The Best Day

LIVING Ministry exists to uncover the hope of Jesus Christ as we build and pursue relationships with the homeless.  It's not that complex of a mission really: just live life together and make sure our friends see where hope can be found. The thing about relationships though, is they are difficult.  Sometimes we revisit the same conversations over and over just trying to highlight the hope Christ offers in those struggles.  Other times it's hard to even find our homeless friends: they run out of minutes on their phone or don't come to the meeting we've set up.  It's been said that we are sometimes a ministry of heartbreaks.

Today though, today was not a day of heartbreaks.  Today was basketball.  Today was the best day.

Every few months our staff, some volunteers, and a few of our homeless friends get together to play basketball.  Some people are good, some people (...me) not so much.  We play a real game with a real winner and loser, but it is such a social time.  People we haven't seen in months will show up for basketball, it's like a reunion on the court. I have essentially no basketball skills, but man I love these days.  

On basketball days I'm so aware that our model of ministry works.  Men and women who have essentially nothing in common come together to play because they are linked through Christ.  People who have no housing and people who have found housing play the game together, cheer each other on (even if they are on the other team) and talk about what is going on in their lives.  As I sat on the sidelines today waiting to sub in, I realized this really is what heaven will be like.  Who cares how little we have in common, we have Christ and that is everything.  

It's hard for me to put into words how good I felt this evening leaving the gym. I've re-read everything I wrote and it just doesn't capture how good I felt today.  I walked out of the gym with some of the greatest people I know, into a sunny 63 degree afternoon, turned on my car and over the radio came David Crowder's "O Praise Him".   It was perfect. I can't imagine eternity feeling any less perfect than that moment.  This is the hope I know we are sharing. I can't believe I get to be part of it. Today was the best day.