Eugene

Eugene came into our life here in Northside about a year back... He got "hooked" by Chris and the boys at the Chambers house (which will soon be rented to other people, as the guys all move into 1325 Chase!!!).

He has a wife and kids (the whole story is his. no other corroboration) and they live a few blocks away... his story unfolded over months, revealing more and more jail time and drug use... but he portrayed himself as a son of a deacon, non-religious man who lives mostly for himself and is now homeless because his marriage has dissolved...

He constantly asked us for money. We shucked out big bucks to get him ahead and had to stop because we weren't making rent and whatnot--no kidding... we learned that that isn't love, necessarily...

Zach and JP really went to the mat with it. They told him repeatedly and passionately that we couldn't cover his financials out of our monetary resources--that we can't bankroll ya, man--but that we want him to become our brother in Christ. There are worse things than poverty, you know?
Hell, for example?

We offered him all we felt we could. He only wanted money. If he asked for money for a ride across town, we offered him a ride (and lunch), but he didn't want that. he would treat us like we were being mean when we did that. This happened in a lot of ways...

at different times, i felt we were "making progress" and that Eugene might let us be family to him in God, soon. but he pulled away, wanting money, change, any money, but not HELP, and not company... Not friendship...

I saw Eugene yesterday, as the storm started rolling in. He was in winter clothes, even though it was unseasonably warm. He was homeless, now (we helped him with two jobs in the past--he lost them both).
Where you livin?
at the Drop Inn...
how are ya?
as good as could be expected.

Eugene, I really want to help ya, man (im thinkin)
bro, i'm sorry (is all that i can put on the table...)(Jesus, i'm sorry, is what i'm thinking...

How are we to love Eugene? He's homeless, troubled by the consequences of a million bad choices... not his own, either, all of them... He's a lost sheep!

He's not safe. We sense great anger in him (yoda?) and can't welcome him into the house, we feel... that is a community thing, there... this whole thing has been handled in community, sother's a lot of submission involved in it...
when some people in our community, who have wisdom and discernment gifts say that something's not okay to do, we listen. What?

So, there's Eugene, standing in the spitting rain. He doesn't want to get in the car and go somewhere. He doesn't want to stay at the house, except to live the same old life out of it...

"I would ask you for money, but I know I can't," he says.
"Eugene, what about Jesus?"
"I told you; my dad's a deacon and I know about church."
"Yeah, but what about following Jesus, in your life, today? What about totally giving up and devoting yourself to Him and giving up all your old ways?" (there was major alcohol on him today)
"Man, I go to church. It's Jesus how I made it to today! He helps me with everything!" He says... "I just want some help today."

I don't remember how I responded. It was something that included, "there are worse things than this poverty... there's hell," at which Eugene kind of rolled his eyes and "signed off"...

I feel responsible to love Jesus in my fellow man. I feel especially responsible to Eugene, as he is poor and homeless... but I wonder how I can be of any help to him... We don't run a shelter. We run homes, out of which we offer authentic fellowship to those who crave Christ. Please pray for us. Please pray for Eugene.

I feel I'm wrong, deeply. That something is broken. It's not okay. It's wrong...

And I feel that it can only be put right by prayer... It's not all Eugene. It's not all us...

maranatha....