Adopt-A-Jesus

The lights came up slowly, revealing the few hundred faces present to view Brandt Russo’s documentary, “Adopt-A-Jesus”. This incredible 90 minute video follows Brandt Russo as he travels through the southern United States in his used cooking oil bus listening to the stories of the homeless. As he heard about the issues, Brandt looked into a few Churches’ efforts along the way to see how the Church approaches this unique community.

I cannot fully describe my feelings as I sat there watching this documentary. Dozens of Church goers simply passed the shaggy dressed Brandt by as he made the simple statement, “There are three thousand Jesuses sleeping in the streets of Houston.” Brandt takes this view from Matthew 25:34-40 (NIV):

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Brandt’s simple view of Matthew 25 is a challenging call to the American Church. The poor, the needy, the hungry, and yes even the homeless. They are all Jesuses that need help here on earth.

Brandt took a year prior to this experience and lived homeless. As he stood outside a large church with a simple cardboard sign reading “Adopt-A-Jesus” with pictures of homeless people in the community, Brandt stated, “Anyone want to adopt a Jesus? He got all rained on last night. His clothes are all mildew. Jesus is under the bridge. We have a picture of him if you can’t recognize him. Would you change your mind if I told you he hasn’t eaten in days?”

This challenging film reminded me of a time of a missed opportunity in my own life. It was a sunny afternoon in downtown Colorado, with snow on the ground from the storm the night before. A woman with three small children was asking people for money for a hotel room for a single night until her mother wired money for bus tickets. My friends and I talked with her and heard her story as she shared how her husband was in jail, recently leaving her with the children and no job. As we talked we wanted to help, but none of us were willing to pay out of our pockets right then.

We asked her to come back later while we checked to see if there were any organizations that would help her. As we checked around, there was nowhere that would take children. As we waited and waited, the woman never came back and I realized that because of my reluctance in listening to the Holy Spirit and immediately sacrificing my money, this woman most likely did not have somewhere to sleep through the cold, winter night.

This film not only brought back the memory of that missed opportunity to help Jesus, but it also challenged me to change my actions next time. I have always felt that the people who clutter the streets of America’s cities are there because of their own bad choices and mistakes. Why should I give them help when it’s their own fault they are in these circumstances?

However, now looking back, was I not brought out of my past, out of my sin and mistakes? I was paid for in blood and was extended the grace of a Son. Should I not in turn extend such grace to those around me?

Check out www.adoptajesus.com. Maybe you’ll get something out of it like I did.

-Joel

Restoring Hope

I love the way the wind blows through the cab of the truck as it rolls down the street. As we ride along I am reminded of the brown UPS trucks that I would occasionally ride along with my father. Instead of the brown truck with brown boxes inside, this white truck carries hope and a second chance.

The large white Project Prevention truck with the words, “Hope in Action” written boldly across the side, sends a statement loud and clear to those driving on the street: “We are here to help.” This outreach program works with the Los Angeles social services to prevent families from losing their kids to the foster care system because of poverty.

Rita is one of the mothers who receives help every week from this program. As I stood in her living room surrounded by one of our short-term missions teams she explained, “I was living with only my younger son and I was not able to support both my 12 and 8 year-old boys. There were times when I did not know where we going to sleep, and we had to simply sleep in the car.”

Even once she was able to get low-income government housing, there was no furniture. There was nowhere for her children to sleep, nowhere for them to eat or even sit down. This is when Project Prevention stepped in to help.

As we looked around the fully furnished living room and kitchen she simply states, “This is all from The Dream Center.” As her eyes began to well up with tears she could not stop exclaiming how thankful she was to The Dream Center for their help her family had received. As we circled around and I lead us in a prayer of blessing, I could not help but feel the hope exuding from her.

This incredible outreach program really is “Hope in Action”. Becky and Kelly, the organizers behind this program, simply love these families. Becky explains, “It’s all about the kids. These parents love their kids; they are just faced with poverty. We are here to help keep families together and love on the kids.”

Currently the program helps almost 25 families weekly with groceries as well as furniture needs, such as beds and tables. This is a small number in the neighborhood of many that need help. Becky and Kelly are praying for another truck and increased donations to be able to increase the number of families helped every week.

The longer I am here the more I see it is not about simply meeting physical needs. The Dream Center is all about relationship and learning to unselfishly help others. These people are not just a name on a list or a picture on a wall; they are flesh and blood and need just as much help as I do.

-Joel

The Benefits of Volunteering

Sometimes it’s hard to do something with no reward, to give your time and get nothing in return. To some, volunteer work can seem like a tedious task with little to no purpose. What’s the point of spending my afternoon handing out groceries to people I don’t know when I could be spending it doing something fun or something for myself. Well to me, volunteering is something you can benefit from if you choose to. You’re not only giving back to people who are less fortunate; you’re being selfless, and lending a hand to those in need. You’re gaining purpose in this world.

