Yesterday, I found where Jesus hangs out
Yesterday, I found where Jesus hangs out
Scripture tells a compelling story about how Jesus came to prove how much God wants to be with us. That God desires to be Emmanuel (the with-us God).
However, it’s clear through Jesus’ life and words that there are some places on earth where Jesus is sure to be found if our eyes are open to see him.
I found one of those places in Tampa, Florida yesterday.
I actually almost missed it!
My boyfriend and I are 9 months in to a long distance relationship. I am in Minneapolis, he is in Tampa.
Yeah… just 1564 miles from each other. No worries. #sarcasm
What has been fascinating is learning a new city and asking the question “what is God up to in Tampa?”
Today after having lunch with a new friend at a great Cuban spot in town, I met a friend I hadn’t been planning on meeting.
His name is Sonny and he has been experiencing homelessness in Florida for 20 years.
I was walking, dangerously, with my eyes on my phone, probably texting when I hear:
“Excuse me, do you have 47 cents?”
I was so confused by the strange amount that Sonny was asking for that I got into a conversation with him.
(I guess that is the final amount he needed for the cigarettes he wanted to buy.)
We talked for a while, I heard about his life. He was from Mississippi. His birth name is Johnny, but his granny named him Sonny as he was being birthed.
How his wife ran off with another man in the 80s.
The next thing he knew that man had murdered her and their 4 year old son.
“I guess that’s when things fell apart and I got caught up.” Sonny explained.
“My son would be grown by now, he would be 29.”
I asked where he was headed and we ended up walking a mile to where he would buy his cigarettes. A few minutes into the walk he asked me if I was ashamed to walk with a man pushing a shopping cart.
“Of course not,” I said as I realized “of course” made it seem like I thought he was asking a stupid question. I am sure it wasn’t a stupid question from his point of view and experience.
I tried to imagine the depth of shame that would produce a question like that as we walked on.
We got to the store and I made him a deal, “I’ll buy you one unhealthy thing for every healthy thing you agree to eat.”
This resulted in us purchasing cigarettes, beer, a banana, orange juice and boiled peanuts.
We couldn’t decide if the peanuts were healthy so we figured they were the middle ground item.
Sonny insisted that I have a cup of the peanuts and I gagged the mushy cajun-flavored nuts down as we walked.
He then asked me if I wanted to meet his friends. We walked another mile or so, turned a corner and there sat 20 or so people who all experience the homeless life in Tampa.
I guess I was expecting two or three friends, not a whole community.
I sat on the curb with Sonny and his friends.
They smoked some form of weed called “Spice” and they told me about life on the streets, how misunderstood they feel as homeless men and expressed how difficult it is to trust pretty much anybody.
Sonny’s friend “Old Timer” explained:
“The thing most people don’t understand is how we got here. None of us wanted to be on the streets, something happened and we had no family and friends to help us when we were in a time of need.”
They then told me my name on the streets would be “Shorty” which I think is a compliment based on the current Urban Dictionary definition. Not totally sure about that, but I went with it.
I bought a pair of Nike’s off of Sonny that he found in a dumpster and wanted to sell. Told him I would give to my boyfriend Dan as a gift. Then I head back home.
As I drove away, I thought about sitting on that curb and how different that space felt from most spaces I typically hang out:
On one hand it felt like an honor that this group of people were sharing their life with me. Their openness and perspective served me more than I was going to be able to serve them.
On the other hand I felt scared of the unknown in an atmosphere that society tells me to fear.
My mind was racing as I was outside of my comfort zone, seeing things I don’t typically see and hearing things I don’t typically hear. Not to mention what I could smell.
As I looked in the rear view mirror, it dawned on me:
This is where Jesus would hang out.
No wait… this IS where Jesus is hanging out!
God immediately gave me a picture in my mind of Jesus sitting there on the curb between Sonny and Old Timer as they talked with me.
Jesus’ heart is for the poor.
There is no doubt about it. When you read about Jesus life and ministry, you can’t deny it.
If you want to see Jesus, you can be sure to find him among the poor.
I’m sure Jesus is present and moving all over Tampa, amongst all demographics.
But in that moment I was so deeply sure that Jesus was sitting on that curb and that I didn’t realize it till I drove away.
Yesterday I found where Jesus hangs out.
It was in a place where I hadn’t expected to find him.
And I can’t stop asking myself – why?
Why did I miss seeing Jesus on the corner of Florida Ave and East Kay Street?
