Samuel: Listening for God's voice

I saw Samuel in front of the courthouse. He was standing under a small tree to shelter himself from the scorching sun. My heart was drawn to him and I stopped to talk. After a minute of small talk, I asked him his name and he said, "Samuel." I asked him if he knew where that name came from and he said, "It’s from the Bible." and he began to tell me the story as his grandmother had told it to him . . .

"When Samuel was a little boy, he heard a voice calling his name and he thought it was the priest. When he went to the priest, he said, "I didn’t call you." and the boy Samuel didn’t know what to think. Finally, the priest said to him, "The next time you hear the voice calling you, answer him, it might be the Lord."

I told Samuel that was my favorite story in the Bible when I was a kid and I used to lie away at night listening as carefully as I could to see if I could hear God calling my name. If I even imagined I heard my name, I would say, "Speak, Lord, your servant is listing.""And did he ever speak to you," Samuel asked me. And I said, "He did! I never heard an audible voice, but I learned to hear the voice of God in my heart and I have tried to listen and follow that voice my whole life. I haven’t always gotten it right. I haven’t always obeyed. But when I listen to God and obey his voice, it always leads to something good."

"Well," Samuel said, "has God said anything to you lately?" to which I responded, "Yes, he has. In fact, he asked me to stop and talk to you today." Samuel got wide-eyed. He grinned and said, "Are you kidding me?" and I said, "No, I’m not kidding you. God loves you. He made you for a great purpose and he wants today to be a turn-around day in your life." He was becoming emotional by now.

"I went to church with my grandma when I was young, but I didn’t get much out of it. She was a hard-core religious woman," he said, "and she told me what was what. But I never really got into it."

I assured him, "Religion is not what you need, Samuel. You need to receive Jesus by faith right now and he will be your closest companion from this day forward." And immediately, Samuel was willing to do it. He said to me, "I think God send you to me today because today I’m sober and I’m not usually sober. Today I can hear what you’re saying and understanding it."

I prayed with Samuel and asked God to reveal his love to him. I prayed that he would be set free from his alcohol addiction and that God would give him the power to live his life for Christ. I told Samuel I was meeting with several guys at noon tomorrow for a Bible study and prayer. He promised he would be there. I promised Samuel I would pray for him and had a lot of friends who would call his name to the Lord as well. Thanks for lifting up Samuel White in prayer.

Bass: disciple in the making

Bass grew up in a religious family. He was baptized at the age of seven and tells me that he was serious in his desire to walk with God. He never really understood how to grow in his walk with God--didn't get much training or discipling and, as a teenager, he began to fall away. By the age of 17, he was heavily into drug and alcohol abuse as well as the decadent lifestyle that typically comes with it. By age 18, Bass was in prison for the first time, this time for 12 years. While in prison, he felt he had to be meaner than anyone else there in order to survive and he developed a tough-guy attitude that is still dominant in his personality. He also got involved in Islam, which is very common among African-American men in prison.

Bass finished his sentence and after only a few months, ran afoul of the law again. This time, he went to prison for 15 years. When he finished this sentence at the age of 44, he had spend most of his life behind bars and didn't know how to function in the "free world." He has been on the street essentially ever since.

Bass has a lot of natural intelligence and a broad knowledge of many subjects including a reasonable amount of biblical knowledge. The one thing he has not learned to do is to give his past over to God and let God enable him to start anew. He is so bound with bitterness and resentment toward the legal system, toward religious systems, toward white people, and really toward the world in general.

When Bass began to talk about the inequity that exists in the legal system, I really couldn't argue against his point. I could only say to him, "There is no perfect system of justice in this world. In fact, there is only one just and righteous judge in the whole universe and that is God. And, Pass," I said to him, "God will not give you justice--he will do much better than that--he will give you mercy. If you will just ask him, he will wipe away every sin you have ever committed! He will blot them out as though they never happened and write your name in the Book of Life and guarantee that you will have a new life here and now, and a perfect life for eternity with him."

