As the weeks went on, he never showed up and I had no way to
contact him, then almost a month ago I met him downtown during a Saturday
morning breakfast provided at one of the parks by another local ministry. We
spoke quite a bit over the next weeks with him promising to come to Mosaic to
give us a shot. I brought up the topic every time I saw him, "Man I would
love to get you in but you have to come by!" "Yeah I know, I will try
to make it." Chris would always promise. Yet, it didn't happen, all along
the while, staying on the streets.
Over the last weeks Chris was hanging out with another
homeless guy, Geno, who Breakfast Bob Johnson has been working a lot with recently.
Geno will hopefully obtain housing in the community through Officer Nate and
the Housing Outreach Team (HOT) Program provided through the local police
department in the very near future. For those that don't know, Breakfast Bob
does a lot of the front line of ministry in the community, he along with the
HOT Program are among my top 2 recommendations outside of Mosaic. They are on
the front lines, we at Mosaic are at the finish line of helping people. A lot of the work needs to be done. All that said, Chris was hanging around Geno like glue for the last couple of weeks while Geno has had various medical issues, it appeared that Chris was there helping take care of Geno. I have spent a lot of time with them over the last couple of weeks, more than usual, normally 2 - 3 hours a day. Each time asking Chris to come by and check out Mosaic. We spoke about other things, the last time, Monday morning we spoke a lot about the television show The Son's of Anarchy, he loved the show but hadn't seen it this season. He asked me to give him updates on the show, which included numerous spoilers so I did, he stated he was glad he had someone to speak to about the show, I told him that if he moved in he could stay caught up on the show because I never missed an episode. Chris stated he just wasn't ready to move in for various reasons. He promised he would come by though.
We had that conversation again on Monday, we later had a
phone conversation where I challenged him about some things that was going on
that didn't sound exactly the way it should.
I am confident Chris had developed some manipulative behaviors. While
some are critical of folks who do that, I am quick to remind them I learned
those same behaviors on the streets, it is a necessity to survive. I don't see
the behavior having to be a negative, as I had told Chris, you can learn to use
that behavior to the benefit of helping others, I knew why he had developed
that skill, why he was that way. It
didn't mean I agreed with everything he was doing but I wasn't sure why he was
doing what he was. I told Chris that, made my point clear. I have learned that
component of being honest, truthful and to the point with individuals, I told
Chris I thought he would appreciate that, he told me he did.
Why do I tell you this story? I spoke to Chris on Monday, Tuesday morning he was found dead in downtown Wichita, likely as a result of over consumption of alcohol and the elements. Yesterday was tough for me, it was tougher likely on those like Breakfast Bob Johnson and Anna Long whose boys had also been spending time with Chris. Today I not only grieve for Chris, but Anna and Bob who keep the work going on.
This morning I continue to grieve, I continue to question things. I know folks
think I beg for help for I believe in
an eternal lake of fire, but I also believe in a loving God who has made
provision for all to receive the salvation provided through his son Jesus. Yes,
there is worth those I am honored to serve, while I sometimes have to look for
it, it is there. That said, I still wonder about Chris and his children, what
will they learn or think about their daddy?
They will grow up to some extent with the confusion I did as a child
never knowing their father. I grieve for their pain and the pain of all of
those who knew Chris. For many, they will read in the next day or so about
another homeless person who died, for me it wasn't a homeless person, it was a
friend, a father, a guy who needed help, it was Chris, and I am glad I knew him
and shared with him for the brief moments in time I did. There are other
Chris's out there on the streets, will you get to know them? I hope and pray you do. If so you will learn what I have in this
ministry, you will be touched with love, just as much as you touch others with
that same love Mosaic and other homeless programs, maybe I do, but
understand this, I do it because I know that what we do is a life and death
situation for some. There are those who will disagree but I believe in a Heaven
and a Hell, I believe what Jesus said that no one goes to the Father in Heaven
unless they go through him.
Why do I tell you this story? I spoke to Chris on Monday, Tuesday morning he was found dead in downtown Wichita, likely as a result of over consumption of alcohol and the elements. Yesterday was tough for me, it was tougher likely on those like Breakfast Bob Johnson and Anna Long whose boys had also been spending time with Chris. Today I not only grieve for Chris, but Anna and Bob who keep the work going on.
This morning I continue to grieve, I continue to question things. I know folks
think I beg for help for I believe in
an eternal lake of fire, but I also believe in a loving God who has made
provision for all to receive the salvation provided through his son Jesus. Yes,
there is worth those I am honored to serve, while I sometimes have to look for
it, it is there. That said, I still wonder about Chris and his children, what
will they learn or think about their daddy?
They will grow up to some extent with the confusion I did as a child
never knowing their father. I grieve for their pain and the pain of all of
those who knew Chris. For many, they will read in the next day or so about
another homeless person who died, for me it wasn't a homeless person, it was a
friend, a father, a guy who needed help, it was Chris, and I am glad I knew him
and shared with him for the brief moments in time I did. There are other
Chris's out there on the streets, will you get to know them? I hope and pray you do. If so you will learn what I have in this
ministry, you will be touched with love, just as much as you touch others with
that same love Mosaic and other homeless programs, maybe I do, but
understand this, I do it because I know that what we do is a life and death
situation for some. There are those who will disagree but I believe in a Heaven
and a Hell, I believe what Jesus said that no one goes to the Father in Heaven
unless they go through him.Please note the following is a standard posting for our ministry and work, today, I want to make it clear, the best thing you can donate is not money, (although that is appreciated as there are ongoing financial needs) but your time, your time in getting to know the people on the streets, the people Jesus commands us to love and get to know. God bless you for your time and thanks for reading.
The Virtual Pew and our other work is supported solely by
the kindcontributions of others. You can click on the donate button
below to give anyamount to this work that does so much more than just post
articles on the net;I draw no ongoing salary from the church I pastor, Mosaic
Wichita which is
predominantly a homeless church; I am grateful for any small
amount you cancontribute to help with this ministry. Believe me
there is much moregoing on than most realize. I will also provide
information to verify the ministry and income that comes into this ministry and
work. Thanks and
feel free to share any material from The Virtual Pew, I only
ask that appropriate credit is given and a link to the original site
with the materials provided.
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