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Friday, February 22, 2019

At Light's Edge - Chapter 40: Twists and Turns


Forty
____________
Twists and Turns


Renwick Stone stood humbly atop two large crates by a large garbage can in Graffiti Alley in the early morning’s faint light. His face, showing the joy he felt inside his heart, shone like a nightlight in the corner of a dark warehouse, the warehouse of life. He enjoyed hosting crusades in alleys found throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. This location was one of his favorite places to be, however. It was not only because his audience proved to be an attentive one, but was due, in part, to his happiness, happiness of seeing Jenny walking in a real personal relationship with God, and in a loving healthy relationship with a wonderful Christian man. He treasured his memories of meeting Jenny way back in the days when he worked on the Y-MAX women’s prison and his first casual encounter with her there.
Jenny whispered to Renaldo, “Let’s keep praying silently for each face we see here in this alley.”
“As always, my dear Jenny, as always,” Renaldo encouraged.
The crowd, though many would not identify this group of eleven or twelve homeless victims of life as a crowd, stared earnestly at the man atop the crates. Some wobbled back and forth, others rocked to and fro, but all did everything in their power to listen to the ‘Alley Preacher’ they had heard during their lives at one time or another.
Renie’s message to the crowd centered on the hope of certainty Christians have regarding their faith in the Creator, factual evidences, and centuries of people’s experiences with a living, personal God. He talked of Christ’s one thousand year reign upon his return to Earth, the binding and release of Satan during that time, and about the new heavens and the new earth, “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.”
One woman yelled out, “Amen, brother!”
Renie quoted from the Bible’s book of Titus, “looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.”
The same woman shouted again, “Preach it, honey!”
Unfazed, Renie continued, “A reading from the book of Ecclesiastes chapter three:

‘To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven:
A time to be born,
And a time to die;
A time to plant,
And a time to pluck what is planted;
A time to kill,
And a time to heal;
A time to break down,
And a time to build up;
A time to weep,
And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn,
And a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones,
And a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace,
And a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to gain,
And a time to lose;
A time to keep,
And a time to throw away;
A time to tear,
And a time to sew;
A time to keep silence,
And a time to speak;
A time to love,
And a time to hate;
A time of war,
And a time of peace.’”

Not a sound could be heard as Renwick continued, “Just as God placed seasons in nature, life has its own seasons also. There's springtime when new things in our life begin and our hearts are filled with excitement and hope as we anticipate what the future may have in store for us; summertime comes, when the heat of the day scorches our life with pain and discouragement; when fall comes we reap the harvest from the seeds we planted earlier in our lives; then winter comes and brings an ending to certain periods of our lives. Winter can bring trouble and hardship, God says, ‘But if a man lives many years and rejoices in them all, yet let him remember the days of darkness, for they will be many’. Remember during the winters of your lives to remain filled with hope, because another spring is coming, riding on the shopping cart of life and it is just around the corner.”
Renwick climbed down from the crates and began to walk down the alley as he continued to speak, “Christ once told a Jewish ruler named Nicodemus that a person must be born spiritually, ‘Jesus answered and said to him, Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ Each of you here today must call out to God in sincerity if you wish to know Him.” He slowly made his way to the rear of the alley saying, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life; I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
Rennie smiled at the eager faces before him and continued, “Christ died for our sins, he was buried, and he rose again alive the third day. These are but a few of the words we have from God to contemplate before we die and leave this world. Remember,” Renwick raised his right hand high, “as many as will receive the Lord Jesus, God gives the power and the right to become his children, and that is for everyone who chooses to believe in him.”
One listener sat down on the edge of a broken step, deep in thoughtful contemplation.
After returning to stand on the top of the crates, Renie continued, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Call out to God today if you will. If you will truly confess with your own mouth that Jesus is your Lord, and believe within your heart that God has raised Jesus from the dead... you will be saved. The Bible also states, ‘For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation’.”
The trio counseled many of the homeless listeners that day long into the afternoon and then, by surprise, Jenny and Renaldo announced that they planned to marry in one week. They could see the joy on Renie’s face, accented by the look of peace he always bore.
“I just don’t have the words to express my joy,” Renie said. "We have so much to accomplish before the great and terrible day of our Lord arrives!"
The three talked a while about the ministry and some of Jenny’s concerns, including who would care for the elderly woman, Mrs. Tilly, where Jenny currently lived. They would not leave her without knowing her needs were provided for.
“I know God will provide. He always does when it is right, and this is so right,” Renie encouraged. “In Ecclesiastes God says, ‘Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor’. You two will increase in your love, as a married couple, for God, for one another, and for the lost; I know this choice is good. I have such a peace deep in my soul. I just—”
Renie stopped cold in the middle of his sentence as a familiar face rounded the corner of the alley from the main street, “Cornell!”
The recently paroled Cornell Purdue had managed to keep his new found freedom somewhat of a secret, only informing a few relatives. His fellow construction workers chipped in some extra money to send him back to the USA. Cornell had managed to save some of his wages over the years, though he did enjoy supporting the efforts of various mission groups worldwide. He was not one who sowed his monetary gifts sparingly.
“You're free!” Renie's excitement overwhelmed him.
Cornell responded predictably, “I hear ya, man, I hear ya!”
“You remember Jenny, right Cornell?” Renie inquired.
Grabbing the frail woman in his huge arms and hugging her one foot above the ground, he replied, “I could never forget someone I saw sweeping the floors of a cold, empty feeling prison.”
Renie decided to stay with Renaldo until after the wedding. Renaldo asked him to be his Best Man.
Cornell also stayed with Renaldo. After the wedding he moved in with Mrs. Tilly and was of a great help to the elderly woman for the remaining years of her life. Cornell joined Cyrene Ministries as a part-time staff member and remained committed to helping with Back-Alley Ministries, assisting Renaldo and Jenny with anything they needed as often as he could.

The years progressed… Renie, Cornell, Jenny and her husband, all continued to reach out to the socially marginalized lost souls found frequenting the back-alleys throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.
 Jennifer eventually returned to continue with college and earned her master's degree in order to effectively help individuals suffering from Major Depressive Disorder, which many of those living a transient existence experience. In the years to come, Jenny was well-known for her counseling endeavors in the realm of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Jenny always balanced, honed and augmented her educational training with the principals found in Scripture; she knew that God's Word always trumped anything the secular world had to offer.
Cornell started a job training program for the homeless, teaching them the skills necessary for basic home repair work along with answering any question presented to him concerning life, death, history, and biblical issues.
Renwick eventually made a trip back to each of the Y-MAX prisons he had worked with construction on over the years, often featured as the special speaker for various Christian outreach groups.
The flames of their spiritual lights never dimmed.


~  ~  ~  The End ~  ~  ~

What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? -Luke 15:4
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. -Hebrews 4:16

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
2 Corinthians 5:17

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