could provide, as if He came down from Heaven and was sitting among us. I can't think of any other way to put it.

Both Amanda and myself were somewhat frazzled in route to PB, because we knew ahead of time that our team was going to be short handed at least 6 people this week. (Every helping hand really counts here.) But of course, that was our stupid flesh thinking inside a small box...

Upon arrival, we saw some familiar faces who decided to come down to help out. The Lord used my mistake, to bring somebody else to the Ministry to drop off a utensil, and she was led to help serve with us once she saw what was going on.

There are many news faces in the crowd these days. It seems that if you're going to be in a season of living on the streets, San Diego is the ideal place to do so. Lots of folks come from out of state just to enjoy this weather.

I met a fellow brother in Christ, named Charles. He walked here from (I think) Tennessee! He knew the only reason he was able to survive the journey was because Jesus was with him. I'm going to enjoy getting to know Charles more throughout time.

A few of the guys are interested in coming to church with us. I sincerely pray that GOD would not allow the enemy to hinder that from happening. It has been awhile since anyone has come with us.

There is some fruit bearing from the Ministry, although we would love to see more, we will gladly accept what we have so far. GOD is still working in PB and we have no plans to go anywhere until He decides to move us.

Psalm 136

2011-10-07T23:07:00.000-07:00

His love endures forever!

His provision came through the donation of our church kitchen this week. Tonight we served a few hundred hot dogs, accompanied with fresh salad, home-made macaroni salad, and potato salad. Every once in awhile, the change up is nice. The donation was helpful, not only for our budget but for the sake of giving Amanda a break, as she's been carrying a heavy load lately.

Danna spent time with a gentleman named Frank. He's observed us over the time and finally came to speak with us this afternoon. Frank donated a bunch of clothing to the Ministry.

I'm confident to say that each member of our team has been called to this Ministry, and I thank GOD the Father for their faithfulness. This is a Ministry of love. That being said, GOD really stretches our patience at times to see how we will react to circumstances. I myself still struggle with certain people we serve, but by His strength I am able to endure.

What I noticed tonight was, more and more people are talking about GOD down there now. Before, the majority was about booze or whatever. It is a great honor to partake in such a cool change for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Amen!

He will never leave us nor forsake us, but will bless us...

2011-10-01T16:17:00.001-07:00

I think every person in attendance, both volunteer and dinner guest would agree that last night was the most positive and peaceful night we've ever had. The waves seemed to calm, almost as if we were at a lake... the crowd stood silently as GOD's Word was shared. The sweetest and most genuine thing ever happened too... I'd shared a recent miracle that happened in my own life, and our neighbors applauded out of genuine sincerity. That alone was very touching for me.

We had extra hands on deck last night, which is always a blessing because the more Believers we have, the more we are free to mobilize and minister as lead by The Holy Spirit of GOD. We don't always have that capability, so it's really nice when we do. There is always a desire from the people to pray with them or simply sit back and allow them to share their story. Homeless or not, we all enjoy conversation, and this gives them an opportunity to partake in such.

We handed out 8 or 9 Bibles to those who wanted them. I'm thankful that we had some with us.

The worship music was amazing and encouraging as it grew into a small jam session with multiple instruments last night. Jason had his acoustic guitar, Eddie brought down his cajon, and one of our guests joined in with his tambourine and then some bongos, while the a handful of us sang praises unto The Lord.

Our gathering wasn't as big as last week, so a few people were able to have a second plate of food. I can't help but wonder what GOD has in store for this Ministry. Over all, majority of the attitudes (and hopefully the hearts) of the homeless community has changed for the positive having heard about Jesus and how He loves them.

Some still have their struggles to addiction, but now they have something hopeful to look forward to if they make the choice to change (surrender). GOD can not lie, what He says is a promise... and His Word says: "As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you." (Joshua 1:5)

Jesus ministered to so many....

2011-09-23T21:42:00.000-07:00

The gathering tonight was a huge record breaking attendance: 204

Obviously we didn't plan for that size, but in all her wisdom from the kitchen, Amanda made additional pan of pasta, and that was perfect up until the very last plate... every person was able to eat tonight, and whether or not they chose to indulge in His Word, some feasted and some nibbled.

The things that Jesus does through this Ministry trip me out! Being that we are set up in the complete wide openness of Pacific Beach (one of San Diego's most popular beaches), we are constantly being observed by tourists on vacation, or the locals out walking their dogs... and so many people are totally blown away by what they see. It's really cool for us to not only tell them about Jesus, but it's something they can visually see too. It seems like every week, I meet a person or two who are interested in getting involved somehow/someway. Tonight I met a local couple who have a large amount of clothes they'd like to contribute towards the Ministry. They said they'd rather see where it's going, rather than hand it over to a charity.

Our guest line for dinner is possibly getting too big. I took a look while the food was being served and although we have the outcove as our stationary position, the line wrapped up the stairs and clear onto the boardwalk. I'm afraid that it's only a matter of time...

Talking with a brother from our church tonight, who came to bless us with some photos, he brought up a valid point that had never crossed my mind before. Yes there are those who walk by, and show signs of possible disapproval because it might possibly be due to self conviction.

I'm not an advocate for the Homeless population. I am an advocate for Jesus Christ and spreading His love to those the world has no pity on. I sincerely pray that GOD would have mercy on the souls of those who discriminate such people for their lack of shelter. Not all people on the streets are drug addicts, not all are drunkards, not all are Schizophrenic, not all are lazy, not all are violent... but yes, all of them need Jesus just like the person living next door to you, or the person standing in line behind you at Starbucks... and that is why we have been called.

We all need Jesus. Know Jesus, Know Peace... No Jesus, No Peace. Plainly put.

The battle belongs to The LORD...

2011-09-16T23:23:00.000-07:00

A few interesting things, small as they might seem, are worth mentioning. Not because of the acts in which they happened, but to shed light into the fact that there is a spiritual war going on around us...

One of the regulars, came just shy of rebuking us (LTN) for being there while in route to the line... but once in the line, this individual was a completely different and grateful man... even thanking us for being there.

Another man, known to be a problem among the homeless community was violent and harsh. He jump down from above, behind our tables spitting and grabbing things that were not his. He even pulled a knife out when I asked to speak with him privately.

I thank the good LORD for keeping us safe and for not allowing us to see how much He protects us from the enemy.

Other than those two events, it was another night where Jesus was able to let His light shine through this Ministry.

Because love compels us...

2011-09-09T23:06:00.001-07:00

This Ministry is such a blessing for so many.

When Amanda and I first started this, we agreed that it would be beneficial to not turn anyone who had the heart to help away, because of their belief or lack of, simply embracing the hope that in those encounters Jesus would be able to let His light shine and win others to Him.

Looking back now, GOD has worked so much through this Ministry, not only in the lives of those we feed, but for myself, Amanda, our brothers & sisters from church serving with us, and those who pass by and have it on their hearts to somehow help or contribute. It blows my mind. We are entering the 29th month of LTN's existence and I can not count how many lives have been changed.... GOD knows, and that's the only real thing that's of any importance anyways. Please keep it up Lord!

I bring all that up because some pretty cool things have happened the past few weeks, that I forgot to mention. I have no clue where the following people stand in their faith or beliefs, but something has stirred their hearts to partake in this...

One woman walking by noticed that in our gathering, there are a handful of dogs which belong to our friends living on the streets. This kind and thoughtful woman took it upon herself to buy dog food and distribute it out to the dogs while they stood in line. That (to me) is such an incredibly selfless act of kindness.

Another woman who was once just passing by, inquired what we're doing... for the past 4 weeks, she has been dropping off bags & boxes of pastries from Starbucks... then she casually walks off. She's like a vapor in the wind, I've yet had an opportunity to speak with her, even for a moment.

Tonight another woman passing by asked about getting involved. She confessed that she'd been watching us for a few weeks now and finally took the step to talk with us. For now, she's made plans to help serve next week. Praise GOD for everything!!!

There were no out of the ordinary events tonight... in fact, it all went rather smoothly. I shared with the group, my thoughts on the Ministry and how I feel it's becoming more & more like a church gathering. There were no objections, and I was encouraged as I noticed more people nodding in agreement if anything. After giving the message, I took a daring step and asked if anybody else would like to say grace and ask for GOD's blessing over the meal. (I say 'daring' because you do not know what to expect here.) and after a moment of hesitation... Michael came up and lead us in an amazing prayer.

The Lord's faithful provision allowed all attendees to leave with a full stomach and some warm clothing as the cooler nights approach the shore. Above all else, after the county wide power outage yesterday.... I'm thankful that we were even able to help do our part to physically pour out GOD's love on the community tonight. Had we not got the power back on, we wouldn't have been able to cook the dinner. It's time to start saving up for a generator just as a back up plan... plus it's just a smart thing to be prepared for anyways.

GOD is good all the time, and all the time GOD is good.
Amen!!!

Surreal (Friday)

2011-09-03T15:23:00.001-07:00

GOD blessed us with an incredibly cool breeze that kept the area pleasant. Our gathering was lighter than usual.

I shared why it is good for us to meditate on His Word and the effect it will have in our lives. The verse focused tonight was from Philippians 4:8,9 -"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." It was received well.

There are lots of new faces coming through the line as we mark another season. For me, this so encouraging to see the growth from day one! I love having the chance to sit and speak with some of the new people and explaining why we are there.

One of the newer guys, Ricky, and I spoke the entire evening. He opened up with what he's going through. He's not like most of the people I run into. He genuinely does NOT want to be on the streets. He brought to me an incredible idea that has never been discussed before. "Why not come up with a list for those who actually want to find some work? If you have a list with names & numbers of guys you know that want to earn some money to make life more bare able... and happen to come across anybody looking for an extra hand, you could make some calls." It's genius! As Ricky and I talked, I was asking GOD to show me anything hidden in this man's words. I feel he is genuine and truly wants to work his way 'out of the gutter'. Ricky has fallen on hard times (due to discreet circumstances) and is ready to pick himself up and try again... he does no drugs, he is sane, and has a gentleness in his eyes.

Over all, there was a real peace covering us. GOD's love was present, people are praising Jesus together through Jason and his guitar. Our neighbors might not have a roof over their heads, but they have the Holy Spirit residing in alot of them.

Lemon Grove - expansion #1

2011-08-27T22:23:00.001-07:00

This is the first of (prayerfully) many expansions from this Ministry. If this particular region continues from the team the Lord has chosen, they will be authoring/sharing what GOD, The Father is doing in Lemon Grove.... but as for now, I shall share what we experienced on this day.

Amanda, James, Dina, and myself all met with the home of The Brown family. There we met with their home fellowship group, eager to go out as foot soldiers for the sake of Jesus Christ. The previous night they had spend time building these goodie bags that we could easily pass out once we hit the streets. The Lord provided the following items for the packs: Socks, toothpaste, toothbrushes, razors, bottled waters, bars of soap, and of course small Gospel tracks, including the book of John.

Weeks before, I had 'scouted the land' and discovered that majority of the neighbors hang out near Food-4-Less, we once we were all prayed up, we made a caravan to see who was waiting for us. Our first encounter was with 3 gentlemen who were happy to meet us. Each received a bag and an invitation to dinner at a near by park. Then another guy showed up, got the exact same items and invitation too. There were close to 15 of us, so we decided to break up in groups and do some foot work spreading out.

My particular group did not have any more run-in's but other groups did and even got the opportunity to pray with some folks. After about an hour, I ran over to pick up a generous food donation from Papa Johns Pizza. Our rally point for dinner was a local park in the historical part of Lemon Grove. Once we got set up, slowly came walking around the corner was one of the guys who accepted the invitation for a free dinner. His name is Rick.

Rick was full of helpful information regarding the locals in the area. He confessed that nobody else would be attending our dinner, due to the location of the park behind next door to the Sheriff's station. (I understood why, but only because I have some time under my belt.) Our friends had a good time getting to know Rick. I hope that he felt comfortable with us. I know he enjoyed the hot pizza! He allowed us to pray for him and his physical healing.

We certainly did not want all this food to go to waste, so we opted to drive around and just depend on the Holy Spirit to direct us where He wanted us to go. By this time, the sun had set and the coolness of the night was starting to creep in.

We were led behind a liquor store. There we met a group of guys all drinking some booze. Surprisingly enough, they already had a Papa Johns Pizza box with them. The alpha of that group was named "T". He was very suspicious of us at first, even hesitant to accept anything from us, but eventually opened up and admitted that the pizza box was empty. He was hungry. One of the 4 men sitting with him, needed a blanket. Surely enough, one of the volunteers had one readily available to bless him. The man couldn't believe it. He even shouted out: Thank you GOD, and said he loved us. It was neat for our new team to see the pleasure that something so simple could bring to somebody who is in need. It's all done in love and under the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Our next encounter was our last for the night but only because it took a decent amount of time. We met 2 younger men slouched behind another liquor store beside a dumpster, drinking some beer. They too suspected us to be Police, but I assured him we are only there to love on them and tell them about Jesus. The first guy, Sean, claimed to be a Christian and a "weekend drinker". He wasn't really trying to hear what we were talking about. His friend, Henry, was more interested in hearing about this love we spoke of....

Henry has alot of hurt deep inside him. He told us that he tries to hurt himself when he drinks because he cares nothing about his own life. We prayed with Henry. As we laid hands on him, huddled around, he started to convulse and shake violently. I continued to pray without ceasing or interruption. I'm confident that something unseen and spiritual was happening in our presence. Henry broke down and started crying. I took a step back and wanted the other 2 men with me to experience this, as this would be their regional Ministry (if that's what GOD plans). Before we left for the night, Rudy told me that Henry and he prayed again. It was then that Henry fell to his knees. We do not know whether Henry will remember what he experienced this night, but we pray that GOD would make Himself known to Henry and to Sean.

This was a great experience for the home fellowship. I know that this Ministry can be a real culture-shock to most, but I guarantee that this group will never see "Homeless people" the same again.

Our GOD is an A-M-A-Z-I-N-G GOD!!!

2011-08-26T21:31:00.001-07:00

Truth be told, this week finances were a little tight for Amanda and I, which in turn would have been tight on the Ministry. If it weren't for an incredible miracle (that still gives goosebumps) we may not have had enough money for a meal tonight. No... we didn't get rich or anything like that, but GOD did show Himself faithful to provide what was needed for His glory.

The man who runs the kitchen at our church, called me mid-week, saying he tons of left-over food and instantly thought of us. So tonight we served somewhere between 300-400 hot dogs, baked beans, coleslaw, and potato salad. This was obviously GOD's perfect planning because had we been able to stick to our norm, we would have run out long before the line finished coming through, but instead we had an abundance of food!!!! It was completely amazing to see all the puzzle pieces fall into place.

I thought it was appropriate due to the hot dogs, to talk about condiments, which lead to sharing about the mustard seed parable. For the most part this group is starting to pay attention to scripture and the seeds are growing. The feed-back I receive from our neighbors is very encouraging. Although I'm not ordained, they all see me as their Pastor... in fact they call me "Pastor", which I think is kinda cute because they took it upon themselves to start that. I strongly feel called to become a Pastor but only want what GOD has planned for me.

We've made some new friends who've become a part of the LTN team. I truly appreciate every person that GOD gives us to serve with. Each individual brings such a unique element to the team. I love how GOD orchestrates all those things.

We are still praying where GOD wants us (location wise). I'm on the fence about staying where we are. My flesh wants to 'make a stand for our freedom to be here', while I feel a gentleness inside telling me to love all our neighbors and to keep a peace between those who have and those who have not. Is it time to relocate? We just don't know. The Lord has given me people who want to help us from an administrative perspective, which could lead us to far greater things. For now, we shall take things one day at a time.

Tomorrow, we start a brand new branch of LTN out in Lemon Grove, CA. I'll be sure to share how that goes afterwards! Until then...

Friday (8/19/11)...

2011-08-23T07:15:00.000-07:00

Everything went smooth without incident this week.

Marci joined us again and brought down a large birthday cake so we can celebrate all those for the month of August. Her idea is so thoughtful and loving. As the majority of 100+ people sang together, you could see the incredible joy it brought to those we sang to. It's not always about preaching or distributing materials down here.... to sum everything we do up.... it's all about loving our neighbors.

What baffles me is the tremendous encouragement we receive from all people passing by and yet there are select people who still oppose what we do. I've been reading alot from Proverbs this month and there is a repeated theme talking about those who oppose the helping hand of the needy. Shame on them.

I do wonder what GOD has in store for us next...

Blessed (Friday 8/12/11)

2011-08-15T06:48:00.000-07:00

Our team had prayed all week regarding some possible changes taking place, and we were still praying on it when we decided to return this week. Needless to say, all of the people waiting for us were relieved to see us there. A few said they were 'happy', while the majority used the term 'blessed'. It made me really consider what GOD has done on their hearts since this all started, and I was the one who became blessed.

We had a few extra hands helping out. Some of our team members haven't been able to make it lately, so those who come unexpectedly really help make a difference. Our new friend Gary and his wife helped distribute the clothing. Being positioned there, really opened his eyes to the needs some of the men have. I enjoy hearing how GOD reveals things to those that help us and to hear the empathy in their voice.

We had an encouraging encounter with somebody who manages a local business. The woman said our Ministry was such a blessing to see such love for those in need and to keep up the good work. That blew my mind due to the opposition we faced last week. All we can do is continue to trust in our Heavenly Father. He will either have His hand on this Ministry and keep us in this location, or He will shut the door and make it clear to us where we should go next.

It breaks my heart to see some of our friends on this roller coaster of sobriety & spirituality. Stephen has fallen again. Jeff has fallen again. Pockets continues to fall and has stopped showing up. There are so many people who just can't let GOD do the work in them. They all fall and feel too condemned to ask Him for help again. It's almost overwhelming to see so many people in such pain and sadness. I know the best thing we can do is to pray for them all, but there comes a point where even I struggle with the question "When is enough, enough?" Alcohol & drugs are slowly killing these men & women.

At the end of the night, all of us agreed that for the time being.... GOD's hand is still on us and there is still plenty of work to be done here.

In closing, I'd like to share a line from one of my favorite Chris Tomlin songs:
"And if Our God is for us, then who could ever stop us... And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?"

For the full song, check out this cool youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlA5IDnpGhc

Where one door closes, another is opened....

2011-08-05T20:29:00.000-07:00

GOD is definitely doing something!

This afternoon, I was informed by the owner of a surrounding business, that he is losing some serious money, and he claims it's because of our ministry... Not due to 'us' but rather the gathering of people who are "a problem for the area".

It's been a very long time since we've had an issue from a neighbor complaining. The man has a valid excuse, and rather it's true or not, is strictly between him and GOD. I admitted to the upset man, that I never once took into consideration that angle in respect to the businesses. Again... this is all a learning process. Homeless or rich... Jesus called us to love all neighbors, and that includes respecting them as well. We wish to cause no harm to anybody or their livelihood.

Praying for guidance from my heavenly Father, I wondered what His plan is for us as a Ministry. I prepared those we serve, that there may come a time where we are no longer coming to the boardwalk. I passed around a notepad for those that wish to stay in touch with us via email and some wrote words of encouragement. It was very touching to see the positive impact we've had on their lives. Thank you Lord!

Stephen is really moving forward in his walk with Jesus! For the past week, he has donated his time in helping with Ministry stuff. He's completely sober and going to church on his own. Please keep him in your prayers. GOD used His own power, through Stephen to show the rest of the crowd standing in line, that He can work in anybody... that nobody down there is unreachable. Stephen is now reaching out to his old friends, praying with them, for them, and sharing words of encouragement and trying to get others to come to church! It's really amazing.

Other than the phone call, our evening went well. There are other things that our team is praying about, but I'll share that another time. We're just trusting Jesus that When one doors closes, it's an opportunity to step in faith and walk through the next open door.

On rare occasions....

2011-08-03T06:52:00.000-07:00

This entire week GOD has been revealing things to me like never before: Fresh Fruit, the Humility in others, Love, Rapid Growth... and yes, it's a trip!

I don't typically share during the week on here (as most of you can tell) but after reading this morning's devotional from an awesome book titled 'Breakfast with God', I was really blessed by what I read and wanted to share this with others.

The following is exactly what I read-

Feeding the Poor

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3 NASB

One day a young executive was asked to share with his fellowees employees how he felt about participating in the company's voluntary "feeding the poor" program. He took one early-morning slot each week to ladle soup and pass out sandwiches to nearly 400 homeless and street people in his city. The young man said:

"I go on Tuesdays to feed those we call poor, and in fact, they are poor in material things. Some of them are poor in many ways, and we also try to help them with encouragement, advice, and on occasion, a word of prayer. But in many ways, these hungry and poor men and women have nurtured something in me - they have made me more aware of the pritual side of my life and they have led me to be aware that we all 'feed' each other in many ways every day - either good nourishment for the sould, or poison.

"I have a new understanding that when I go home and genuinely compliment my wife, or sit down to read a story to my daughter, or toss a ball with my son, I am feeding something inside them. I no longer see myself as part of the Tuesday-morning feeding team, but as a 24-hour-a-day feeding volunteer."

Who will you feed today?
And what will you feed them?

Mother Teresa wrote in A Gift for God, "People are hungry for something more beautiful, for something greater than people round about can give. There is a great hunger for God in the world today. Everywhere there is much suffering, but there is also great hunger for God and love for each other."

Today you will encounter people who are hungry - outwardly and inwardly. God has equipped you in unique ways to "feed" them with natural food as well as His Word, His love, and His presence. He invites you to volunteer to participate in His feeding program.

Faith like a child....

2011-08-01T07:12:00.000-07:00

I apologize for yet another delayed post.
I'm just coming off of a spiritual high.

