Last Tuesday in San Diego’s Gaslight District, we were headed to dinner at Las Hadas on 5th Ave. Our group was eclectic - varied in age, race, gender & origin. A few of us had met in Chicago last year but most of our group was new to each other in spite of this we fell into relational chatting. We laughed & encouraged one another as we walked; we enjoyed each others company. When a group of people have a common purpose and aren’t afraid of relationship, its incredible the familiar feeling of friendship & family that settles in.
We eventually decided that our after dinner entertainment would be a few games of pool at the Old Spaghetti Factory. Believe me, it was entertainment! A few in the group knew how to play pool but most were amateurs. I didn’t know how – still don’t really know how, but after a while and some personalized instruction I managed to make a few decent shots. If my 9th grade Math teacher would have only told me that Geometry would have come in handy for shooting pool, I’m sure I would have done a better job of committing those rules to memory (just kidding - nothing short of the miraculous would embed those rules in my cerebrum).
After we left the Old Spaghetti Factory we walked to the San Diego Convention Center so that we could look out over the Embarcadero Marina. On the way to the Convention Center a homeless man reached out and asked for some change. Since I only had my credit card I had to say “no” but I stopped for a moment to give him “such as I had”, a smile, a handshake and some of my time.
The view from the top of the Convention Center was beautiful! The air was crisp & the lights reflecting over the water were magnificent. We stood there for a while just soaking in the sight. None of us were unaware of why we were together. We each knew that our love and passion for ministry to the homeless and addicted was what had brought us here. We enjoyed just standing there...
Our group had spent time in various sessions gathering information about new & improved ways to minister to the homeless & addicted. Each day we sat under powerful preachers & teachers that brought us closer to Christ. Conviction had taken hold of our hearts and propelled us to seek new anointing in our ministries. During one particularly powerful message the speaker invited each one to kneel down at their seat & spend time in prayer. It was incredible the atmosphere of humility as the entire convention hall knelt in the presence of God. I, for one had to wipe tears away.
On the walk back to the Metropolitan Transit station it became apparent to me that in spite of our being mostly strangers, we were part of a family. We were old friends who had met just days earlier. We were on the same team yet our offices are thousands of miles apart. We each have a story of how we found ourselves in ministry to the homeless and addicted. God has used our life experiences to give us compassion & empathy for the broken. Is this what made practical strangers a cohesive unit over a three day span? I’m not sure what all went into making our group seem like old friends, but I believe the power of compassion, empathy, love & passionate relationship with Christ was foundational in our time together.
Thanks 2020 Vision group for a memorable Tuesday night @ AGRM 2011!
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