Bass allowed me to pray with him. He promised to pray everyday and ask God to guide and direct him. He also promised to come to the Bible study in the park next Wednesday.

I might consider Bass a "tough case" but God knows no difference. The tougher they are, the more God's grace shows up. Pray for Bass--for his total deliverance and healing.

Felix: God can break the chains!

As I prayed with Felix on Main Street today, I was struck by the start contradiction between this man’s life and the biblical meaning of his name. “Felix” means happy, but this man’s life has been anything but. He was born and grew up in Florence, SC, and couldn’t think anything good his childhood. Life was always hard for him. He had made one bad choice after another. And, in an effort to ease his pain, he had turned to alcohol and drugs and they have controlled his life for nearly two decades. He feels hopelessly addicted to crack cocain. He knows it is destroying his life but feels there is nothing he can do to break the chains.

I don’t know when I have interacted with a man who demonstrates such a mixture of desire and despair, faith and fear, spiritual hunger and a feeling of hopelessness. I assured Felix over and over, “You don’t have to stay like you are. God’s plans for you are good. He wants to set you free and give you a brand new life.” Felix would agree, then he would slip back in a hopeless resignation to the idea that he had been this way for too long; there was no way he was ever going to change.

In the middle of our conversation, Barry came along (I prayed with Barry yesterday) and joined his voice with mine in assuring Felix that God cared about him and could help him. Felix agreed to let me pray with him and followed as I led him in confessions of surrender to Christ. Satan’s claws are deep into this man’s life, but I am claiming him for Christ and His Kingdom. Felix assured me that he would be in the Bible meeting in the park tomorrow. Stand with me in prayer for his deliverance and spiritual healing.

Barry: It was a setup!

I met Barry at Main and Corcoran. The meeting was so totally natural, I don’t remember who started the conversation (this is getting easier all the time!). Barry said he was new to town; he is here for “the program.” I played along like I knew what he was talking about. I asked how long he would be in “the program.” He said it was a 90-day program and this is his first week. So I asked Barry, “What do you hope to accomplish in ‘the program?’” And that’s when he started telling me his story.

Barry was born and grew up in Jacksonville, FL. He said everybody in his family did drugs except his mother. His dad committed suicide as a result of drug and alcohol addiction when Barry was in his early teens and that was enough to convince Barry that, whatever else he did, he would never go down the path his father had taken; he would never become an addict. He would just drink in moderate amounts and would never do anything stronger than pot. He couldn’t believe how easily and how quickly his life was controlled by alcohol and just about every illegal drug anyone could name.

Barry has been hospitalized more times than he can count and has been to more treatment centers than he could name. He has tried everything to try to break his bondage. He even tried church. In fact, Barry is a musician and once played keyboard in a church. Nothing has worked–nothing. I asked Barry, “What makes you think ‘the program’ will work?” He admitted he didn’t know–maybe this time he would get lucky.

But, I had the joy of telling Barry that there is a power than can set him free. It was amazing how eager he was to hear the gospel and respond. In fact, Barry said, “This is funny, but I met a lady just down the street this morning and I asked her if she could spare a couple dollars–I had to ask anyone for anything–but, I asked her for a couple dollars. She said she didn’t have any money to give me, but she would pray for me.” And Barry said, “She stood right there and prayed for me that I would find the way. Now I’m just walking up the street and you come along. This is cool as h***.” Well, Barry had the right idea. He began to see that God was up to something in his life.

I prayed with Barry and assured him that I would get some other people praying for him as well. I asked him to meet me at the part at Main and Mangum on Wednesday and he assured me that he would be there. I said, “Barry, God is about to break loose on the streets of Durham and you’re going to be right in the middle of it!” And he said, “I can’t wait! I can just see Satan’s kingdom crumbling!” Preach it, Barry!