These past few days, I've been blessed to spend some time with an incredible youth group of God-loving teenagers called Identity, based out near Palm Springs, CA. For those that know anything about HSE, this program is pretty much just like that.

There were 20 teenagers: Servants, Bold, Eager to bless, Prayer Warriors... who came out to give a hand with us. The Lord used this group to speak to the lives of our neighbors, through a drama skit 'The SIN chair', through some powerful testimonies, and a full night of worship music teamed up with my buddy Jason. The sound of 2 acoustic guitars and 2 sweet voices leading, with others singing along was amazing. I know our neighbors enjoyed it.

Before we served dinner, an invitation was given to accept Jesus... 3 or 4 people embraced that free gift and became part of our Eternal Family in Christ Jesus. Bibles were given out to those that wanted them.

Our weekly volunteer team has grown as well. To see others catch the vision and following the calling the Lord has put on their hearts to come participate with us, is touching. The men we serve, have become regulars at helping with the unloading and setting up. All the extra help and ministering going on was nothing else than the work of our Good Lord. I tell ya, it's no coincidence that all those young soldiers came the same week that we had another record breaking attendance... and of course, The Lord multiplied the food enough so that not 1 person went away hungry.

All in all, it was both encouraging & refreshing to see such love & compassion for the lost from the next generation. Those kids wear their full Armor of God, and they wear it proudly. I had the honor of joining them on other occasions while they were in town, and as we said our good-byes, I kept hearing the Jars of Clay song 'Faith like a child' playing in my head.

What's in a name anyways?

2011-07-22T22:16:00.000-07:00

The message tonight was from Proverbs 22:1 - "A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold."

Prayerfully, the living word of GOD penetrated the core of the hearts of our neighbors. I sure hope that our presence thus far has been successful in representing the 'name' of Jesus Christ... I testify that we have seen people who we may not have ever expected to, be moved.

I'm so thankful for the team of friends the Lord has given us! All of us have different angles of Love to share. Marci (bless her heart) had it on her heart to make things a bit more family orientated, by celebrating birthdays from now on. She and Carl bought a giant cake and we all sang Happy Birthday to the crowd for those who's birthdays fall in July, including myself. It was fun!

Unfortunately we ran out of food this week. It's really hard for us to cope with the fact that homeless or the 'down & out' are traveling to where we are, just so they can have a hot, filling meal.... and then to get to the front of the line, only to see an empty pan. That was the case for an elderly woman named Eva. She took a 1.5hr bus ride, had to transfer at least twice. Broken-hearted Amanda, offered to buy her dinner but all Eva did was gently say 'No, it's okay. I could use the fresh ocean breeze.' It's really sad!

I'm asking for some prayer personally, because there are often times where I'm at a lose for words, when I see people taking advantage of all this. A good handful of the guys have started helping with unloading and set-up, and most are grateful for our help, but there are a few who blatantly express a sense of entitlement... and that's really hard for me to deal with. So please... if you remember to... pray for GOD's gentleness and patience to fill me in such trials.

For the most part things are well in Pacific Beach. There is now Light shining where there was once darkness. All glory to The Father, The Host of Heaven, and His Son The Lord Jesus Christ!

1 Chronicles 16:9-11

2011-07-15T22:14:00.000-07:00

As the scripture says: Sing to Him, sing praise to Him; tell of all His wonderful acts. Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. Look to the LORD and His strength; seek His face always.

The Lord Jesus Christ has been very faithful to this Ministry. The Holy Spirit is moving at a rapid pace, not necessarily where we would have first guessed, but it is He who sends His Spirit where He chooses. All of the LTN volunteers have been blessed by what we are witnessing and experiencing on a weekly basis. We can't help but direct our focus on our neighbors, hoping that some of them may turn their hearts to The Lord, but in doing so... we often miss the full shot of what He is doing in the hearts of those who just pass by or witness from afar.

Tonight, we had the opportunity to serve side by side with a small youth group, giving them first hand experience in serving the community and giving them an eye opening chance to see what a blessing it is to bring some happiness to the homeless population on a large scale.

I love how GOD's heart will never stretch too thin. His love is eternally overflowing for those who seek His face. This blog was never intended to boast about what good works any of us are doing, it was created specifically to 'tell all of His wonderful acts'. I hope that has never stumbled anybody who may have come across our link.

The thing about our Ministry is this... there are people who have been there (never going anywhere) the entire time, some have come & gone, and few pass through... never to be seen again. It is a great privilege to build some rapport with those that allow us into their lives. Tonight, an old face came through our line. Unfortunately this guy brought sad news with him. He will need prayer. He'd been in jail for the past 4 months, and released this afternoon, only to learn that his girlfriend had died while he was away. She was also somebody that we served semi-regularly. He is heartbroken and at the moment upset with GOD. That is not something these guys expect to hear, when they are looking for hope. He rejected my offer for prayer, but he will need it none-the-less. His name is Frank.

In GOD's perfect planning, we had a EMT trained person with us today. Alexandra used her training during a sudden emergency. One of the men had a seizure, just as he was sitting down to eat his dinner. Sadly he collapsed and split his head open on the concrete. Alexandra knew exactly what to do and stayed calm in the midst of all the commotion and people panicking. GOD being 'all knowing' knew who needed to be there at that specific time to help that individual until the paramedics arrived to take the man to the ER. I'm glad she was there, because I would've not known how to handle that.

In closing, things have been going so well for this Ministry. For us, it just proves that GOD has His hand on this. I am so thankful to serve with such an incredible & loving group of Believers!

Down with the old and up with the new!

2011-07-10T21:23:00.000-07:00

This afternoon our church had it's summer baptism in Mission Bay. Many people came to get dunked and plenty more came out to show some awesome support to our fellow brothers & sisters.

I was honored to baptize one of our very own from PB, Alexandra and her 7 year old son, Julian! She is a very brand new Believer, but is growing in her spiritual walk daily. I am very proud of her for stepping out in faith and allowing GOD to take control of her new life in San Diego.

Wonderful, Powerful....

2011-07-08T23:27:00.000-07:00

Jesus is His name! Hallelujah Jesus....

Hello readers... Where do I even start tonight?

This Ministry has been such a blessing for me and has given me tremendous growth in my own walk. I love sharing the heart of Jesus with anybody that will listen (or watch).

So this afternoon, Sid and I sat down and chopped up chapter 3 in the book of Mark. He shared with me what the Lord is doing in his life and for his own personal walk with Him. There is fruit! Being totally transparent about this, at first I was discouraged that only one person showed up for the study, but while Sid and I sat there reading together.... GOD's gentle spirit spoke to me. He softly whispered to me that this is the very thing that I wanted from the beginning! GOD has given me the opportunity to disciple/mentor somebody without the distractions of multi-tasking. Not to mention GOD has given Sid the undivided attention, with the freedom to ask what 'that' means. It's been really cool. Before I left to come back home to prepare for tonight, Sid made a decision to join us in the baptism this Sunday.

Onto what happened when I returned @ 5pm.

We had plenty of volunteers again this week... which is a huge blessing in more ways than one. The message was about trusting GOD. My prayer is that more and more of the neighbors whom we serve, would realize that is trustworthy. I've noticed that more and more people have been responsive to the messages. GOD is stirring the hearts of the men & women of Pacific Beach... maybe not at a speed that I would like to see just yet, but His ways are certainly not my ways. I'm cool with slowing things down and waiting for GOD. There are times that I must remind myself to slow down and to not move too fast, or else I'd be in my own will.

So going back to the watching part that I'd earlier mentioned. Our team does not do what we do to be seen by anybody, but given the location where we do what we do, it's kinda difficult to not be seen. Summer has officially arrived, and the crowd flooding the boardwalk reminds us of that. We have no clue how many people have their hearts touched by the things they see as they pass by, that's between them and GOD. Tonight our Heavenly Father introduced us to a generous man who is also involved in Ministry. His contribution is paying for the entire dinner next week! Now keep in mind, our average attendance for dinner is 100 people. Through this one man, GOD showed some of our team members (including myself) just how faithful He is to those who follow Him. I only mention this because had this man not seen the work GOD is doing through our Ministry, none of that would have happened.

Another person I've mentioned in the past blogs is Ron, those who follow us on here know him. The Lord called him to the baptism this Sunday as well. We shall see how that goes. Again... fruit!

Now finally to the part that I would call the highlight of the evening... Jeremy. Jeremy has been part of our life for nearly 2 years now. He has grown so much in his walk with Jesus! We met Jeremy while he found himself in our line for some hot food. He's had his ups & downs (like all of us) but he's learned to call on the saving grace of Jesus Christ. He eventually surrendered to the rules of the SDRM, where he's spent 22 months of his life abiding and growing in GOD's word. Tonight he finally graduated the SDRM program! It was a great honor to be there and see the fruits of our labor!!!! I am so very proud of Jeremy. This is just the beginning of a whole new life for him... a sober, truly happy life... a life that will not cease after his body deteriorates and returns to the dust from which we are formed. He know has a life with Jesus and is spreading the Good News through his new life. During the graduation ceremony, Amanda and I were introduced to a man, who is the fruit of another man's obedience in sharing the Good News. We were blown away at the love that pours from the walls of the SDRM. This was actually our first time inside the building. I encourage those who are reading this, to open another tab or page and take a moment to look up the San Diego Rescue Mission.

Our imperfections are loved by a Perfect God ...

2011-07-01T21:18:00.000-07:00

I love the Bible!

I wanted to make that very clear to the readers of this blog... I love the Word of GOD.
"For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12)

Earlier this afternoon, I came down to PB and spent time reading chapter 2 of Mark's gospel with Sid. I'm very encouraged to see the excitement on his face, as Sid is learning the scripture and the significance of each detail. After the study, I went back home to load up for tonight, which leads to the following...

Having the benefit of reading about the mistakes & failures of others, and the lessons taught from them, really gives helpful insight for all of us to learn whether or not we should do something. Tonight I used "Imperfect Pete" as the perfect example of somebody that failed in many ways; as somebody who struggled with keeping promises; and fell short of being a faithful friend... and more importantly how in the 3 years Peter had spent with Jesus, how Jesus was always there to continue loving on him and still helping to teach him. The Lord used the example of Imperfect Pete tonight, in a way that I couldn't have even imagined.... it was a real blessing to see the response from those that paid attention to the message.

The Lord brought us another strong team of people willing to serve for His sake.
Today being the first of a new month, means a few things for us- 1) It used to be customary that our gatherings were smaller due to people receiving their SSI checks and what not. 2) Summer is officially here, which brings lots of tourists to the beach... more availability to plant that much more seeds as people witness what GOD is doing. 3) This marks the 27th month of GOD's faithfulness through Loving Thy Neighbor Ministry, serving the people of Pacific Beach. It's cool to think back and see what GOD has brought us through over the course of time.

New faces came through the lines. I had the opportunity to pray with a few of them. One guy that sticks out, goes by the name of 'Sage'. He would not shake my hand... he's a hugger! He has a gentle and peaceful spirit, and he loves our Lord Jesus Christ.

From the reports of the night, everybody was able to eat today.

We were blessed by a generous donor who provided men's clothing, of which we desperately needed. I heard that one of our regulars was very happy to find some shorts that were an exact fit for him. I find that particularly awesome... the man is of some foreign decent. We think maybe Yugoslavian, but it's hard to tell because he speaks 0% English. James and this man have worked out a fun system of communication through hand gestures since his arrival nearly a year ago. Amanda's friend James, is a valued asset to the Ministry. He has built an incredible rapport with most of the people unlike any of us. I couldn't do that if I tried... but GOD has chosen to use his gifts for that very purpose.

One of the man we serve, has given back to us what GOD has given him, and my prayer is that GOD would bless Tommy for his giving towards the Ministry to further His works. Tommy is another clear sign of good fruit this Ministry has produced.

Each week, a handful of our neighbors ask which bus route would get them to our church. Today was no different. I wish there was a way to make it easily accessible (and financially wise) for more of the neighbors to make it to service Sunday mornings. I simply just can not pick them up.

I mentioned of an upcoming Baptism that our church is doing in Mission Bay and got an interest from a few folks. Most of them already know the area, due to the 'feeds' that happen throughout the week on whichever day they meet at this particular spot. I'm curious to see who will come out and take those steps into the water.... 'excited' might be a better word to describe what I'm feeling inside.

Even with all my imperfections over the time I've spent with this group, they somehow see what I've been sharing with them. Jesus loves us regardless of how many times we mess up or fall short of success. As long as we are willing to reach up and call out to Jesus (like Peter in the lake)... He (Jesus) is there to reach down and lift us up on solid ground, through faith.

I'm sorry for going on and on.... it's been a long day and I'm exhausted. As I turn around to stare at my bed calling my name, I can't help but thank GOD for what He's given me. I pray that GOD would soften the concrete for our neighbors, and turn their cardboard mattresses into temporary mansions for the night.

Good night and GOD bless!

Summer is here!

2011-06-24T23:08:00.000-07:00

The summer has officially hit and with the awesome weather, it brings hoards of hungry people to our lines... homeless or not. We all try to look at it from the perspective of planting as many seeds as possible. We would never turn anyone away because of how well they are dressed, because the truth is... everybody needs to hear about Jesus!

The unfortunate thing about the larger gatherings, is that it's more likely that we would run out of food before everybody gets something to eat. It is our custom to start the evening in prayer and ask for GOD's blessing. We ask for Him to multiply the meals, and for the most part... He does just that. This week He had others plans...

Amanda and I were so blessed to see so many of our family from church come out to support and serve with us tonight. We had an additional 9 people help give a hand, not counting our regular team that consists between 7-10 of us! Each of us have different gifts to bring to forth. That's the beauty of GOD's design for us as individuals... no two people are exactly alike. We all see things under the same Light (Jesus Christ), but from different angles & vantage points. Some of us sense things that others don't see and vice verse.

Enough about us though..... "not to us, but to His name be the glory!"

We kicked off the mid-afternoon Bible study today at 1pm. It was a success! I had the privilege of spending an uninterrupted hour with Sid. It was really sweet to have that time, to help build him up in the Word, and to be of encouragement to him, and to pray for him.

GOD is continuously teaching me how to see things as He sees them, and not so much as to how I see them. It's not about numbers. I am 100% happy that 1 person came to the first study this week. I was totally blessed, because I was just obedient to the call that He had laid before me.

His love was present when I returned a few hours later.

We witnessed how GOD touched the heart of a regular, who usually is somewhat of a problem, and how that man served one of his peers. We witnessed the power of Him, as we stood and listened to Pockets share that he's been sober since last Saturday, where he met with the people for his SSI. We heard the gratitude in the voices of those that spoke as they humbly passed down the line... and we even saw them as some held back their tears.

For me, to be a part of something that has such a positive impact in some one's life... it blows my mind! Over the time, we've had people we've long since seen, come back just to say thank you for helping them during their hard times... Several have moved on, gotten jobs, are off the streets, sober, going to church or bible studies.

I'm often reminded by family from church, of the impact that my life has on those serving next to me. Knowing for myself, of that which I was delivered from... I can sit here and testify that Jesus Christ is alive and well and living inside of me. My own life has been impacted by those I serve with. I am very encouraged to see how GOD uses people for His kingdom and feel very honored to be a witness of that.

As long as it's in His plan, we will continue to come back week after week, to be used by Him, to pour out His love on the needy, less-loved, house-less, and lost people of Pacific Beach.

He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins...

2011-06-17T22:24:00.000-07:00

There are a few neat things to report tonight.

GOD has been putting it on my heart for the past several weeks, to start a Bible Study in PB... I tossed the idea to the crowd a few weeks ago, and a few said they were interested in joining that... but I hadn't brought it up again. Tonight one of the guys asked me when that was going to start because he's really eager to have that time getting to learn GOD's word with me. Seven other guys heard us discussing it and also want to get in on the study!

We will be starting that next week at 1pm, right on the grassy area above where we serve dinner. (Please pray with me about this and GOD's plans.)

I discovered that GOD provided transportation for Pockets and helped meet his needs. Sadly, Pockets was in & out of the hospital for the past few weeks. His drinking is wrecking him. His health is deteriorating and unless he fully surrenders and allows Jesus to work in his life, his days on Earth are numbered.

Our precious friend, Lisa, made it out tonight! She is always a joy to see. I thank GOD that He has given her strength and for Him healing her fragile body. Weeks ago, she fell while she was at home and broke a bone.

We had a great number of volunteers tonight. It freed some of us regulars up, which allowed us to move around as the Spirit led and minister to our neighbors.

Jason was able to make it out again and bless us with his anointed worship music. Through worship music, GOD brings an indescribable peace to the area. You can almost feel the presence of His angels standing guard and singing with us.

Something very interesting happened with Amanda and a regular attendee...
Trials and tribulation hit all of us at certain times. There is no escaping it, but comfort comes to those who put their trust in The Lord when they come your way. The time for Amanda and I is now. I've chosen to withhold burdening those close to us with what we are experiencing, but GOD knows. For whatever reason, Jesus sent Eva, an elderly woman, to share His good news to Amanda. It was delivered in the form of Psalm 41:1 - "Blessed is he who considers the poor; The LORD will deliver him in time of trouble".

I look forward to seeing what happens next. I'm thankful that I have a Heavenly Father who promises to look after His children and provide our needs. I'm thankful to be in a position where we can serve and share our hope in Jesus Christ with others.

GOD is so good!

A new season has started... (Friday 6/10/11)

2011-06-11T06:36:00.000-07:00

It was a good night...

Though in the 26 months we've been done in PB, there is still a majority of the same people coming through our lines... we always have a sea of new faces from time to time. We call those seasons.

The Lord showed Himself faithful again. He stretched the amount of food so that those who came were able to fill up, literally... some got 2nds and some even got 3rds. Although the crowd seemed smaller last night, the food logically couldn't have spread out as much as it did, without Him doing it. Thank you Lord!

We were able to sit and pray with those who asked for prayer.
Our worship leader, Jason was able to bless us with a few songs towards the tail end of the evening. His anointed guitar playing and singing really blesses all of us. I can't even begin to think how much it pleases GOD.

We've been running really low on men's clothing the past few weeks, and last night I met a local resident of the area, who shared with me that he would like to donate some things to our Ministry.... including clothes! GOD is so rad. He doesn't always use "Christians" to provide for the needs of the people, but He is still the GOD of all things, and this is just another way He gets the glory. GOD rocks!

As I shared the devo with the group, I was really encouraged to see more and more people listening to what the Bible has to say. Another proven sign that GOD answers prayers.

While we were packing things up for the night, I stood back and took a long glance at what we have going on down there. I couldn't help but laugh with joy. Amanda and I started with just the 2 of us, 1 small pan of spaghetti, 1 loaf of bread, and 1 table. Now we have a full blown team of volunteers, 3 large pans of pasta, a crock pot full of meatballs, bowls of salads, 4 loaves of bread, dessert, an assortment of hygiene materials, misc clothing, and 5 tables.

I've also discovered that the local churches have added us to a list of 'feeds' for people to come to find a hot meal of Friday nights. As encouraging as that might be... I really wish that those who did that would have at least spoken to us first. Many people show up later than 5pm, because "the list" says we start serving at 6pm. I really need to straighten that out. Understandbly, alot of hungry people get angry when they arrive by 6 and the food is gone. It's not their fault, nor is it ours. This is still a learning process for us, so I've learned that communication is essential.

Jude 1:22-23

2011-06-03T20:31:00.000-07:00

"Be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear..."

This week I struggled with concentrating what to share with our neighbors. Just this very morning, GOD gave me what was to be shared, through a daily devotion that my Pastor shares, via email. I asked GOD if that was what I was supposed to share, and tonight He proved that it was exactly what somebody needed to hear. The devotional was from the Gospel according to Mark, where Jesus warns about the one & only unforgivable sin... blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.

GOD spoke directly to an older gentleman named Rupert. He and I discussed in detail what that really meant. After explaining it to him, he asked for prayer to be cleansed of all his sins and made a decision to accept Jesus Christ into his heart. Praise be to the King of Kings!!!!

We had a smaller crowd... probably about half of what we're used to serving. Once in a while we enjoy those smaller gathering, because it allows us to slow things down and everything seems a bit more intimate & personal.

Jason blessed the immediate area with his beautiful worshipping to the Lord with his acoustic guitar. Our sister Dina just returned from a mission trip to Scotland and surprised us with her presence and assistance. It still amazes me how well our entire team flows as far as the Ministry is concerned.

We celebrated our sister, Danna's birthday tonight. I was able to have a handful of the neighbors join us in song to bless her..... Lord knows I have a horrible voice, so getting others to drown me out worked really well.

Over all, it was a really fun night. I announced my future plans to have a mid-day Bible study before all the food arrives. I asked to see who may be interested in attending and got some positive feedback, so I will soon be adding that to the Ministry.

Sweet Fruit...

2011-05-27T22:01:00.000-07:00

There are times in one's life where you start to feel worn out, but that's just life. Our retreat get away couldn't have come at a better time for me. I was refreshed, encouraged, and blessed while absent from the Ministry.

I see now that it was in His plan, to give me the strength and compassion to see what would come this week. Being a holiday weekend, Amanda suggested we arrive early for the sake of parking, which we did... Even arriving at 4:30, I was surprised to see such a large crowd waiting for us! I could easily sit here and share of the discouraging events of the evening, but I won't. I'd love to share what Jesus did and how He was able to work through everything.

My good friend, Jason, blessed us with some sweet worship music. It was a real treat, as it was totally unexpected. Many people passing by stopped and listened, while a handful of those we serve, joined in the praise songs! A few people received prayer, at their personal request, in which all of us were more than happy to lift to the Lord.

