Christmas Gift 2008, a quick testimonial

Susie Jennings called us “Gideon’s Army.” At first I thought it was a good pep rally slogan, but as the time drew closer for Christmas gift 2008, I began to realize that it was more truth than slogan. We had a difficult time drawing volunteers and most of them came to register the day of the event. That meant that many were unprepared and did not know what to expect. It also meant that in the midst of ministering and keeping everything organized, we had to give instruction upon instruction. And like Gideon, I was afraid and constantly laying the fleece on the lawn!

I wish all of Christianity would work together the way all the volunteers did that day. Not only did they help those in need and restore some hope for some of them, they were a testimony to the whole country of what a Christian is supposed to be. They set themselves aside and sacrificed their time and bodies for the work of God. This is what it means to be Christ-like, I think. After all, what did our Lord do? He set aside the glory he had with the Father and died on the cross for us. This is also what the “Foot-Washing” ministry represents:  humility and sacrifice for others for His glory and praise.

My wife and I are the “foot-washing” coordinators that managed the shoe area for this year’s event. We were pretty busy, and I was only able to wash one man’s feet and give him some time and shoes. That is not to say the blessings were lacking! I saw people crying with volunteers, not just general teary-eyed stuff but big crocodile tears like a child! There were both men and women who had a moment of joy and relief. And the volunteers so full of God’s love and compassion did not hesitate to take people in their arms and just hold them. The first person I saw with tears of joy was my own wife on the night before the event.

We arrived on Friday evening late for the set-up because my wife had to work, and we had to check into our hotel room. I was worried that we would look bad for showing up three and half hours late. There was only one other person in our area who was not even part of our team when we got there. There were others in various areas but not many. A couple of volunteers had come and left before we arrived I think, but what we found was an unexpected miracle! There were literally hundreds of steel-toed combat boots! Military issue boots and on the heel the US Marine Corp insignia, and no one, not even the board members knew where they came from or who sent them. Teresa turned to me crying saying, “Isn’t God so good! Look at this!” With a smile I simply said, “God did this.”

Those boots and even the tennis shoes lasted through three o’clock before we ran out of average sizes. After three, which was the shut down time, is when we began to get low on shoes. We made our goal and most all of the guests were shoed (some got two pairs although they were not supposed to). We still had some left over too, mostly the smaller sizes.

You see, we had been concerned that we did not do enough through the year to help gather donations and volunteers. We were disappointed because out of all the churches we did contact, Rock Creek Baptist Church was the only one that responded. They were also the only Church who invited me to present to the congregation. That is one local Church out of two hundred that we sent information to, and One of three that I spoke directly to the Pastor. They provided volunteers and gathered shoe donations, and I want to thank them personally for their obedience to the call of God.

Also, the online ministry, “The United Christian Faith Ministries,” went far beyond the call of duty. They prayed for OCD and us continually, offered me good personal counsel, donated money, and Dale Akers, pastor of a small church in Olney Ill. of about twenty five people, made three hundred hand made winter hats to offer for the needy folks here in Texas, and I’ll tell you that one small work blessed hundreds, perhaps thousands of people. They stand out as a giant among churches.

What the Lord taught me was something about His faithfulness. Those boots were an indication of God’s grace to me concerning my own faithlessness. I have beaten myself up for months thinking I wasn’t doing my duty well enough and that I am too sinful to be of any use: how foolish! The whole time the Lord has been telling me by the Word and by Christian people that He is taking care of everything. He proved His Word and His faithfulness, and increased my trust and faith, again!

Psa 91:4 He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.

This is the scripture I read on Friday before we left to go do our job. It was sent to me by Rhenae Downs, one of our volunteer team members in a daily article she gets from “Homily Grits.” From the time I read the Psalm I was thinking about what it meant that “His faithfulness” is a shield and buckler. A worthy saying occurred to me, “When we are faithless, He remains faithful.” A worthy saying indeed! God took care of everything and taught his servants great and wonderful things about Himself, about how to minister His grace to others, and about perseverance. The Lord personally taught me, the guy that is too sinful to be used for anything good! God’s grace is much bigger and broader than we will ever understand!

