As many Thursday nights do, this one started slow with few people on the street. I walked around with a new guy who just joined Broken Hearts, showing him 'the ropes' and getting to know each other just a bit. Seeing no one to talk to as we walked to the club and back (our boundary), I suggested we head back to Donut Time where more people might be. On the way we saw Marcus and Ricky, two 20 year-olds; one whom I know well, the other I'd just met last week. They were both very high, making them incredibly pleasant to talk to, yet difficult to maintain conversation with.

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When it's time for the sheep to be slaughtered, a "Judas goat" is sent in to lead the herd. When the goat confidently struts up the ramp into the slaughter house, the sheep blindly follow. At the last minute, the goat exits through a side gate, but the sheep continue up the ramp and to their death.

The "Judas" title comes from Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus' twelve disciples, part of his inner circle, the one that betrayed Jesus to death. Unlike the sheep, Jesus knew what he was walking into. He did not blindly walk into his death. He boldly walked into His destiny.

How many of us, though, are like the sheep? We are not God and so we do not know the future, nor do we know the hearts of men. Every day, we are forced to trust people (to a certain extent), not blindly like the sheep but not with full knowledge of their hearts either. We trust people according to past experiences- with them, with people like them, etc. A 1999 survey by the New York Times revealed that those polled were almost three times more likely to trust that someone would give them "fair" treatment if they knew them (90%) versus if they didn't (35%). Generalizing these numbers reveals that once we "know" someone we are more likely to trust them. Have you ever heard this statement? "It's not that I don't trust him. It's just that I don't know him." When we feel that we know someone, we are automatically apt to accept their advice or follow their lead even when it contradicts our own judgment. Does this sound familiar? "I didn't think it was a good idea, but then I saw so and so doing it, so I went ahead and did it too."

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Francis Chan Cornerstone Community Church - October 15th Continued from Lukewarm and Lovin' It James 1:1

Francis Chan Spoke on Oct. 8th If you are Christian or if you think you are Christian You gotta watch this

I got sucked into working out with the Fitness Manager at my 24 Hour Fitness today. I walked in, stopped at the front desk to have my card scanned as usual, and he stopped to ask what I had planned for my workout that day. Now, they have a pretty friendly staff at my gym, but I kinda had a feeling that he wasn't just asking to be nice. I used to have his job, I know how it works. This is how you sell training.

A few minutes later I'd agreed to let him give me a workout (meaning, convince me how badly I need training from him for an hour, then back it up with a 25 minute workout). But I was feeling lazy and unmotivated that day, and knew I could use the push. I've also been asking God for opportunities to meet people at the gym, at the store, in my neighborhood, etc., to build relationships and reach those who don't yet have a relationship with Jesus. I figured this was an open door, so I took it.

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The sluggard says, "There is a lion outside!" or, "I will be murdered in the streets!" (Proverbs 22:13 NIV)

This statement immediately raises an important question for some of us: "What is a 'sluggard'?" Fortunately, dictionary.com provides a quick answer:

sluggard (n.): a person who is habitually inactive or lazy

From this, we can infer at least two things: 1) Lazy people use extraordinary excuses to justify their laziness. 2) Justifiable fear can cause otherwise active people to become inactive.

I have seen this played out in a great number of ways. I have seen perfectly healthy men justify not looking for work. I have seen women justify not leaving their abusive husband or boyfriend. I have seen addicts justify their habits. In this article, I'd like to focus on this passage as it pertains to doing the work of God. The following is an Aesop's fable entitled "The Son and the Painted Lion".

There was a timid old man who was afraid of his only son's passion for hunting, for the son was full of courage. In a dream he saw that his son would be killed by a lion. Dreading that the dream would come true, the father built a dwelling for his son of great magnificence, set in a high place where he could keep his eye on him. In order to distract and please him, he had commissioned for his chamber paintings of every kind of animal, and among these was a lion. But looking at all these did not distract the young man from his boredom.