Another surprise was our friend, Mark, who is such a gentle spirited guy came down and was able to spend good, quality time one-on-one with individuals as was needed. It was great to have him back for the time being.

One might look at our Ministry as a waste of time serving a group of ungrateful people, but when we see the results of those few that are starting to bear fruits in their lives, and we see the slow transformation.... it is so worth it!

I've said it before, and I'll say it again.... this is surely a hard, difficult Ministry. It is ONLY by the grace of GOD and through His strength alone, that we are able to endure. Jesus never gave up on us, so we should we give up on them.

May 20th 2011 - Spring in The Air

2011-05-23T14:26:00.000-07:00

We could definitely see Spring had arrived even though it was partially cloudy at the beach on Friday night. How? New things were sprouting all over the place in Loving Thy Neighbor Ministry!

Our fearless pioneers, Beau and Amanda were gifted anonymously by someone at Horizon Christian Fellowship to attend a married couples retreat. If that wasn't awesome enough on its own........the men and women who regularly come down to the beach were excited and happy for Beau and Amanda. We know the people we serve missed Beau and Amanda because we must have answered the question "Beau and Amanda aren't here. Where are they? Are they alright?" about a dozen or more times. It was so sweet to see people who are poor, homeless, and possibly living in terrible addiction be so genuinely happy for someone else.

More victory to report: 10 highschool kids from Ohio came to help us serve and they were such an incredible blessing. Sometimes the "regulars" allow the clothes giveaway table to be overwhelming. The sweetest high school girl worked that table with not only the skill of folding clothes faster than anyone but more importantly she had a pure servant's heart. She said she was a Senior and never wanted to leave San Diego. We laughed because once you've spent much time here; it truly is hard to leave.

It seems to us that God does things differently sometimes just to surprise us. The kids were so excited to serve that they started almost before the devotion was given but the man appointed to give the devotion did manage to read some scripture. It just meant the line started probably 10-15 minutes earlier than normal. That meant those that habitually come late came too late. Hopefully it teaches them to come earlier so that not only do they get fed physically but also hopefully feed their souls. It is sad to see someone rush up at the very end and give us their reasons for being late but have to tell them there is no more food when we know they are really physically hungry. Sometimes we think they probably could arrive on time but chose not to do so. It is all in God's hands and that is one of the biggest lessons we are learning at the beach.

Knowing God has annointed this ministry is what makes it so easy sometimes and yet so challenging. We always start with prayer and we did so as usual. The prayer circle was large and more of those we serve joined us in the prayer circle than on most usual Friday nights. Occasionally we have 3-4 homeless join us in the prayer circle but it seemed like that number was almost doubled this week. We look forward to the day when everyone we serve will join hands with us in prayer.

One sad note is that for the known time; pregnant women were in line to be served. Three pregnant women. It broke our hearts. Especially when Danna would recommend the San Diego Rescue Mission as a safe place to live and encourage them to check it out because they could keep their baby with them at SDRM and the women would say they didn't want to go to SDRM because they'd couldn't live with their boyfriend there. At SDRM, the men and women are seperated. Our Core Group prayed for the women and their babies that night at bible study. The lies of the enemy blind people and it is so sad. Blindness physically can be sometimes be overcompensated with skillsets and technology. Blindness of the heart can bring about problems here on earth but more importantly eternal devastation. This is what breaks our heart.

Oh, back to spring.........We rejoice in those 10 teenagers who joined us with joy and energy! They were the fresh air of Spring!!! May God always keep them close and may they sense His Presence in their lives. Our prayer is Col 2:2-3 and Isaiah 33:6 will continued to be manifested in these young peoples lives and God will always be glorified in their lives.

We remind Beau frequently how this ministry teaches those of us that serve as much as those we serve. It could just as easily in the blink of an eye be us on the other side of the serving table.

Thank you Lord for Your mighty acts at Crystal Pier every Friday night! You are GOOD!

Where there is faith, hope is found...

2011-05-13T21:09:00.001-07:00

Throughout the week I'd given alot of thought and consideration to what was said to me last Friday by one of the men. I prayed everyday asking GOD for direction... I found myself repeatedly coming back to Psalm 40 and there I found my answer.

We got a late start tonight due to parking. Thankfully the security guard at local parking structure is generous enough to allow us to park there while Ministering. Parking is always an issue when the summer is around.... it is the beach.

Before I started my message, I'd asked for a show of hands for all who call upon the Lord Jesus Christ. To my surprise, a little more than 1/3 of the group raised their hands. Now please keep in mind, this had to be one of the biggets crowds we've had in a very long time... so I'm talking about 40 or 50 people raising their hands. I was really taken back when I saw that, but GOD is so good and I realized that just because somebody doesn't bear as much fruit as the person next to them, doesn't make it any less authentic. I now know the direction in which to prepare my future messages. This is church!

It's so funny that the crowd was this large... (that might not actually be "funny" the more I think about it) But what I mean is this- My wife usually cooks the same amount fo food each week, and for the most part everyone gets to eat... unless they show up an hour later and others have had second plates or what have you. There was a ton of people waiting in line and I for sure thought we were going to disappoint alot of people and run out before they got to the front of the line. We had just enough pasta in the pans up to the last person, and for whatever reason, that individual passed on the opportunity to eat just in case another person was still hungry. Considerate, huh??

GOD is doing an amazing thing down here! We had a few extra people (who I deeply care about) show up to help out, one way or another. My mom helped out with the cheesing, while a good friend and brother in Christ stayed up top. He was able to see things from a different perspective, and share with those who were passing by when curiousity got the best of them. I'm thankful that we don't always see how GOD is working, because it allows room for us to figure things out while He works.

The dynamics have started to change and GOD is opening up new doors, so prayfully things will become better. All glory be to GOD!

Praise be to The King!

2011-05-08T07:44:00.001-07:00

Arrival this week was a blessing. As we pulled up, we were greeted by our friends who were waiting in a parking spot, that they'd held for us. It's the small things that really help us out. Our truck was unloaded in record timing!

After I'd shared the message, one of the guys gave me some criticizing feedback. It was good to hear what he had to say, because it showed me that he was actually paying attention to what was said in the first place. I appreciate the fact that he came up to me and shared what was on his heart.

There is still so much sadness down in PB. We are still seeing some of the same faces from when we first started this. A few have moved on, some have passed away, and then we're always confronted with another sea of new faces... as it was this week. The homeless population is only growing. I'll be the first to admit that I'm far from a "homeless advocate". That is not my passion, nor my job. I am only called to share the Hope that my friends and I possess... and that is only found through Jesus Christ The LORD. Yes these people need help, and yes it sometimes feels overwhelming to be asked repeatedly if I can help get this or do that.

I've discovered that there are plenty of people down there who have an excuse for everything. I've given suggestions and offered ways to help when I can and unfortunately the majority don't want it. This Ministry gets harder and harder each week. That being said... we who continue to endure this each week must continue to look to the Scriptures for our strength and guidance:

"If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn't love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God's secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn't love others, I would be nothing." (1 Cor 13:1,2)

"With all gentle and quiet behaviour, taking whatever comes, putting up with one another in love..." (Eph 4:2)

May GOD, the gracious and merciful Redeemer of our souls grant us the Love & Patience that He has for us.

Regarding last Friday (4/29/11)

2011-05-03T18:01:00.001-07:00

I completely spaced out on blogging this past week!!!

It probably has alot to do with running out of things to share about.
Everything has been running smoothly, without incident... and sadly enough, the same could be said for seeing fresh fruit coming forth (without incident).

Patience is key, so we ask GOD The Father, to grant us the strength to continue for another week in hopes that He may call another person to repentance.

I am very thankful for my salvation and His mercy & grace.

A real Good Friday

2011-04-22T23:31:00.000-07:00

Isaiah 53:5 "He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed."

It is such an amazing act of love on His part, for all of us. Today is all about Him and it was a beautiful day in The Lord, indeed.

Our neighbors received the message with no disruptions today. All went smoothly and again GOD showed all of us His faithfulness.

Gathering together (Friday)

2011-04-19T06:46:00.001-07:00

To those that follow on a regular basis, I apologize for my posting delay... but it has been due to a wonderful cause. The past 2 Fridays have rolled into the following day or two. What I mean is... I have not had time to sit down and blog right away, because I've been hanging out with one of our friends from PB more, even after we leave from the beach. I'll share more about that later.

It felt really good to have Amanda back with us! It was obvious that the crowd missed her... and her cooking. We started the night off with communion for what I had planned to be for our LTN Team, but 2 people from the crowd wanted to join us. I made sure they understood that taking communion was not meant to be done as a 'religious act' but a very real meaningful purpose for our Lord Jesus Christ... they understood and partook with us. It was sweet. I think we had a total of 21 people breaking bread this night. Last year it was on my heart to do this annually, to celebrate another year that the Lord has provided and been faithful to the Ministry.

The vision long ago became a reality this evening. With so many of our Believing friends coming down to not only be available to help serve but to allow themselves to be used to share their faith with others... I glanced down the crowded row of people and noticed my brothers & sisters all spread out, showing His love in gentle conversations, with love & humility.

Sunshine

2011-04-08T20:18:00.001-07:00

We all know they saying: When it rains, it pours... but that was not the way GOD had planned it for us tonight. Truth be told, I was a bit worried all day about the rain coming down on us in PB, so I prepared and grabbed the canopies 'in case of emergency'. Making my way down the hill on Balboa Ave, I noticed a giant, dark grey cloud, full of moisture and I could tell it was soaking whatever was beneath its path. As I pulled into the available parking spot, the rain started to drop on me, and my stomach knotted... but the rain drops quickly lightened up and there was beautiful bursts of sunshine radiating our area. It was truly a magnificent sight! It was raining everywhere else except for our area. I felt warm inside almost as if GOD was saying "Here's your break son, now share with them MY love." Of course everyone knows that where there's water, there's a rainbow present. It was a very bright rainbow too! It's presence gave an opportunity to share the significance and what the rainbow means. Many were surprised to learn that the rainbow represented a promise from GOD to never flood the Earth as in the days of Noah. (Genesis 9:13) Although we were missing some of our team tonight, GOD gave an opportunity for others to help out and get involved. It's so sweet to see how things fall in place when GOD is the focus. My wife is still out of town, so other friends stepped into her position at the tables with the pasta. We experienced another blessing from our church kitchen for the week, otherwise nobody would've been eating tonight. (I don't know how to cook) It was peaceful and we had good fellowship between us Believers who stuck around for awhile.

He is in control

2011-04-01T22:04:00.000-07:00

Wow! What an eventful day it's been... My wife (who I have an all new respect & appreciation for) is out of town for 2 weeks. As most readers know, she is the cook in this family. (I'm horrible and won't bother wasting any more food "trying".) I had a full day of taking care of things that I don't normally do, just to make sure things were in order for tonight. Our church was generous enough to donate to the Ministry while Amanda is away... both financially and through cooking in the kitchen. I can honestly say that if it wasn't for the help of two very hard working people this afternoon, we would have been pasta-less. It all worked out though... silly of me to even for a split second forget who is in control of all this. Him! GOD provided exactly what was needed. It felt abnormal for me to be back behind the tables attempting to serve and stay with the flow of plates traveling down the makeline. I ended up being relieved of those duties shortly after. The night for our gathering was peaceful. Although 15' behind us, on the boardwalk, there was 3 SDPD cars dealing with somebody, but we paid no attention to that as it did not involve us in any way, shape, or form. GOD has really given us a great team of faithful volunteers to share His love with the men & women in Pacific Beach. I like to 'people watch' alot. You notice things that would normally be over-looked and you see things differently from regular people. Tonight I realized another form of how creative GOD is. Our team has youth & elder, and everything in between, all serving on a weekly basis. Jeremy was able to come out from the SDRM and spend a good amount of time pouring into some of his old friends. To see the transformation that GOD has done in his life alone, would almost convince any of them to know that GOD is real. There are 2 guys that are semi-interested in finding out more what goes on at the SDRM and how GOD works through that organization. Please pray for Sid & Robin. Everyone was able to enjoy a healthy amount of filling food. No drama. No negative vibes either. In fact.... most people showed their appreciation by commenting how they missed Amanda being there with us. As we creep into the month of April, it marks another milestone for LTN Ministry. We will be celebrating our 2yr mark near the end of this month! Praise the Lord for His faithfulness and provisions. If it wasn't for Him... none of this would have been possible. GOD is in control. He has always been in control and always will be in control, so I look forward to seeing what GOD has in store for next week.

Perspective (Friday)

2011-03-26T07:51:00.000-07:00

I was saddened to see Ron standing by the curb to help us unload our vehicle last night. He could not deal with the structure of the SDRM. At least I know that I made an attempt to help him, but clearly he doesn't want that type of help. I'll keep praying for him.

Another shocker was seeing Stephen on the boardwalk. He also decided to ditch the SDRM after 6 months! It's so heartbreaking to see somebody do so well for so long, and then give it up when they are so close to getting back into a normal productive life. I have no choice but to continue to pray for him as well... but it breaks my heart to see how the devil's lies of temptation get the best of the people I've grown to know.

The spirit of GOD was with us! His peace & protection was felt. I literally saw darkness flee from the Light for the first time in my life. As I shared what GOD had put on my heart to the crowd, the encouraging responses were amazing. This time it wasn't just a handful of people paying attention... it was only a few in the group of nearly 100 that were not. It was almost like preaching at church! I heard "Amen!" shouts from the crowd a few times and GOD wanted me to share my view with them. Whether they sleep under a roof or have a warm bed to sleep in, they are our neighbors and we are there to love them in the name of Jesus Christ! I don't do it every week, but I felt as though I was supposed to last night... so I brought a backpack full of Bibles. I was able to pass out 7 new Bibles to people who desperately wanted to read what GOD has to say. (Sometimes all it takes for a person to get saved, is right there in black & white!)

Once I was able to walk among the group and speak with individuals, I realized there was a deep anger floating around, probably just inches away from 'rage'. Those who were angry could not explain to me why they were feeling this way. It felt really weird & uncomfortable. When I'd asked each person if I could pray for them, they almost immediately said they had to go. One of the guys wanted a ride to his 'camp'. I was reluctant to have a team member give him a ride, in fear of their own safety, but Joey offered to take care of it. Needless to say I was relieved to get a call and debrief with Joey an hour later.

Over all it was a sweet night. Things seem to be improving in that area. The fruit is starting to show after some long seasons, but it is so worth it. The LTN team is amazing. GOD has really blessed us with people that love to serve Him and can work well with other Christians.

After the food was gone and the truck was packed, I realized I hadn't had much availability to hang out with one of my buddies, Sid. I invited him over to our home to play some video games.
It was nice to have that fellowship and just hang out without being on the go-go-go and in work mode. I learned that he's growing in his walk, been attending a church regularly on Sunday nights. That is an answered prayer! He's made the decision to get plugged in and his desire to get more and grow. He mentioned that he'd heard good things about Horizon from those that have come with me and wants to start coming with me.

Looking back to last night. I am soooooooooooooo encouraged at what GOD has done to me. He's completely changed who I am and is using me to bring hope to the hopeless. I love you LORD!

Blessed be His name...

2011-03-18T23:45:00.000-07:00

The vibes in the air tonight were different. Yes it was peaceful, but there was something else too that I can't pinpoint exactly. Above all else, I know that He was there and that's all that really matters anyways.

The Ministry has been almost overloaded with the amount of clothing being donated these days. As the tables were being set up with the neatly folded stacks of items, you could see the eagerness in the eyes of those who waited to see what they might obtain. I know anyone reading this blog can testify that it feels good to have something new to wear. It's a huge blessing for me to be a part of something that will glorify God and make somebody else happy... even if the happiness only lasts temporarily.

We had extra volunteers join our team this evening. The word about our Ministry has started to trickle to the congregation at our home church. It's very encouraging to see the hearts of so many, who want to get off the pews and outside of the 4 walls and actually put His love into action. I thank God for His provisions and for His faithfulness.

Although, we witnessed the typical drunkenness and unhealthy lifestyles that some live, we also were given the opportunity to see fruits from the Ministry. More people have shown interest in getting off the streets, with plans made to enter into the SDRM on Monday morning. Another amazing incident is about a man named "Tunaboat Jim", a retired Veteran who will be having surgery in a few days. I'll share that in the next few weeks.

God was glorified tonight and His word went out with the promise that it does not return void.

"Who So Ever"...

2011-03-15T19:44:00.000-07:00

Our night was great, very peaceful and with out incident. We had plenty of food, clothes and hygiene supplies. We truly have been blessed by all of the support and all the resources that we can use to bless the needy. A few students from the school of evangelism came down to help out which is always a blessing.

As I was thinking about what to write a few things came to mind. One was regarding the message at our church on Sunday and the other was about a conversation I had with one of my roommates.

I was reminded on Sunday that whosoever believes will be saved and I really considered what was being said. Whosoever... Color; race; social or economic status; gender; weight; height, anyone. I know as a christian I have heard this many times but this week it took on a different importance to me and it gave me hope. This great gift that some of us have already discovered is available for anyone who chooses it. I am motivated, more so today, to tell people about HIM, that whosoever believes will be saved!

Sometimes it's easy to get into a routine (in life, in ministry, with relationships) and lose sight of the importance of things/people/time. I thought about the people we minister to and how important it is for us to seize these moments and opportunities to truly show them Jesus. It's so easy to take advantage of time, to think there will be another day, another chance, more opportunities. But in all reality, for some of the men and women we minister they don't have more time. They are sick and weak and broken hearted. They are wounded and ripped apart by this world and the lies of the devil. For some, they are physically close to death or so emotionally ravaged that suicide seems like the only escape. If we really stop and consider that some of these people may not have a tomorrow how can we (I) sit back and say/do nothing. As my roommate said, we have to be intentional! We need to redeem the time and opportunities we have been given and not be sidetracked by this world. Our one goal and purpose should be to tell people about Jesus and his saving grace and love for us. I know in my own life I am so easily distracted from what truly matters. I want to be more "intentional" with my time; my actions; my thoughts; my love; my prayers.

My hope and prayer is that we will be an intentional people, filled with the Holy spirit, ready and willing to serve, love and tell people about our savior.

God Bless!

He is greater than any of us.

2011-02-27T15:37:00.000-08:00

This week we had the opportunity to share about our Ministry and what GOD is doing in Pacific Beach, with another class from the Horizon School of Evangelism. It's always exciting to share about the Ministry that GOD has raised up from just a simple married couple spending a few dollars on pasta.

We came prepared for the storm that was supposed to hit Friday night, but there was no need to assemble to pop-up canopies after all. I'm pretty sure we were all thankful for the rain to be held back.

We had a large youth group team up with us this week. There were kids from every age down there with us, all handing out baggies of items, compiled of His great Love for men & women alike. It was really neat to see so many young children telling older folks that Jesus loves them!

There are rare occasions when we actually see families with small children standing in our lines, but they do happen, and that was our experience this week. An out of work father, a disabled mother, and their 3 children: 3, 6, 8... all living in a mini van. It had been a long time since they've eaten a hot home-cooked meal. My heart broke when I saw the excitement on the children's faces as they shoveled the pasta into the little mouths with their little hands.

My special highlight for the evening was when a group of maybe 6 or 7 young ladies loved on these kids. Their group leader went to the local store and picked up a few coloring books for the children. (When it rains, the kids have no choice but to sit stuck inside their family mini van.) The older girls had the children sitting on their laps, hugging them, and doing what they could to keep the kids warm. When I noticed this, the verse that immediately came to mind was Mark 9:36, 37 - He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”

We serve a Mighty God who knows exactly what is needed and when it's needed. I'm confident without a shadow of doubt, that those little children will not forget the love that they experienced on Friday night.

I do not know whether or not, if the family will return... or if we will ever see them again. That is why it's so important to 'see' every moment as an opportunity available to share the Gospel of The Lord Jesus Christ.

Inseparable, Unconditional love...

2011-02-18T22:47:00.000-08:00

We can call it rainy, wet, stormy night... and by all assumptions one would say that we were not going to show up. GOD commanded otherwise. Through our obedience... He was able to reveal to the smaller group that His love never fails because it is both inseparable & unconditional regardless of the weather conditions.

The support of the faithful team members still coming together spoke to me as well. It opened my eyes with a truly thankful heart to give GOD thanks for my friends by our side to support the Ministry and fulfill the vision that my wife and I have.

As mentioned, we had a smaller group this evening, obviously due to the rain. Even though we were blessed with 2 pop-up canopies to use as shelter, we all got pretty soaked, but it was worth it to be there. We were unsure of just how much food to prepare, but Amanda decided to make the amount as usual. The folks that came were able to fill their plates a few times.

The best part for me was the genuine thankfulness that most of the guys had for us coming out regardless of the storm. Their response opened the door for me to share how GOD's love is always available. I feel that this week, GOD spoke to them in a different light that they were able to see & understand. There are times when 'words' are just not enough.

"Sharing is caring"

2011-02-13T19:34:00.000-08:00

This week we had the opportunity to share the blessings of the Ministry with a 'Home Fellowship' group of Believers that Jeremy had brought down.... and some newer friends that have joined in the volunteering to love others. It was nice to see so many people come out in faith to see what GOD is doing in Pacific Beach.

I'm confident in saying that I believe it was part of GOD's perfect plan, because it gave some of our team who have built relationships throughout their time down here, to freely spend sweet quality time with certain individuals, instead of standing behind the tables and giving a brief discussion as the line keeps moving. The time spent was absolutely genuine, heart-breaking, and needed. GOD gave each of us somebody that needed somebody to talk to. Some of the women within our team are far more gentler & patient than others might be in specific situations, so it couldn't have been something that we planned, but our Heavenly Father.

