.."All i got is the beat in my heart and the faith in my soul..I s'pose that's all a man needs anyway.."

I had to leave the house today, I needed some space and fresh air. Besides, I left my bible at a friends house, and I wanted to go pick it up. They lived just west of the shopco at the top of miracle mile. I knocked on the door, but nobody was home. I looked back towards the street looking for his car, and saw a column of smoke on the other side of the houses, down in the valley. The smoke led me to the thrift store behind the dollar store at the top of lake boulevard. When I arrived on scene, I got out of my car and saw a homeless man trying to push past the police, screaming with all his might,"My friend! My friend! You gotta let me save her! She needs help, please please please.."He fell to his knees and tears ran down his dusty face. A homeless woman was holding tight to him, sobbing uncontrollably.

They went back to their group of friends that were sitting on the sidewalk. I sat down in front of the man and woman and introduced myself. Her name is Angel and his name is Billy. I asked them if they believed in God, and if they would like me to pray for them. They said yes, so we huddled together, I grabbed their hands, and I prayed. Mid-prayer, a plane flew over and dumped the fire-retardant chemicals. After "amen", Billy and Angel still had their eyes shut and heads bowed, so i examined their faces. Angel's eyebrows were furrowed in something like concentration, she was nervously biting her bottom lip, and tears were still racing down her cheeks. Billy's jaw was clenched, his lips were pressed tightly together to keep from quivering, and he had a determined look about him. Like he was trying to be strong for Angel and the others. 

My heart ached for them. They had no idea how much of their camp or their family, this fire had consumed. So, i started praying again, except I didn't really have to think of any words this time. I just said whatever came to my heart, instead of the traditional, formulaic prayer. This prayer came from a place of love. After this "amen", they opened their eyes, took a deep breath, and we all looked anxiously at the smoke for a few minutes in silence, tightly gripping each others hands.

From the far right, Shelly came walking up the hill. Her clothes were caked with dirt, and her face was filled with fear and anguish. The whole camp burned down, and they lost everything except the clothes on their backs. Billy managed to stuff his bag with a blanket, pillow, and some clothes before he had to leave. He passed out garments of clothing to his friends, gave his blanket to Shelly, and his pillow to Angel. He even lent his empy army duffell to Angel's dog, Tank, to lay on. Once he saw Shelly was okay, he heaved a heavy sigh of relief. He told me how he was just days away from having enough money to get off the streets and move in to a motel. But now he would have to replace the Camps food, toiletries, and blankets. He didn't seem to mind very much about that though. At only 21 years old, he was a leader, and father to many homeless people. When they needed something, they came to him. He loved them all, and cared about them deeply. He was born deaf and blind, so his mom abandoned him at a bus station when he was 7. Being raised on the streets was tough, to say the least, and he tried to kill himself many times..

• Fist full of pills? Threw them up. 
• Hanging by a tree? The branch broke. 
• Cutting his wrists? He would pass out and wake up bandaged. 

Even when it wasn't a suicide attempt, he seemed invincable..

• Hit by a Mack Truck going 65 when he was stopped in a small truck. His truck flipped and rolled all over the place, and when it came to a rest, the engine was in the passenger seat. 
• 7 times, his heart stopped beating. He was revived every time with no permenant brain damage. 
• He was shot in the chest, and the bullet stopped just shy of his heart.  

I think it was plain to see, that God was not letting him leave just yet. I asked him, "What do you think God saved you all those times for you to do? He obviously needs you to do something, and you're not going anywhere till you do it."he said, "I got no clue what he's got up his sleeve for me, but that's the fun in it i s'pose. I like my life the way it is right here, right now. I love helpin' these here people 'round me. This is the 5th time our camp has burned down. I just wish i had money to give them all the things they be wantin', ya know?"

"Yeah, I know. But the best part about our faith, is that it'll never burn, be lost, or stolen. Your gift to them is your example, Billy."
"Well, shoot! That's all i got anyway! All i got is the beat in my heart and the faith in my soul..I s'pose that's all a man needs anyway."

Billy gets what so many people miss...

If everything you call "yours" were to go up in flames right now, would you still be you? Would you cry for the material things you lost, or cheer for the treasure you are building up in heaven that will never burn? Who are you without your possessions? Are you more accessible for God to use, or are you so wrapped up in them, God's glory is stifled so it can't shine? In luke 14:27, Jesus says, "Anyone who won't shoulder his own cross and follow behind me can't be my disciple." All you need is your cross..you don't need anything else. In fact, in verse 33, he says that, "You cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own." And when he says "giving up", he doesn't mean having it ripped from your hands. The Message version uses the phrase "kiss it good-bye", meaning that you have to willingly part with it and leave no strings of attachment. How can you carry your cross if your arms are full of junk? You'll tire easily, or drop your cross.

So, at some point you have to choose to love your things or your KING.