Breakfast with Harvey

I spotted an older gentleman, salt-and-pepper and a whitening beard sitting by the entrance to the Post Office. He was watching the people going in and out as though he was searching for some kind of interaction. It was interesting to see how little attention anyone was paying to him, almost as if they were avoiding eye contact. Were they afraid of getting detained for a few seconds? Or that he might ask them for something? I stopped and spoke to him, asked how he was doing, and whether he would like to join me for breakfast. I’m not even sure whether he answered verbally, but he immediately got up and stood at my side.

McDonald’s was just a block away and as we walked down Rigsbee Ave. my new friend’s steps were very slow. He seemed to have significant discomfort in his feet and legs. When I asked him what the problem was, his voice was so soft and his accent so thick, I could understand little he was saying. When we got in line in the restaurant, I had to put my ear very close to his lips in order to understand what he wanted to eat.

Once we were seated, I began trying to find out a little more about my friend. He told me he was born in Saudi Arabia and his name was “?????” but he said I could call him “Harvey.” He said he came to this country when he was 13. He had no brothers or sisters and when his parents died, it was only him. I asked him if he had any friends; he said he had one but he was in prison. So it seems that Harvey is pretty much alone in this world. I began to tell him that he was never really alone because God cared a great deal for him and wanted to be his closest friend.

I asked Harvey if he believed in God and he nodded. When I asked if he understood that God knew and loved him personally, he indicated that he didn’t know that. I was still having a very difficult time understanding anything Harvey said, so I decided to rely mostly on his gestures. Besides, I knew he needed to talk and God could understood every word he was saying. I told Harvey as clearly and simply as I could how much God cared about him and wanted to be close to him. He seemed very interested and appeared to understand what I was saying. This conversation reminded me of just how dependant I am on the power of the Holy Spirit. I prayed that God would reveal himself to Harvey in a way that my words never could.

Harvey was very willing for me to pray with him. He freely took my hand and bowed his head. He thanked me again and again–that much I could understand. I told him I would keep an eye out for him and if I could help him in any way to let me know. As I circled the block a couple hours later, I met Harvey again and reminded him he would be in my prayers. I was struck with how much God loves this dear man. Can’t wait to have breakfast with Harvey again.

Connie: Time to get my life back on track!

Connie wants so much to get her life back on track after two years in prison and six months on the street. Satan has wreaked havoc in her life through her weaknesses and addictions. She has such a low sense of self-worth, she has been an easy mark for those who would abuse her. And, of course, the more she allows herself to be used and abused, the more unworthy she feels. It is such a destructive cycle.

Connie has two children she hasn't seen since she went to prison and desperately wants to see them again. She knows she lost contact with them because of her own mistakes and failures, but she still loves them and longs for them. If she could just speak to them and hear their voice, she would feel so much better. I was able to secure a pre-paid phone for Connie and she is talking with her kids for a minute or two each day. Pray that God will set Connie free and restore the relationships sin has destroyed.

Connie admits that God is her only hope. We prayed with her for healing and cleansing. I am believing that God is going to demonstrate His grace and power in the life of this precious woman so that many people will rejoice to see what He can do.

Jason wants to do battle with the devil!

This is Jason. He came from South Bronx, New York City, where he barely escaped death many times. He has been shot, stabbed, beaten nearly to death, struck by a car, and the list goes on and on. Jason says unless God had some special purpose for his life, there is no way he would be alive today. The problem is, Jason has never quite understood what that purpose might be.

He believed in God as a child but never came to any kind of personal relationship with Him. When the influences of his world came to bear upon his life, Jason caved in to them and got in all kinds of trouble. He has served time in prison several times and couldn't find an end to the vicious cycle his life was in. He came to Durham to be with his uncle, but nothing changed in his life because nothing had changed in his heart.

Milton (my friend who went witnessing with me today) and I had a divine appointment with Jason today at Liberty and Queen Streets. We talked with him, shared the Lord with him, and prayed with him right there on the street corner. Jason's whole countenance changed in a moment's time.