This Ministry is special because it might seem like a Homeless Ministry but so many different lives are touched by it: some rich, some not-so-rich, some with a home, some without. Then there are some Believers who have never gotten involved in something outside of their comfort zone within the confines of their 'church activity' on their own campus... and then there are those who have no belief in GOD (or at least confessing such) and want to be involved because they sense such "love" from our group. Everyone involved knows our beliefs and is willing to gather with us in starting the night by opening in prayer as a team, inviting Jesus to make His presence known to all of us.

I met a man named Mike. He is haunted by his past and feels there is nothing to live for. When I asked if I could pray for him, he said it wouldn't do any good for him because he's too far along in sin. (Please pray that GOD would reveal the Truth to Mike!) He also suffers from a mean addiction to Vodka. I'd never seen him before and he said that he would probably never see me again... I trust that GOD doesn't see it that way. There was a reason Mike found his way to our dinner this week, and I'm determined to let Mike know that Jesus loves him just as much as He loves Billy Graham.

I'm stoked to share a praise report regarding something I'd asked prayer about last week... This past Weds night (2/9/11), I received a call that "A" was blessed with a place to live! She won't be living on the streets and will be able to focus on her EMT schooling. She also came to service this morning and loved it. I know that GOD is showing her that He loves her in a way that only He could do. My prayer is that she would fall in love with Him. What a sweet & memorable thing it would be for one to give their heart to Jesus on Valentine's Day!

The crowd was a bit smaller than it's normally been, but that allowed some of the men & women to have second plates of dinner. It's encouraging to take notice that many in the group are being built up to help serve others and do what they can to make this run smoother... even if it's by unloading our truck a few minutes faster (or at all).

I thank Almighty GOD The Father for my friends who have committed themselves to joining us in this Ministry. So, in addition to my prayer request list... I'm asking that Jesus would strengthen, encourage, build up and bless each member of our team this upcoming week.

The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these, you did for me.’
Amen & Amen!!!

There is a God... and He loves YOU!!!

2011-02-04T21:19:00.000-08:00

This was a very interesting week! GOD has done amazing things.

Our garage sale was very successful, which will help fund the Ministry for awhile. Through that garage sale, GOD opened up a door and gave us the opportunity to share about Him to so many people... including the local JW's who happened to stumble into our yard as they passed by. We also met a couple from a neighboring church, who would like to donate items to sell at our next yard sale, which will happen in about a month or so.

GOD the Father, has also given us friends in Pacific Beach to assist with helping however they can. I've said it before and I'll say it again... I love the fact that GOD can use anyone to be a helping hand with us. Our job, as The Body, is to be faithful and fully submit to what GOD is doing because He will work out the details. Again... I met a man named Andre, tonight (I think from Russia), who was a passer-byer, and inquired about getting involved next week. The Lord gives us discernment and I see no problem allowing this guy to help pass out some clothes, because I trust that GOD will show Himself through the love in action that surrounds him.

GOD gave me people to pray with tonight. People with all sorts of struggles and pains. Together we cried out to The Father asking for His strength to get each person through their circumstance. Casting your burdens at the feet of Jesus is a wonderful thing to do.... and not everyone has the ability to do it, due to self pride or fear of the unknown outcome. But knowing the Word of GOD, and hearing all of His promises for those who put their 'trust' in Him can bring comfort to those who Believe.

One young 26 year old woman, who I will call "A", found herself in our line. She is not currently homeless, but might be in a few days... she has until 2/10/11 to move out. We sat and spoke for almost an hour. "A" is very, very broken. She is new to San Diego (as a student for EMT school) and literally has nobody to turn to. As she explained her situation, fully in tears, I couldn't help but want to comfort her with a warm hug... but I held back (I don't know why I hesitated). She needs to know that GOD wants to be her Comforter. She shared her religious background with me, and I shared with her the Relationship in Jesus Christ that brings Freedom, Peace & Joy. "A" accepted a new Bible and the Gospel of John. My heart is so heavy for her!! My prayer is that GOD would use The Body to meet her needs, to reveal how much He loves her... and that will draw her to Him.

Tonight's message was about The Bread of Life. My prayer for this group that we feed on a weekly basis, would be that each person as an individual would make a decision to feast from The Bread of Life, where they will no longer hunger and drink from the Fountain of Living Water, where they will no longer thirst. GOD put it on my heart this week to tell everyone down there, that GOD keeps His promises... one day Jesus will be coming back and it won't be pretty for those that reject Him.

All of us that make "Loving The Neighbor" what it is, are prayerfully being guided by GOD Himself and realize things are but seasons. None of us know how long we will be in this area showing His love to the Homeless community of Pacific Beach, which is why it's so important to not only show & tell about His love, but to tell the Truth like it is... and allow the Holy Spirit to reveal personal conviction of sin.

GOD is good all the time, and all the time GOD is good.
Amen!

Motivated by Love...

2011-01-28T21:49:00.003-08:00

This entire week, GOD has used different things in my life to encourage me... whether it was something a friend said, an inspirational picture, or a sermon on the radio. As mentioned before, this whole experience is a learning process for all of us involved in the Ministry. In our own special individual ways, GOD has spoken to each of us... showing us things, only to build us up. I am so grateful that I am not perfect, but my Creator is!

We had a really strong fellowship of support tonight. Some new friends joined us for the first time. I trust that they will never forget their experience. This Ministry is awesome, because it allows people to get involved without the rules & regulations that other organizations might have, that would prevent willing people from participating. We've established our purpose and why we are there. We see no reason to stop somebody from experiencing GOD's presence and seeing His love in action, simply because they do not "go to church". It's all about Jesus Christ and serving others. (That's my train of thought for what it's worth)

The message tonight was based on love, based off of Psalm 116... GOD's love for His creation, our love for Him, and the motivation behind it.

Our new friend, John blessed us with a bunch of beverages, which were a really big hit for the crowd. Who can pass up a Coca~Cola with Spaghetti and meatballs?

The 2 new ladies to join us were Sine and Carlee, who handled the clothing table with Ray. The crowd has seriously gotten so big that it literally takes 3 people on that particular table, to keep things from getting chaotic.

Besides the complaints of those that showed up late (and didn't get to eat) there wasn't too much negativity in the air. It would seem that GOD has yet again, heard our prayers and honored them. A few people showed interest in finding a home church to get plugged into. I gave what information I could about my church, promising that I'd keep an eye out for them... but who really knows? It would be great to actually see more people taking steps to further their walk and take it seriously.

Our buddy Pocketz, was sober again. He said it'd been a few days since he'd last taken a drink. It's depressing to see the roller coaster ride that so many of these men & women experience when they have 'their highs and their lows'. All we can do is continually pray for them and love them unconditionally.

Tomorrow morning, starting at 6am (just a few short hours from right now) we will be having a yard sale to raise funds for Loving Thy Neighbor Ministry. Lots of generous people have donated items for the cause. It will be good to clear some room in our garage, to just fill it again with Ministry stuff... but all joking aside, I really look forward to the fellowship of those coming to help run it.

I whole-heartedly appreciate the friendships that have grown from this Ministry. Never in a million years, would I have ever thought that ex-gang members, ex-drug addicts, Holocaust survivors, and Military Officers... would all be working together to help show somebody that they are loved.

GOD is such a trip, but I love watching Him work!
Amen!!

Too big????

2011-01-21T23:15:00.001-08:00

It is insane how much the word has spread about our 'feed' in the Homeless community. I'm saddened to say that we ran out of food tonight before everyone was able to get a plate. As I noticed the amount of pasta quickly shrinking, I took a head count of those remaining in line... of those who did not yet have plates. I counted around 20 or so. I couldn't help but shed a few tears knowing they've waited in line patiently and would not being getting any food by the time they reached the front of the line. I did mention to the people who already were in line for seconds that they would be wasting their time.

I'm starting to see that the majority of the people could care less about what I preach or have to say... and being completely honest about it... I'm often discouraged, but I do a good job of hiding my feelings. There are a few men who I see nodding in agreement as I look into their eyes, when sharing what GOD has put on my heart, and that gives me enough to finish without getting choked up in front of the big crowds. I'm no preacher, and I'm not sure what my role in this Ministry is. I've always seen myself as a fellow servant trying to fill where I see a void, working together with a bunch of like-minded individuals... building up the kingdom for Christ.

As for the Ministry itself, things are going well. We have had tons of clothing donations and other items of worth, that we'll be able to sell and use the funds to further His work. Our garage & dining room are literally filled with supplies. (We could sure use some help during the week to sort through everything!) This is incredible to look back how it all started and see now what it's grown into. I appreciate what GOD is doing through my life, my marriage, and the friendships I've acquired in the past 21 months.

I'm not sure what more we can do to help the people in PB though. We have clothing to offer them; we freely give what food we have, and they bring more & more friends to us; we provide hygiene supplies; and we give them The Good News... which has lately been drown out by the sound of talking from the group.

(I don't normally ask for prayer for myself, but I think tonight I need to.) I haven't had a decent night's sleep in over 2 weeks because I've been trying to figure out what more we can do and how the Ministry can improve.

God's love does not exhaust...

2011-01-14T19:31:00.000-08:00

Each week GOD pours out His everlasting love on the people of Pacific Beach. The people that make up the team of Loving Thy Neighbor Ministry are blessed to bear witness to that by participating through faith... and it truly is a blessing to watch Him work.

We see all sorts of people from different walks of life: Addictions to either drugs, alcohol, or even both; sober people fallen on hard times; the mentally ill; the heartbroken; run-aways; wounded veterans; tourists; or just some hungry surfers. I love the fact that we are able to get such a diverse gathering of people. No matter who we run into, GOD uses us to share His love unconditionally to each person where they are... and that is the blessing for me.

Tonight we had a few extra helping hands. Of course they came on a perfect night, because we had another astonishingly large crowd amongst us. We were able to distribute a lot of the clothing that has been donated towards the Ministry because of the extra hands. It was even proven wise to bring a fourth table down tonight, which will now be the norm.

Again, I met with a handful of curious passer-byers interested in knowing how they can help us out. It's encouraging to see the sparkle in somebody's eye when they realize you don't need to belong to an organization to 'love your neighbors'.

I had a very interesting conversation with a certain man from our crowd tonight. He believes that he is 'King David' from the Bible. While he was sharing with me, I was quietly asking GOD for wisdom and the proper things to say... or at least an opportunity to direct our conversation back to Jesus. We kept getting distracted by everyone walking by, so we've made plans to have a deeper discussion in the future. (Please pray for GOD to speak!)

It is such a beautiful thing to look at everybody smiling before we leave for the evening. It is no secret why we come... or in who's name we come for that matter. Again GOD showed the people on the streets of Pacific Beach that 'they' are loved.

The beginning of a new year...

2011-01-07T22:01:00.001-08:00

Today was the first Friday of the new year, which meant there were still some from resolutions that either may or may not have been broken thus far.... which tied in perfectly to tonight's message.

Things went smoothly into the night. Everyone had food in their bellies and for the most part all were able to walk away with what they needed as far as warm clothing or hygiene was concerned. Most people seemed genuinely happy with us being faithful to show up. I often hear from the crowd that our gathering is different from the others they attend. One man tonight thanked me for "being real". He and I agreed that we would make time to sit down with each other and have a discussion.

I am so thankful for the grace that GOD has shown me throughout my life, and even more thankful that He's placed me in a spot to be used to show kindness and love towards the 'unloved' that call the streets of San Diego "home".

Good bye 2010!

2010-12-31T19:09:00.001-08:00

It was only appropriate to end the year off with a message of Hope & Refreshness. The crowd started off small which seemed fit for us, as we were short handed a few people tonight, but as I was wrapping up the message the crowd grew. The Lord spoke to one woman tonight. Her name is Kristy.

Kristy followed along in prayer and surrendered her heart to the Savior of the world. My prayer is that she would find somebody to help get her plugged into a Bible teaching church to start the new year right.

Thanks to some of our generous friends... we had plenty of blankets, beanies, socks, underwear, and scarfs to pass out this week! It couldn't have come at a better time. It has really gotten cold this season.

Our dear friend, Ron has been showing up to meet us as we arrive, but his health isn't well and he hasn't been eating and taking off after a few minutes of "hello's" with our group. Please take a moment to stop reading this entry and pray for him. Sadly, he has too many things wrong to name in a blog entry. Selfishly admitting... I do not want to lose another friend.

Over all I would have to say it was a good end to the year. People walked away with full stomachs and warm clothing on their heads and necks.

Bittersweetness...

2010-12-25T00:56:00.000-08:00

This week, one of our friends was hand picked by God and escorted through the Heavenly gates into eternity with our Lord Jesus Christ. May we all cherish the special moments that each of us got to spend with Dennis.

While I was in Pacific Beach on Wednesday night, I learned they discovered Dennis' body that morning on Mission Blvd. He was no saint... he had his struggles to addiction... but he was a Believer who loved Jesus... and he was truly our friend. Dennis will be missed by many of us!!

In honor of his passing, I came to PB prepared to do a memorial service for his friends. Many appreciated the fact that I even bothered doing it, but I consider it a great honor to do something like that for anyone of them, especially if they are my friends.

GOD gave us an opportunity this week to remind people that tomorrow is promised to nobody, and yes... losing a friend hurts, but through faith in Jesus Christ... we find comfort knowing that this thing we call "life" is but a vapor and we will see our friend again soon, on the other side.

Tonight was very special. It was Christmas eve and I was able to get a number of people together to sing a Christmas carol and have some fun for the evening. The gifts from Danna & Marcy, that I'd mentioned before were given out to every person that came through our line. Nobody left our area without receiving a stocking stuffed with items as personal gifts.

Pocketz, a fellow Believer on the streets, was blessed with a cute & cuddly Christmas present to keep him company from now on: "Ezekiel" (an 8 week old Rottweiler).

The city (with the help of a certain someone) set up a Christmas tree on the boardwalk near the main Lifeguard tower, designed to give the homeless people of the area an opportunity to participate in decorating the tree... just as they would inside of a home.

All of the people joined together with Lisa and signed a Christmas card for Amanda and I. That was such a sweet and thoughtful thing for them to do.

The Lord helped turn a time of emotional distraught into a time of joy & laughter. Through His love, we've helped make it easier for those people to actually have a Merry Christmas this year.

Rain or shine... (Friday)

2010-12-19T17:28:00.000-08:00

The poor weather did not prevent us from coming this week. The Lord provided shelter for us in case we ever ran into rainy nights like this.

We were unsure how big of a crowd we've get but prepared for the regular amount of people (average of 100). Once we had the canopies set up, a small number of people stood under them as we finished setting up the meal.

It was a real cozy night with everyone showing enough respect to at least not talk among themselves while the message was being shared, since we were in such tight quarters.

We didn't bring any clothes this week, due to the rain, but we did bring hygiene materials.
James shared an incident with me later this night, about the man named Daniel. He couldn't fully understand how or why we were giving things out for free. I'm sure that somehow, that type of genuine love will not be forgotten anytime soon.

It was nice that the crowd was smaller, because it gave us plenty of food to go around, and it also gave us the freedom to hang out after serving.

I think the absolute best statement made tonight is the fact that we were faithful to come even in the rain. Many did not expect us to show, which is why the crowd was so much smaller.

With next Friday being Christmas Eve, we made sure to announce that we still planned on coming down and wanted them to know that they can count on us being there.

Let the angels rejoice!

2010-12-15T05:54:00.001-08:00

Earlier in the week, Jeff (the newest of our guys residing in the SDRM) prayed to receive Jesus Christ into his heart!!!

Please pray that he would use this time to soak up the Word of GOD and discipleship, to strengthen & grow in his new found faith.

I love watching GOD work!!

2010-12-12T06:41:00.000-08:00

"Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for; through the fear of the LORD evil is avoided. When the LORD takes pleasure in anyone’s way, He causes their enemies to make peace with them." ~Proverbs 16:6,7

As previously mentioned, there have been a small handful of individuals 'on the streets' who've been somewhat enemies to us at one point or another.... particularly a guy named Daniel that we ran into while street evangelizing.

This week, we prayed for His peace among us and we got exactly what we'd asked for. I can testify that His peaceful presence was actually felt. There were no outbreaks, no disturbances, no harassing gestures. It really felt like GOD had His hand blanketing the area exactly like we'd asked for.

Okay, so a few things to mention...
First, Jeff was able to get into the SDRM a few weeks back with no problems at all. (I forgot to report that earlier) He's doing well and adjusting to his new life. **The biggest thing that we can together pray for, would be for those seeds that have been planted daily to continually be watered and would sprout into fruit in his life. Jeff went into the SDRM as an unbeliever that was willing.

Second, the team has been praying to receive more clothes for the crowd. Again, GOD showed His faithfulness. Throughout the week, we've received about 15 large garbage bags full of clothing, and a bag full of shoes, that Amanda and I still need to go through to wash & organize.

Third thing, another priority prayer has been blankets & sleeping bags. Surprise-surprise! GOD came through again... Ron (one of our regulars) arranged to meet with us before we arrived to the spot for set up. He was blessed with numerous sleeping bags (some brand new!) and wanted to donate them to the Ministry, so we picked them up. I also got a call from a brother in Christ, who had some blankets he wanted to donate. When he arrived in PB, he literally had a minivan FULL of blankets to give us. We took what we could fit in the cab of our truck, but made plans for him to drop the rest off at our home. While we were serving... a young woman (complete stranger) walked over and donated a brand new sleeping bag too! It's so crazy to watch GOD work and answer prayers!

Fourth, our buddy Pockets (who'd previously been reported as dead) is 100% sober and clear headed. Just last week he was in the worst shape of his life, drunk as a skunk, but has love for Jesus. This week he had a moment of clarity and decided to hand it over to Jesus once and for all. He's clean shaven now and a real pleasure to talk with. I did not recognize him when he walked up to me this week.

In the beginning of this post, I brought up Daniel. When I met him a few weeks ago, he wanted nothing to do with hearing about the Bible unless I "broke bread" as he called it. My heart broke because I didn't know how to get through to him at that moment, but I remained calm and invited him to our dinner. He actually showed up this week. I doubt he remembers our prior encounter, but it doesn't matter to me. I'm glad that he came because he needs to see the love of Jesus just as much as anybody else.

It was a very sweet night. After all the serving was finished and the truck was packed up, we spent a good amount of deep intimate time with a couple of guys that stuck around. It's been awhile since we've gotten to just hang out with them, like we started off in the beginning.

On a side note, our house is starting to look like a storage facility and we're considering that we build a large shed in the backyard... unless GOD wants to donate an actual facility to the Ministry. ** Keep that in your prayers please.

Thanks for reading and may the good LORD richly bless each and every one of His children!

Another cold week, new faces...

2010-12-04T05:38:00.000-08:00

It finally feels like San Diego is feeling the winter weather at night. The air is so sharp & cold coming off the ocean shore. I know it's not my fault, but I feel guilty every week as I have the luxury to choose which clean sweatshirt or jacket I should wear for the evening, knowing that our friends don't have that choose. I do my best to always be thankful for the things GOD has given us, but the truth is... I fall short most of the time. It's so easy to take the smaller things for granted, and I'm asking the Lord to work with me on that. "Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised." (Job 1:21)

For those that may not be aware of this. Yes our primary night for this Ministry is Friday, but the ministering goes on throughout the week as well. Some of us return to PB to witness or just pour out some extra love when it's needed. My roommate, Spencer and I encountered alot of encouragement & complete sadness, as we went evangelizing this past Saturday. AS we walked up Garnet Ave with backpacks full of 'John gospels', I noticed a familiar face. It was Richard (with the injured leg)! We stopped to speak to him and the group he was hanging out with. Richard was the only guy I knew of the bunch. He welcomed us, but the others wanted nothing to do with us... unless we gave them money. It was a frustrating experience. The loud mouth of the group- Daniel, started threatening violence if we didn't walk away. Richard tried to explain that we were 'friends', which in turn got him into a heated match with Daniel. The gospel was not welcome there by the group. Richard stood his ground and made a bold stand for Jesus Christ. Almost immediately after that, a young couple came walking up with arms full of blankets for everyone. Richard got a blanket and together we walked down Garnet Ave talking about Jesus some more. He encouraged me alot, telling me that we are making a difference what we're doing and the word on the streets is that we help others "find hope" again. It was a sweet time spent.

Spencer and I then ran into Totally Todd (one of our regulars) & Dave. Spencer spent time explaining the difference of being a Believer and a Follower of Jesus Christ. Both men struggle with alcoholism. Spencer handed them both some John booklets and gave them passages to look up while they felt temptation to drink. We prayed with them, and they too shared encouraging words of the Ministry!

Shortly after that, we run into some more of our buds from the beach, Keith & Dave. Keith is no longer on the streets and has a full time job now. He gives credit to the inspiration & love that came from Loving Thy Neighbor. He started crying when he gave thanks. I gently urged him to give credit where it's properly due... and it's not to any of us. He quickly changed his praise and called us 'Godsends' then, which I'll accept that because if it weren't for Him sending us, we wouldn't be there anyways.

As Spencer and I were walking back to the car, we ran into William. He is a Believer and keeps to himself. He purposely stays away from the crowds of other homeless people and buries his head in his Bible. We spend a good amount of time with him this night talking about the sweetness & blessings of GOD. Spencer prayed for him and we closed the night off with big warm hugs. (It's been years since some of these people have felt a hug!) I asked him if he had any needs, which he shared, and the following day those needs were met as Amanda and I returned back to PB.

* I share these things, not to boast about us or what we're doing, rather to maybe help others realize that we are genuine and do care about the people of PB. It's nice to get positive feedback from others and to see fruit starting to show after 21 months of labor.

