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
No comments:
Post a Comment