Anna's Foot

Today I started out by going inside the mission first, as most were gathering in the chapel for to get ready to go to lunch. This was a great opportunity to had out tracts as they were comming inside the chapel. Most would gladly receive a gospel tract, but there were a few who refused or made some remark toward them. But praise to God, I handed out all that I had on hand. I then made my way to the car to get some more tracts and I saw Anna sitting on the sidewalk again. I got some tracts and my Bible and went to talk to her. Yesterday as we were talking I noticed that her foot was bothering her, she said that she had cut it on a piece of glass. Today she was trying to take her shoe off, but the swelling and soreness was so bad that she could hardly get her shoe off her foot! She finally managed to get her shoe off and I saw this huge hole in the bottom of her foot. It was probably three inches in diameter! Anna had been walking around like this without socks and without a bandage on it! I tried to talk her into letting me take her to the emergency room but she refused, I then took her to a walk in clinic down the street and they were shocked at the condition of her foot! They tried to talk her into going to the emergency room but she refused again! Anna became agitated at the workers at the clinic and walked (or hobbled) out. The nurse gave me some clean gauze and some antibiotic cream and we went off to find her. She was down the street walking barefoot with her foot cut wide open! I cannot imagine how much dirt and germs had gotten into her foot. The nurse told me that if she did not go to the hospital she would lose her foot if not her leg! Anna doesn't think its that bad, "just a little cut" she says. Finally we talked Anna into going to the hospital in the morning. I hope she goes. It is strange that man treats his sin just like Anna is treating her cut! Sin is a terible wound of the soul, it gradually gets worse and worse until complete destruction. Jesus Christ is the only remedy for a sin sick soul! If only man would seek out the Great Physician before its to late. Please pray for Anna.

Here is a picture of her foot:

Educated Anna

As I started out this morning I asked the Lord to lead me to the right people to talk to and to keep me from the wrong people. As I was walking down the streets where the homeless congregate, I saw a lady sitting on the sidewalk by herself wearing shorts and a tye dye shirt. Everyone else was sitting on the other side of the street and she was sitting on this side all alone. My first thought was not to talk to her, but then, I said yes, I approached her and asked her if she wanted a Bible tract. She refused with some very harsh and vulgar words. I quickly changed the subject to the weather! I wanted her to know that I was no threat, I was just trying to share the Gospel to all who would listen, and by the way she was talking she did not want to listen! But after a few minutes she relaxed a little and would listen and in a few minutes she had my new testament and she was reading it! She read about four chapters of the book of Revelation out loud! What a change in her attitude. Her name is Anna and she is a very smart and well educated woman, several years of college and psycology have messed her up though. She was probably about 45 years old, well aquainted with the streets. She had attended church a few years ago. She went to an Apostolic church and she said she served the Lord for about a year or so, she attended faithfully and tithed of her income. She even told about her salvation experience. How she "spoke in toungues" when she was born again. (I do not believe speaking in tongues is evidence of the Holy Spirit, or is it Scriptural) I did not get into a debate about speaking in tongues but I did spend some time with her with what the Scriptures say. As our conversation was going well, the police stopped and asked us to leave the sidewalk and go to the other side of the street where everyone else was. This was pretty much the end of our conversation. I gave her a new testament and some tracts to read. Pray that God will speak to her. I then left and headed inside the mission to find some more people to witness to.