On to last night now.... (Friday)
The sun has already set by the time we got there. The city lights are so dim that they don't help us any. We are fighting against the time of light left during this season. It is a big help seeing willing hands standing at the curb to help unload the truck. Every minute really counts for us.

The message was from Exodus 22, explaining that GOD has compassion for the needy.

A newer friend from church returned to help give a hand. James surely appreciated the help on the hygiene table. The Ministry was blessed was pallets of hygiene supplies this week... and yes I literally mean 2 pallets. "Where GOD guides, GOD provides."

There were no outbreaks this evening, everybody was fed, respectful and seemed happy to enjoy a warm home-cooked meal with friends.

I do not consider LTN my Ministry at all. Everyone brings something special to the tables in their own special way, and together we make Loving Thy Neighbor what it is. We would not be what it is today, without the help and contribution from others. With that being said... two of my favorite ladies are a big part of that... Danna & Marci. They are the sweetest and most thoughtful women. I won't ruin the surprise coming but they are awesome and the crowd will definitely be blessed this month.

Jesus is far greater than anything else...

2010-11-26T21:41:00.001-08:00

There is so much to tell tonight!!

We had a large group of volunteers that made up the team, which is always a real delight to watch it grow as it has. Like normal, we formed a circle together and invited Jesus to join us and to bless the evening. I shared another message and closed with an invitation to accept Jesus... nobody steps forward or made any movement. (It's those very moments that I begin to wonder what I'm really doing down there.)

Being the day after the huge Thanksgiving outreach, there were alot of happy faces in the crowd tonight. For some of them, this year was the first time they'd experienced the outreach at our church. I know I've mentioned this before, and I certainly don't mind repeating it... I absolutely love the Love that is poured out by the people that congregate and make our church what it is. I have never seen or heard reports of hypocrisy. Almost anyone can tell when somebody isn't being 100% genuine and our crowd said they loved the atmosphere at the outreach and felt very loved and welcomed.

Jeremy has finally reached his time at the SDRM to earn passes again. Tonight, he and two of his buddies (also from SDRM) rode their bicycles to join us and hopefully encourage souls to take a leap of faith and give the SDRM a shot. In GOD's perfect planning, one of Jeremy's friends, Stacey, just so happens to be the intake manager, so he has the inside scoop on the available beds. If Stacey tells somebody they are getting in, there's no way around it... they will have a bed. Jeremy, Stacey, and Jeff spent the evening talking with the crowd one-on-one. My favorite part about the SDRM is the fact that everything is founded on Jesus Christ. It is not a shelter, it is a stepping stool to help others grow into a wonderful relationship with Jesus, and through that comes deliverance from whatever addictions one might have.

We had a hiccup again with Patrick. For whatever reasons, he decided to act out again. This time he was upset with another person of the streets: cussing, yelling, threatening violence... pretty much just causing another scene. My first response was to look towards the condos where the rich neighbors are. Sure enough several of them were on the balconies with camcorders and cameras. We'd asked Patrick to please calm down. It's this very thing that doesn't help what we are doing at all. I quietly said a prayer to myself while trying to calm the situation with my brother, Ray. He said some things to me that I shall not repeat, but I would like to share just one. He said that none of us really cared about the homeless! That was the opportunity for Jesus to make His presence known before all of us... the whole group standing in line (and I mean the whole entire group) all stood up for what we are doing. "They love us!"... "Stop it Pat!"... "These are good people!"... "Why do you think these people are here if they didn't really care for us?!?" Everyone down there knows what we stand for and why we come back each week. We come in the name of Jesus Christ as a love offering to help the needy.

Of course 3 SDPD officers showed up within minutes and they had a few words with Patrick. I'm not sure what his deal is. I wonder if it's possible that he might actually be demon possessed. He eventually came back and stood on top, watching us. I walked up to him and asked if everything was okay now, offering him some food. He accused me of being the one who called the cops, so I walked away. Please, I urge, I beg, I encourage all readers to PLEASE pray for Patrick. Something is not right with him.

After dealing with that, I tended back to the crowd and thanked them for backing us up. One of the men, came to me and admitted that when I gave an invitation for Jesus, he was too scared to stand in front of this group. I asked him if I could sit with him during dinner to talk more about this, but he got his food and I didn't see him again. His name is Ray.

Alyse joyfully received the gospel of John! I didn't see how it happened exactly, but I do know that James was able to give it to her and I'd overheard Alyse thanking him for it. That is just soooooooo cool!!!!!

Richard, who has a horrible leg injury due to a robbery (I've mentioned him before) was around tonight. He's been taking antibiotics for his leg and said it was improving, but the poor guy is still hobbling around with crutches.

Towards the end of the evening, I introduced a man named Jeff (who Amanda spend alot of time speaking with at the Thanksgiving outreach) to the SDRM guys. Jeff eventually made a decision to go on Monday and see if he can get in. The funny thing is... while Amanda had spent so much time encouraging him to check it out the day before, he was very evasive about the whole idea and said it wasn't for him. As I'd said earlier... in GOD's perfect planning, He'd orchestrated for the right people to come at the right time to speak with the right person.

Making a difference one life at a time...

2010-11-19T23:55:00.000-08:00

The highlight of the evening was definately Alyse!

The dinner went by in a flash, and yeah there was alot of people saying encouraging words, but I can honestly say that the best part was hearing that our friend, Alyse enjoys listening when I share from the gospel according to John.

It's strange, because the 3 verses that I taught from tonight, was clearly from John, but not once, did I give referrence to the scripture address. Next week I'll attempt to offer her a small pocket-sized gospel of John.

It's pretty obvious that God is doing some work in this woman's life! Amanda and I are just so blessed to be a part of it and get a front row seat in seeing how God works.

I gave a reminder about the Thanksgiving outreach that our church is putting on next week, and got a total head count of 34 people this week who want to go. We'll see what happens!

Personal Perspective (From Danna)

2010-11-16T06:46:00.000-08:00

It has been a few weeks now since Beau asked me if I’d like to share anything God has taught me while serving in Pacific Beach with “Loving Thy Neighbor” ministry. First of all, it has brought my husband, Ruben and I closer because we serve together. We used to think (use excuses) that we couldn't serve in a capacity like this because we wouldn't have the time or money. We both work full time and have a teenage son and a college aged son still living at home with us. First thing God taught me right away is that He is in control of time and money and He can (and will) multiply both right before your very eyes and if you aren’t careful to look for Him; you’ll miss it. I think in my life, He does that so I will know that it is He who is beside me every day. He wants fellowship with me but will not force it upon me. So it is with the friendships we’ve developed on the beach. It takes patience to develop trust with those we serve because of the lies pain has told them.

I’ve never seen Christians work so well together. I don’t see anyone trying to force their own agenda, be in charge, etc. We just seem to work so easily together. Prior to this experience, I had a saying... "It would be so much easier to serve Jesus if I didn’t have to deal with my brothers and sisters." Looking back, I can’t believe I honestly felt this way! God does have a sense of humor. Ruben and I have been helping since last March. We find that God has always provided the money and energy/time to help. It really surprises me sometimes the money He provides because I would have never have thought we could help but it seems like there isn’t a hole in budget when it comes to the ministry. All of our needs are met. I know that it is His economy, budget and calculator so I just go with the flow and it seems so easy.

One of the biggest lessons and most appreciated that I’ve learned is just to love people where they are at in life. I think Amanda was the person I first noticed it in. It is so easy to emulate when you have another sister or brother who is so authentic and make it easy to follow their example. I’ve learned it doesn’t matter who shows up drunk, high, mean spirited, mentally ill; I can honestly love them because Jesus has put them in my path and His love seems so natural pouring out of me. I don’t think I’d ever experience prior to helping serve at the beach. I’ve volunteered for different events in the past but this is different and maybe because we’ve sensed God’s calling to be faithful on a weekly basis. It is so much easier for me to talk to homeless people now because God opened my heart to see them as people not as homeless. They have stories, lives, family, struggles, dreams and heart breaks... they all need Jesus. It is amazing how many have faith or know of Jesus but addiction or mental illness has lied to them for so long that they now believe that perhaps nothing will change. Jesus does change people though! It is so exciting to see people show up after being missing for weeks and they show up sober and with a job! That makes Ruben and I want to make more salad and serve more meatballs!

I’ve also learned to let go and let God work. One young man really stole our heart and we so wanted to help him, but he really wasn’t ready and I wonder sometimes if he just wasn’t ready to be loved. He hasn’t been back since we reached out to him. I know Beau and Amanda also reached out to him so my prayer is that whatever path He is on in life; it leads him to Jesus.

This has been one of the best experiences in my life. I watch the volunteers grow and wonder what is going to happen to our ministry and where God will lead us but in the meantime, I am enjoying the ride. I’ve made friends there and some Friday nights I’ve hated walking away from them to go home but I trust Jesus for the whole experience and every aspect of it. I’ve often gone down on Friday night just absolutely exhausted or feeling spiritually dry but during the short amount of time it takes to serve Jesus’ children; I find my heart lifted and my energy level return.

In the dark night, His light was bright.

2010-11-12T21:41:00.000-08:00

From the moment I woke up this morning, I just knew that it was going to be an incredible evening. I could feel it deep down in my soul. I anxiously waited all afternoon for the time to arrive. I did not know what to expect, but I knew it was going to be something good, something sweet, and something to reflect on later. The events of tonight are exactly that!!

First off, I normally do the packing and preparation before hand in the morning before I head into work. Today I was unable to do so because of an appointment I could not miss, which left me no choice but to do when I got home from work... giving me about an hour, including everything else involved with loading the truck and being on the road by 4:30pm.

As the season has changed, so has the time of daylight. The sun had just set when we arrived, so it was getting dark quickly. We were in rush mode, because there are no real decent lights in the area to see what we're getting our hands into, plus it makes things a bit harder for me to see my notes when sharing a message.

From the moment we stepped out from the truck, we had our help standing by. It's encouraging to see the help of others to make this work smoothly. To my surprise, we had extra guests come down to assist in whatever way possible. Our team was 15 people strong tonight! As we joined hands in prayer, I glanced towards the crowd and saw what I can only describe as an out-of-body experience, and seen a glow of joy, love, hope, truth, and sincerity radiating from our team because Jesus was with us.

We passed out invitations to the Thanksgiving outreach that our church is hosting, and gave information on where the shuttles will be picking people up from the area. A large number of people showed interest in coming and taking advantage of all the wonderful things GOD has opened for them. Perhaps the outreach will move some of them towards getting back on their feet and finding a job suitable for them.

The food lasted long enough for some of the crowd to eat second plates. Pasta is by far one of the wisest meals to feed someone who is hungry, because it fulfills their hunger needs throughout the entire night. All the additional items brought down are a big help when it comes to spreading the food to last and actually make it a dinner and not just a plate with a scoop of noodles on it.

As mentioned, we had a large number of people helping to serve, which gave plenty of opportunity for others on the team to co-mingle with the crowd, ministering one-on-one with people. GOD is so faithful to answer prayers and fill voids. I'd been asking Him for others to have the opportunity to sit with the people and tonight He honored that request.

We are asking for specific prayer for one of the guys, Richard. It was about a month ago, that his leg was severely beaten and shattered during a robbery by another homeless man. Richard obviously has no money for medical help. To describe his leg as in 'bad shape' would be a lie... it's in horrible shape! Tonight Danna, noticed that his foot has starting black. This is a very bad sign and may demand for his foot to be cut off. He needs medical attention and he needs it like yesterday, if you catch my drift.

Tonight we had no issues, in fact... we had alot of encouraging support from people stopping by to ask what was going on. GOD is so faithful. As I shared with some of those who stopped, I was reminded of this verse: "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 5:16)

I think it's pretty safe to speak on behalf of all who make LTN Ministry what it is, in saying that our only goal/desire is to glorify our Heavenly Father.

A new Breakthrough!

2010-11-05T21:19:00.000-07:00

Tonight something so special happened... actually a few things are worthy of mentioning.
It is customary for our entire team to open in prayer together, before we start the night and I give a message. From the beginning, prayer has always been the focus. We try to primarily keep that prayer circle to our team, but it's been open to others who feel as though they'd like to join in...

Alyse, a woman that Amanda has poured into over the past 19 months, has been opening up to her a lot because of the love shown. Through time, she's made it very clear to us that she does not believe in our God. She has deep emotional pains & bitterness and we've learned how to be gentle & step back when speaking with her.

Well, tonight she joined us in our prayer circle! That is an incredible step forward for her! Please note, that yes I am using exclamation points. We are excited to see this new breakthrough with her!!!! It gets even better though...

Our team members, Marci & Carl, donated a useful tool for the Ministry. A prayer request journal, so that people can quietly write what they'd like said, doing so anonymously if choosing to do so. Prior to the message given, I'd announced that this book was available and there for them to use. At the end of the night, one person took that opportunity to fill something out. Alyse! The good Lord is doing something in that woman's heart, and we're so thankful to be a part of that.

The Ministry has been blessed week after week, with clothing donations; financial support at just the right time; and the extra helping hands. There is no doubt that GOD is still the one orchestrating this Ministry. Due to the abundance of people willing to help serve and pass materials out, it's really freed me to roam around and meet people after the message. Tonight I spoke with several people who were just passing by and wanted to know what was going on. After telling them what we're about, some asked how they could get involved. It is so awesome to see how the act of Loving your neighbor as yourself, has an impact on others.

A man named David, whom I'd met last week, came to help out tonight. I noticed that James could use a partner on the hygiene/clothing table, so I pointed him in that direction. It was another large crowd (especially for the first Friday of the month) upwards towards 70-75 people. To my knowledge, everyone was able to eat and there were only a very few small scuffles between the crowd.

I'm also proud to announce that our church, Horizon Christian Fellowship, has put on a Thanksgiving outreach for the homeless, for a very long time. Normally the shuttles would pick people up from the Downtown areas of San Diego. This year, they have added PB to their pick-up location. When I made that announcement to the crowd, I saw nothing but shining faces... I could almost see their minds imagining the hot showers, hair cuts, and Thanksgiving meals filling their bellies. I am so pleased with the tremendous cooperation & assistance we've received from our home church. I thank GOD the Father, for raising up a strong God-loving, body of Believers, with hearts to help each other out, in the name of Jesus Christ.

One of the women from PB, Tanya, asked about coming to service on Sunday. She inquired about finding a female who could pick her up. I got her contact information (some of them actually have cell phones) and promised to look into seeing what could be done for her. My prayer is that the enemy would not snatch the seed over the weekend, and that she would have her needs met. My wife might be able to pick her up.

Tonight, what I feared would happen, did. One of the neighbors from the area came down and gave us a hard time due to the size of the crowd. He informed us of the permit requirement for large gathering (in a not-so-friendly manner). Please pray for us. It's very possible that we might not be able to obtain a permit for a few reasons... 1) They cost money. 2) We are feeding homeless people with hot meals and are not a resteraunt. We are trusting GOD to take care of this problem one way or another. We are there to love all neighbors, including those who actually have a roof over their heads at night.

Refreshing times (Friday)

2010-11-02T07:03:00.000-07:00

It has been a very busy past few days for myself, so I apologize for yet another delay in posting the latest.

The crowd doesn't seem to thin out throughout the month anymore. It's been a steady 100+ people for quite some time now... some old time regulars, and some just barely hearing about it. No matter how big it gets, or how late we have to stay down there talking with the people, GOD is so faithful to provide even the smallest of needs.

A few weeks ago, I'd mentioned a newer guy named Sid. He and I had spoken about the SDRM earlier and he was interested in hearing more. I told him that we'd have a chance to sit down and talk in depth as soon as the line started to die down... I looked to my left, and become joyfully shocked with whom I saw standing next to me. Our young friend Quentin! He's been in the SDRM for the past 10months. He was able to make it down to visit us while out on his all-day pass. He looks so refreshed... so new... so happy... so relieved to be set free from his old addiction to alcoholism. It literally couldn't have been more perfect that he showed up this night. He was able to spend the next 1.5hr sharing with Sid about the SDRM and what GOD has done in his life.
It's awesome to see such a transformation in someones life, and hearing that individual give credit to where it's due. There are no 12 steps, there's 1... and that is the step of faith, handing it over to the Lord Jesus Christ, our Saviour!

Quentin reported to us, that Jeremy is back on a faithful walk and doing well in the SDRM. He's taken what he's learned from his fallen experience, and growing maturely from it. We also got word that Stephen is back in the SDRM too. Hopefully Stephen is touched by the hand of GOD this time, and surrenders his life to Christ our Lord.

I'm sure the rest of our team has their own incredible stories of their encounters with people down there in PB. Again, I'm thankful that GOD has built up a really strong and dedicated team of volunteers & servants to serve Him through love in action.

I think back to the very few lives that has been tremendously impacted by what we're doing down here, and if we were to stop today... it would've been worth it. The neat thing is that, none of us have any intentions of giving up. It's too exciting to see what GOD is going to do each week!

A sweet time spent (Friday)

2010-10-26T06:57:00.000-07:00

Hello readers. I apologize for another delayed entry. I have been suffering from some type of illness for the past 12 days now, and am finally feeling well enough to sit down & write.

As for Friday, the best word to describe the entire night would be... SWEET!

From arrival, easy parking, lots of help setting up, to enough friends to help serve... everything was just perfect.

We were blessed with enough resources to this past week to pick up additional pasta, which was a great and (well needed) plan. The gathering was much larger than we'd have ever expected during the cold season. There was well over 100 people standing in line for dinner.

As always, before dinner, a message was given and of that 100+, I'd say maybe 30 people actually were listening & paying attention. GOD has patiently taught me that it's not about how many people listen, it's who listens. His word doesn't return void, and His Spirit speaks to certain people at certain times. My job is to only remain faithful and speak The Word of truth.

I could see what The Lord was doing in the hearts of those that He'd given the ears to hear that night, and I was given the opportunity to spend the next 1.5hr sitting with those and talk more about GOD on an intimate level. I am so truly thankful that I've been given such a unique opportunity to become a friend to some of these men & women, just by the love of GOD in their lives.

Loving Thy Neighbor (as a team of friends) has become such a powerful tool that GOD has used in Pacific Beach. None of us that volunteer, may ever know the full extent of what GOD is doing in the lives of those that we encounter, but it is exciting to see even just a glimpse each week. Each one of us, have unique gifts that God has handed to us, to be used in different ways for different people. As we are approaching nearly our 2 year mark down there... I look back and can only sit in awe of what GOD is doing. When Amanda and I first started coming down to PB, it was to feed some spaghetti to maybe 5 people... but it's become so much more because of what GOD is allowing.

If I can be of any encouragement to anybody... please don't keep GOD in a box, step out in faith, and allow Him to use you in ways you couldn't even imagine!

Blanketed by His love! (Friday)

2010-10-16T07:07:00.000-07:00

I thank God Almighty for giving us another opportunity to share of His love and minister to all the people of Pacific Beach, in His name!

It was an incredible night. At home, we'd somehow managed to get everything prepared a few minutes earlier than normal, so we headed down about 20 minutes early. Upon arrival, it was no surprise to see our buddy, Ron already waiting by the curb ready to help unload for the evening. He and a few other guys have made things so much easier for us, so we've created a system that rewards them: They get firsts in line once we serve. It's a win/win system!

Our team was in full force, minus Marci (whom we miss)... so it was great to see everyone again. We were blessed by Papa Johns, with 3 cases of individually packed salads to contribute to the meal.

The message shared was based on a devotion written by my Pastor, so I take no credit for it, but it was very powerful and the Lord used that to minister to several people. Afterwards I was given the opportunity to pray with a handful of men, all of which are newcomers.

A few guys that stand out, that I'd like to mention are people like:

Herby, he's suffering from multiple blood clots throughout his legs, and has no money nor insurance to assist. He's afraid of losing his legs someday soon.
Justin, has been homeless for sometime now, but it's by his choice to follow his calling from the Lord, as a missionary to evangelize to the people living on the streets.
Sean, is a tourist from Ireland (another lad with a full blown Irish accent), who came to the States for a year long trip, but until last week was living in the local Hostel... until he was robbed and everything he had was taken from him, including his passport & credit cards. For the past week, he's been sleeping on the sand, with only the clothes on his back, and no blanket to keep him warm.
Sid, (I spent most of the evening with him)... he's a Believer, fairly recent to the street life and wants out before it consumes him. I let him know about the SDRM and what their program is all about. He sounded interested and prayerfully he'll take that step and use that year to dive into discipleship and soaking up the Word of GOD. He's currently not rooted in a home church, and plans to come with me tomorrow to service.

One of our friends, Julie came down to give us a hand, which was a real surprise and blessing for us. GOD used her to bless a few of the people with some brand new blankets, which as I mentioned earlier, where much needed. It has been getting alot colder as winter rolls in, and I can't help but feel guilty, even now - sitting in my warm room - writing this blog entry.
I wish there was something more that could be done, besides handing out hot meals and shampoos. So many are thankful for that, but their eyes cry out for real help, which I am unable to provide.

Would you readers please join me in prayer regarding a huge step of faith. I'm dreaming of a warehouse or shelter, for the ones that sincerely want change can come to as a refuge. I would love the ability to pour out as much time as possible and share the Word of GOD, building each one of them up, all to glorify The King of kings. That is my prayer!!

Integrity counts for something! (Friday)

2010-10-09T07:45:00.000-07:00

With the piece of information I received last week regarding our area being used, I knew I had to speak against that and announce to the crowd that whatever they're doing in our area while we are there, must be put to an immediate stop or else there would be consequences... because no Christian would/should ever compromise their integrity for the sake of anyone else. I'm relieved that the announcement was so well received from the group.

