Miracles Among Us. Ministry on the street.

Hydro, Tex, Enhancer, Reggie and the Duke of Earl – all street names, but all people I came to love and pray for regularly. Of all the Long Beach street people profiled, the Duke of Earl captured the hearts of folks the most. You will remember that my first impressions of him could be categorized as apprehensive at best. The reason I first noticed him was because of his big intimidating presence and his cold, dark eyes. All of that has changed.

Several weeks ago, the Duke said, “I am Jonah.” I have been praying fervently for this man who could rock his community with a life ready to be poured out for God. This past Friday, he called two women over to meet me; he introduced them by devilishly saying, “I sleep with these women every night . . . really, I sleep between them so that they will be safe.” They nodded. He saw my changed expression and said, “Kris-teeeen, what were you thinking?” Those women aren’t ‘interested’ in him—they are quite fond of each other—but he looks out for them, just the same.

What is happening in the Duke is quite amazing; actually, it is miraculous. The heart change in the Duke is a miracle of the heart . . . a miracle of the will. One proof of that is that while no one has ‘officially’ said anything, there has been a changing of the guard. Literally. Reggie has been my main man, (my keeper/body guard, if you will), but in the last weeks, it is the Duke who stands and waits for me to finish ministering . . . who stands and watches to the end, until my Escalade makes the illegal u-turn in the middle of the street, and heads into safer territory for one such as me.

“I concede,” he said, on Friday. I just turned my head and looked him in the eye, but said nothing. See, it’s working. The Holy Spirit is getting his man. Jonah is making a U-turn. “Now I see why I’ve been on the streets,” he said, as he looked around—“I can reach these people.” I didn’t say anything, just nodded. I have learned that, with the Duke, fewer words are better than many words. Yes, we are seeing a miracle in the flesh in one Viet Nam War veteran who thought he was successfully running from God. ‘Guess not, Duke—and, I am not sorry.’ A miraculous change is taking place before our very eyes. First mine, then yours.

Friends, never doubt that God is good; he is good indeed!

Everyone, of course, has a story, but somehow for people on the street—well, their story usually involves some kind of hardship, and often, a tragedy. ‘Take for instance, my friend Popeye, so nick-named for obvious reasons. He knows so much Scripture from memory, and if he falters, knows just where to go in his tattered Bible to finish the thought. He is an inspiration to me.

This week, I had the opportunity to ask him more about himself—‘seems he got very sick back in the 70s, even had some paralysis. Imaging revealed an egg-sized brain tumor. Surgery was life threatening, but then so was a decision not to operate. The most incredible thing is that he not only survived the surgery in 1977, (though he has three sizable indentations in his Popeye-bald head), his IQ was saved. He shares a small apartment with someone, and makes his way somehow. Popeye looks for a kind word to say to those around him, (though they have to listen very closely as he talks like Popeye—very fast!), and he is always willing to lend a hand in service. Popeye is one of God’s miraculous wonders in the Long Beach story.

There are ‘lesser’ miracles, which are no less ‘God things’ . . . but, big miracles, small miracles, all of them are brushes of the divine. All of them represent miracles among us. Oh, God . . . come! Come and walk amongst us. Come and do what only you can do. Come and do miracles among us.

Christine

PastorWoman.com