I asked Jason if he had a Bible and he said he didn't. We promised to meet him back in a few hours with a Bible and to share with him some more. We met this afternoon on Main Street and gave him the Bible. He grabbed it and said, "Now I've got my sword and I'm ready to do battle with the devil!"

Milton and I agreed that God's hand has been placed on Jason's life. I believe he is a mighty warrior in the making. Keep him lifted to the Lord. I'm going to follow up with Jason and do everything God will allow me to do to help in grow in his faith.

I love seeing God work to transform the lives of young men like Jason!

My new brother: Mike

I met Mike at the corner of Main and Mangum, just across the street from the site of our Wednesday Noon Bible Study. As he began to tell me his story, it was obvious that the world had not been kind to Mike. He has been beaten and robbed more than once. He was stabbed and left for dead once and was struck by a car, lan...ding him in the hospital for several weeks. Mike said he didn’t even understand why he was still alive. When I assured him that God has spared his life fo a great purpose, he seemed surprised, but intrigued with the idea.

Mike said he couldn’t really see a good reason for God to keep sparing his life and I told him that God made him and had kept him alive so that He (God) could have a wonderful, loving relationship with him (Mike). He seemed totally puzzled by that idea. Mike, as most people I know, has a hart time grasping the idea that he is so important to God that God would go to great lengths to get close to him. He has always believed that God was “up there somewhere” but to imagine that God was thinking of him and wanting to get close to him, was more than he could grasp. I assured him that this was true and asked if I could pray with him. He immediately reached out and took my hand and as I prayed with him, he humbly promised to yield his life to Christ in the very best way he could. I invited him to the Wednesday Bible Study and he promised me he would be there.

Mike was hungry, so I had the pleasure of taking him to lunch. His shoes were completely worn out and I told him I would meet him back in the same spot with some shoes. He could use a change of clothes as well, so I'll see what I can find. I feel as though I have an opportunity to put some shoes on Jesus’s feet. This is awesome!

Pray for Brother Mike.

Travis and the father he never knew

Travis had a couple of hours before his train departed, so decided to sit on the street for a little people-watching. I "just happened by" and asked if I could join him. Before very many minutes, it was obvious to me that this was not just a chance meeting; God wanted me to share the good news with this young man.

Travis grew up in Stanford, Connecticut, in a family that was about as dysfunctional as one can be. He told me about how he has screwed up his life in almost every way it would be possible. He has tried everything one could imagine to find peace and fulfillment in his life, but it has eluded him to this day. When I asked Travis what he thought to be the missing element in his life, he didn’t hesitate. "A father," he said, "if I had had a father to teach me things about life and to set come kind of example for me, I think my life would have been a lot different."

Travis only saw his father occasionally as he was growing up, and those times were anything but positive. He said his dad would only come home long enough to get his mom pregnant and then it was back to prison. He told of the times his dad had abused his mom as well as him and his siblings. "I remember my mama sitting outside the bedroom crying when my old man was in the bedroom ******* another woman. I wanted to kill that *** ** * ***** since I was eight years old." He was seething with anger, and understandably so. The one man in his life who should have nurtured and trained him was doing more than anyone else to ruin his life.

I let Travis rant as long as he wanted to and tried to be as understanding as a man with a wonderful, loving father could be. Then I said to him, "Travis, I know of only one thing that can make up for all you have missed, heal you from all of your pain, and give you the life you have been looking for. Only one thing." And, of course, he asked what that might be. And I said, "to let your Heavenly Father love you in a way your earthly father never could. He can restore all that has been stolen from you and really make your life worth living."

Travis just sat there for a minute or more. He didn’t seem to know how to respond to what I had said. Then he said, "Well, that might be true, but I can’t go there right now. I need some therapy. I need to sort out all this ****. I’m too screwed up in my head to deal with God right now." And I think that’s one of the most common lies Satan tells people. "You’re got to change something, or fix something before you can come to God."

