“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus.”

Titus 2:11-13

The grass is neatly cut and manicured along the parkway, trees line the walkway. As you approach you notice a tent with someone sleeping on the ground outside. The closer you get you notice people just standing around holding cardboard signs saying “Will work for food” or “God Bless you”. There are children just sitting, not playing, not listening to IPods, just sitting with their parents.

The closer you walk; you begin to notice the car that apparently hasn’t run for a while is filled with someone’s belongings. The shopping cart holding blankets and recyclables is next to a shabbily dressed man carrying one of the cardboard signs. He looks directly at you, but you don’t make eye contact. Now you recognize that you have wandered into a homeless encampment, but that was not where you were headed, you were going to church.

This was the first thing you saw last Sunday morning as you walked toward the main Sanctuary at Crossroads. Once people passed our “Encampment” they were exposed to other areas of the world in which poverty exists. There were shanties erected, live animals, and outdoor cooking with food to sample. You could witness the physical relief in many people as they began to understand that we were only part of the display and that the church grounds had not been taken over by the homeless.

Patrice Maturkanich did a great job organizing our encampment, from the car and tent, to the actors playing the part of the homeless. Everyone did a great job. The most interesting thing was the response of many before they realized that these “Homeless” were members of our church. No one was rude, many people actually tried to give money; some actually insisted that we take their donation.

For many we noticed that we had intruded into their life, an unexpected interruption. We watched as one woman, kids in tow, stopped and walked around our display, toward the offices and down the stairs to avoid contact.

I would not put forth that anyone is indifferent or adverse toward the homeless; for the most part we just don’t know how to effectively help a stranger without jeopardizing our own well-being. This is a natural response for anyone.

How do we overcome these feelings? By increasing awareness of the problem, training on how to resolve the problem and resources to overcome the problem. The fix doesn’t come from one person becoming involved; it comes from all of us doing what each has the ability to accomplish.

From a Spiritual standpoint it looks like this, though each of these attributes applies to each of us, not just the homeless.

Awareness: “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men”.

Training: ”Instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age”

  Resource: ”Looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus.”

From a physical standpoint we are becoming more aware of the homeless problem that exists in our community. We are putting things in motion to train those interested in helping and we are organizing resources to make sure that the needs are being met. So we are on the right track.

Photo's by Dianna Lopez. MakeUp: Joanne Stevens and Malory Giboney

“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3

Today I am going to make my blog a social experiment using you. We are surrounded by visual stimulants that feed our brains a continual influx of information. We each believe that the things we see with our eyes are true. Today I would like you to take one minute, forty two seconds and watch “The Monkey Business Solution” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGQmdoK_ZfY

There are no tricks or spyware downloaded to your computer, just take a moment now and watch the video. If you have seen this type of video before, watch it again, this one has a new twist. Do it now, before you continue with the blog.

In the Annual Homeless Assessment Report of 2009, Housing and Urban Development reported to Congress that there was an estimated 643,000 homeless in America. http://www.huduser.org/publications/pdf/5thHomelessAssessmentReport.pdf

“Nearly 1.56 million people used an emergency shelter or a transitional housing program during the 12-month period (October 1, 2008 through September 30, 2009). Two thirds were homeless as individuals, and one-third were homeless as members of families.”

So when we drive down the street, what do we see? If you watched the Monkey Business Solution, can we trust what we saw? I think the video proves that we do have selective vision. When we are looking for that “New Car” we see them everywhere. A pregnant woman sees pregnant women everywhere she goes. The homeless that we are looking for are not those who generally walk the streets with shopping carts or stand in underpasses looking for handouts.

It’s those that are living in their cars or camping as a means of shelter. It’s those that are looking to get off of the streets, it’s those who are seeking shelter for their family; an opportunity to re-enter society and be self-sufficient. Sometimes it’s the obvious things that catch our attention and we make judgments on the obvious.
A better answer would be that we “Call to Him” and ask Him to reveal to us what the need is and our personal ability to help solve the problem of homelessness.

This Sunday Chuck will be speaking on the “The Darkness of Poverty”. We will also have a display in the Candlewalk, stop by and say “Hi”.

“But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work.” I Thessalonians 5:12

It’s Clergy Appreciation Month. To be honest I am somewhat offended that we have to have a “Hallmark Day” in order appreciate those whom we work with preaching the Gospel; we need to be appreciating them every day.
There was a point in my own life that I was making that career decision. I was actually looking at several schools and had applied to a Bible College to go into ministry full-time. Because of several “God Circumstances” and a lot of prayer, I followed the path of Paramedic/Firefighter. Having made that decision, I vowed to be the best volunteer in service to our Lord. I never regretted that decision and God has truly blessed me in being what I call a “DuVoc”, Dual Vocation. I am a firefighter by trade and a full-time Christian by passion.