The more I thought about the issue all week, the more I became thankful that we've been given grace from the City/Police, for not enforcing us to get a activity permit for the large gatherings. Whomever is in charge and has the say in the matters, has not pushed the issue to come down on our group. I thank the Lord for keeping that from happening this far.

Last night may have been the biggest crowd yet! The masses of hungry people came in sets, like waves. At one point, I'd given a quick head-count towards the remainder of the line, just to make sure Amanda gave proper portions accordingly... when I returned to give her that number, the line immediately doubled in size!

I met a few interesting people this week:
Michael- Recently new to the streets, grew up Catholic and took notice the to hypocrisy in his own church, now searching for his higher power & doesn't believe the Bible is inspired by GOD.
Ramon- First time guest to our dinner, very friendly, probably a little intoxicated, but showed great gratitude for the free meal and love shown to him and all of his friends.

I was encouraged by a few passer-byers who stopped to check out what was going on, 'Keep up the good work, you guys are doing such a wonderful thing. We can see the joy they have when they are here.' It's really nice to hear positive feedback.

Regarding October 1, 2010 -- Friday

2010-10-09T07:39:00.000-07:00

I was unable to personally make it down this day, but the rest of our Ministry team did and I heard everything went well.

Joey shared a message.

I got word that either a Lifeguard or Police Officer came up to our group, and informed them of things being said 'on the streets'. Supposedly the homeless people are letting each other know that we permit alcohol drinking & naracotic use, while our Ministry is happening... all of which is a blantant lie!

God our Father, knows what we need and when we need it...

2010-09-24T21:25:00.000-07:00

Our team was not the normal group tonight. We had several people who'd normally be with us on a gorgeous Friday evening, out enjoying some well deserved fun time. Of course my first thoughts would be to figure that we'd be short handed, but silly me and my way of thinking... God is the one who's in control, and He's the one who brings people down there. As was the case this evening. In fact we weren't short handed at all! The Lord gave us a few friends from church to participate in the blessings.

Amanda, in her discerning wisdom, decided to prepare extra food: sandwiches & chips, just in case we were to run out of pasta. Rick, a fellow brother in Christ, contributed by also making a box full of sandwiches & a large bowl of fruit salad.

It turns out we had just enough for everyone to eat this week. This crowd just continues to grow and grow! It's really sad to see so many hungry people standing in line waiting for a meal. I'm reminded why we are there, and when I'm sharing a message, I find myself comforted by the numerous Believers within the giant crowd, nodding in agreement. I look to everyone else and I'm confronted with emptiness in their eyes and growls of hunger from their stomachs. Most aren't listening, they want food... and then I hear that small; still; gentle voice asking me the same question over and over again.

As the food was being served, I joined Jason in some beautiful worship music. I can't even begin to express what it does for the atmosphere down there when worship music is being played. It's so peaceful! Whether or not the crowd understands whom the words are meant for, everyone seems to enjoy it and share smiles as they pass by. The music being sang to the Lord can change a loud, angry man... into the one of the most polite, gentleman. We've seen it happen! There is a newer regular guest, who's known to be rather obnoxious most of the time, but tonight he was so child-like, in the sense that he wanted to be loved and 'fit in'. As Jason was playing his guitar, I noticed this particular man sit right next to Jason, with his own beat up guitar. He watched for the chords being strummed, and attempted to follow along. It was actually quite a sight to see such a difference with this guy! The Lord showed us that it doesn't take preaching in order for Him to begin a good work in anybody.

They continue to be fed... (Friday)

2010-09-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

I debated whether or not I should share this...

There have been times in the recent past, where we've come to nearly miss coming down to PB with a meal for everyone (due to lack of funds), and literally at the 11th hour, GOD has sent us exactly what we need to purchase everything!

I only mention this, to allow the readers to understand that we (The team of volunteers) are not an organization or any kind. We are not financially supported by 'the church'. I realize it may appear as though we are because of all the helpful hands on site and the spread of food layed out on the tables, but the reality of it... is that we're just a group of regular people that are friends, who happen to attend the same church, that have the same heart to help those in need, and have made ourselves available to be used by GOD. The only reason we are able to continue week after week is through people donating.

During those last minute moments, while sweating bullets... I was asked this question: "Even if you didn't have any physical food, would you still remain faithfull to feed my flock?" I found myself meditating on this question, searching my heart, for what I'd hope to be the truthful answer - Yes Lord, I will still feed your flock.

Whether or not, one would call that a test from GOD, the next thing I heard came from my wife: 'We should get a PO Box, so that others can donate if they like.' So... that is our next step.

***

We'd arrived and had everything set up, with the help our friends, by the time Joey had arrived. He shared the message this week. After he'd given the message, a man who'd been passing-by on the boardwalk, stopped to listen what was being said, came up to him... and Joey had the perfect opportunity to set down and spend nearly an hour pouring out into this man. We then introduced him to our team mate, Ruben to discuss matters. In short, the man now has a desire to come to church.

We had extra help this week! Our dear friend, Mark, came to visit and help us while out from school. His gentle presence alone, brings peace to the environment when he smiles. I love seeing him sit down to spend deep quality time with the guys. Last night was no exception.

Danna spent what seemed like most of the night (I can hardly call it anything more than 30 minutes anymore, because everything happenes so quickly now) one-on-one with our regular friend Alyse. It's beautiful to see the women spending that time with the women down there!

Everybody was fed, spiritual & physically. I'll be honest, it's discouraging at times to see those who disregard others by carelessly dropping their food and trying to grab another... or those few people who grumble and complain because another person got more of something. There seems to be a sense of entitlement down there for some... not all though. We just keep praying that the good Lord will do a mighty work for them.

We had a few conversations with curious people stopping by to see what was going on. Some said they'd like to help out, some inquired about donations. The cool thing is that each time somebody stops by & asks, we get to tell them about the love of Jesus.

It's all about love

2010-09-10T23:19:00.000-07:00

There are things going on down there that the enemy is using to try and defeat what is happening at the boardwalk. The past few weeks, I've noticed that as we're driving into PB, I see alot more of the regulars hanging out, away from the boardwalk, and I've found myself wondering if they'd forgotten about dinner.

It wasn't until today, that it occurred to me why they're not waiting in line anymore.
The messages! It was no different today... in fact, there were so few people, that I thought people were going to be able to have 3 plates of food each.

The message was given, speaking on love and about sin and the separation of man & GOD because of sin... but as soon as I finished and walked down below, we were flooded with people jumping in line. There went the 3 plates each I'd just considered!

The sad truth is, we ran out of food this week. Our team even brought extra sandwiches (just in case) and those were all handed out too. It was really sad at the end of the evening.... I wasn't aware that we'd run out when I saw a few guys sitting against the curb of a near-by business. I'd asked them if they'd enjoyed their dinner tonight, and out came a stomach-turning response: "We didn't get anything besides a slice of bread to share." I instantly felt guilty and didn't know what to say to that. Sometimes 'Sorry' just doesn't cut it.

Returning week after week, and being obediant to The Lords calling seems extremely easy, when compared to figuring out how we're going to start making enough food for the caliber of people coming these days. Ultimately, I know that before another move is made, we should lift all things to our Heavenly Father, for His direction & provision.

I often find myself reviewing the archive for this blog, and I look back at all of the ups & downs we've had; the miracles that have happened; all of the lives that have been touched... and I'm reminded, that is why we are here. The food is only part of this Ministry, we are sharing something much better than any gourmet chef could ever offer.... and it's Jesus Christ, the Living Bread!

I thank The Lord for the team that He's raised up beside us. I could not ask for a better group of faithful, loving friends to team up with. I'm grateful to be a part of their team. GOD is good!!

Getting Personal

2010-09-03T20:26:00.001-07:00

Besides the traffic coming into PB, tonight went really smooth.

To start the night off, my buddy Ruben, shared his testimony to a captive audience. He gave a loving & sincere message, and as he spoke, he called out to some of the regulars, by name, which made it a bit more intimate for them. I strongly believe that it's instances like that, that are going to win over their hearts, and give us the guidance to direct them towards the things of GOD.

Thanks to Danna's wonderful idea, we started celebrating birthdays together down there for each month. This week, it just so happened to be one of our very own. Before Ruben finished speaking, he called Amanda out from behind the tables (also out of her comfort zone) and the entire group of maybe 60 people, all joined and we sang "Happy Birthday". It was fun! What I especially liked, was as each person passed down the line for their dinner, they each encouraged Amanda for her cooking and gave her another Happy Birthday wish. There was love for one another in the air tonight, and GOD was there!

We had plenty of friends to help make the team tonight: Ray (who's been a huge help); Joey (now back in town); and of course the awesome duet Danna & Ruben (with their amazing salads, crock pot of meatballs, and their hearts of gold); James (the one who can handle the hygiene & clothes, like no other!)

Towards the latter end of what pasta we had left, 3 young men (early 20's I'd guess) came over and asked how much we were selling the food for. Their eyes lit up with delight when they discovered it was absolutely free. They hustled into the line. As we hung out chit chatting, I learned they were backpacking tourists from Ireland. I enjoyed hearing their thick accents when they spoke. I had the chance to ask them about their beliefs. They believe in Evolution, yet they have a concept of GOD as well. They said that in Ireland, religion is shoved down everyones throats, and they aren't for it. I explained to them about Christianity, and the freedom that we have in Christ... that it's about a personal relationship with Jesus, and not about being bound to follow routines, or bowing to statues. As they listened, I could see them weighing this new found discovery, against what they've known. After 10 minutes of sharing, I asked if I may take their picture, so that my friends and I could continually pray for them, they said sure. Before we parted ways, I had the privilege to pray for Do'nald (Donald), Eghoan (Owen), and Dave right then and there.

A decent amount of people showed interest in attending the City Fest next week, which was awesome to hear. I'll try to get an accurate count next week, so that we can do what we can to make sure they get there.

All went well, and yes we were surprised that being the first Friday of the month, we still had a large number crowd... yet thanks to the addition from Danna's meatballs and salads, everyone was able to eat something tonight.

Everything happened so fast... and that's the way it's been the last few months actually. We were done and packed up by 6:30-6:45pm.

Even in the thickness, GOD is there! (Friday)

2010-08-30T10:32:00.000-07:00

I apologize for the delayed posting. This past week has been anything but normal for me. I'd planned to be out of town on Friday, so I'd arranged for a friend of mine, Gio, to step in and share a message. He did share, but I actually stayed back and came down to witness the work of GOD.

Upon arrival, the eerie feeling of the oppression was thick.

A few guys were waiting for us as we pulled to the curb to unload. Amanda went to park the truck as we set up and prepared for the evening. To my very own surprise, Patrick (a common problem) actually helped set up. I instantly recalled the prayer request listed on his behalf, and thanked GOD for all the faithful prayer warriors, because I see that he's changing before our very eyes. Again, I thank Jesus!

As Gio gave the message, I sat behind him on the upper level. I scanned the crowd and quietly prayed for each person. I noticed there was alot going with most of them: drunk or high, and some suffering with schizophrenia, which leaves them with very little room (if any) to pay attention to anything being said. It's something I've never really noticed before, and it broke my heart to see it. One of the regulars, Lt. Ron, was taken away by ambulance from some sort of alcohol issue. Last week, he'd claimed to have fought with 12 SDPD officers and was full of scabs on his face. I'd mentioned him before, but he's a Reverand turned atheist. From the looks of this man, he doesn't have much life left in him... so please join me and commit to prayer specifically for Lt. Ron's salvation.

On the other hand... there were quite a few people who were paying attention and nodding in agreement with what was being shared. Those are the ones who came through the line during dinner, full of encouragement and thankful hearts.

I know that GOD is bigger than any drug, alcohol, or mental problem... and I rest in confidence, trusting that His word does not return void. I know that as long as we remain faithful, and continue to love on the people of Pacific Beach, GOD will continue to pour out His love and continue to give us the strength to always move forward, sharing the Good News, and His provisions will continue to come.

Man, oh man! I'm so happy to be a child of GOD... and I'm super excited to be a part of something that He is doing!!!

We've prayed about socks and hygiene materials, and we received them. We've prayed about financial support, and we received it. We've prayed about a strong team of fellow servants, and we received them. We've prayed about simple things like good parking when we pull up, and we received it. We've prayed about having worship music, and guess what..... we got that too!

There were some minor chaotic outbreaks during worship this week, but it didn't stop Jason from continuing to praise The Lord of Lords with his guitar. It was actually pretty awesome to see one of the guys, gently pull the disturber to the side and ask him to move along and 'let us be'.

The highest demand as summer has come to an end is blankets. I'm not 100% sure but I think it's still quite some time before the City Shelters open up for the season. It has really gotten cold quickly as the marine layer rolls right in, even while we're serving.

There is much more that could be told about the events for the evening, but I'm not the one to tell because I wasn't aware of everything that others experienced. I only found out their stories afterwards.

May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you. ~Psalm 33:22

2010-08-21T19:07:00.000-07:00

Last night was absolutely, positively, super naturally Awesome! There is so much to write about, that it's taken me longer to recap everything and find ways to put it into words. The love of GOD, The Father is so good!

Where do I even start? I suppose that I should begin with the tail end of last week...

We received numerous large garbage bags full of clothes that have been donated by friends. Last Sunday morning, Amanda and I were given the opportunity to share about the Ministry to a group from our church, which may have opened some doors for other avenues that people can get involved with Loving Thy Neighbor. That same night, we received two fairly large sized bags full of hygiene supplies, which couldn't have come at a better time, since we were pretty much out of everything.

A new semester of HSE has started up this week, which means tons of new students ready to follow the call of whatever the Lord has for them. Lamarr (one of my roomies, and HSE student) had shared with some of his classmates about the Ministry. Upon arrival last night, I was introduced to a HSE student who was ready to help serve and be used where he was needed. Lamarr and Spencer (our other roomie and HSE student) both came down to Minister with us. I felt relieved to have the extra help. GOD answered yet another prayer! We have tons of help serving the meal (and I'm so grateful for all that are involved!) but I've noticed a gap that still needed to be filled when it came to having enough people for one-on-one time and prayer.

As we were setting up, Danna noticed two young boys (maybe 10 or 11 y/o) on the upper level observing us. The boys asked what we were doing. Danna explained to them why we were there, and they desired to help out! I couldn't believe what I was witnessing. These kids were in San Diego, on vacation from out of state, and wanted to help the needy. GOD was using these young gentlemen, to minister His love to all of us. We learned of their names: Joseph & Brayon. There's no doubt that these guys were brought up in a home with incredible values and a love for others. (I'm still in shock as I sit back and dwell on that.) Wow!

Danna kindly put them behind the table to help pass the food right along the makeline. The best part is something I discovered after they'd left... as each plate was passed, Joseph said: "Enjoy your meal sir/ma'am." It was said with such sincerity, that everyone present could see that GOD was pouring out His love on the people of Pacific Beach.

As I've been freed up to move/walk around to speak with everyone, I ran into a Pastor from another church that the crowd is familiar with on Weds nights. The Pastor informed me that their church has a generous amount of toiletries and wanted to know if we could use some for our Ministry. I took him up on the offer, and plan to see him next week.

Daniel. Two weeks ago he was in horrible shape and I feared the worst when he nor his brother showed last week. Well, they were both there last night... and Daniel looked like a completely different man! He was 100% sober, he was smiling, he was happy, and he was proud to let us know that shortly after Amanda and I'd prayed for him, GOD started working on him. He ran into a Pastor from another local San Diego church, who's been helping them out in more ways than one. Daniel gave the credit to GOD, because of the interceding prayers. (There is more to this story)

I ran into another man named Kieth. He also gave credit to GOD, The Father, for Him placing us to be used to speak to him and help encourage him. He now is working full time, has an apartment, and offered his availability to speak to the group and give his own personal testimony, to share what GOD has done in his life. Kieth and I plan to meet up for service at church on Sunday morning.

There was a gentleman who'd stopped by to give us encouragement. Before leaving, he gave a donation, which (I did not look at) and thanked him. I continued to hang out and love on the people, taking their trash for them... about 10 minutes later, that same guy comes back again. He said: "As I was leaving, I heard GOD tell me to come back because I did not give enough, so please take this too." This time, I had Lamarr and another guy with me, and we all looked at each other utterly amazed at what GOD just did. He doubled his original donation, to cover the entire cost the following week.

Things like that, remind me just how little faith we (I) have in GOD sometimes. Speaking for myself, I don't mean to but I often find myself guilty of putting GOD in a box when it comes to certain things. It's recently been a struggle to figure out where we're going to come up with the resources for the next weeks meal, because of low funding. (I mean really, how often does some random stranger just come up and do that?)

Amanda shared a neat story with me, about one of the elderly ladies who wanted to share a verse from Psalms with her. It was full of encouragement and blessed Amanda.

Amanda was also able to spent some good quality time with her favorite lady, Alyse. Those of us who were still hanging out at this time, all sang Happy Birthday and presented a slice of cheesecake to her. Before we left for the evening, we promised to return in the morning with a blanket.

----Saturday----

Earlier this afternoon, Amanda and I went to Walmart to grab a blanket for Alyse, as promised.
As we were walking out, I noticed a familiar face sitting in the Vision Center Dept of the store. It was Daniel and his brother Kieth!

With them, was their new Pastor friend. We were introduced to one another. It was so neat to see the smile on Daniel's face. Their friend was getting him the glasses that he needs. He's also generously put them in a hotel for the week. Together we agreed that GOD was definitely showing those brothers that He loves them and wants what is best for them.

I took that opportunity to invite them to church with us. We've made plans for next Sunday, because they've already made plans with somebody else for this Sunday. I'm so relieved to see that they are seeking the face of GOD, and that He has put people in their lives for a very specific reason. GOD has their full attention and I trust that one day, Daniel will have a very powerful testimony to share with others.

Once we returned to PB, we did not exactly know where to find Alyse. We know of her hang out spots, but nothing is ever a for sure thing down there. Oddly enough, we found her immediately and she was so happy to see us. We were introduced to one of her buddies, who welcomed us into their circle with an offer of some beers... twice!

The powerful thing about it, was that before either of us could even turn him down, Alyse proudly turned him down and said: "Hey no, they're Christians!" Amanda and I both agreed that her statement alone was so rewarding to be recognized by others as Followers of Jesus Christ and that we are set apart from the worldly things.

In closing....
I realize this is by far my longest post ever, but I'm sure now you might understand why. To sum it all up, I pray that the things shared, are an encouragement for all to put your Hope in GOD, because His love is unfailing and will never cease.

It was all smiles... (Friday)

2010-08-13T21:10:00.000-07:00

I know that we should never scale the outcome of something based off feelings, but tonight really did feel special, and in a really good way!

1- We got hooked up with the closest parking spot possible, which for any of you who've come down to PB on a Friday night, know just how rare and awesome that alone is.

2- There was so many more people from the crowd smiling tonight. It seemed as though almost everyone was in a good mood.

3- I met tons of passer-byers who were just so full of encouraging words tonight!

4- The Love of GOD was evident and His protective presence was felt.

The message that I shared tonight was inspired by a scripture verse that my Pastor shared in this mornings devotion: Psalm 18:30 - "As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him."

From the get-go, I was given the opportunity to pray for a man named, John Patrick. He has a desire to give up his nictotine addiction, through faith in Jesus Christ. I look forward to hearing from him next Friday.

I met a sister of the faith, who happened to be in the area tonight (by chance) and she was full of encouraging words and has a willing heart to serve with us in the future.

With the faithful help of Ruben & Danna, The Evans', Marci & Carl, and James... it's really opened the doors for me to move around and socialize with everyone while they eat. It's very rewarding and I'm continually thankful to have that freedom. It would not be possible without their help!

I spoke with a few familiar faces and got to meet some new ones. I'd prayed for a man named "Justice" back in February, for the Divine Deliverance of heroin through Jesus Christ. He came up to me to give a praise report that he's still sober and has had no desire what-so-ever since that cold February day. Justice asked to attend a church service with me soon. I'll be making arrangements to get him asap. He seems so happy and gives all the credit to our Heavenly Father! It's truly amazing to see the transformation in somebodys life out here on the streets. He hasn't even stepped foot into a church service yet, but he's so on fire for Jesus! God is doing such miraculous things on the boardwalk. Justice has made a commitment to sharing his personal testimony with a fellow homeless man struggling with the same addiction he once had. (I mentioned that individual last week.)

I met a few other believers who waited in line for their meals. It was neat to hear their stories and how GOD has helped them in their perilous times. I appreciate that they've opened up to me to share such details of their own lives.

Mr. Tim Tracy asked me and the team, to please pray for his application to process for his SSI. He's an older gentleman and fellow believer. He's always greeted me with such friendly smile. (I often use him as a focus point in the crowd when I speak to the group.)

Most of the hygeine items that we had are now in the hands of those who need them, but sadly we know the reality is there will be plenty more to come, with just as much need as the next... and at this time, it appears we don't have anymore to give out. I trust that GOD will provide, just as He always does week after week.

One comment that an individual said to me struck me, and stuck with me the entire time down there tonight. He noted that he's seen the homeless people of Pacific Beach become a bit more happier when Friday comess around. Praise GOD for that! Amanda and I consider it such a blessing to even be worthy enough to be a part of something that GOD is doing.

Living Water

2010-08-06T22:04:00.000-07:00

To my delight, as we arrived, I noticed my buddy, Ron waiting to help us unload. I didn't care that he was there to help unload though, because I was more happy to see him mobile again. It was evident that he was in pain, but he said it was bearable for the time being. (Please continue to pray for a complete healing.)