Who Knows What God Will Do With This Man

I received a case of Bibles today from Mount Pisgah Baptist Church and some tracts too, I was running low and praise the Lord for a local ministry like this to help missionaries with bible material. So I armed myself with the Word of God and a handfull of tracts and hit the streets. As I started to hand out tracts I was distracted by a man and a woman arguing in the parking lot. Opposition already! But I quickly got to work. A young couple from Kentucky I have been talking to for the last few days was one of the first I got to talk to. They know I am a preacher but there just has not been a good opportunity to share the Gospel with them yet. I pray the Lord will open that door soon. I handed out some tracts on the streets and then made my way into the "day room" at the mission. I met a new lady there I have not seen before, her name was Linda. She is spending her time at the mission until her husband gets out of jail. Probably until September. She shared her testimony of living for the Lord and how that God has blessed it. But her husband had given in to the temptations of drugs and now they have lost it all! Thankfully her three children are grown and out of the home or else they would be there too. I left Linda with a gospel tract and she asked that I would remember her family in prayer. I stood outside of the mission for a little while just watching others and handing out tracts as the Lord gave leading, but one man caught my attention so I watched him. He was walking down the sidewalk and just laid down, rested his head on the concrete and fell asleep, or rather passed out. The street was busy with lunch hour traffic and the sidewalk had plenty of people walking on it and this man fell asleep right in the middle of it all! I made my way around to where he was sleeping and I had in my hand a Gideon New Testament, I slipped it next to his hands as he was sleeping. I hope when he awakes he will notice it and read it intently. Who knows what God will do with this man!

Hurt Shelly

I talked with a lady named Shelly today on the streets she is about 35 years old. She has been living on the streets for some time now. I have given her tracts before and I gave her some more today. I think she likes to read them because she asked me for some today. I hope the Lord deals with her when she reads them. She told me that she might be getting off the streets soon. She is on probation and she thinks she will be getting off probation and then she will move in with her mom. I hope this is the Lords will for her. She has not been staying in the shelter at nights, she has been sleeping in her camp. This is very dangerous and she has no way of protecting herself that I know of. Beatings and robbings happen everyday, stabbings often, rapes and killings are common on these streets. Shelly needs the Lord, she has a history of abuse and she has progressed farther and farther into sin "drinking". I think she started "drinking" to handle her problems but now she is totally controlled by its power! I cannot save Shelly, as much as I would like to, I don't have that power! All I know to do for her is to witness to her and pray for her, and if God does not save her she will die in her sins lost. I do not want her to go to hell, if she would only see her sin debt! What she owes God! Surley this would bring her to Repentance? But not only her sin debt, but also God's great love for her in paying for her sins through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ! May God's Spirit speak to her heart. May her heart be broken in repentance towards God, and full of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Antichrist, a Bloody man, and Michael

I have been away from the mission for a few days, I have been in Alabama at a camp meeting. What a blessing it was and full of good Bible preaching! But I am glad to be back home and with my people.

This evening I preached at the mission, my text that I used was out of Revelation chapters 12 and 13, I preached on the subject of the Antichrist. There was an overall good acceptance of the message and many listened intently as I preached. Just as the service was starting there was a interuption. A man was standing outside the windows of the chapel, he looked like he had just been robbed, his head and face were covered in blood. I could not see him from the pulpit, but the congregation could. In spite of this distraction the Lord still blessed the service. There were about one hundred in attendance and there was a middle age man that responded during the invitation. The mans name is Michael, we have been working with him for some time now. He had come to Christ a few weeks ago to be saved. I have wondered if he "got it" or not. Michael has been reading his Bible and talking about the Lord with me on a regular basis. Tonight Michael has told me that he is trying to quit smoking. I asked him why is he doing that? He said to be closer to the Lord! Praise God! He said he has not smoked in five days. He did confess that it has been very tempting to smoke, but he praised God for giving him the strength to resist! Michael also said that since he has quit smoking he has been talking to the Lord more and the Lord has been talking to him more. I believe this sounds like he is fellowshipping with the Lord! You can't have that and be lost! I gave Michael a KJV Bible a few weeks ago when he got saved but someone stole it from him while he was sleeping. Yesterday another ministry was handing out NIV Bibles and Michael got one. He showed it to me and asked me what I thought about it. I showed him a few select passages and showed him the difference between the KJV and the NIV. I then asked him if he wanted to trade Bibles. He traded with me and I will probably find a bondfire in need of a NIV somewhere soon.

