Training School Intro

I must first admit that I am highly reluctantly starting this... for whatever reason I've never wanted a blog, mostly cause I don't think anyone will ready it I think but I feel like I should start one... so here it goes. Most of the entries on here will related to Training School which is a journey with 7 other people in my church which entails class and mission trips. The first entry which I will share was written upon my arrival home from our first mission trip to Toronto. Also even if you don't follow Jesus I encourage you to read on to the end, theres some good stuff in here... (PS this is raw, unedited, that's how I roll)

“Its just taking a walk with Jesus.” This was the line that Larry said in the Common Ground service for training school back in May that I really remember, that grabbed my heart. As I set out on this journey to Toronto and committing to Training School this line continued to lead me; the idea that its all about Jesus and he’s always with us so therefore its clearly just viewing it as a walk and therefore by committing the next 9 months to him he’s clearly just asking me to take a walk. Viewing it like this made it seem so much simpler, so much easier to commit to and I figured that this was clearly and obviously what was meant by the statement… I’m beginning to see that I was incorrect.

Taking a walk with Jesus is more in reference to the fact that Jesus spent most of his time in ministry simply walking around. It was pretty clear he didn’t have an agenda, he just walked. He allowed himself the time and space to truly have compassion and love guide him. He listened and he saw, he really saw the world around him. He didn’t walk around simply seeing whatever it was that he wanted to see but he saw straight through to people’s hearts, to their real needs.

With that simple idea and taking Jesus’ ministry down to its simplest form (remembering that I’m simply a sinner and human so I’m probably missing so much of what it was truly about) it tells me that what Larry’s statement about Training School really meant was simply to walk… simply to go about life and the streets of Toronto and walk around, no agenda, no timelines, really no plans, and no need or desire to sit down with anyone and share the 4 spiritual laws but just to see and be open to the Spirit. To be open and willing when a homeless person beckons you over to go and sit with them and just talk. The idea of just being. Simply sitting, talking, listening, showing compassion and foremost sharing love. Not needing to know if your “sacrifice” of an hour of time had any affect on their lives, if because of it their lives would change; if they would not smoke crack tonight because of it, if they would not drink tonight because of it, if instead of taking that $5 you gave them and spending it on beer they’d instead buy some nourishing food, if they’d go to heaven because of that time, if you actually “made a difference”… but instead trusting God with it; knowing that none of those things are your responsibility or are things that you have control over but rather that all we’re called to do is to love God and love our neighbors. Not needing to preach to them but just to show them care. Being open and obedient to where the Spirit guides you and then releasing all else to him. How arrogant must I be to think that I have any power to change anyone or right to know if they are changed. All I have is due to grace and therefore as long as I’m administering that grace faithfully in accordance to the calling it was given to me by then that is all the power I have.

Additionally, I can definitely say that I probably learned more from the homeless and they probably gave ME more than I gave them. It seems so backwards because I’m the educated one, the one with money, the one with a job, the one with ambition, the one with a clean home to go to, the one with a bed to sleep in at night and a fridge full of food, clearly I’m the one who has things to share, to teach. Yet somehow I can’t help but wonder while we’re all at work, or buying our precious materials, or eating our dinner at our dining room table… if we’re the ones missing it. Missing what it means to live, to feel compassion, to truly love your brother. I watched my friend on the street asking his pal if he wanted some of his McDonald’s salad, I know it was probably the only thing that he was going to have to eat that day, I’m not sure where he got the money to even buy it but I was sure that more money wasn’t likely to show up anytime soon. Then I remembered all the times at the end of my meals out with friends I had asked for a to-go container, had someone asked me if they could have the rest of my meal I surely would have responded, “well I guess, I was gonna bring it home though.” Why and where it is that in having so much I am so unwilling to share? And where is it in the Bible that it says this is right and ok? Yup I’m the one who has so much to teach the homeless…