Heart beat…

Last night as I was soaking in the BoSox SWEEP of the Rockies, I was also watching Cold Case.  It’s a pretty good show, based in Philadelphia.  Last night’s episode broke my heart. 

You see…there is this love, this passion that I have for the city of Camden.  I remember, probably five or more years ago, driving into the city to look at a building that would have been a great location for an outreach center…people suffering with HIV/AIDS; a refuge for prostitutes who want out of their abusive situations; job training; a myriad of services to bring hope to a hopeless place.

Last night, I remembered the passion that I have for that city, for the boys and girls, men and women, who are hopeless.  I remembered that I have a hope in me that is not from anything I can do, but from what Christ has done for me.  I remembered sweeping the streets of Camden during Adopt-a-Block, chatting it up with people who remember when Camden was a thriving city.  I remember the frustration of a man who was fixing up his house because a national chain wouldn’t deliver floors/rugs to his house because of his address and zip code.  I remember coming home, dirty, exhausted, knowing that I had done something for which I have been created. 

Lord, I pray for the men and women of Camden.  Father, I pray that You give them a hope and a sense of expectation, knowing that You are moving, that You have heard their prayers, that You are about to answer their prayers.  Father, let noone fall asleep hopeless tonight.  Let them know that the mourning may last for a night but that YOUR JOY cometh in the morning.  Amen.

Tomorrow morning I leave on a plane for Los Angeles, the City of Angels.  I leave with the expectation that God is going to speak something to me that He’s been speaking for a long time.  The difference, my ear is now inclined to Him.