Susan's Story

It is true that every homeless person has a story to tell and Susan was no exception. I have found that most homeless people want you to listen to their story. Weather the story they are telling you is true or not doesn't matter, they just want you to listen to them as they talk. And if you are attentive and give honest feedback, you can gain their respect and trust. This is a slow way of winning their favor but it does work. I had met Susan before and talked with her and gave her a tract the other day. I have seen her regularly at the shelter and today she wanted to share with me her story. I was wondered why a 57 year old lady has been living homeless and drunk on the streets for over 10 years. It seems to me that after a tramatic event that took place some years ago, she has given up. I saw the several scars on her arms where she had slit her wrists, (probably 7-8 times) I was wondering why had she thought her life was so bad that she had to do this? Susan is a very nice lady and prides herself in how "honest" she is. But don't let me lead you to the wrong impression of Susan. She is blunt, very blunt. She speaks her mind! And if it is vulgar, she doesn't care, she says it anyways. This is what she means by being "honest." She says that she has been living as a drunk for many years and she has absolutely no intentions of ever changing. She told me that one time while drinking a man found her at her "drinking spot" a secluded wooded part in downtown Knoxville. He beat her and tied her up, raped her, stabbed her in the throat and chest, and used kerosene to set her on fire. I asked her how did she survive? She said God. I said, I know that! But what did God do to save your life? She said it started raining and she worked the roped up and down agianst the tree and that is what broke the rope. I was wondering if Susan was telling me the truth or not? I still am not fully conviced that she is. But weather she has told me the truth or not, Susan needs the Lord. She is alive today and for what reason? For her to see the Saviour! That He may save her from her sins! Please pray for Susan.

A lady out of place

I met a lady (I cannot share her name) about 45 years old from Oneida, Tn. I was puzzled why she was homeless. She had told me that she didn't drink or do drugs and that surprised me, Here is a lady that is homeless and she has no drug adictions? She told me that she knows Jesus and that He would not like for her to do those kind of things (drinking and drugs). I thought "Praise the Lord" someone with some convictions! So I asked her why she was here and she said that she would rather not talk about it so I droped that subject of conversation. Would you please pray that the Lord's will be done in this ladies life. She has such a sweet composure as do all of Gods children that are serving and following Him. And she is definitely "out of place" where she is. Please pray that the Lord will watch over her and protect her. I would love to invite her to our home church but I know she would feel out of place. She has been living on the streets for about a week that I know of and a week on the streets and your clothing is not as clean as it was when you first put it on! I would not want to embarass her by placing her in an evironment that she might feel uncomfortable in. Maybe there is something we can do to resolve these kind of problems as this happens often. If you have any suggestions please leave them in the comment section.

Archived Blog 8-3-2009

08-03-2009 8:48:27 PM CST
Today was a good day on the streets. I talked with a man inside the mission named Michael. He had some Bible questions so we made our way to the chapel and talked about the Scripures. He was interested in the plaques that God had brought on Egypt and Pharaoh and he was wondering why doesn't God do such wonderous miracles today? He said that he believes that all these people who are unbelievers will believe if God would just show them a miracle. As I pondered about his point, I asked myself why doesn't God show these unbelievers signs from heaven to convince them of his existence and about His Son? As I thought about this the Holy Spirit brought much about the Scriptures to my remembrance. Faith is "propagated" or "birthed" by what we see! For the Scriptures say that Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God! Seeing is not believing. Another example is that after Pharaoh had seen all the miracles and mighty wonders that God had wrought, he still did not believe on the Lord! Michael said, but he let Gods people go, and yes he did, but shortly after he realised what he had done and pursued after them to kill them! Pharaoh pursued passed the pillar of fire, (after God had removed it) and into the sea that God was holding back! Also the Scriptures tell us that Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. The righteous walk by faith and not by sight! The rich man pleaded for someone to go back to his brethren from the dead, but Abraham told him that if they would not hear Moses and the Prophets they would not be pursuaded though one rose from the dead! I think that the Lord showed me something today, people are looking for a miracle and they are looking for a "Moses" or a "Jesus" to show them these miracles. As I look in the Scriptures I see a sobering truth, they will get their "Miracle" worker, one who will call fire down from Heaven, and one who will speak great words and one who will give life to the "Beast." This is the Antichrist. and they will be decieved by him. I warn all who read this, do not be decived by his smooth words and his miracles! Read Gods word and trust Jesus Christ today for your sin payment and be saved from the wrath of God! This is plain speach I know! But plain it may be, but that leaves no room for questions!