On Friday, I got the privilege of being a part of one of the many Dream Center outreaches, the food truck, an outreach that was started by Pastor Matthew’s wife, Caroline Barnett. With the purpose of providing groceries for those families living in neighborhoods that are below the poverty line. Now the food truck goes out all over Los Angeles, and feeds over 32,000 people in over 9,000 families a month.

For me being a part of something so great makes me feel special, just knowing that what I’m doing actually helps families, truly impacts me. Seeing all the people in line receiving their groceries then leaving with big smiles on their faces touches my heart.

Oh this particular day we went out to one of our sites that’s located at 5th and Union. The team arrives to a crowd that has already assembled. But before we can start passing out groceries we must first put together the bags. It’s such a beautiful sight; everyone is assigned to a job, and as soon as they were finished they eagerly asked “What do you need me to do now?”

It’s not only the volunteers that are so eager to help- it’s the community as well. The crowd that came for a soul purpose of receiving food caught a hold of the helping spirit and now are asking how they can help us. Before you realize it, the jobs are all done. The food is all bagged and all that is left to do is to distribute the bags of grocery to the community.

And it’s not just food that we are bringing to these families, it’s hope, and the love of Christ we’re showing them. Our actions are speaking loud and they’re saying “We see your needs and since we love you like the Father does we want to meet that need the best possible way we can.”

To me, volunteering is more than a tedious task I force myself or am forced to do, it’s empowering. If you can truly grab a hold of a selfless nature while volunteering you will in fact receive a reward. A reward that is only granted to those who have the right intention behind their actions, whose heart isn’t after anything, but is there with the purpose of showing love to people.

-Briana-Leigh

Out of My Comfort Zone

Let me just say I love Adopt-a-Block! It is one of those things that I really do look forward to, on most days. Why do I love it so much? As much as it is about simple joy from serving the community and loving on people, Adopt-a-Block is all about sacrificing the flesh and giving my life up to God. I do not necessarily enjoy waking up before ten on my day off. It is not exciting to ride on a bus packed full of people soaked by the downpour.

Every Saturday is a growing experience, whether that be because I have to get out of my comfy bed when I REALLY don’t want to or because I have to go outside my comfort zone and talk to a complete stranger. Every Saturday I come back a little bit different, a little more stretched, a little more broken.

This last week I did not go to my usual site, instead I went out to the Skid Row Hotels site to help there. Being in a completely unfamiliar place I was in no way within my comfort zone. I wound up simply tagging along with a few normal volunteers as they went to their regular floor.

With each knock I felt like I was on the edge of my seat in an action movie. You never know who is behind the door. Sometimes you hear a small shuffle then a slight crack opens up to reveal a pair of eyes peering out at you. As you hand them a drink and ask them how they are doing, you smell the stank of rooms not cleaned in far too long. Many simply say thank you and close the door. Others will open up and tell you of their lives, explaining how their week was and allow you to pray for them.

It is these small five-minute conversations that the light of Jesus is shined into these dark single-room apartments. As we would stand in a circle in that narrow hallway praying for these people, I cannot help but see the joy on their faces.

Every time I go out with any ministry, I am reminded that this is not a microwave outreach, this is a crock-pot ministry. It takes time and energy to be able to see the results, but if you are willing to put that consistency in with the people here, God will use your efforts to bring in the harvest for Himself.

Matthew 9:37-38(NIV)

Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."

-Joel

No food allowed!!

Recently I have been blessed to witness people within my department pushing forward in their walk with Christ, and the passion that I have seen first hand for the: word and their prayer life and fasting, inspired me to do something that I had been putting off for a while.

Fasting to me was like the final frontier, its one of those things that I knew that would benefit my walk with God but I never had gotten around to committing to more than a day due to laziness, giving up food for God was something that I was uneasy about, like it was the last part of my life that I had control over. Funny isn’t it how we say to God take all of me; my weaknesses and my pain but when we start on our journey as a Christian we still try to be in control of our lives! Still fighting for our independence even as it leads us away from God’s will.

So I told God that I would give him a seven-day fast and my husband said that he was convicted to do the same. After day one I was already thinking, why had I promised to do seven days! I was mentally kicking myself every-time I had hunger pangs and remembering my failed first try at fasting, several years before. My husband stood with me in prayer and helped me to focus on God. The second and third day I started to have headaches but overall I felt more determined to complete the fast, partly to the fact that I was amazed that I hadn’t gone sleep eating.

The more I spent time fasting and giving up the time to God, I was able to hear the prompting of the Holy Spirit more clearly and as a result was able to be obedient to his voice. I had the revelation on how much I needed him (God) and felt my spirit become more sensitive to people around me. I noticed how God was using me to intercede for my colleagues and people that I met during the week on a deeper level. God wants us to spend more quality time with him: giving, praying and fasting, but for some reason a lot of Christians have omitted fasting from their walk with God.

