I drove past an area much of Denver wished never existed, “The Triangle”, the other day, and my heart sank. Where I had seen maybe two dozen people, homeless and hopeless, sitting around the concrete crossroad in the middle of the city a month ago, now there is double the number. Denver passed a law banning camping all over the city, yet there isn’t enough shelter space for everyone and nowhere to go during the day.

I’ve been up to my ears in news and work trying unsuccessfully to both stem the tide against the closing of several shelters in the area and trying to get the first farm up and running. The news is coming in from all over the country. Homeless rates are continuing to rise at alarming rates, and not just because of the numerous fires this summer. Homeless family numbers continue to climb faster than overall homelessness rates. One community after another are struggling to contend with helping homeless children get back to school with adequate supplies and food. Shelters normally open only for the Winter struggle to stay open during the Summer, partly because of the unrelenting heat and partly because of new “anti-camping” laws being passed in one city after another. Food banks are also closing one after the other due to lack of funds and lack of food donations.

And what about you, dear reader? What are you doing in this time of crisis throughout the United States and beyond?

For our part, Dirt ‘N’ Nails Farms has helped Shannon’s Hope start their first annual garden as well as my own neighborhood garden. Despite the drought, we continue to try to grow our own food. A local seed company, Life Seed Company, donated all of the seed. A local King Soopers donated all of their left-over seed from sales to DNN and we’re storing them for next year. We continue even with very limited support and continue to pray for a farm to get us started in rehabilitating homeless families. We continue to try to support our local shelters, meal centers, and food banks, all the while praying to be given the chance to support many more cities and areas.

And we keep in touch with our partners such as AMOR Ministries about where we are at in getting DNN going and being able to help with their programs.

And I pray that you, dear reader, don’t give up either. There is still much we can all do. Soon I’ll be announcing a new fundraising project which may just get us going towards that first farm and I hope you will join us in getting it started. We’re having a board meeting this weekend, so stay tuned.

My prayer to you, however, is not necessarily to help us out, but to not give up and say that you can’t do anything to help against all the darkness that seems to be surrounding us lately. A good friend of mine points out that tithing is not simply 10% and is not simply giving to the church, but giving to the Body of Christ a portion of who you are to help us all towards to survive this world until His kingdom comes. If you own a business, I highly recommend you partner up with a nonprofit. If you don’t, how much of yourself are you giving to helping your community? How much of your time? How much of your resources? Do you think it is adequate? Would you think it adequate of others? Pray about it.

Dear heavenly Father, we cry out to you in the wilderness, in the drought unending and drowning in the sorrows of a nation in trouble to the only one who can save us. Hear our prayer. Open our eyes to the needs of the community around us. Open our ears to the cries for help. Raise our hands in service. Strengthen our resolve. And as we do Your work, comfort those we try to help. In all things, let us bring glory to You, in the name of your Son, our savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Filed under: Words From The President

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