The message I gave was based on the historical account of 'The Poor Widow'. Through that, God touched the hearts of 2 men, Doug & Mike, which lead them to making a decision to drink from the Living Water and follow Christ. (I pray that the seed planted would be secured by the Holy Ghost.) At a last moment's though, I brought down a case of booklets: Living Water (The Gospel of John) I handed out about 15 booklets to those that asked for them. We are starting to see fruit!

We were blessed with a hefty food donation, through left-overs from a benefit dinner, the night before. It consisted of a large salad & dressings, tons of spaghetti with a delicious meat/mushroom sauce, and close to 50 dinner rolls. Danna, contributed her crockpot full of meatballs. (Ruben is sick, and was unable to join us. Please pray for his health) Our dear friend, Lisa brought down her plate of cookies to provide dessert for the evening. Altogether, it was another wonderful spread of a feast.

Recalling that it's the first weekend of the month, we assumed that we'd have less of a crowd, but that was not the case at all! The amount of people waiting in line seemed to never end... unfortunately, the food ran out before everyone made it though the line with a bite to eat.

This week we also obtained a large pack of razors to hand out, thanks to a generous brother. Nearly everyone was happy about those being available. James passed out what few socks we had left, and took care of all the hygiene materials. (Standing from an observation perspective, I think the crowd has taken a real liking to James.)

Perhaps some of you might remember me sharing about 2 brothers, Daniel & Keith (June 2010). They went to Ramona to get in a rehab program. Well, sadly enough they returned to PB this week due to lack of funding. Daniel was in really bad shape. He's an alcoholic and to my surprise, he's also a severe heroin addict. He's trying to kick that habit on his own and was suffering with withdrawals tonight. Amanda almost had to call the paramedics for him, but he refused. As I sat with Daniel, I tried to reach out and encourage him that Jesus is bigger then any addiction and can deliver him from the torment, but he'd need to be the one to ask for His help. He's too hard on himself and doesn't feel that God would help him due to the path he's on. Another 'person in need' named Roberto, came to my aid and together tried to be encouraging and prayed with him. Daniel is aware that I've never been in his shoes having to struggle with such an addiction, and is quick to tell me so. I let him know that Christians aren't perfect and we come from many different walks of life before knowing Jesus. (I'm praying that God would help me find somebody this week, who has been in his shoes, that would be willing to come down next week, to specifically speak with Daniel.)

Love That Goes Beyond The "Normal"...

2010-08-01T11:33:00.000-07:00

I am reading a book named "Crazy Love"... It's about Christians breaking out of the "Christian routine" and living a life that is extreme for the Lord, leaving aside all comforts and just going for it. There was a passage in the book that I recently read that talks about the profiles of people that are obsessed with God and consumed with Jesus. This one in particular was the profile of "Lovers". It talked about how we as Christians sometimes think that being nice or polite people will make people want to come to Jesus, but in fact there has to be more.

The Bible teaches us about how we should love and not just loving the people we care about or like, but our enemies; the people that are unlovable; difficult; will probably never love us back; that are hateful of us.

Luke 6:32-36 says... “But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.

It is so awesome and amazing to see this very act poured out by the people who give their time and resources to this ministry. The love of our Lord looks so different and it stands out. I felt so honored and thankful to have such a large group come along side of us and be able to love the way that Jesus tells us to.

With Beau and a few others being away at the men's retreat Lamarr gave the message. I had a lot of extra help (thank you all so much for your heart and willingness to help)... We had a large crowd and thank goodness for Dana's smart thinking she made some sandwiches in case we ran out of food (which we did). Nobody went away hungry thanks to the sandwiches. The food went very fast as well as the hygiene supplies.

We had a few pleasant surprises! Ron was back! He is in a lot of pain from the pinched nerve in his back so please remember to keep him in prayer. Despite his pain, which was visible, he was the first one to come and help us unload the truck and then helped me set up as he always does. He really is an amazing guy, really different from a majority of the people we minister to, always willing to help with a big smile on his face despite his circumstances.
Another wonderful surprise.... Jersey Jeff has been sober for 3 weeks, he has a job and he looks like a whole new person. We all are so proud of him. He commented that when he was drinking he knew God was with him but now that he is sober he knows that even more. He gave the credit to God for his sobriety and said that we (the people of LTN) helped him too.

In closing, it was a great evening. The power of the Holy Spirit was evident. I was blessed by so many helping hands and hearts that over flow with the love of our Lord. Many people were fed, physically and spiritually. I know with out a shadow of a doubt that God is doing a mighty work among us (the volunteers) and the people we minister to. I thank God for this opportunity that He has given us to be involved in what He wants to do and my prayer is that day by day our lives as Christians will be transformed into lives that are completely sold out for Him and completely obsessed with Him.

A huge thank you to all of you that help, support and pray for us and most of all thank you for loving the people that are unlovable, difficult, and will probably never love us back. You are making a difference! We know it and the Lord sees it!

God Bless!!

Rest In Peace...

2010-07-27T18:47:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, while Jeremy was back down in PB hanging with his crowd of drinking buddies, we had the privilage meeting a guy named "Pockets". He was a very funny guy. He had a gentleness to him. He was quick to share with us some scripture he'd memorized over the years.
Before we parted ways, we'd asked to pray with him... but he reversed the offer and wanted to pray for us. Although, we'd only met him this one time, he'd made an everlasting impression on me and I won't forget him.

I received word today, that this man Pockets passed away. I do not know the details of his death or if he has any family. What I do know is this....

The men that called Pockets their 'friend' have a desire to do some type of memorial service for him. I would certainly like to be involved with this. My prayer is that this sad incident would be an eye-opener for all of them.

A full circle (Friday)

2010-07-25T18:35:00.000-07:00

Earlier in the week, I'd been praying about the message I was supposed to share. I was led to return back to the Romans Road, which is exactly what I'd started off sharing with. It was a full circle for me, and it was rewarding to see how GOD stirred the hearts of at least 3 men that surrendered their hearts to Christ, our Lord.

The attendance was another large number and unfortunately we ran out of food before everyone could get a bite to eat. We're so blessed to have such a powerful source of support, which makes up the Loving Thy Neighbor "team". Although some of the people didn't get to have some dinner, they chose to stick around for the fellowship with us. I encouraged the new Believers to get plugged into a Bible Believing/Bible Teaching church before we parted ways. I informed them of our church and gave them directions, should they desire to go.

A guy standing in line, informed Amanda of some great news... he is currently staying in the SDRM, and brought a message that Jeremy has made it back into the SDRM as well!! Prayers have been answered and hopefully he has learned from his recent experience and he uses it to grow in his walk.

The night ended early.

Jehovah Jirah (Friday)

2010-07-19T17:20:00.000-07:00

GOD is faithful to provide. GOD uses people as vessels for His Holy purpose and that is exactly what Amanda and I experienced this past 2 weeks. Loving Thy Neighbor, now has a brand new stove top to continue cooking hot meals for the people of Pacific Beach. With the new stove top, we're actually able to cook faster and now have the capability to cook more if necessary. I am genuinely in awe at the goodness of GOD and so very thankful for the people He channeled through to make this happen.... from the most deepest, bottom part of my heart... I THANK YOU!!!!

Soooooo, to the point....

It doesn't matter how long we've been doing this, or how many times I've spoken to the numbers of people.... I still get butterflies in my stomach as we pull up near Crystal Pier, because I'm confident that something positive is going to happen, and I'm excited to be able to participate. I'm only speaking for myself of course, but if I had to take a guess, I'd say that some of our team may feel the same way. I've said this over & over, and I'll continue to say it... because it's the truth - I'm strongly encouraged by the strength & support from so many people who have joined LTN and become part of the Ministry. Ultimately yes.... Glory be to GOD, but my wife and I could not have gone this long without all of the help from so many people who have given up themselves and their own time on Friday nights, to be a part of what GOD is doing. (I'm man enough to admit this... so here it is... as I sit and consider everything that has gone on and all the love we've been shown, I sit here crying with tears of joy!)

Our friends Marci & Carl arrived with a huge bag of brand new socks to pass out for the guys. Danna & Ruben arrived with their enormous and delicious salads. John & Benni brought the awesome chocolate chip cookies that everybody raves about. My buddy Ray came and made himself available to serve. Our good friends John and Lamarr joined us and helped with one-on-one ministering.

There is absolutely no room for any doubt, that the Love of Jesus Christ is being poured out week after week to so many in PB. As summer time thickens around us, it brings alot of hungry youth through our line.

I was inspired by GOD to share a message on the topic of faithfulness this week. In the message was a story of a young man, who'd lost his entire family, who had no income. As he passed near a bakery, he smelled something good. A old woman noticed the young man, paid him some attention, showed him a Love offering and shared her fresh bread with him. She than, began to open the door to share who Jesus was, referring to Himself as the Bread of Life.

As always, I do what I can to study the faces and eyes when I share. (It was so much easier to do this week because we only had about 40-50 people). I felt a few connections that may have struck a nerve with the visual story. My prayer is that these people start to hunger for Righteousness above all else. All we can do is continue to be faithful to our own callings, by showing up and love our neighbors, as they are.

I was informed of something rather strange that happened, that I did not notice early on in the evening. At the same moment I'd started to share the message, a flock of pigeons formed into an attack pattern and started diving at the crowd. Although people wailed their arms and tried to scare the birds away, the birds continued to come back with a vengeance. I'm not sure how I missed that activity, but I'm glad I did, because there's not a doubt in my mind that it was a distraction sent by the enemy. Do you recall Mark 5 or Matthew 8 involving the herd of pigs???

Jeremy is nowhere to be found again. I'd heard that he was trying to get back into a program but I'm not positively sure. I pray that he is in good hands wherever he may is. Ron is another guy that I'd consider a friend, and nobody seems to know of his where-abouts either. It's really sad when you think of the possibilities where somebody who has no place to call "home", might be. I pray that GOD would shield him and keep him healthy & safe.

I know that GOD is faithful and will never leave us, nor forsake us... and that He is our strength & refuge. I can't help but wonder when the crowd will see that for themselves.

Love is patient, Love is kind... (Friday)

2010-07-10T13:02:00.000-07:00

I'll openly admit that there are times that I find it harder to love certain people, but GOD knows what He's doing... and I'm thankful that He's the one in control.

We're nearly settled with getting our new stove top issue, but we're not there yet. We took our neighbors up on their generous offer in allowing us to use their kitchen for the meal this week.

Our team arrived on time as normal, and a message was given, like normal... but I found myself getting distracted because of a few people in the crowd. One 'trouble maker' in particular, stood directly in front of me and downed a few shots of whiskey and then started a conversation with others... (which I found out afterwards, was all to get a reaction out of me. Those are the types that I find harder to love, not for lack of respect, but because they have a personal issue with me, and hope that they can be the cause to stir something up to see if what I preach, is that of the same that I practice.

It's really encouraging for me to see how this Ministry has grown. Specifically with the Servants that have been touched by the Holy Spirit, and have made a decision to join our team. I'm very thankful for each and every one who has been a part of this Ministry!

Besides the previously mentioned distraction, all went well for us. We had our opportunities to spend one-on-one time with a few people. One guy named Mikey stands out most to me. I'd never met him before, so I didn't want to pry much. As we sat talking by the sand, he mentioned that he'd appreciate some prayer, so I took that chance and lifted his needs to GOD.

Amanda was able to speak with her buddy, Alyce for nearly an hour. She is like a delicate person that will need alot of gentleness & time to break through her walls, but it's been working over the past year. Alyce, now greets us with warm hugs.

There's so much more to share, but due to complications with my home computer... I'm keeping the next few posts short and direct, because I'm on a borrowed pc.

Salvation is a sweet thing... (Sunday)

2010-07-04T14:24:00.001-07:00

We met with our buddy, Simon this morning for service. I'm proud to announce that everyone greeted him well with open arms, as he waited for me to arrive. It's such a beautiful thing to know with confidence that I need not worry how others from our congregation will treat guests.

Simon enjoyed the service and shared with me that the sermon message had a lot of things in it, that really spoke to his heart and made a promise to return for further services with me.

After service, Amanda and I seized the opportunity to spend a little bit more time with Simon, over some lunch. The entire time we waited the 20 minutes for our seats and during the meal, it was complete Q & A, followed with Biblical responses. He kept referring to Jesus as 'The Prophet' and Amanda took the open door asking him his own personal belief of who Jesus was to him. He admitted that he wasn't completely sure about that, but confessed he realized there was something very special about Him and His impact on this world. Before we parted ways, I took the risk of asking Simon what was stopping him from putting his trust in Jesus according to what the Bible says. He was honest and said nothing was stopping him.

In the parking lot of IHOP, we stood there and prayed with Simon, where he confessed Christ as his Lord & Savior, asking for his sins to be forgiven and to start his relationship with Jesus from this very memorable day. GOD is sooooo good!

Love is a powerful thing! (Friday)

2010-07-03T19:15:00.000-07:00

We had to do another bar-b-que, due to our stove top still being broken. Using this method for the meal adds up nearly tripling the cost it takes to do the pasta dishes, and yet GOD provided again this week. Using the word "amazing" doesn't even come close to describing our GOD and His love for us all.

Our team was strong in numbers this week. We all came prepared to feed another small army of hungry people. We just forgot one thing... it's the first week or the month, which tremendously cuts down the size of the group, as they receive their SSI or welfare checks. We've discovered this to be a routine thing as they get whatever income they can, it's used to get a hotel for a few nights and maybe some not-so-healthy things to consume before they're back on the streets.

The only hiccup throughout the night, occurred at the very beginning while we were setting up. (To the unbelieving readers, this might sound strange.) I'm pretty sure I stood face to face with a demon! I'd forgotten to bring a lighter for the food, and this person loaned us his. The man came and stood next to me while we were getting arranged and started saying he was hungry and demanded chips and water. I'd asked him to please wait while we finished setting up and blessed the meal. His attitude immediately changed, and started cussing at me, calling me names, barked orders at Amanda to return his lighter, and rode away on his bicycle. I was baffled at his response and studied his eyes while he was speaking. The best way to describe what I saw would be to say 'he looked unhuman-like'. I don't think I'm going to forget that hostile look anytime soon.

Moving right along... I felt almost guilty having so much help & food and not nearly enough people to serve & Minister to. The good news is that for those that did show up, they had the opportunity to eat as much as they wanted. I'd guess there was maybe 40 people (if that). We'd prepared 100 hot dogs, 72 hamburgers, and tons of side dish items to compliment everything. We ended up giving one of the men an entire pan of 50 hot dogs & buns to take with him to another place he knew of that could use the extra food. Later in the evening he gave me a call to report how the food did not go to waste and was greatly appreciated by the other Ministry.

The best part about this Ministry, is that it is not tied down or labeled as a Homeless Ministry. Our primary guests might fall into that category, but we'd never turn anyone down who stumbles across our path. Jesus commands us to 'Love your neighbors as yourself' and the way we see it is that everyone down there is our neighbor... even the tourists. A small group of college-aged girls stopped by and joined us for some food. Some of our team had an opportunity to speak with them a little bit. They approved of our Ministry and even contributed donations to help support us. Whether or not we shared the Gospel with them, they saw Love in action while visiting San Diego.

There was a flag vendor booth just a few feet from our set up, so I took the opportunity to give them some food, which they were very happy to receive from us. Spencer came with me to break the ice and speak with them. After a few minutes, I slipped away, leaving Spencer to converse with the man and his wife. Before Spencer was finished talking to the guy, the man asked to come to our church. It's exciting to see Jesus work through acts of kindness and a little bit of conversation!

My highlight of the evening was while we were packing up to leave. I was carrying some items towards the truck, when Simon offered to help. As we set some items down waiting for the truck to pull up (it was a few blocks away), he started some small talk, which lead to a very encouraging compliment. Simon is ex-military, where 'talk is cheap'. He's been coming for over a year, and confessed that he's been studying us. He knows the Bible and has met lots of Christians from different denominations who've invited him to church. He said there's something different about our Ministry that has caught his interest. The Love that we pour out week after week, match what we talk about. That Love can only come from one place and he wants to explore that for himself. He mentioned something specific that he needs prayer on, and as I prayed for him... I was lead to share scripture in my prayer, and a particular verse struck him while we prayed. Although our eyes were closed, it was very visible due to his shaking. When we were done praying, he had goosebumps all over and shared what hit him. He was shocked that I said what I'd said in my prayer was something he'd just read earlier. I told him that there was absolutely no way that I could know what he's going through and that whatever was said was from GOD through me directly to him for that very moment. I gave Simon my cell number, and he'll be meeting us at church Sunday morning.

I'm so encouraged to see what effect this Ministry has on all of us. I'd guarantee that for everyone one of our team members, this has been a positive impact on each of them, and it's all because of the Love that is found through Jesus Christ. I thank our Beautiful Lord for the work He's doing through the lives of everyone who's willing to step outside of their comfort zone and into His call.

"Romans 8:28"

2010-06-25T23:13:00.000-07:00

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose".

I'm sure that most people have heard the term "We're winging it"... at one point in their live. This week, we did just that! Our stove top at home broke earlier this week, and immediately we thought about how we'd cook everything for the Ministry. With no personal savings or rainy day money, buying another stove top with 2 days notice, is just not an option.

Amanda made the decision to do a bar-b-que instead. We purchased and cooked nearly 200 hot dogs & hamburgers, along with a few cases of small chips. We spoke with our friend, Marci, who's become part of our Ministry, and notified her of the menu change for her contribution. So for this week's menu, we served: Hot dogs, Hamburgers, Fresh Fruit Bowls, Potato Salad, Baked Beans, Chips, Cookies, and of course... all the condiments. It seemed like everyone down there enjoyed the change up.

The funny thing is that we had far more food this week than we would have, had we served pasta, and everyone was able to get an abundance of food, which surely wouldn't have happened with pasta. Again, GOD knew exactly what was going to happen. So now we're trusting GOD and leaving our stove top situation to Him. "If it's GOD will, then it's GOD's bill".

The awesome thing about this week, was that even though most of our regular team wasn't available to join us, we still had an army of help! Tonight one of the guys, Chris, asked if he could help serve with us. It was his 2nd time helping out and it's so beautiful to see him getting involved to help serve his own and watch the transformation in his life. Two other guys decided to help us serve. One of the them had been a random passer-byer who'd helped out once before, but brought his buddy along this week. It's incredible to see how the Love of GOD is working through people... and affecting those who might not go to church, but desire to get involved. I find myself recalling the saying: "Your life might be the only church or Bible some people ever see."

It was sad to see Jeremy back in his old position. Stephen was also back on the beach scene. I find myself wondering how Quentin is doing and questioning if he's still in the SDRM. I admit that I find myself lacking compassion to it's full capacity. I'm truly saddened that they've chosen to return to the street life, by whatever means brought them back... but I don't understand why. I pray that GOD would continue to break me and chisel away any hardness in me.

The message tonight was from Mark 4, about the Farmer and sowing seeds. As I glanced at the crowd, I studied the eyes of those who were paying attention. I hope that some seed falls on good soil with them.

Our team had the opportunity to spend some one-on-one time praying with people after the meal. It's awesome to see how GOD has broken down the walls that these people have built up over their hard lives and has given us the privilege to witness that taking place week after week.

As we were just about to leave, some commotion arose between Stephen and Patrick. Patrick has always been a trouble maker the entire time we'd been down there. Awhile back, he'd threatened to cut my throat, and tonight that same threat was aimed towards Stephen. I'd asked Patrick to please show some consideration and respect for the family with children standing just a few feet from him. He didn't budge and became physical with Stephen, so I notified him that I was calling the Police and dialed 9-1-1. Patrick rode away on his bicycle yelling and throwing insults at me. He is a loose canon and I feel it's only a matter of time before he actually does try to cut somebody's throat.

I'm considering to ask the SDPD to make a more regular presence while we are there. In closing this post... again the verse Romans 8:28 seems perfect for the events of this week!

Opening up.... (Friday)

2010-06-19T06:02:00.000-07:00

The presence of GOD was definitely felt while in PB, which made the night spiritually good... but circumstances made the evening emotionally sad for some of us.

In discussion last week, we'd made a decision to have our team members share their personal testimonies for the next few weeks, as The Lord directs us. As Joey stood in front of the crowd sharing his, my friend Eric and I were up on top, praying as the crowd listened. I gazed the crowd from a different perspective and noticed what looked like my gentle & loving wife, politely asking some of the men to stop talking among themselves as Joey spoke. It was very beautiful to see how well that was received with respect & reverence. As Joey wrapped things up, I shared the verse Romans 12:2 - "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." Before we said grace and started serving the meal, 4 of the men made a personal decision to accept Jesus, and asked Him to start that transformation in their lives that very moment.

There was a familiar face in the crowd. One that I never thought I would see there again... Jeremy! He was back on the streets. About 2 weeks ago, he'd started drinking and it was all over from there. The SDRM has a no tolerance policy, and he had to leave. I didn't know what to say to him. I did my best to love him and encourage him. "Nobody is perfect except for Jesus Christ"... "Everyone falls, but it's how fast we get back up that matters". He was too embarrassed & ashamed to stick around, so he left after our brief conversation. I let him know that we'll be praying for him. (I'll be honest, I'd gotten so confident in him before, that I'd stopped praying for him... and now I see the importance to continue to pray for everyone, regardless of their current circumstances. Talk about conviction on my part!)

It's really rewarding to have so many helping hands when it comes to serving, because it has freed me up to move around the group as they enjoy their meal. I've gotten to know some of the guys on a deeper level because of it. I stood there talking with another familiar face, although I'd never known his name until last night. Daniel shared some interesting and very personal things with me. I wondered how often any of these people open up to people outside their own groups and thanked GOD for the opportunity to be there and experience what we experience. We prayed together. Daniel struggles with alcohol. He and his brother, Keith, have plans to go enroll into a rehab in Ramona, CA this weekend. I gave Daniel a promise that if he makes it into the rehab, I'll make it a point to come out to visit and read the Bible with him. He's currently reading through the book of Daniel on his own... and was very proud to tell me all about King Nebuchadnezzar. It was so neat to see Daniel talk about the Bible.... it was innocently child-like.