Archived Blog 7-31-2009

07-31-2009 7:32:48 AM CST
I saw Renee yesterday on the streets, she was hanging out at her usual spot under the bridge. She had been throwing up and was not feeling very well, she said it was because she had to much to drink. I talked with her for a little while and gave her a new testament to read. I believe God is working in her heart, so please continue to pray for her. She has been talking about going to Indiana and has a bus ticket to leave Saturday morning. I don't want her to leave, but maybe God has something for her in Indianapolis. This is the lady that has always asked for chicken when she sees me. I don't feel it is part of this ministry to feed all the homeless, but I have a desire to buy her some K.F.C. If the Lord will. She may be gone by the time I get back to her.
A church had given us some young boys shoes a while ago, and I saw two young boys, (about 4 years old) I asked their parents if they needed some shoes for their boys, they looked through what I had and they gladly took a few pairs. Thank you churches for giving for needs like this. I would much rather give out "first hand" than to mass distribute to an assebly line of all who wants something. I saw this young boys shoes and I could see he needed a new pair, so I know that he will use these shoes, Many times the parents just take whatever they can get and then sell it. They are using your good charity to supply their drug addiction. Please be more responsible in your giving.
I made my usual rounds up the street handing out tracts to those the Lord laid on my heart, I ask the Lord to help me to go to those who He wants me to and to stay away from those who He wants me to stay away from. There are several people who I meet on the streets who have such an "evil spirit" about them that the Lords Spirit tells me to stay away from them. I gladly listen.
We have been getting a lot of rain here in Knoxville these last few days and at first I thougt it would not be good days to go to the streets, but I went anyway and found out that during the rain is a good day to go "fishing." Most of the people are gathered under the bridge to stay dry this makes handing out tracts easier, and if they are not under the bridge, they are in the "day room" at the shelter. The day room is a room where they can stay during the day and pretty much do nothing! I disagree with this "privelege" but it is a place where I can go to share the Gospel. The day room is a place where they can talk on the telephone and use computers hooked up to the internet. These are resources for them to use to find employment not to be taken advantage of. Most of these adults are just like little children who need to be walked along and monitored to make sure they are doing what they are suposed to be doing! Why do they act this way? Most of the time it is a lack of training on the parents part. Their parents never took the time to develop good character in them, so now they are adults with the dicipline of a five year old! You add a drug addiction to this, and a government hand out program and you have a recipe for a reprobate. One who only thinks of himself, (a Narcissus) has no need of God, (for all his needs are being met) and no thought of future judgment! Living for today and not tomorrow! No faith. Whose god is their belly.
Please pray that the Lord will intervene before it is to late.

Archived Blog 7-25-2009

07-25-2009 2:54:24 PM CST
As I went to the mission today, there were two other groups or "ministries" handing out food, clothing, and snacks. As I was there on the streets I took some time to observe what was going on. I am glad that so many individuals have sacrificed to give to those who are in need. Praise God for that. But I believe that many have given so much, or rather given so much irresponsibly that they are hurting many. I see people in line listening to their mp3 players talking on there cell phones and one was in the shelter watching movies on his dvd player! It seems to me that so much has been given that some are not even thankful anymore. And to further their condition, they refuse to seek help from their present circumstances because they have no need for anything better. Free home, free bus passes, free food, free entertainment, free doctors, free clothes, every things free and everyone owes them something. Please pray that I will be the witness that the Lord wants me to be to these people. I am there for the sake of Christ first, then for them.

