Broken People

I had to make a field visit to see a client at Pinellas Hope.  She had been living in her car before someone gave her gas money to drive to Ocala to stay in a home of a friend.  After months of keeping in touch with me, she admitted that she was in an abusive situation and needed to return back to Pinellas County NOW.  Thankfully, a friend gave her to gas money to get back home and within days of returning, she found admittance to Pinellas Hope.

Pinellas Hope came into being after the local homeless started a tent city on the property of the Catholic Charities soup kitchen/transitional housing property.  Police, Pinellas County, the City of St Petersburg, and other social agencies came together to provide food, medical care, and other social services.  You might remember that tent city ended badly.

Catholic Charities took some of their property associated with a large cemetery and they started Pinellas Hope, where the homeless could have somewhere to stay and associated social services.  What was supposed to last only 1 year has now been ongoing for 5 years.

I was greeted by the site of the first picture, except that it has been pretty rainy here and the ground had been muddy and was now dried.  What got my attention more than what I saw of the physical location was the smell and the broken people.  It took about half a day to get the smell out of my nose.  The smell of washed but sweaty people and of moldy, wet stuff.

Pinellas Hope is a tent city.  There are tents set up over about 5 acres of the 10 acre property.  There are transitional apartments that are available for those that have income.  There’s a huge dining patio covered in tables and chair with industrial fans to move the humid air.  The residents are fed by donations and groups who bring in meals.  People move like ants over the property.

I had to sit for about 15 minutes before I met my client.  I watched as people walked with their heads downcast, staring at the ground, not talking to anyone. They scurried to their next location; some with purpose, some without.  The way they held their bodies, the heads, the looks on their faces broke my heart.

God uses broken, imperfect people because I think he likes to show how people can be redeemed.  Think Saul (Paul), who persecuted the new Christ followers to death including the martyrdom of Stephen.  He has a MAJOR conversion experience (Acts 9) on his way to Damascus.  He then becomes one of the greatest New Testament writers and missionaries.

God took an evil, broken man and used him to propagate The Word throughout the rest of the world.  He was the spiritual father to many people in the New Testament.  If God can give him a second chance after he had early Christians murdered, then why can’t we give others second chances?  We’ve all be the recipient of a second (or third or fourth) chance.  I suggest we soften our hearts and be more forgiving to those that have hurt us or committed some trespass.  Visit People of the Second Chance for ways to start.  Or, even better, read the passage in Acts 9.  Because, if God can forgive someone who persecuted His children, then we should be able to forgive too.  Perhaps it’s us that can be use to do greater things after we’ve failed.

Book Review: My Big Bottom Blessing by Teasi Cannon

From this moment on you will have a new name.  You are never to call yourself a fat Christian woman again.  From here on out, you are ever and only…My Beloved. – Father God

I had the opportunity to review  My Big Bottom Blessing:  How Hating My Body Led to Loving My Life by Teasi Cannon and published by Worthy Publishing.  (Hint, hint; on 5/24/2012 you can see a post by Teasi right here on Uncompromising!)  This book is about Teasi’s struggle with weight and body image beginning with some pretty incredible hurts.

I really appreciated that this was Teasi’s story, her struggles and pain, and what, ultimately made a difference for her.  The book doesn’t come across as a self-help book.  The best part of reviewing My Big Bottom Blessing was that it was something that I needed to hear from someone with the same struggles as me.

The book is great for a small group study or for individual reading.  It was written well and a very easy read.  Each chapter is another part of Teasi’s story.  Sometimes she has conversations with characters, who cause her stinkin’ thinkin’.  She is very vulnerable as she tells very painful stories from her life.

At the end of each chapter is a prayer, questions for the reader to answer about what was discussed in the chapter, a pep talk, and a forward focus word with corresponding Bible promises.  I like the fact that each Bible verse is written out so that I didn’t have to find each one.

What touched me the most was when Teasi spoke of her encounter with evangelist Jack Frost.  Specifically, when Frost said, “It doesn’t matter if you feel it or not.  The truth is still the truth.”  It helped me work out something that wasn’t even related to the book.

Teasi used an analogy that like Saul, who persecuted Jesus’ followers, we persecute God with our warped self-image.  We call God a liar when He tells us we are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14) and we speak of our fat thighs, flabby arms, and poor self-esteem.

What really came across was that we need to stop trying to get our self-image and self-worth from the media machine and start looking to the Father and what He says about us.  We are all People of the Second Chance, so we need to stop wallowing in bondage and start living life as our loving Papa God created us to live.

Leave one comment below and I’ll choose a commenter on 5/23/2012 at 4 PM (Eastern Time) to receive a copy of My Big Bottom Blessing:  How Hating My Body Led to Loving My Life.

Read Chapter 1 of My Big Bottom Blessing by clicking on the title.

Wise Words on Grace

Grace is not something you earn. It’s a gift you accept for yourself and give to others each day. ~ People of the Second Chance

The beauty of grace is that it gives us permission to move on. Second chances are rooted in the freedom of the future, not the painful mistakes from our past.  ~ Mike Foster

Out of the fullness of his grace he has blessed us all, giving us one blessing after another. ~John 1:16

When we see and experience the goodness of God’s grace, it initiates the process of transformation. And in this process, we make ourselves available and obedient for God to do the work of perfecting His grace in us. While it is a process of grace, it is not void of discipline and effort. ~ OneBody Devotional

If grace is water, the church should be an ocean. ~ unknown

Twas grace that taught me how to fear and grace my fears relieved.  How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed.  ~ John Newton (Amazing Grace)

from Webster Dictionary

1. The exercise of love, kindness, mercy, favor; disposition to benefit or serve another; favor bestowed or privilege conferred.
2. (Theology) The divine favor toward man; the mercy of God, as distinguished from His justice; also, any benefits His mercy imparts; divine love or pardon; a state of acceptance with God; enjoyment of the divine favor.
3. (Law) The prerogative of mercy execised by the executive, as pardon.

A HUGE thank you to Melanie Moore over at Only a Breath for the beautiful One Word 2012 – Grace logo, which she graciously offered to do for free for all 166 folks focusing on a word for the year.