Why Pray?

If God is omniscient and truly knows our needs better than we do, then what is the point of prayer? I thought about this because of an email I received from a church family member and the many responses to it.  The email was addressed to five of us.  It was about one of our parishioners - a sweet woman that we all think of fondly.  This woman is a regular at church but she is a private person.  Some of us had noticed her absence on Sundays, and the email that I received was about that.   "Has anyone heard from Rose?  I heard that she's not well.  If any of you have her phone number, please let me know.  Let's keep her in our prayers."

Between the next few hours that passed after receiving the initial email, each recipient wrote in.  Whatever information any of us knew was shared with one another.  Her phone number.  When they had spoken to her last.  Someone wrote that she was going for treatment.  And each of us said we would pray for her.   Not one of us, however, asked what type of treatment, or what illness she was suffering from.   I really love this about our church family.  The need for acquiring information is not to use as a source of gossip, but out of genuine concern.    You ask someone to pray for you, and they do.  It doesn't matter if the reason for the prayer is shared with you.  It doesn't even matter that you know the person's name.  God knows all of that.  All we have to do is keep them elevated in our consciousness and amazing things happen through God's love.

The mere act of praying for someone bringstheir needs - instead of ours -- into focus. And when we know that someone is in need, we act on it.  In Rose's case, some  reported back that they had spoken to  her and relayed her progress.  Another had run into her in the market and shared with her that we missed her and were praying for her.  And what I really appreciated was one of the email responses brought into perspective that Rose is a private person, and asked that we please keep this in mind and not "share" any personal news about her with others but to just keep praying.  Incidentally, I did change Rose's name out of respect for her privacy.

The answer to the question, "Why pray?" is this:  Because it elevates our souls into acting out of love for one another - by reaching out, calling, visiting, caring for that person and in so doing - really doing God's commandment to love one another.  Praying is for US - to help us focus; to remember that all things are possible through God's love.  There is a specialness in belonging to this type of family.

Tidings of Comfort and Joy -- Heavy on the Joy!

I’m still smiling from last night’s homeless outreach.  I’ve been thinking about it since last night.  I think one of the reasons that our In His Shoes homeless outreach is so successful is that we’re “heavy on the joy".  Sure, we provide food and clothing…that’s the comfort, but nothing was more evident than the joy factor last night.

Passing out soup (this pic is from Summer when it's still
light out.

The joy started before last night.  A few nights ago, when we realized we didn’t have enough clothing to share, we put out a post on Facebook.  I was really surprised at the outpouring of love that came forward from that one post.  Friends I haven’t spoken to for months responded, dropping bags of clothing at church for us.  Sunday after church, another several bags were taken to the back of my car from parishioners who had seen the post.  Text messages bounced back and forth about sock donations, a friend’s trip to the store to buy jackets and sleeping bags for us.  People were responding out of joy and love.

And then there’s the preparation.  Our prep time takes about an hour as we gather everything we’ve collected, clothing, snacks, soup, water.  There is joy in the unwrapping of the soup containers, in the packing of the cars, and then in the distribution.  I was hearing it last night in the laughter as Suzie and her crew distributed the right item of clothing to the right person.  The joy was definitely there when we sang Silent Night or the Hippopotamus song while handing out soup out of our car, and it was there when we received the blessings and smiles of those that we helped.  You have to picture it….as we pull away, they wave at us, thanking and blessing us.  We thank and bless them in return. We are the ones that are granted this privilege to help them.

One of the regulars on the street is a missionary from Africa named Doris Dolly Dorothy.  Dressed in gleaming white with a beautiful smile, she is there on the street by choice to live a life of poverty among the least of her brothers and sisters.  Suzie shared with me her message. She never takes food from us…but gives of her smile and herself.  She shared that Thanksgiving on the street was “too much blessing” as there was an abundance of people sharing their food and blessings with the others.  She shared, “People here hate me”.  “Why?” Suzie asked.  “Because I sing and pray all day, but I’m okay with the fact that they hate me…because they hated our Lord first.”  She was comfortable in knowing that the hatred was coming from a place of not understanding.  She is there to share her inner joy with those less fortunate giving all she can of herself to them.  Like I said, she never takes food for herself, but what she will always take is a warm hug from us, her “sistahs.” She’s definitely got the JOY. 

If you are blessed with a family, you know the joy that comes from having them around.  When we go out to the streets, those of us who have been doing this for years now feel this same joy. We go out to visit our extended family.   We hear their stories – about careers that never took off, rent payments that couldn’t be met, family struggles, illness and no insurance, debt.  They are like our family, no different than any of us except for the fact that they lack the support systems that we have been blessed with.  Think about it.  If we didn’t have family or our church to lean on in these difficult times, how many of us are just one paycheck from living on the street?  There but for the Grace of God, go I.  And just like our family, they appreciate being cared about.  Not just “Here’s a cup of soup. Here's a frisbee,” but “Hey, how’ve you been?  How was your month? Are you feeling better?”  It’s not about charity, it’s about love.  And “BEING THE LIGHT and of Christ, being the vehicle for God’s love.

If any of you out there are interested in starting your own homeless outreach with your friends, family, organization but don’t know where to start, please contact me:anush@pomegranateandeye.com and I can give you some logistics help.

Some of our local radio stations have been playing Christmas Carols since Thanksgiving.  Personally, I love it (even though it’s driving my coworkers crazy).  I’m sending out Tidings of Comfort and Joy for this Christmas and well into the new year….Comfort and Joy, but extra heavy on the Joy!

