Living Hazzardously

Little pieces of our journey with Jesus

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in-between

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I am sitting here on a calm Saturday morning, it is 5:37 am.  Jess is wiped out and decides she needs a bit more sleep, so she has gone back to bed.  Al isn’t up yet and my three pups are interested in getting morning pets. This morning we will meet with our kids on Zoom, after that I will be headed to Sam’s Place for a work day, there is still plenty to do. I keep telling myself, “just a bit more work”… “Keep going, it will be done very soon”, I bought a pop machine, now I need to learn how that works… 

Have you ever taken on a task that feels like you are pushing a rope up into the floor above you? We never thought filling this building with clients would take so long… Finding the right clients is not an easy task, we know there are perfect clients for Sam’s Place. Slowly we are finding them. It’s slow, and arduous work, Jess is a spectacular director!

Vetting, that’s what it’s called… interviewing humans, asking questions, determining if this Sam’s Place is right for them as well as if they are right for Sam’s Place. We can’t just take everyone! Some folks have walkers, wheelchairs or balance issues… We have stairs, narrow doors and no elevator. We are tasked with determining the correct fit, vetting those who may not be stabilized with their medications. Finding the balance that fits for everyone, finding balance for the client and the clients already living here… as well as future clients… What’s best for them? For us? And for others?  Can we meet the needs based on our environment? Our staffing? Our purpose? 

I’m reminded of the 12 disciples of Jesus, I think about Jesus vetting them… who gets to be let in and who isn’t let in? Did Jesus make a mistake when he let Judas into the group? Should he have done a better job vetting the man who hastfully drew a sword and cut off the servant’s ear? What about the ones Jesus rejected? Are they wanted? Why did Jesus reject some and not others? Are they the Social rejects? You know the ones… they have issues.

What about the ones that are accepted by society? They look good to the community! They are wearing the right clothes. They have normal hair. They don’t cause any concern of tarnishing our reputations…. Not everyone fits everywhere, and that’s ok.

We do background checks, read diagnostic assessments, scan files, review reports and collect release of information forms. We get signatures, make phone calls, explain criteria… 

Maybe if Jesus had just done his due diligence in vetting his disciples, things would not have gotten so messy…  Or would they? You see, people are messy, humans are not perfect, and no vetting procedures are perfect. Jess reminds me “Everyone deserves a chance” and I remind her “We can’t ignore the past”. We do vetting as a team, I think we do pretty good but still can improve a  lot.

Jesus said to forgive as many as 7 times 70, is that a good model for Sam’s Place? Let’s be real, that’s probably not a good idea.

Easter, Good Friday, Maundy Thursday… but today is Saturday, what is Saturday called? Jesus was in the tomb today. Today, the day in between.  I think the disciples were probably confused, trying to understand what just happened and thinking about what the future would bring. Will I be next? Are the priests going to hunt me down as well? Did I do a good job “vetting” my friends? Am I going to remain faithful if I get tortured to the point of death? Even death on a cross? Where should I go? What should I do? Who can I trust?

Are the Faithful that wouldn’t deny Jesus? Are we the faithful? Are we the ones that hold strong, remain diligent? I get it that we need to be careful in our vetting for Sam’s Place, and I believe Jesus did his vetting perfectly. 

So, it’s Saturday, the day “in-the- middle” Like the middle child, forgotten, ignored and not as important… It’s only the day in “between the days” that gets all the attention. The day that holds the other two days in great tension… together and yet apart.

Sam’s Place is also the “middle Child”. It’s the place where folks live that don’t need all the help and attention yet may need more help than nothing, it’s the inbetween land, the land that is forgotten, it’s our calling! Helping others to help themselves, just a little bit.

We are serving an Easter meal at Sam’s Place at 2 pm. We opened it up to the world and invited some folks from the community. We invited anyone that has no place to go. We opened it up to the “in-between” folks. We opened it up to you! 

The joy of Easter should be shared, we hope you join us. 

I’m an odd duck…. Or am I a quack?

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When life gets messy, do you run and hide? Do you become hostile? Do you immediately switch into “damage control mode”? We all react differently in these situations and sometimes we regret the choices we have made in the past. As a Christian, what is the Biblical response to adversity? When things go south, what should we do? 

Peter in the boat cries out to Jesus who is passing them by, walking in the water… Peter leaps out at the first call from Jesus to step out in faith, but then he doubted his calling and sank.

Peter exclaims he would go to the place of death with Jesus on that fateful Friday but instead he hears the rooster crow, showing him how he failed again to have faith.

Jonah outwardly refused to do the will of God, but still ended up in Nineveh, to preach the word.

Esther complained to uncle Mordecai. Her uncle simply revealed if she didn’t do the calling on her life, God would raise another in her place.

Jess and I have been called to Sam’s Place, to serve those in need. When things get “messy” do we walk away? Or dig in for the hard push? Faith is one area God has gifted me. The truth is … it has topped my spiritual gift list for about 15 years now… prior to this it ranked in the bottom three.  I have no doubts about what Jess and I are doing.