I assured Travis that he didn’t have to fix anything or change anything, that he could come to God just like he was. "In fact," I said to him, "you can’t fix anything. You can try, but it will only get worse until to give your life to the only one who can fix it."

Travis had said to me earlier in the conversation, "I lived the first twenty years of my life for my mama. She took care of me and I tried to take care of her. I loved the second twenty years for my wife and my son. I tried to raise him the best way I could. Now, the next twenty years are mine. I’m going to live like I want to live." Now, I strongly urged him to live the next twenty years for God and see what wonderful things God could do. Travis said he was willing to try that if God would help him. I assured him that God would be faithful beyond his wildest dreams. I prayed with him and told him I would have others praying for him as well. Please lift him up.

Dietrich needed a different kind of drink

My friend and I were standing on the corner when a young man who appeared to be a late teenager approached us as asked, “Either of you twenty-one?” Now, I can’t remember the last time anyone asked me that! (It was dark!) “Well, sure. What do you need?” And, of course, he wanted one of us to go into the nearby store and buy him a beverage he wasn’t old enough to purchase.

My friend said, “We can’t do that, but we can offer you something a whole lot better.” That got his attention and he responded eagerly, “What have you got?” My friend said, “We’ve got Jesus–that’s what we’ve got!” (Blew our cover real fast!) He seemed a little taken aback. Then he said, “My grandma told me that if I came out here, she was going to pray for me and she’s at home right now praying for me. I can’t believe this!”

Just beneath the tough-guy-image was a very humble and sensitive young man. He said his name was Dietrich and, all his life, his grandma had been telling him about the Lord and praying that he would be saved. “She’s a strong Christian!” he told us. I said, “Dietrich, your grandmother’s prayers are going to be answered tonight. God has had his loving eye on you since before you were born. Every day of your life, he has been watching you, calling out to you, longing for you to come to him, and tonight is the night.” Dietrich just looked silently at us as though he couldn’t believe what was happening.

After we had shared with him for nearly an hour, Dietrich said, “I feel like I want to be saved, but I just don’t know if it’s time.” We both assured him that this was absolutely the time; God had arranged this whole encounter and it was a moment he couldn’t afford to allow to slip away. He agreed to pray with us and willingly prayed for forgiveness and confessed Jesus as the Lord of his life. He said, “I don’t know if I can do this.” but we assured Dietrich he didn’t have to change his own life, he only had to yield himself continually to God and that God would not only lead him, but would give him the strength to stand. He promised to go him and tell his grandmother what had happened and allow her to help guide him in his new life of fath.

Dietrich told us he was twenty years old and wants to live the rest of his life for the Lord. Put him on your prayer list.

Lend someone your cell phone

When I first spotted Will, he was venting his frustration at the payphone that wasn’t being user-friendly. After explaining to the payphone what it thought of it, he began to tell me what he thought of payphones that wouldn’t work. Well, at least it was a conversation starter. I’m not so particular how it starts as lon...g as we can get some talk going on. So, I offered to let Will use my cell phone, he accepted the offer, had his conversation, gave the phone back and said, "Here." as he tried to hand me fifty cents. It appears that is one way some enterprising people of the street make a little money (too bad I hadn’t thought of that earlier).

Anyway, when I said, "No, of course not, you’re more than welcome." Will too a second look at me. What was I thinking? It didn’t take long to strike up a conversation with him. As we walked down Main Street, he told me his story.

Will grew up in Charlotte, NC, and started smoking pot as a teenager. He was pretty sure he would never graduate to anything stronger because he "wasn’t crazy." But, he did, and by the time he was in his mid-twenties, he wasn’t "using drugs" they were "using him." Will wound up in prison serving a 15-20-year sentence. He was just released on parole earlier this year and violated within a few weeks. He just got out of jail this week and hopes to enter a rehab center this weekend.