I am in one of those professions that many in the community consider as a “Hero”. “Doc” is one of our firefighters, who as a black man stands six foot three and a biscuit short of 260 lbs. He can be pretty ominous. When referred to as a “Hero”, Doc will reply back “A Hero ain’t nothin but a samich (sandwich)”. I tend to agree with Doc.

If I have to look for “Hero’s”, I look to those who can save the soul, not just the body. For every time I have interrupted Death, Death still looms in the future, waiting for age, disease or trauma to be given an opportunity again. Saving a soul is eternal.

I do not need someone to designate a month or a day for me to recognize the “Hero’s” in my life. I see them every day seeking to distribute the Gospel to those who are weary and just short of Death, seeking to bring the soul back to life. They take a pulpit, sing a praise, visit the sick, tend to the needy, teach a child, feed the poor, solder pipes, paint walls, drive nails … the list is endless, all in the name of Christ..

What defines a “Hero” to me?

“Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.” James 1:21-22

Go now and be a “Hero” in someone’s life.

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

This is one of the toughest verses in the Bible for me. I want the “Peace that surpasses all understanding”, I just don’t want to wait for it. I tend to work in 911 times, the phone rings, the call comes, I grab my stuff and head for the door. All of those sermons of reaching the poor, the lost and the needy? Okay, let’s go! “This is broke? This needs repair? Let’s get some guys and fix it”. So you can imagine my angst as we wait on the Lord to give us the go ahead with the CNRM project. I’ve learned over the years to pray more than I push when it comes to doing things for the Lord. As we try to orchestrate this project, we find ourselves working against the upcoming Holidays. We are continuing to keep our construction dates in prayer. Thanks for your patience.

The following is coming from Patrice Maturkanich.. If you can help, Please contact her. patricem@crossroadschurch.com

Global Outreach Day, Sunday October 24, will showcase the mission work of Crossroads Church throughout the world in a realistic scenario of living conditions in various countries, as well as in the U.S.

The Corona-Norco Rescue Mission is our local mission field outreach. We'd like to demonstrate the living conditions of those who have lost their homes. We are looking for volunteers with a heart for these people to help us make this demonstration an effective success. The scenario will look like this:

*an old car parked on the Candle Walk patio, filled with clothing, quilts, laundry basket, misc. bags of "stuff", etc.
*adults sitting in or near the car, wearing well-worn clothing, unwashed skin (we have makeup for that), uncombed hair. Some holding cardboard signs with words such as "will work for food", etc.
*children similarly dressed, playing near car or quietly resting in a melancholy fashion near "mother"
*possibly a tired, faithful dog lying next to these people
*EZ-up shade covering with a table holding rescue mission flyers, trifolds, business cards, sign-up sheet for more info, etc. EZ-up will be covered all over with quilt-like scraps of old, mismatched material roughly sewn together.

If you feel called to serve in this ministry outreach day, we would appreciate your participation so much! We welcome 'donation loans' for any of the materials we will need, and of course we welcome anyone who would like to participate as a homeless family member.

Bill Reimer, the Chief Program Officer for the Rescue Mission efforts in the Inland Empire, will be present to answer questions all morning, as well as Todd Holtkamp, the Project Manager for the Corona-Norco Rescue Mission refurbishing.

Please respond with your interest to Patrice, admin volunteer for CNRM.

patriceM@CrossroadsChurch.com

On a personal note: Heather is home and continues to recover. thanks for all of your prayers and support.

It would probably be a lot easier for me if God just sent me a note and said “Hey Todd, you need to work on this in your life”. Maybe He has and I was too busy to see it, or maybe it got lost in my other emails. Being a paramedic for 24 years has not helped me become anymore compassionate toward the homeless; in fact it has allowed me to build defense mechanisms. For many homeless, they use the emergency medical system to avoid the weather and get a shower and comfortable bed for a few days. Show any amount of compassion and they will be sitting in the Fire Station watching TV while you are out on a call, it’s happened to us! The guys at Station One had befriended a local homeless man only to come back from a call and found him sleeping in one of the chairs at the fire station.

My family and I were eating lunch at the mall when a woman approached our table with a child on her hip and another in tow. She was carrying a small sign that explained her plight and a request for money. I asked her if she had checked with the local shelter and social services, she needed to get off the streets. She shook her head and scurried away. I was irritated as I watched her move through the food court collecting money. I felt she was using her children as props to collect money.

The next day I was in the parking lot of Home Depot and another woman approached me, child on her hip, a small sign explaining her need and asking for money. I wanted information from this woman, and felt I had something that I needed to learn. “Do you have an I.D?” I asked. She replied in a heavy accented voice “No, immigration has it, no I.D.” With that reply I realized that I am not equipped to show compassion at this point. I have a lot to learn about what we can do in our community.

I was icing my shoulder, thumbing through You Tube, when I stumbled upon http://www.youtube.com/user/invisiblepeopletv . Mark Horvath makes a cross country documentary interviewing the homeless and their plight. I watched a segment of a woman with 5 children and the first thing that came to my mind was “What were you thinking when you had 5 children”? I continued to thumb through the numerous videos always looking for a “Cause” to their homelessness. Drugs, alcohol, abuse, failed marriages, unemployment all the reasons are there, so I am still questioning God “What do you want me to learn?”