After the food was gone, Amanda sat with Bobby. He's experiencing major health problems and last night his body was bloated due to his failing liver. As I sat there observing their discussion, I'd hate to say it this way.... but you can literally see him slowly dying. It's very sad! Bobby has alot of sadness in his life and just needs to feel loved. He shared with us an incident he'd had early in the afternoon. He'd run into an old friend, he hadn't seen in quite some time, walking with his family (who Bobby'd never met before) and the young child ran up to him, giving him a big hug. This loving act of kindness from that 3y/o child stirred him up and he was crying with joy as he told us the story. Amanda told him that kind of love is just a small glimpse into the love that GOD has for each and every one of us.

It trips me out how I still sometimes question if this Ministry is where it should be. Last night I was reminded that GOD is still there and doing things through us, exactly where we are. Week after week, He still provides financially for this Ministry to continue... and last night was no exception. I consider it a great honor to follow Jesus Christ and to be under His Lordship.

Another week, another message... (Friday)

2010-06-14T09:28:00.000-07:00

I apologize for the delay in this post. I try to make it a point to have everything written down almost immediately after, while it's still fresh, but it doesn't always work out so well.

Amanda and I got there a few minutes later than usual, and noticed our team already on the scene waiting patiently for us. In a smaller aspect, it was nice having the extra hands to help unload the truck, since we normally arrive before our team does, and we get the occasional help from some of the guys, but not always.

While things were getting set up, I went searching for a parking spot which took way too long (almost 20mins). The entire time I was trying to park, I kept thinking how the crowd may be growing impatient... and I started to dread the thought of sharing my message, making them wait even longer... nevertheless, I still shared. The message this week was on thankfulness, ultimately being thankful to GOD for everything, small or big in our lives.

We noticed some of our more fond friends were absent this week, and I wondered where they might be. All the supplies went quickly. The only incident this week was 2 of the guys started to get into an arguement and make a scene, but that was on the upper boardwalk and not in our immediate area. I did glance up and noticed the angry neighbor lady standing at her balcony on her phone. The guys squashed whatever it was between them and we ended up leaving the area with a peaceful vibe.

The most important request that we have is prayer support. One can never have too much prayer, and although we might not be in the Amazon jungle or in Iraq, we are on the front lines of a Spiritual Battle, face to face with the Enemy of GOD. Please remember us in your prayers.

The Crowd Grows...

2010-06-09T16:46:00.000-07:00

Well, this week Beau was out of of town but despite that I had plenty of help (thank you all so much for your help and support of this ministry)...

Joey shared the message which ended in leading the crowd in a prayer to accept Jesus. I heard a handful of people reciting the prayer and I hope and pray for sincerity and salvation for our friends.

The evening started of with a feeling of heaviness and no doubt we were all praying against it. There are some nights that this ministry is very difficult. We have been learning that despite how we feel, we are called to be there and it is out of love and obedience to our Lord that we find the strength and perseverance to come back week by week. Sometimes I find that I am naive and I often put off thoughts of the spiritual battle that is raging on. The Lord has been showing me that I (we) really need to put on the full armour of God when we are down there (and always). It's important for us to remember that there is a lot of drug and alcohol addiction and all that comes with it and we are right smack in the middle of it but.... Praise the Lord that He who is in me is greater than he who is in the world!!

We had a few interruptions... As Joey was completing his message a man walked up and started to wrap to the crowd. With no end in site :) I walked up and asked the man if he would sing happy birthday to celebrate Danna's and one of homeless men's birthday (which we had planned to do anyway). The whole crowd sang happy Birthday. It was awesome to see the group celebrate Danna's birthday, who serves with us faithfully as well as one of their own.

As the weather gets warmer and the sun shines the crowd keeps getting bigger and bigger! We prepared a little extra food this week since we had run out of food the week prior. One of the guys we have been ministering to joined in and helped us serve. We were also blessed by a man who said that he sees us on a weekly basis and he had a work function that was catered and they had tons of left overs. He asked if we would like the extra food. We said we did and brought down three huge platters of gourmet salad and pasta salad. The ladies and gentlemen definitely had their fill. Our friends were also blessed with wonderful cupcakes that Ruben and Danna had prepared to celebrate the birthday(s).

The evening ended well... Everyone was able to eat a meal. We had some time to hang out and talk and pray.

The Lord is doing amazing things! Please keep us in prayer... We need it!

Thank you all who pray and support us... We love you!

The Battle Continues... (Friday)

2010-05-28T22:50:00.000-07:00

We knew in advance that this particular weekend would be packed in PB, due to Memorial Day weekend, so we arrived a few minutes earlier to give us time to park. As we unloaded the truck, my stomach knotted up once I saw the amount of people waiting for us...

I should back up and mention that the reason we were able to get down there earlier enough is because we rushed out of the house... and now I'll take full responsibility... I forgot the 4 loaves of bread that I had cut up & buttered, and the trays necessary to keep the food warm. I immediately started to stress out. With the help of my brothers & sisters in Christ Jesus, we were able to lift that to GOD and my problems seemed to evaporate. I then shared a message based off of Proverbs 3:5,6~ Trusting in the Lord.

The food went quick with such a large crowd and unfortunately we had to turn away 5-10 people because the food had run out. While we were serving, there was a man standing in line waiting for food (who made me a bit uncomfortable) that the SDPD had some questions for, so they removed him from the line to discuss their matters with him. When they were finished, the man returned to the now empty line, only to find the food was now gone. He started to throw a fit. Our brother, Ruben wisely suggested we join together for prayer. By the powerful name of Jesus, we rebuked the enemy from our presence and for peace in the area... I then noticed the man walking away. A lot went on tonight and it felt weird. I can't really describe it, other than to say we can all feel the Spiritual Battle going on down there.

We sincerely appreciate all of the prayers and support from The Body of Christ. Thank you!!

Persistence Pays Off... (Friday)

2010-05-25T07:12:00.000-07:00

As Amanda and I walked to our area, we were astonished at the size of the group waiting for us. This by far was the biggest crowd I'd ever experienced in our Ministry... (And of course... we had to use wisdom when it came to portions, so that everyone was able to eat... which worked out perfect, to the very last person.)

The message was about persistence and how to keep moving forward, putting your trust in the Creator, no matter what your circumstances are. I looked into the eyes of everyone as I was sharing what GOD had put on my heart. I saw the pain & loss of hope in their eyes. It's very sad most of the time. As I was looking around, this was the first time I'd really paid any attention to my surroundings behind me. I noticed about 25-30 tourists that had been passing by, stopped and were listening too. (For some reason, that gave me butterflies in my stomach.) More importantly, I noticed some of the neighbors (from the expensive condos) on their balcony, video taping us! I know the time is short before the city will come to try and shut us down. The enemy is doing everything he can to put a stop to this... so please pray for us. At the end of the message, there was another opportunity for the people to accept Jesus as their Savior.

After the meals were served, a 'newcomer' walked up to me and asked if we could talk. As a courtesy for privacy, I shall call him "L". We picked a quick spot down the path to sit and talk. He admitted that he was intimidated by the size of the group and noticed that nobody else raised their hands to accept Jesus, but he wanted to. GOD touched L's life that night! I explained to him that GOD sees all things, including the heart of men. GOD knew whether or not he was raising his hand. I explained that I only asked for a show of hands so that I can remember who to pray for, but it wasn't a necessary thing. We sat and had the most intimate one-on-one conversations I've had in a very long time. It was great to see somebody who was genuinely interested in the things of GOD, asking questions with pure motives. We ended up hanging out together until 10 or 11pm. By the end of the night, we'd made arrangements to pick L up for church on Sunday.

Amanda had her own endearing encounters too. She prayed with Patricia and Bobby (A couple in their late 40's-early 50's). We don't know how long they've lived on the streets. (There are some things with some people, that you just don't ask.) Bobby has lots of health problems and needs a walker most of the time. They are eager to find a place to stay. I can't even begin to imagine what life is like for them. I'm thankful that GOD has strategically set us in PB for these people, to share of His love for them. As prayers were lifted to His thrown room, tears flowed down their cheeks because GOD is real and touching people.

The beach clean up

2010-05-15T23:30:00.000-07:00

It certainly didn't go as we had hoped for. The objective was to get the homeless involved and make a differance towards something positive.

When we pulled up to park, we notice a large group waiting exactly where we'd planned. Amanda and I both felt excited to see such a great turn out, but once we walked up and asked who wanted rubber gloves... out came the excuses. In short, 2 of the 20 something people ended up helping our small team of volunteers clean up the area.

I like to give credit where credit is due, so thank you to Lisa, Ruben, James, Amanda, Ron, and Chris. I'm also thankful for the generous donation provided by Papa John's Pizza. I'd coordinated to have lunch provided for all volunteers when we finished the clean up, as a special blessing for their good works. I chose to not give advance notice of this, particularly because I wanted those with pure motives to partake. Needless to say, we had an abundance of left overs.

At first, I felt defeated and disappointed... but then I looked at things differantly. I felt good about what I had just done. I've never in my life done a beach clean up, nor have I ever in my life picked up cigarette butts before. When we were finished, we'd collected enough trash from the 3 blocks, to fill 4.5 large garbage bags.

Quicker than ever! (Friday)

2010-05-14T20:54:00.001-07:00

I'd have to say that tonight was a new record breaker!

I should probably start out by sharing that I've been fighting some infection/virus, I'm calling it a chest cold, for the past 11 days. It's difficult and painful for me to speak, especially loudly. We arrived a bit earlier than usual and found a parking spot immediately. We had help unloading the truck and setting up, which sped things up too.

Tonight was the first night that we didn't have any of the HSE students with us, because they left yesterday for their mission trip for the next month... which also means no worship music for us in PB. (Please pray for the students as they travel across the entire U.S. Country sharing the Gospel.)

Because I'm not feeling well, and also unsure of who we'd have to help us serve, we decided to not bring clothes or any of that stuff... just the food and a small box of hygiene materials. The message shared tonight was a devotional from my Pastor. It was about "Faith" and whether or not an individual has spiritual faith, it's an essential to everyday living and what a great reward it is to put our faith in He that is the 'Rewarder' of our faith. The entire message lasted about 4 minutes, which also made us ahead of our regular start time. It was 4:55pm when we started serving food. I stayed clear from the food and simply handed out waters, as to not risk infecting anyone else or contaminating their food. We had 40+ people pass through the line before some of our help showed up. It was refreshing to see John, Dana, and Reuben show up.

Everything went as well as expected. It went a lot faster then we'd expected too. By 5:35pm we had fed 80+people, with some getting second plates before the food ran out. We ran out before everyone got to eat, although some of them showed up later than 5pm, they'd expected food to still be available.... and I can't help but somehow feel responsible for them not eating tonight. It makes me sad.

I reminded everyone about the plans for the beach clean up tomorrow morning. Some said they'd be there waiting to get started. I pray that all goes well with that. While passing out waters, I was glancing around the beach and didn't really see that much trash laying around, so something tells me it'll be more of a morning of fellowship than anything else. We'll see what GOD has in store tomorrow though.

Good night!

Encouraging encounters...

2010-05-07T23:09:00.000-07:00

The evening went fairly well, with only one small hiccup from a new comer causing a scene between he and another homeless man.

After the message was given, I reminded the group of the plans for the beach clean up next weekend. I printed out a stack of reminder flyer's for everyone that wanted to participate. They went quickly! That was exciting to see such eager people.

We had another large group, which also brings tons of passer-byers curious to see what's going on. One of those men passing by, just so happened to feel moved enough to join behind the makeline and help serve the meals. He seemed to be big help for Amanda. (I never did catch his name) I was able share about the Ministry with others as they stopped by and inquired about the gathering. All of those people shared encouraging words, which I gladly accept as being sent from GOD Himself. (As humbly as I can... I admit there are times where I find it very difficult to deal with trying to speak a clear message because of the distractions from within the crowd.)

Our old buddy, Jeremy surprised us with a guest appearance on his bicycle. That was really neat to see him doing so well. I'd also learned from our friend Lisa, that she was indeed successful with getting Vista into a rehab program. Lisa is such a wonderful woman and has a huge heart to help these guys (that nobody else seems to care for). It is because of her that Chicago was able to make it back home to Chicago, where he now has a job and his own apartment. I am genuinely thankful to have met such an admirable person as she.

Again, with such an abundance of fellow Believers to help witness, there was multiple one-on-ones going on. As the time passes by, I like to reflect on all of the awesomeness that GOD has done and I'm thankful that He is a God who answers prayers and blesses His Children.

I look forward to seeing what GOD does next week!

Update reminder for those that follow along....

2010-05-06T13:48:00.000-07:00

Please take note of the flyer at the top/right corner of the page.

If it's on your heart to join us in the 1st annual LTN Beach Clean Up, please feel free to come along and meet us in PB. My prayer is that we'll have anough Believing volunteers to break off into smaller groups and continue ministering with 1 or 2 of the "guys from the beach".

Special treat afterwards!

Love your neighbors...

2010-04-30T22:27:00.001-07:00

Tonight went well!!

We found a really good parking spot as soon as we pulled up (which is harder to do as it gets closer to summer). I had a group of men to help me unload the truck and others to help Amanda set up for dinner. There was a decent amount of people already waiting against the seawall when we got there. The size of the group probably grew to somewhere in the ballpark of 70-80.

I was pretty nervous to share tonight. Not because of the message or the size of the audience though.... after some prayer this past week, I accepted Reggie's gift as an encouragement and decided to use the megaphone. It felt strange as I stood on the boardwalk, holding the giant megaphone in my hand. Honestly I wasn't sure how it would be received, and feared it could possibly be stumbling to some people. I eventually over came my fears, and jokingly explained why I brought it down, and the crowd seemed to appreciate it. I mean the reason behind it is for them anyways. I can hear myself just fine.

The message was about loving GOD and doing things out of love for Him. I also shared what Jesus tells us about 'loving our neighbors' and 'turning your cheek when others strike you'. The message was well received, which then led into me sharing something that's been on the heart of Amanda and myself for a few months. A community beach clean up! We decided to do this in 2 weeks, on Saturday (May 15, 2010) at 9am (Please feel free to join us!) We'll be meeting in front of the big Life Guard tower at the end of Grand. Nearly 10 men showed interest in participating. I foresee some neat things happening from this.

We were blessed with the presence of our friends, who've become regulars in helping with this Ministry. Delicious cookies seem to go fast down there! As the people stood in line for their meal, the beautiful sound of Worship music poured onto the boardwalk and down to the sand. I'm so thankful to see how GOD has anointed this Ministry.

I had opportunities to sit down and pray with a few people, listen to what they're going through, and give encouraging words according to the Holy Scriptures.

One of the guys that I've mentioned on numerous occasions.... Vista, was actually sober and looked 'fairly good' considering what he's been going through lately. He had a glow about him tonight. He was smiling! With the help of our dear friend Lisa, who's a gem to us and the people of PB, he's getting admitted into the Salvation Army. That truly is an answered prayer!

The food seems to go so fast now, yet GOD continues to provide and meet our needs each week. It's good to be a follower of Jesus Christ and be on the winning team, where we will never hunger or thirst again.

Greater is He who is in us... (Friday)

2010-04-24T00:43:00.000-07:00

The best way I could describe this entire week, would be to say that it's felt like everything around me was under a thick, dark cloud of Spiritual Attack. Tonight was no different! There was a minor bump in the road, just to get down to PB tonight, but we managed to pull it off regardless of the circumstances.

As the beautiful San Diego weather starts to settle in, it brings drawls more people to our meals. The crowd is growing like crazy and there are so many new faces. One of our new guests was acting a bit obnoxious while we were setting up. I did my best to lovingly explain to him how we do things down there. (It's always a task to get an unsober person to comprehend formalities.) It eventually worked itself out though and we started the night off in prayer before a message was given on Aninias & Sapphira, and lying to The Holy Spirit.

This Ministry is hard... I'm asking for more prayer support.
Where I am weak, He is strong!

I was given a helpful gift by one of our regulars, Reggie. I laughed inside when the gift was presented to me... not because it was funny nor was I being rude, but because awhile back I had joked around (to myself) about this very item. Reggie explained that he enjoys hearing the weekly messages, but finds it hard to hear what is being said most of the time. He went to the swap meet and bought me a Mega-Phone, so that everyone could hear me loud & clear from now on. (To be honest... I'm nervous about using it and drawing attention in the wrong manner.) I did not use my new toy tonight because I had to figure out how to turn it on first... which I've discovered my dogs absolutely do not like.

Our amigo, Vista was back on the boardwalk after spending nearly another week at the hospital due to his horrible drinking problems. While he was away, what little possessions he did have, were stolen, so again he stood empty handed with only the clothes on his back to his name. I've learned over the course of a year, that this is one vicious cycle most of the people go through on a regular basis. It crushes me! Vista is tip-toeing at 'deaths door' and I certainly do not want to see another man perish. Please join us in prayer for his salvation and deliverance from such wicked bondage.

The food went so fast again this week! I will start looking into other resources for donations and support from agencies. I trust that GOD will continue to provide, but it's also required that we don't just sit & wait for opportunities to fall in our laps. "Faith without works is dead."

Before we left, I met a guy from another Ministry, from another church, who was meeting with a group of Believers in the very spot we were leaving from. I shared with him what GOD has been doing in PB through our Ministry, and even introduced some of the guys to him.

In a sense, I felt as though GOD was putting in a relief pitcher for the evening. I look forward to hearing testimonies from that group in the future.

Something is happening...

2010-04-16T22:50:00.000-07:00

I was a bit caught off guard when I walked onto the boardwalk tonight and noticed Stephen sitting on the bench. He's been away from the beach for several months now, staying at the SDRM. Unfortunately something had happened, and he was in no shape to talk, much less I spend time trying to understand what few words he could get out. It broke both my heart and the heart of dear my wife. I'm sure we'll make a trip down this weekend to get some clarity with him, once he sobers up.

We had a large gathering of hungry folk waiting for us. The few good men that I knew I could rely on helped unload and set up. I'm forever grateful to have the help with such things... it just expedites the starting time.

I shared a message, and by faith arranged to have Bibles on site. We were blessed with a small army of help tonight, including our good friend, Mary Clo. I'll get to how awesome that is shortly...

After I'd shared and prayed over the meal, I was introduced to a gentleman who'd been passing by and inquired about what we're doing. He offered to assist in building a resume for those that might be interested in getting off their feet and into the workforce again. A few short moments later, I was interrupted by commotion in the crowd.

A woman who'd come for dinner, one that I'd never seen before, had fallen down and slightly split her head open. She's diabetic and passed out due to her blood sugar level. At first she was unresponsive! Mary Clo just so happens to be a nurse! She came to the aid and helped assess the situation. Not only is Mary Clo a nurse, she's also one of the biggest prayer warriors I know.

My friend Adam and I rushed over and started praying over the woman who'd fallen. We learned her name is Tracy. While Mary Clo is praying over this lady, Adam and I are praying that whatever happens... Jesus would be glorified in all of this. Completely surrounded by everyone, Mary Clo used the powerful name of Jesus Christ and commanded Tracy to open her eyes... at that very moment, her eyes opened wide! Everyone witnessed it, and were astonished at what they just saw! Tracy was now awake, and the paramedics were called, arriving shortly after. They took Tracy away in the ambulance.

The food went faster than I would have ever imagined it would, but there was nothing we could do about it. Everyone ate, some had seconds, some didn't. Although the food was gone, a vast majority of the people remained to stick around. I soak up every opportunity I can when that happens.... with so many eager students with us now from HSE, there is hardly a moment where one isn't already spending one-on-one with somebody. As I glanced up and down the boardwalk, it was pure beauty to my eyes! There were 6 or 7 separate ministries going on! It was exactly how I had imagined it to be from the beginning.

My friend Ray and I had the opportunity to speak with a gentleman named Press. I asked if we could pray for him. He'd mentioned some health problems that he's currently dealing with. In the middle of praying for his health, I heard GOD speak to me. He literally stopped me in mid-prayer. All of a sudden, I asked Press if he was ready to be forgiven of his sins and washed new. He wanted to be forgiven and wanted Jesus to come into his life. We then prayed with him to accept Jesus Christ. It was a trip for both Ray and I to experience that, right then. I encouraged Press to get rooted into a Bible-believing church. He said he'd check out Horizon and I promised to keep an eye out for him.

Our brother, Lamarr spent most of his time speaking with a man named Resty. I didn't catch much of their conversation, but by the time I had come over, Resty was asking where our church was located because he'd like to check it out too. Lamarr is another prayer warrior, and somebody I know I can always count on. I thank GOD for answering my prayers and giving us such awesome people to share this Ministry with.

I encountered 4 people who wanted & received new Bibles tonight. I would agree that the Bibles we have access to are of smaller print, which isn't always the easiest to read... I met a man named Dennis today. He respectfully turned down one of our Bibles because of the print, and size. For many of these guys, a large zip-lock bag is what holds all of their possessions. Another HSE student, James, kindly and very humbly offered his own personal pocket Bible to Dennis because it was much more suitable to his needs. I was moved and honored to see such a deed. I pray that GOD blesses James for that.

In closing... I'd wrap everything up by saying it was just a crazy night. So much went on and I'd hate to bore any readers. My plan is to have others join in with their input from their own perspectives. I feel it would be much more interesting.