Conversations on "the Corner"

Thursday I spent a couple of hours hanging out at "the Corner" again.

I met new people and visited with old friends.  Here's a verbal collage of what I heard.

Job talk--as in the one I just got!  A beautiful young guy beamed as he described his job driving trucks and as he confessed his miscue with drugs that almost cost him everything.  But the job made him beam:  "I don't want anything from anyone. I just want to work!"

Housing talk--"I want an apartment, then a job," one old friend confided with tears.  We're working on it.

CitySquare as a trusted resource--several friends talked about the hope they were receiving from our team around issues like housing, employment, faith and simple respect.

Faith talk/theology--God is always in the forefront of these encounters.  Deep theology meeting very powerful, but simple faith.  You have to be present to hear it to appreciate its power, but it's there and it's off the charts!  Sunday morning at its best has a long way to go to capture this experience and equipping.

We drank hot coffee in the cold wind.

We ate boxed meals and rather dry, hard donated pastries.

We shared laughs and hugs and stories.

There were lots of thanksgiving and smiles and "See ya next week" departures.

Good people who have little materially, but who have great wealth in social, spiritual and community terms.