"I am an Atheist"

 I was walking across the day room at the Loadstar Day Resource Center when I saw him sitting in a chair looking absent-mindedly at the floor. I approached him and greeted him. We exchanged names. “How long have you been here.” “About a week.” “What is your plan to get out of here.” “I am permanently homeless. I lost my apartment about three weeks ago over a misunderstanding. I have been homeless before. What do you do here?” “I am the chaplain here.” “I am an atheist.” “Oh, that just means you don’t believe what I believe. What do you believe?” “I don’t believe anything.” “Really? Did you have breakfast this morning?” “Yes, it was pretty good over at St. Vincent’s. Biscuits and gravy.” “While you ate breakfast you were believing it was good for you. You believe something.” “I am an atheist.” “Okay, but you believe something just like the people whose bumper sticker says, ‘I believe I’ll have another beer.’” We both laughed. “What can you do for me?” “I can listen to you, talk to you, pray with you.” “Okay.” “You seem like a very intelligent man. I would like to talk to you some more. Please come by and we can have a coffee together and talk” (pointing to my office door). “I like to drink coffee and talk.” Pray that Tom will come by for a coffee and further conversation.

Ron Friesen (c) 2020

An Anointing

One Tuesday as the group was gathering around our tables in the Rev. Gerald Roseberry Conference Room, in the offices of the Ecumenical Chaplaincy for the Homeless, one of the participants, “George” asked me if I wanted to be anointed as he pulled out a 12 ounce, green-colored bottle of olive oil out of his backpack. I said, “Yes. Is this like the anointing of Moses and Aaron? Are you planning on anointing me from the top of my head?” As I walked toward George, he poured a cap-full of olive oil into his hand. I was grateful. He then took his finger and tabbed it into his cupped-hand and proceed to anoint on my forehead while praying a blessing over me and my ministry. Among people experiencing homelessness are people of faith who want to receive and give ministry.

Ron Friesen (c) 2020

God Hears Our Prayers

Last Tuesday, Bobbie came to our Bible study. On Thursday, she returned. “I was told you would pray for me.” We talked a while about her circumstances. She lost her place to live and her job after she returned to her past use of drugs. She has contact information for her family but she feels distant from them. “I don’t think they will return my calls.” She told me that she had an interview for a job at a Call Center on Wednesday. I said, “Let’s pray.” As I was praying for a favorable response from the interview, Bobbie’s phone rang. We stopped praying as she answered the phone. She hung up the phone with, ‘I got the job!”  I rejoiced with Bobbie and ask Carol, our office manager, to join me in praying a prayer of thanksgiving for the job. 

2019 © Ronald Friesen