One day, he approached the painting and cursed the lion in it:
'You damned beast, it's because of you and my father's lying dream that I am cooped up here in this prison for women. What can I do to you?'

And, as he said this, he struck his fist against the wall to blind the lion. But a splinter got lodged under his fingernail and he could not get it out. This became greatly inflamed, brought on a fever and swelled up to an enormous size. The fever raged so fiercely that the young man died of it.

The lion, even though it was only a painted one, had indeed killed the young man, just as his father had foreseen.

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Architecturally speaking, sand has at least two potential problems as the foundation of a house. First, it can liquefy under certain conditions. Second, sand becomes unstable when it is shaken, such as during an earthquake, wind storm, or heavy flood. That's not to say that it's impossible to build a house on sand. With some clever planning and implementation you can certainly use sand as the foundation. Heck, people have built houses on marshes, swamps, stagnant water (see Venice, Italy), muddy mountain slopes (see Malibu, California), rocky cliffs, and more. Most houses, of course, are built on flat rocky soil. The reason for this is simple: Building a house on flat rock is safer, more reliable, and more cost effective than building on any of the aforementioned foundations.


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For those that don't already know, I spend most Thursdays on the streets of Hollywood from 11pm until roughly 2am. I am a member of a group of young people from all over L.A. and Orange counties who have a passion for helping mend the hurting and broken lives all around us. The particular area that we focus on probably has several nicknames but the one I heard when I was first introduced to the ministry was "Boy Town". It's called this because this is one of many areas in L.A. where runaway boys (as young as 12, perhaps younger) seem to make their way to. Here they find other young (and old) men who have nowhere else to call home. They sleep on the sidewalks, in 24-hour donut shops, behind and in trash cans, in other people's homes, and in hotels.

These last two places (homes and hotels) are interesting because these boys, most of them anyway, have never learned a trade. Very few have finished high school. Some haven't even finished elementary school. They are victims of physical, verbal, and sexual abuse. They have been through foster homes, group homes, prisons, and more. They have not only seen the dark side of America, they have lived and are still living in it. ...So what do most of them do in order to afford food and lodging? They prostitute themselves. Furthermore, over time, these "boys" become more and more like "girls". They cover all areas of the spectrum, from wearing a little mascara or walking a certain way all the way to having body parts added and removed. The bulk of our team's ministry is simply being (hanging out) with these people and letting them know that they are loved, by the creator of the Universe and our small group of, relatively speaking, wealthy young people. We do pray with them, feed and clothe them, discuss the Bible, and even have church services in a parking lot near a 7-11. But if all we do on a given night is listen to and sympathize with someone as they share a heartbreaking story about how their parents kicked them out of the family because they were gay, then we have had a fruitful night. Sometimes, the best thing we can do is just be with them.


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"The essential feature of irony is the indirect presentation of a contradiction between an action or expression and the context in which it occurs."

I live in Orange County, and I recently heard that if Orange County were it's own country, it would be the 5th wealthiest country in the world. Earlier this week, I was invited to attend a fund raising event for some organizations whose goal is not only to raise awareness of dire issues in Africa and other parts of the world but also to do something about it.

Tonight I attended the event which was held at a local outdoor mall. The event took place in an area about the size of half a football field. The central focal point of the event was a stage where a handful of musicians performed songs to entertain the crowd. Behind the stage was a Ferris wheel.

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God hears our prayers and really will hold us through the hard times. I hit some very low points in the end of last year on my journey out of the desert and back to Orange County and it wasn’t easy to walk away from the financial security that came with cheep Antelope Valley rent and a stable income at the casino but I had to get out because I wasn’t happy there.

