vision

Yesterday was a powerful day for me spiritually. I have a 50 minute commute every day from Denver to Boulder. During this time, I try and read my devotion and have my morning prayer. It has become somewhat of a routine for me now. As I was praying yesterday a vision popped into my head and it was nothing more than a bible being placed into a grocery bag...who knows? I began trying to figure what this meant and nothing came to me. So, I went on with my day as the bus pulled into the depot in Boulder.

I had to be back in Denver to work my evening shift that afternoon. I went into work and it was fairly busy, made a few bucks. I stayed there until 10 o'clock and then got on the mall shuttle to go home. A man with a warm smile on the bus asked me what time it was. I told him it was 5 after 10. He then asked if I had a cell phone that he could use. I was a little reluctant to lend him my phone, as I could tell he was a man from the streets. Yet, I let him use as we got off and we sat down on a bench near my street. He said he needed to call, "his white friend Matt" and let him know he had just got out of jail. Matt did not answer but he thanked me for allowing him to use the phone. We then began talking and come to find out Roland Milton had 9 children. I could discern this man had a good heart, but trouble seemed to find his path.

He had just been released on Sunday, after spending two years in jail for theft and some sort of domestic violence. The Holy Spirit told me to buy this guy dinner and he happily accepted. There was no other place that I could think of other than Leela's. He ordered a cheeseburger and a coke. We conversed for nearly two hours at Leela's as he shared with me his life and the trials he had been through. Roland was raised in Houston and moved to Denver in 1984, but had always been in the "hood." He used my phone to call his 21 year old son Michael and I could quickly tell he was a great father. He repeated over and over on the phone "your dad loves you." This struck my heart as this man had been through hell and back, but still knew his family came first. He told me a lot of troubles began when he was younger and he grew tired of hearing his mother complain about eviction notices and so forth. So, he decided to something about it. In the "hood," you had to what you had to do in order to make money. I believe this man has done and seen some things that would terrify most of us. But I could tell his heart was good. While he was eating, I asked him was there anything I could do for him. He simply said, "be my friend."

We left Leela's and started to walk around. He shared with me how I need to love my parents and the ones closest to me through anything. Because these are the people that will always be there for you. And you should love the ones closest to you no matter what, because God has blessed you with them. This man had so much too give. I asked him one more time, was there anything I could do for him. He asked if I had some clothes that he could have. I felt the presence of God telling me it was okay to invite this man into my apartment to give him a change of clothes. So, I brought Roland up and handed him some jeans and a Gator tee. He was happy to receive anything. As he was changing I was flipping through a pocket sized Bible we have. A verse struck me. "I do not pray to be taken out of this world, but delivered from evil." This was exactly what Roland had been conveying to me. He did not want to do wrong, but knows he wants to change. I decided I would give him this Bible, since Hunter and I have a collection of them. He changed his clothes and I grabbed a bag for him to toss his old clothes into. I turned around to close the cabinet and when I turned back around I was dumbfounded by what I saw in Roland's hands. A Bible and a grocery bag. Just like my vision from the morning. I was shaking.

God is a powerful and amazing God.

be blessed,
your boy elbow