Archived Blog 7-17-2009

07-17-2009 4:22:46 PM CST
Yesterday as I started out on the streets, I noticed a crowd gathering at the back of a pickup truck in the parking lot across the street from the mission. There were two or three ladies and a man handing out hotdogs to the homeless. You may be wondering how many homeless are here on a daily basis? Probably about two hundred. So you can imagine the line of people starting to gather around this pickup. People were running out of the shelter to get in line to get hotdogs. I have mixed feelings about this type of ministring. I think how to miniser to these people can only be understood if you take the time to personally get to know these people, their needs and the lifestyle's they are currently living. Then you can minister to their needs more responsibly.
Knoxville has recently passed a law that says that you cannot sit or stand (loiter) on the city sidewalks. You have to be moving. This is because it is a eye sore to see all the drunks and prostitutes sitting getting drunk and sleeping on the sidewalks. The punisment for not observing the law is a $50.00 fine. I wish them the best trying to collect money from the homeless! This has made a lot of them angry with the city. They already feel like outcast and to them this just seems like they are 'kicking them when their down." I only stayed for a short time because a local news camera man was there "videoing" the homeless on the streets. I guess I'm camera shy and I didn't want to be seen on t.v. so I left.
Maybe there will be better 'fishing' next time.

Archived Blog 7-16-2009

07-16-2009 8:52:01 AM CST
As I was working on the streets yesterday I met a young man (19 years old) from California. He had ran away from his foster parents and came to Tennessee to find his biological father. It really is a sad story, he says that in foster care he was physically abused as a child. I talked with him for awile and gave him a tract. He said he used to go to church ( a Catholic church) when he was younger and that was the best thing that happened to him. Please pray for Jeffrey, what he needs is to find the Heavenly Father!
You might remember a young man I talked about named Michael, we led him to the Lord a few weeks ago. As Michael was sleeping in his camp, two men and a woman attacked him. One man hit him over the head with a large rock while the other two held him down. He was released from the hospital with large swellings on his head. They stole $25.00 and his "food stamp" card. Michael also has epilepsy.
I talked with a lady probably in her thirties, she was assaulted by another man in the shelter while eating lunch. She is a known prostitute and has been working the streets for a long time. I have witnessed to her before and she broke down in tears. This time as I talked to her I gave her a tract called "Living the Broadway". Linda is in so bad of shape that sometimes when I see her walking on the street I wonder if she is not going to fall over because she is so high on drugs. She is probably one of the worst I have seen. Please pray that the Lord will save her.

Archived Blog 7-15-2009

07-15-2009 7:39:29 AM CST
I met a young lady (early twenties) living on the streets the other day, her name was Nelly, I gave her a tract and asked her where she was from. She said she was from California so I asked her what she was doing in Knoxvile? She said she had come here with a man and when they got here he left her! Now she is living on the streets. I spent some time with her and then went on to handing out some more tracts to the others who were on the streets. I did not stay long this day because their was to much of a violent spirit among the people. Several were fighting and cussing and I wanted to leave before that attitude was directed toward me. I was still able to give one of those that were fighting a tract before I left! I will wait till another day when they are sober and pray that the Lord will give liberty to witness to them.