Yesterday, I found where Jesus hangs out
Scripture tells a compelling story about how Jesus came to prove how much God wants to be with us. That God desires to be Emmanuel (the with-us God).
However, it’s clear through Jesus’ life and words that there are some places on earth where Jesus is sure to be found if our eyes are open to see him.
I found one of those places in Tampa, Florida yesterday.
I actually almost missed it!
My boyfriend and I are 9 months in to a long distance relationship. I am in Minneapolis, he is in Tampa.
Yeah… just 1564 miles from each other. No worries. #sarcasm
What has been fascinating is learning a new city and asking the question “what is God up to in Tampa?”
Today after having lunch with a new friend at a great Cuban spot in town, I met a friend I hadn’t been planning on meeting.
His name is Sonny and he has been experiencing homelessness in Florida for 20 years.
I was walking, dangerously, with my eyes on my phone, probably texting when I hear:
“Excuse me, do you have 47 cents?”
I was so confused by the strange amount that Sonny was asking for that I got into a conversation with him.
(I guess that is the final amount he needed for the cigarettes he wanted to buy.)
We talked for a while, I heard about his life. He was from Mississippi. His birth name is Johnny, but his granny named him Sonny as he was being birthed.
How his wife ran off with another man in the 80s.
The next thing he knew that man had murdered her and their 4 year old son.
“I guess that’s when things fell apart and I got caught up.” Sonny explained.
“My son would be grown by now, he would be 29.”
I asked where he was headed and we ended up walking a mile to where he would buy his cigarettes. A few minutes into the walk he asked me if I was ashamed to walk with a man pushing a shopping cart.
“Of course not,” I said as I realized “of course” made it seem like I thought he was asking a stupid question. I am sure it wasn’t a stupid question from his point of view and experience.
I tried to imagine the depth of shame that would produce a question like that as we walked on.
We got to the store and I made him a deal, “I’ll buy you one unhealthy thing for every healthy thing you agree to eat.”
This resulted in us purchasing cigarettes, beer, a banana, orange juice and boiled peanuts.
We couldn’t decide if the peanuts were healthy so we figured they were the middle ground item.
Sonny insisted that I have a cup of the peanuts and I gagged the mushy cajun-flavored nuts down as we walked.
He then asked me if I wanted to meet his friends. We walked another mile or so, turned a corner and there sat 20 or so people who all experience the homeless life in Tampa.
I guess I was expecting two or three friends, not a whole community.
I sat on the curb with Sonny and his friends.
They smoked some form of weed called “Spice” and they told me about life on the streets, how misunderstood they feel as homeless men and expressed how difficult it is to trust pretty much anybody.
Sonny’s friend “Old Timer” explained:
“The thing most people don’t understand is how we got here. None of us wanted to be on the streets, something happened and we had no family and friends to help us when we were in a time of need.”
They then told me my name on the streets would be “Shorty” which I think is a compliment based on the current Urban Dictionary definition. Not totally sure about that, but I went with it.
I bought a pair of Nike’s off of Sonny that he found in a dumpster and wanted to sell. Told him I would give to my boyfriend Dan as a gift. Then I head back home.
As I drove away, I thought about sitting on that curb and how different that space felt from most spaces I typically hang out:
On one hand it felt like an honor that this group of people were sharing their life with me. Their openness and perspective served me more than I was going to be able to serve them.
On the other hand I felt scared of the unknown in an atmosphere that society tells me to fear.
My mind was racing as I was outside of my comfort zone, seeing things I don’t typically see and hearing things I don’t typically hear. Not to mention what I could smell.
As I looked in the rear view mirror, it dawned on me:
This is where Jesus would hang out.
No wait… this IS where Jesus is hanging out!
God immediately gave me a picture in my mind of Jesus sitting there on the curb between Sonny and Old Timer as they talked with me.
Jesus’ heart is for the poor.
There is no doubt about it. When you read about Jesus life and ministry, you can’t deny it.
If you want to see Jesus, you can be sure to find him among the poor.
I’m sure Jesus is present and moving all over Tampa, amongst all demographics.
But in that moment I was so deeply sure that Jesus was sitting on that curb and that I didn’t realize it till I drove away.
Yesterday I found where Jesus hangs out.
It was in a place where I hadn’t expected to find him.
And I can’t stop asking myself – why?
Why did I miss seeing Jesus on the corner of Florida Ave and East Kay Street?
What a great experience — seeing Jesus among those you met along the way in Tampa. I am encouraged that you are seeing God at work even in the places that you are visiting. Though I guess this place has more of a pull for you than if you’d just been attending a conference there. : )