There were many things that the OCD staff tried this year, some worked and some did not work so well. That did not stop God’s grace from flowing. For every one problem, there were at least two blessings. Now I can only truly testify about my own area, but I’ll bet that every manager would testify to that statement. One of my favorite moments was speaking with a volunteer, Chris Johnson, who is a big man. I am pretty good size at six feet and one hundred eighty five pounds, but Chris is a head and shoulder above me.

I saw in his eyes the same humble broken heart I had experienced the year before. I saw in his face that glow of being filled with The Holy Spirit. I was watching him as he eagerly ministered to many of our guests. He was kind and gentle and he was non-stop the whole morning till about twelve thirty. He never complained about gloves being too small for his hands, or things not running the way he would have them, etc. I came to him after he was finished with one of the guests and I told him how impressed I was at all he is doing. He told me how he loved this foot-washing ministry and how he was concerned that he might not be doing enough. Later he had to leave because of obligations he had to fulfill, but he did not want to go. He gave me his card to make sure I would keep him informed for next year, and I told him that I would love to have him on our planning committee. Chris can be seen on the news video clip, which can be found on the Operation Care Dallas web site.

Chris is not the only one either. There was an older lady who was just a powerhouse in her work. I never was able to get her name, but I had a chair set for her and gave her a person to run supplies for her. But that did not keep her in her seat! She did not hesitate to go get shoes. The guys on the morning shift who were organizing the shoe room were just amazing! I failed to get their names and information also, but all of them told me they would return next year. They were very busy, never took a break, and kept the shoes organized and flowing to our guests. All of these folks were chosen and sent by God himself to fulfill the needs and the work that was necessary to bring some grace and joy to people who rarely see it in the streets of the Metroplex.

There is one special person who deserves more than just mention, that is Dr. Jay Moore. This is what was sent to us when we asked his name from the medical leader; “His name is Dr. Jay Moore, and he is an anesthesiologist!! He was a Godsend. He is coming again next year, and will bring supplies to cut toenails and cuticle scissors. And, I will also make sure we have a podiatrist. But, even if we don’t, this guy was amazing. I was talking to him in Medical, and showed him a booth, and he said he was sort of interested in foot washing, and I said, I really need you over there!! Which worked out great, because the orthopedic surgeon was really needed over with us for leg pain, etc. This was truly God’s event.” I’ll tell ya this guy was one busy dude! We had to make a stationary place for him and bring our guests to him because he could not get around to them sufficiently, there were too many! He trimmed toenails, gave advice, and helped those people in ways they would have never received in a free clinic.

I don’t have enough time and paper to write about every single blessing and person who did such awesome work with humility and grace, though I wish I could! But in all the ministering to the homeless and needy what I see in this ministry is so much more than just giving some time and supplies. This ministry might just be more for God’s people, Christian people, than for the Homeless. But this is the way God’s grace works, this is the evidence of that “Living Water” That our Lord Jesus spoke of to the woman at the well. When we are obedient to The Lord and do what is right according the Bible, especially in the face of fear and doubt, God shows us his glory and power and his incredible grace that none of us deserve. To do a thing in spite of doubt and fear is true faith; it is the proof that we believe God and how we have been changed in our heart because of Christ Jesus and His willingness to die on the cross for our sins. In doing such things we become more and more like Him and become more and more faithful like He is.

Through all of this, our High Priest Jesus Christ ministers to his servants, and his grace is delivered to the entire world. Isn’t this what he Gospel is all about? Isn’t this what our Lord and Savior Jesus did? And by the example of washing the disciples’ feet, he showed us this very principle, and then commanded us to love one another as he loves us. What awesome simple wisdom we learn when we are obedient! God took a few frightened and weak people and blessed thousands of believers and non-believers alike. Susie Jennings was right when she called us “Gideon’s army,” and I am glad that I had the privilege of being in that army! What a mighty God we serve!

Perhaps I will see some of those who read this next year. If you are stirred in your spirit then begin now praying about it and go find a ministry to get involved in simply for obedience to the Word of God which says,

Mar 12:31 “The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Rom 13:9 “For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Gal 5:14 “For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Jas 2:8 “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.”

Isa 58:6-11 

“Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday.  And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.”

1Jn 4:7-11

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.  In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”

Christians are a witness to the world and what is it that we testify of? God’s grace in a personal way in and through Christ Jesus our Lord.