 

I had a plan to go back to school; I did for a while and loved it until I hit a few bumps in that road and my world came crashing down around me, hard. Thank God for a couple of really great friends who talked me threw that time and reminded me who I am because I was lost. I knew I needed to get a job and put off school –again- and I was crushed at that realization of this. I didn’t want to move backwards, I didn’t want to have a job waiting tables where I knew I wouldn’t get anywhere and I didn’t want to go back to the casino life where I knew I could do very well for myself but be miserable with no energy or time for my children, I didn’t know what was going to happen or what my life would come to and for the 1^st time I can remember I was hopeless. That scared me more than anything because I’ve been threw some tough times in my life and I’d never felt as lost as I did this past year.

 

I’ve been threw gut wrenching break ups, I’ve faced teenaged pregnancy and having to tell my Roman Catholic grandparents about it. I’ve been threw a long drawn out divorce and nasty down right dirty custody battle. I’ve been betrayed by some of my closest friends and shut out by my father. My mother (who I love very much) and I have had our fights where I’ve thought that’s it, I’m never talking to this woman again. All of this and nothing I’ve been through scared me as much as this past year did. In everything I’ve been through in life I had a plan, or maybe even 10 or 20 plans. I’ve always been full of ideas for myself. I found myself blank, there was nothing; I found myself hopeless for a better tomorrow. For once in my life all dreams were crushed and I couldn’t see options. I wrote a blog on myspace titled “black” it wasn’t long just said nothing matters, I felt void. That was back in December and thank God for myspace because in writing that I got a phone call from a friend that pulled me out of my despair and said snap out of it, pull it together and figure it out.

 

I spent a lot of time thinking about what I want out of life and what I want to do with my time. Kids were 1^st of course and then I started thinking about everything else that I really truly wanted out of life. I wanted a job I could be passionate about, a job I could feel good about and a job that would be flexible with my lifestyle and the things I do with my kids. I wanted a job where I could go to Josh’s baseball games and Jordan’s field trips where I can take a day off if one of my kids is sick so I can care for them like a mother should. I wanted a 3-bedroom place here in Orange County so that each of my kids can have their own room. I didn’t have any of this or any clue how I was going to get it and it all sounded like so much to be asking for when I had nothing but I held tight to my new hope. It wasn’t too much to ask for because it’s what I need so I prayed harder than I ever prayed before and I wept as I prayed I remember praying for a job not just any job but one I could have fun with one that I could honestly say I enjoy, something I can be truly passionate about not the casino not waiting tables. I prayed to be able to stay in Huntington where my kids could grow up near the ocean and in better schools and I held the pillow and I begged for God to work on this miracle for me.

 

HEY guess what, I love my job. I work for 24 hour fitness and I can honestly say that I enjoy the hell out of it, not that it’s easy it’s not but I’m getting better I’m learning a lot and I’m making money by helping people better themselves and that just feels good. I got to go to Joshua’s play off games and my boss bent over backwards to get it done, I went on fieldtrips with Jordan’s class and got time off to see her in the 3 piggy opera. We’re living out of boxes and there’s more than I can deal with in everything I have to do, including getting my things from storage, but it happened!!! I’m in a 3 bedroom in Orange County with a job that I can honestly say I love and I have time for my children.

 

Thank God… no really Thank, and Praise be to God because where I am today is truly an answered prayed and yeah I had to work for it but hope and faith in Him and the support from friends who He placed in my life for a reason pulled me from the darkness I came from and I can honestly say that I’m dancing in the puddles from the storm that passed and am excited about re building my life with a smile and a joyful heart. And in this message the 2^nd ½ of my prayer has been answered a prayer to not forget Him once I’d gotten it. I prayed to remember the fear pain and lost feeling of hopelessness I prayed for him to pull me out of the darkness and into the light and I prayed that once I was standing in the glory of the clear skys after the storm passed that I would remember that I’m here because of His mercy and grace I’m here because whole heartedly I asked to be here and now it’s time for me to share His hope and truth with the world. I wouldn’t be where I am or who I am today if I didn’t have real relationship with God and I am eternally grateful for that.

~Thankful~ Joleen
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