Luke 5:33-34

They said to him, "John's disciples often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking."

Jesus answered, "Can you make the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; in those days they will fast."

Matthew 6:16-18

When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth; they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

This week of fasting has made me more determined to give everything to God because he deserves my all. I will definitely be making fasting a regular part of my lifestyle, the benefits that God has blessed me with for sacrificing food far outweighs my need for it.

A good book on fasting that I would recommend is: Fasting by Jentezen Franklin

-Chaka

"The righteous gives, and does not hold back" -Proverbs 21:26

Poverty can be a desperate, emotionally draining state of living. Not knowing how you’ll pay for next month’s rent, or even where the next meal will come from. Just trying to support yourself in this state would be stressful. Could you imagine living like this with a family? Young children? Just children at all?

I’ve been blessed to grow up in a middle class family. Living day to day wasn’t ever much of a struggle. God blessed my father with enough work and loving family to support our family of 8. I knew that poverty was a global problem, even just down the street, but I think I stopped it at that. I’m not sure I ever really thought of the implications it would have on a family. With no extra money for clothing, babies become cold without a coat. Hygiene items are often looked over in place of food. Furniture is costly, and often at the end of the shopping list, so many resort to sleeping on the floor. And the list goes on. But more painful than these things could be in one’s life; because of poverty, many children are taken out of these circumstances and away from their loving family.

The Dream Center’s heart is recognizing needs like this, and reaching out in help, in the name of Christ. We have a specific group here that works solely with the circumstances I’ve talked of. Project Prevention is God’s hand of compassion on the poverty stricken families of Los Angeles. Families that are on the verge of having their children ripped away. We ask what their needs are, and we supply them. From beds to diapers, we help keep the families together. And above this, above all the kind gestures, we are doing what God commanded of us. To love, and to give full-heartedly.

Many often say that this “giving” lies in the worldly category of the humanitarians. That the giving done in Project Prevention would be better replaced by a Gospel track or sermon. Granted, the Gospel should never be short-changed. But giving IS apart of the Gospel! We ought not let the fear of “becoming too giving” define how we act. We act only on the word of God. And he tells us repeatedly to be generous with what we have, giving to those who have less.

Let’s just be honest here, we ALL are persuaded by love. It’s what drives us and catches our attention more than anything. I think it is no coincidence that Jesus cared for the sick and fed the hungry. He made our hearts, he knows what strings to pull!

With this all said, I think we need to tear down the wall, I believe it’s un-Christ-like to take a side on the matter of sharing only food or sharing only Bible verses. The two go hand in hand. God’s word is alive! And should be not only read but acted upon. Acted out. God knows what conveys his nature and draws people to his saving grace, let’s follow in his footsteps.

-Courtnay

A Writer's View

I would not say I am a natural writer; creativity for me is more like a mental workout than a relaxing past time. I used to hate that workout; it used to be that I would avoid creativity at all costs. Art, music, and writing were things which I was forced to do in school: I did not enjoy them. I just wanted to barrel my way through these necessary evils and hope they never came up again. I used to say I was not creative, I know see that it is not that I am not creative, it is that I just have to work hard at being creative.

Olympic Athletes are gifted in certain sports because of the way they are naturally built. In this same way we naturally have gifts and talents that God has given us, and just like Olympians train for years for competition, we must refine them through practice and experience. I now see that is not that I am not natural writer, it is that I had never worked on that portion of my giftings and thus left it to the wayside, unused and under developed.

I started to write for myself at God’s prompting prior to coming to the Dream Center, it is here however that this skill has really been pushed. When I first came here and was placed in marketing, I was initially taken aback, looking at this portion of the Dream Center ministry as unnecessary and frivolous.

As I went from making phone calls to going on outreach and writing, I finally understood, this placement is as much about me helping grow the Dream Center as it is about the Dream Center growing me. I learned how it is necessary to tell the story of the miracles, both big and small, that God is doing here.

In my short time here I have already seen how God has used this place to change my perception of both myself and the world around me. I can say that I have found skills and strength’s that I didn’t even know I possessed and honed the ones I do have more. It is all about me being made into a better tool to be used for the Kingdom of God, not about what I think I am supposed to do or what I can get out of my time here.

I still would not say that I am a natural writer, I would say rather that I am a writer in progress. Being given the opportunity to see the larger picture of how all the ministries here work together is not one everyone has. I would not have expected to be working in marketing, let alone in this capacity when I stepped on the plane to come here; never the less, I know this is where God would have me serve to sharpen those around me and be sharpened myself, for that reason I love it!

-Joel