life 4 ..~ trekkin' out .. 9 .. lem and the homeless and Jesus and me ...

yesterday ..

had a meet with a very interesting person i'll call lem
i wanted to meet with him because he knows lotsof things santa cruz
he's older than i
wiser
and gets around to all the organizations trying to help people
he tries to keep up

i figure i'm new and lost and need info

lots of info
and lem is kinda like the butterfly
he's everywhere
and knows everyone
it seems

i don't remember much if i don't write it down
i noted some of what he said
but the dude threw out a massive amount of info

although my mind doesn't store detail
it sees things
recognizes things in people ...
i'll take the infirmity and keep the mindsight thank you
it serves me well

lem is a roman catholic
he involves himself in the church community we are in
he has a heart for the homeless
a wonderful memory
a welcoming home
a wonderfully flowery overgrown private backyard
and cashews and almonds and strawberries on the table in the 'drawing room'
and a cuppa tea ... earl grey

his front room is filled with books
mostly rc related
and pictures of all sorts
and there's a used fireplace
2 walking staffs in the corner behind the door

his wife is a painter
her passion exploded when she joined church

i spent 2+ hours with lem today
every minute tuned to his mind
listening to hear his wisdom

lem's very laid back
he doesn't offer much advice
and his thinkmode is freedom
freedom from the burden of the american dream
freedom from keepingupwiththejoneses
freedom from getting his value from his career

freedom for homeless people
freedom for hungry people
freedom for families with no roof
freedom for college students that sleep in cars

we discussed all kinds of things related to the homeless
he mentioned organization after organization
church after church
group after group
all doing their own little thing
in their own little way
to help here and there

great stuff

then he mentioned the recent UN survey on the homeless
conducted in santa cruz county every other year
this survey indicated an increase of 28%
from the 2,771 to 3,536
in 2 years ...
they're based on incomplete info anyway
and subject to reality
which usually means the info is 25-50% understated
at least if it's anything at all like the last county i lived in ...
homeless people run from censuring ... they are afraid of being harassed by the powersthatbe
and that not without cause

money still talks
bigtime
it rules the world
it rules this country
from the very top
literally

.... selah ..~

something became very clear to me as lem told his stuff
all those organizations
all those resources
all those people wanting to help
trying to help
in their own little way ...
piecemeal

the piecemeal hit me

what if they were to pool their resources
food and clothing and people and storage and distribution and ...
but then ...
bureaucracy
redtape
politics

ok
so it won't work ...
because everyone's scared there will be a rush
once everyone knows they have stuff
and then they won't have their stuff
to help their little group of needy ...
they want to control their stuff

so.......
let's take out the non-religious org's ...
that leaves the ... religious
the ones that should be wanting to help ...
isn't that why they're helping   ?
maybe if we get them together ....
but then
there's the bureaucracy redtape politics ...
sad that

issues -
some people get their worth from 'helping the poor'
so they want to be recognized for their role in helping the poor
so they need to be identified with their stuff and the poor they use it for ...
so they can feed their worth
clothe their worth

they want to control their resources
not pool them

i think i'm going to be sick ...

i began to emote ...

all i know is this
God called me here
to help the homeless ....
isn't that what it's about  ?
the homeless  ?
if the religious
   the ones that claim to be for god
   bear the godname
   be the godpeople in the earth

   speak in the name of god

   take tithes from people to run their godbusiness

can't reorient their thinking away from the me
and be what they're supposed to be
do what they're supposed to do ...
then
what makes them so different from everyone else  ?
what indeed ...
maybe a lot of fluff and colour and pomp and pride ...

selah ..~

i just got here
i'm a stranger
and there are other limitations to me in this place
but i think maybe
just maybe
that's a good thing
because i get to see it from the outside
i get to look fresh
with new eyes

and i promise
if i get the opportunity
again
or again too
i will speak out
like i did yesterday
in lem's drawing room
to 2
or 200

i will say
all i know is
God wants to help the hurting
and he asked me to help him help them
and it's really that simple
help ...
put aside the mestuff
the mychurchdoesthis stuff
and help
use everything
everyone
and help
now

help all
regardless
for God sends the rain on all
and the sun shines on all
regardless

i'm going to push what i see to be the core issue
i'm going to run right past the tape
step over the politics
walk around the mestuff and the mychurchdoesthis stuff
and go to the heart of the matter ...
people are hurting
they need food shelter clothing
and we have food shelter clothing
= problem solved
at least for today
today
don't concern yourself with tomorrow
sufficent for tomorrow is tomorrow's evil
do it today
now
for them
for God
diss the redtapeandthebureaucracyandthepolitics

help them
they hurt ...

and it is my sincere understanding of the God i serve
the Jesus i follow
that
he
hurts
with
them

he cries for them

and he looks on
head in hands
mind bewildered
at the people
   the ones that claim to be for god
   bear the godname
   be the godpeople in the earth

   speak in the name of god

   take tithes from people to run their godbusiness

and don't ...

Jesus weeps

mine

as his disciple

is to weep with him

and do his mind

shalom