Leading by Example-Homelessness week

I am privileged to be playing the Live Music for the Brotherhood at the opening of Homeless week in Parramatta Mall on Sunday August 7th.
A lot of my adult life has been helping people at risk of homelessness or working with young people in residential settings. It's been tough work, It's been rewarding working. There are faces I will never forget. And for reasons I would never have thought I would remember people. There have been really painful moments when people shared their secrets, their abuse, the pain of Toxic Shame carried.
There have been moments of pure joy, laughing , having fun, being safe. I was in between therapy jobs and worked as a D&A worker doing stand up shifts at night. My ego was taking a bit of a dent as I wanted to be doing something that felt for meaningful. The way I made sense of that time, was that I knew , that while I was walking the floor, that these teenagers who had come from all sorts or trauma, were safe on my watch. That if my only role was to watch over them so they could sleep with both eyes closed , then that was gods will for me. That was an important role.I have slept rough with them, and created warm hearths for them to come too. I learnt to cook by working a sunday shift when was putting myself through Uni at a Crisis refuge and I had to cook the sunday meal, so I would ring my mother who thought it was funny each week as I rang to work out ho much , how long , how , how, how.... to cook this, make that. Long time ago now.
I have had food fights, trained , swum, hiked , tained gone a christmas vacations, cooked , cleaned, washed cloths , gone to graduations, comiserated failures, got people into rehab, kicked them out again. Amazing really. Some loved me , some hated me , some both.

I have come to learn that relationship takes priority over task. Times I was most successful was when the connection was more important than what we were doing. In saying that I have played a lot music, started bands with young people, fun bands, Jack Black school or rock stuff-Watching people enjoy it and rock out, grow confidence , Foo Fighters style, play punk loud bad full of energy. Awesome to be part of.

When food/water/shelter, such basic needs necessary to feel safe inside our own skin, basic needs not available to so many, at a time in humanity when this could be resolved finally, as a community we need to raise awareness and help our brothers and sisters in need.
God Bless the Brotherhood, Street Level Community Church and all the good works and big heart they bring to folks in need in their community.I have been nurtured on and off by their kindness and love for over 25 years. I have seen their leadership grow in integrity, depth and wisdom, and yet remain funny, approachable, welcoming disciples of the lord.
At times when I have wondered whether God is real , whether Jesus is real, I have never doubted whether the love and generosity of spirit that I find in the hearts of the Brotherhood and the Street Level is real. It is there that I see the face and heart of our lord. Faith without works is dead, and they are Leading by example!