Lessons From Bob

This is Bob and I in January of 2013.
 I hadn't seen him in 6 weeks because I now take
the bus.  We had a lot to catch up on.

If you know me, you know that I have a soft spot for the homeless.  My parents were always very compassionate when it came to feeding the hungry in our community.  We grew up in Los Angeles.  In those days, it wasn’t uncommon for people to knock on your door and ask for food if they were down and out.  I remember being afraid of them as my mom would answer the door, but she would ask them to wait on the porch and she’d make them a sandwich to eat there and then pack one in the bag for later, and take it to them, telling them they could sit and eat on the porch before heading on their way.  They would thank her, eat and move on.  My father and I would deliver Christmas and Easter dinners to the homeless of our neighborhood before our family arrived at our house for dinner, my mom always making enough turkey, pilaf and sarma for several extra plates.  There weren’t to many then, in the 70’s, and because of that we knew where we could find them…one on a bus bench on Vine, one behind the Ralph’s market, one by the laundry mat.  We grew up that way, not fearing the homeless.

Four years ago, our In His Shoes outreach started a homeless ministry where we feed and clothe the homeless on a monthly basis.  It’s no longer the 70’s, and the homeless community is large, especially in downtown.  It’s so easy for us to walk by someone in need.  Would we do that if we saw Christ asking for food or money on the corner?  Of course not.  We would definitely acknowledge Him, right?  So a few years ago, I started talking to the homeless that I see on a daily basis – just making eye contact, saying hello, asking their names.  I work in downtown on 7^th and Figueroa.  It’s not skid row.  I’m in the cleaned-up financial district.  But there are still homeless around.  The regulars.  And I know all their names.  There’s Antonio that asks for money on freeway offramp, Anthony who is on 8^th and Francisco, and then there’s my friend Bob.

Bob and I have been friends for about two years now. We’re the same age…he’s just a month older than me.  He’d be tall if he stood up, but he’s had a leg amputated, and sits in his wheelchair on Figueroa.  And pretty much 5 days a week, as I walk to my car in the afternoon, we talk.  I realized this yesterday, that I talk to Bob sometimes more than I talk to some of my family.  To Bob, the passersby are his family.  I can’t help Bob everyday, but what I can do is talk to him.  And over the course of two years or so, Bob has taught me a lot about life, faith, family, and about caring for others.

I wanted to share with you my lessons from Bob.

1.  "I don’t live by luck, I live by faith."  This was what Bob told me yesterday when he wanted to give me a coin that someone had dropped in his cup.  It was a penny with a hole stamped out of the middle in the shape of a four-leaf clover. He wanted me to have it.  He said it’s kind of neat…and maybe one of my nieces would like it.  When I asked, “Don’t you want it? It’s a lucky penny?”  He said, “No, I want you to have it…it’s just something that’s neat to look at…plus, I don’t live by luck, I live by faith. God is with me.  I don’t need luck”  This was a very beautiful revelation to me.  He is so rich in his faith, and has ever reason to doubt it.  But he doesn't.  His expression of faith is beautiful.

2.  Be cheerful in attitude and smile.  As you pass Bob you hear him, “It’s a beautiful day in L.A.!”  He greets people as they pass by, sharing sports stats from last night’s game with those that he knows follow sports, asking about family to others, commenting on the positive “Your hair looks nice today!”  Most of the time, if people do acknowledge him, it’s with a smile, or some money.  Everyone has a purpose in life, and I think this is Bob’s.  Bob is life’s greeter.

3. Call your mother.  Bob has a phone which he uses to call his mom in Pennsylvania.  She’s in her late 80’s.  He has a family there who he says doesn’t understand him so he doesn't have contact with them, but he does keep in touch with his mom.  He’s shared letters she’s sent him (to a local shopkeeper’s address) and he gets a little tear in his eye when he shares stories about her with me.  As far away as they are, she is and always will be in his heart. 

4.  Know what you need (don't be greedy), and share the rest with those around you.  Find beauty in all things.  “Anush, I have something for you…wait” and he digs in the back of his wheelchair and produces a wooden box.  One of Bob’s friends went to Alaska and brought him back a piece of salmon.  The box was painted with an Alaskan whale – the art of the region.  He ate the salmon, but he wanted me to have the box.  He made me promise to put something nice in it…and today it houses some of my jewelry supplies.  “Isn’t it beautiful?  Do you like it?  I want you to have it. But you have to use it.  If you're not going to use it, don't take it.”  : ) 

5.  There’s joy in the routine.  Every Tuesday is Popeye’s chicken day for Bob.  This is the highlight of the week, and as routine as it is, it’s looked forward to.  I think everyone that helps Bob along on Mondays and Tuesdays knows that he gets two pieces for a dollar on Tuesdays.  And this makes him happy.  As mundane as it may seem, there is joy in this routine.  It’s something to look forward too. And something that he is very thankful for.  When your life situation is uncertain, there is comfort in the security of routine.

6.  Make time for yourself.  Sometimes on Wednesday’s Bob is not in his spot.  I noticed this pattern and asked him once.  “You know, I did well on Monday and Tuesday and I don’t want to be greedy.  I went to Popeye's and got a bunch of chicken.  I went under the freeway and ate, and slept, and then woke up and ate some more…and I spent yesterday relaxing because I need a break too.”  Truth.  It’s important to take time to refresh. 

Simple life lessons.  Things that we actually know but don’t often practice because they just seem too simple.  Sometimes what we receive is so much more than what we give.  My life is so much richer by having Bob in it.