BUT!!! This past week has put us both to the test. Let me tell you of some folks that could live at Sam’s Place. “Joe” had no family. Parents died years ago. Family is far away in a different state. Alone, lonely and tossed around from place to place. And “Bob” is a similar story as far as some aspects go… things got messy, I mean really messy, and it took a few days to get things worked out to get them better help, the system is the real mess. These two are humans that need a special kind of care… CARE!  The level of care we at Sam’s Place would love to offer but we are not set up for this level of care. We have to make decisions all the time to provide the right level of care… AND IT’S MESSY!! But we don’t quit. 

Let me tell you who we can care for: 

We can provide care for the lonely woman, living in the house or an apartment but struggling to keep the house clean, maybe forgets to take meds and would rather just stay away from people all day.

We provide care for the guy living with mental illness that just needs someone to monitor his mental health on a daily basis because he gets so busy with work that he forgets to eat or take his meds. 

We take care of the single mother that is trying to get her life together after her husband stops being part of her life, and she just needs help for a year or two.

That Vietnam Veteran down the block that looks out his window…  to make sure the kids are not coming into the yard to rip out the tulips he just planted.

That guy that’s always been an outsider in life, living in the trailer behind his mothers house when she was still alive.

The old guy that doesnt mean to make inappropriate comments but rather wants to say something nice, and always says it the most offensive way.

These are the folks Sam’s Place is looking to help, People made in God’s image, Messy people that you may not ever talk to because association with them may be embarrassing. People who may not always know what reality looks like and need a reminder that they can live a healthy and normal life, with a bit of help.

I’m reminded of Burl Ives narrating Rudolf the red nosed reindeer… Telling about the “Island of Misfit Toys” … The toys that are rejected by society for being old fashioned, odd in nature, not conforming to expectations… struggling to find a home, a place where they are just loved and accepted… A place where a Gal walks in and says “This is so much nicer than the places I’ve had to live” and she goes on to say, “Its clean!” Imagine, you just want a place to live that’s not gross! A place that’s not riddled with drugs and “drunk” smells. 

Give me your tired,

your poor,

your huddled masses

yearning to breathe free.

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me:

I lift my lamp beside the golden door.

America is the biggest “dream land” in the world, folks are coming in by the 10 thousands, because it is the best place to live in all the world. It’s not a “fairytale” like Disneyland, it’s real, it’s messy, it’s home. Like America, Sam’s Place truly is the place of opportunity, for those we serve. 

Let’s get messy together! Let’s not worry about what someone “may say” . Let’s just make Sam’s Place the best community friendly, safe, loving and best place for everyone! Even if you don’t live or work there, you can still show love and compassion for the brother or sister, mother or father, uncle or aunt, veteran or orphan…

Serving others with love, sometimes will get messy. That’s ok. 

Charlie

Sign-us or sinus

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This week started well and ended in a trip to the doctor.

Finally I am the center of attention!

Jess has her broken wrist, Al had his Pneumonia and finally I get to have a major sinus infection…

When I get a sinus infection it’s not just a headache, it’s not just an aversion to light, it’s not just a runny nose… nope, for me a sinus infection is laying there moaning in pain, covering my eyes with two layers of towels to block all light from entering my eyes, its a nose so raw that I start to think I have no more skin left to dab at… 

Maybe I am just a big baby?

Lets measure my pain tolerance?

When Al smashed my ring finger with an eight pound maul, I did lay down and hold my hand exclaiming great pain but never swore or shed a tear, so maybe that’s just coincidence… 

When I got a sliver that went in one side of my finger and out the other, passing by the bone which deflected the trajectory of the sliver. I looked, I saw and I said “ wow, that’s a big one!”

Or perhaps the proof of me being a big baby is when I got carpal tunnel surgery on both hands and orthoscopic surgery on my knee, on the same day so my recovery time would overlap. But a week later I was in the BWCAW, and got covid…still had a decent time.

Ya, I’m a whiner I guess. But I sure don’t remember the  “sign-up for sinus”

I was doing the math today and calculating how much time I’ve been set back because of my shifting responsibilities as a caregiver and now? I’ve lost four days to a sinus infection, and that’s not even the time it takes to catch up. did you know my pigs don’t give an OINK about how I feel, I still need water and feed them every day. Do you also know the chicks don’t give a cluck about my responsibilities elsewhere, they still need clean water and lots of grains… Minus 20F simply adds to the challenges, I don’t get to “wait until its warmer out” I just dress like I live in Siberia and fill the water, break the ice and wrestle with doors that are frozen shut… it’s all part of the beauty of our life. 

All this to say “I wouldn’t trade this life for any other”. I am blessed and I am tired. My life is full and not boring. We are serving and finding value. Life is most complete when you have someone that depends on you, for something. Finding value in serving others is one of the greatest gifts God gives us. I don’t regret how little time I have to do “nothing”, because the fact is, I have plenty of time to do what I like to do. Life will continue to wane on, and I will become less able to provide, and serve others, perhaps I can fish more, visit more and talk to those in need, even if it’s  just a little bit more, each day. 

A sinus infection may slow me down for a season, and give me time to think about things I would normally not give a single “OINK” about. 

A broken wrist may help me appreciate the laundry chores that I normally take for granted, or finding satisfaction in cleaning the stove.

Pneumonia may give me a new appreciation and perspective for caregiving.

But God is the one that gives purpose, value and worth to life at every level. 

Find someone today that needs a little attention, a little help, a little care, be someone like Jesus today to someone that needs a bit of Jesus’ love. 

Enjoying the melting but missing the snowshoeing, Charlie