A New Vision

One rainey day I found myself sitting in Linn Park, in Birmingham Alabama on a park bench at 7:30 a.m. in the morning. As I sat there examining my life, people began to gather in the park like ants drawn to a stray piece of candy on a sidewalk. I realized as I looked upon this gathering of people that I could tell by their tattered, mismatched clothes and the sacks or backpacks the majority of them carried that they were a large portion of the homeless community in this city. It was like they were all here for something, like they were waiting on an event.

Then the event began. A truck pulled up with a trailor in tow that looked like a tiny building with a serving window. Out popped a man and his helpers who began to set up their sound equiptment and work area. As I looked on I realized these people were here to minister to the homeless. Then the music began to play. The songs of praise and worship to God filled my ears and my heart. I saw the people gather in front of this tiny trailor and begin to worship God. The man took the microphone and began to preach with a passion fueled by the fire of God on the inside of him. I saw people touched by his message and several gave their lives to Jesus. Then they all lined up to get the hot meal that was being served.

Others came to minister to these people. One truck has socks that they handed out. Another had hot coffee that they were serving. Still another was handing out sandwiches. As I witnessed all that was going on around me, I was filled with an overwhelming desire to help these people. To do something to change their lives, to give them hope, but I had nothing to give.

As I walked away from the park that day, I knew that the desire in my heart to make a difference in these peoples' lives was put there by God. How could I make a difference, I asked Him. He spoke so clearly to my heart, "Billy, all you have to do is touch their lives for me. If all you do is hand them a sandwich, you have touched their life". So I began my ministry.