Will said when he got out of prison a few months ago, he knew he would never go back to his old life and was shocked to discover how easy it was to slip back into the old pattern of life. (I think I see an opening here.) I said, "Will, did you really want to take the straight road?" He assured me he did. "Did you try as hard as you could?" He said he thought he was really trying. "Well, what do you think was missing?" He thought for a long minute and said he didn’t know. "Well, where did God figure into all your plans and efforts to change your life?" I asked him.

"Oooooh, that’s where you’re going with this." Will finally caught my drift. "You know," Will said, "I was talking with a lady at the courthouse this morning and she started giving Scriptures and talking to me about God, now you come along talking to me about God. It seems like God is ganging up on me." And I said, "Yeah, God is good like that. He loves you, Will. He’s after you. Wants you bad."

As we walked and I continued to share God’s love with him, Will decided he wanted to call the lady at the courthouse and tell her what was happening. He told her about our conversation and then he wanted me to talk with her. When I got on the line, she said, "God is at work! I asked him to send his angel and track this man down." Well, He didn’t send an angel, but he sent me to tell Will of His love. I can’t believe I get to do this every day!

We were near where my car was parked so I offered to take Will back to the treatment center where he had a 4:15 appointment. As we drove, I prayed with him and urged him to walk with the Lord. He promised me he would.

I have been praying today that God would raise up a handful of men who will get really serious about their walk with God, whom God will use to help bring the revival to these city streets I know he wants to bring. I had a feeling today that Will just might be one of those men. Will you join me in prayer–not only for Will–but for many others to become true disciples of Jesus and lead many to faith.

Turnaround Day for Jimmy

When I saw this burly middle-aged gentleman crossing the street, my heart was drawn to him. He had a worried look on his face and seemed to be in physical pain as well. As he reached the curb, I approached him and simply asked if he had been to breakfast. He answered me that, not only had he not eaten breakfast, he had...n’t eaten anything for 2 or 3 days. When I asked him if he was ready for some food, he assured me that he was. We went to a nearby McDonalds and I told him to order anything he wanted and breakfast was on me. “Anything?” he asked. “Anything.” So he proceeded to order 6 (six!) breakfast burritos, 2 large orange juices, and a strawberry shake. Do you think I’m kidding? And the amazing thing is how quickly he consumed all that food. With his stomach full, he told me his story.

Jimmy was born in Queens, NY, where he lived about half his life. He told me that he had suffered abuse for as long as he could remember. He has no connection with his family and the only reference he could make to them was to curse them for the pain they had caused in his life. He went on to tell me of fights he had been in, assaults he had suffered, and the bitterness that filled his soul. Jimmy said, “I am so full of rage and bitterness, I don’t think I can live. I am a heart attack waiting to happen, he said,”
I said to him, “Jimmy, I want to help you. I can help you with some food and clothes, and maybe help you find a place to sleep for a few nights. But there is one who can turn your life around today. He can heal you on the inside, take out the bitterness, forgive your sins, and give you peace.” Jimmy said, “Nobody can do that.” but I assured him that God could do all that and more.

While we sat at the table talking, I got a couple phone calls, one from two brothers who were having breakfast together in another place, and I asked them to agree together with me in prayer for Jimmy. Another call came from my friend, Ron, who was within a few blocks and I invited Ron to join Jimmy and me at McDonalds. When Ron arrived, he began to share his testimony with Jimmy–how God has delivered him from near death and redeemed his life from destruction. We prayed with Jimmy several times regarding the various needs in his life, then Jimmy agreed to pray. He confessed Jesus as his love and cried out to Him for help. For the first time since our encounter, I saw Jimmy smile and heard him say, “I believe God has heard my prayer.”

We took Jimmy to Urban Ministries to get some help from them and promised to meet him back with a change of clothes and some shoes. I believe this is a turn-around day in Jimmy’s life. Put him on your prayer list and let’s believe for a miracle!