Archived Blog 6-21-2009

06-21-2009 3:37:05 PM CST
Yesterday as I was witnessing on the streets I met a lady who I will not name, but I had seen her a few times before. Most of the time when I had seen her she was stumbling and slurring because she was drunk. But not today, she was sober and she was sitting on the sidewalk nitting a blanket and I started up a converstion with her. She showed me that she still had the tract that I gave her the other day but she said she had not read it. I told her I had another one for her and I gave her another one and she put it in her bag. We started talking about where we were from and what our family life was like growing up. We had similar backgrounds but I could tell as she started talking about her relationship with her father that he had done something terrible to her when she was a child. She was so hurt when she talked about her dad that all she could do was stop talking and cry about what he had done to her. She was angry that he has lived his life for so long seeminly happy while she has had to carry this torment he had placed on her. She said she was very bitter with him because of what he had done to her. This being such a hard subject for her to deal with she asked if we could talk about something else and I was gladly agreed. But as I concider her present condition, could it be that drinking is how she deals with what her father had done to her in the past? I think so.
Oh! If she would listen, I believe that Jesus would save her and take upon Him the burden she is carrying! It is my prayer that God draws her to His Son Jesus Christ.
Maybe, when concidering what Christ has done for her, someday she could forgive her father too. Not that he desrves to be forgiven, but for Christ's sake and her happiness, forgive.
Would you please pray for her.

Archived Blog 6-19-2009

06-19-2009 7:30:46 AM CST
Let me back up a few weeks to the first time when I met Renee. I was talking to three middle age men when I asked them if they wanted some hot chocolate and they said yes, I went to the truck and started some on the camping stove that I had brought. I gave them the hot chocolate and they were very thankful and we continued our converstion with each other when we were interupted by a drunk lady wearing dark sunglasses. She looked at me and with a drunken slur demanded to know wear "her cofee" was. (She didn't know it was hot chocolate). Like I was in the wrong for not binging her her morning cofee!
This was my first experience with Renee.
The second time I met her her opening words to me were "did you bring me some chicken"?
The third time I met her she said something like "you should buy me something to eat". She said this to me just after she ate (for free) and was comming out of the cafeteria at the mission.
The next time I saw her she was sitting on the side of the road drinking and as I was walking towards her she started yelling to me, "your to late preacher, your to late, I've already started drinking"! She thought it was to late for her to listen to some preaching, but she still asked if I had brought her some chicken!
The next time I was preparing to go to the streets I was writing a tract that the Lord laid on my heart. My daughter Hannah saw me writing the tract and she wanted to write one too. I spent most of the day preparing this tract and printing it and proof reading it and so on. I was ready to go and Hannah gave me her tract, it looked more like a letter. In her own words and with crooked letters and mispellings she wrote that you must be born again and how that Jesus Christ is the only way to God. She asked me to hand this "tract" out to someone on the streets. I reluctantly said O.K.
I hit the streets with my tracts that I worked so hard on and handed a few out, went inside the mission to possibly talk to anyone who would listen. I was walking back to my truck when I remembered that I had not yet kept my word to Hannah about giving her "tract" out to someone.
I thought, oh boy, who am I going to give this "tract" written by a seven year old girl to. And guess who I saw sitting on the sidewalk, yep, it was Renee. I said, I'll give it to her! I approached her and she started the converstion with the usual, "did you bring me some chicken"? I said no, but I do have something for you. I handed her Hannahs tract. She slowly unfolded it and started reading it through those dark black sunglasses she always wears. As I stood there waiting for her reply she remained speachless. I was wondering if she was having a hard time reading Hannah handwriting. So I asked her if she could read what it said. With no verbal response she just nodded her head yes. She looked up at me and for the first time she lifted up those sunglasses off of her eyes. I could see that they were swelling with tears. She said "for me"? I said yes, for you. And then she broke, like a dry twig, she broke! Crying like a little baby, something had broken through to her hard heart! Renee was crying, then I started crying! What a sight it must have been, the preacher and the drunk sobbing together over the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
Yes, this is how God works!

Please pray for Renee.

Archived Blog 6-19-2009

06-19-2009 5:31:46 AM CST
This blog is a page where I share with others what we see and experience when we are ministring on the streets. It is also a place where you can leave your comments. All readers are encouraged to leave a comment.

Toby