Compassion not Judgment
That night I made my way to men’s group and I saw myself in the lesson.

“To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable:"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." Luke 18:9-14.



I got it God, I am the Pharisee, and I was surprised by that revelation. For me it was that I had made the “Right Choices” in life. It’s amazing how “Right Choices” sounds like Righteousness. “To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable”. I was looking at others who had made the wrong choices and judged them as less. When I look to Jesus to study compassion, He didn’t hand out $20 bills to show compassion, He sacrificed His life for mine. When the world expected riches of a worldly kingdom, He gave them a Heavenly Kingdom. He gave us Love and direction, dignity not welfare. He adopted us as children of the most High God and most of all He accepted us as we were sinners and brought us to understand His Grace. We became “Family”.

I am still on that journey to understand what it means to be compassionate, I am sure I still have a lot to learn.

The latest on the Corona Norco Rescue Mission.

Thanks for all of the response and questions concerning the progress of the Harrison Ave facility. The meetings with the city have been very productive. We are about to finalize drawings, file for permits and then we are looking at about 2 weeks to start construction. Funding is all lining up. I will keep you posted on our progress. Please continue to keep the project in prayer.

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” I Corinthians 15:58

I took a much needed vacation last week with the family; it was a nice break, after the Pancake Breakfast. I remember before we left that I just felt tired. I prayed countless times to the Lord saying “I am just tired!”. Because of the surgery on my shoulder I wasn’t sleeping well. I was only getting 4-5 hours of sleep per night. I am also not much of one to just “Sit”. I am used to being active and that seemed to be wearing on me also.

We have all become “weary” from the day to day grind of life. There are times that we all look to the Heavens and cry out “I’m tired of this Lord! Why am I doing this?. For me the answer always comes back that I am a servant of the Most High God. I understand His Grace and Love for me and that keeps me going. God does honor my prayers, eventually I do find rest. But, when we give up doing good because of our fatigue, we short change God’s ability to bless our lives.

I was sitting at breakfast with Bill Riemer and we were discussing the time schedules for the remodel on the Harrison facility. I just simply said “If this works, it will be a God thing, not a Todd thing.”. Sometimes we are so busy trying to accomplish things (And I am one of the worst offenders) that we don’t allow God’s power to come through. We work ourselves to exhaustion and then look to the Heavens asking “Why aren’t you helping Lord?. For me the answer is generally I have been standing in the way of God’s working. I am reminded of the 23rd Psalm

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul.”

Did you catch that? “He makes me lies down in green pastures …” Like a little child, who is cranky and needs a nap. God makes us rest, and in doing so restores our souls.

Don’t neglect God’s desire to maintain our souls to good works.



Progress report.

In the past few weeks we have been meeting with the city discussing various issues. Most of the biggest issues have been resolved and everyone is excited about the project. Kirk is working on finalizing the drawings and requesting permits. All of the funding needs are coming along. As soon as we get a few more things confirmed you will hear me publishing construction dates. I’ll keep you posted. Please continue to pray.

“Open to me the gates of righteousness;

I shall enter through them, I shall give thanks to the LORD.

This is the gate of the LORD;

The righteous will enter through it.

I shall give thanks to You, for You have answered me,

And You have become my salvation.

The stone which the builders rejected

Has become the chief corner stone.” Psalm 118:19-22.

The verse on Psalms is a messianic prophecy that is repeated by Jesus in Mark the 12th chapter, but can you see the application to the Corona shelter? We are opening the gates of righteousness to those who have been lost in our society. The little brown building nestled in that commercial area, rejected by some, neglected by others, will become the corner stone of salvation for many through Jesus Christ. It will be there that many will regain their dignity and freedom from sin and affliction, stepping back into society as a whole person.

Some have asked if we abandoned the vision of building a new facility from the ground up, the answer is a resounding “No”! We knew that serving the homeless in Corona would start with what we already have, which is the shelter on Harrison Street. Vision and prayer is already being lifted up to expand our service, the Harrison St. Mission is just the gate opening to greater things.

The Pancake Breakfast was an amazing event! We had 109 people in attendance. Everyone was so excited about the vision and the work to be accomplished at the Harrison St. Mission. Thanks to my wife Jolene, Patrice Maturkanich, and Beth Hassman for helping to organize the event. Doug Husen, Kirk Lansea and the Men of Crossroads for cooking breakfast. Cameron Thomas for making sure we all had coffee.

Bettie Shultz fell ill during the event and is doing better, she should be home now. She is thankful for all of the prayers.

What’s Next? Our team continues to work on design and funding. The next 30 days is crucial, as we set about finalizing plans and putting them in motion. We continue to pray that these are God’s plans and that we are doing His will. We will keep you posted on our progress.