Ella's Dreams

When Ella has a dream, I pay attention. 

A few years ago, she called worried about a close friend of mine.  

"Yes," I said, "she's very sick. But how did you know? You haven't seen her in years."

Ella shared that she dreamed of her the previous night. "I will start praying right away," she said. And over the next year Ella kept checking in on my friend and praying until she was declared cancer free.  

A few weeks ago, Ella called concerned about a former Bud's Warehouse program participant from 7 years ago. We hadn't heard from him in awhile. A few days later he called. And now he's on his way back from a tough relapse with Ella praying for him every step of the way.  

One of the great joys of running an urban business as mission is the friendships with people of great faith who actively share God's love with the community around them. 

Ella likes to speak with God all of the time. And God helps her to dream about a better world.

Ed and Jackie

I met Ed at a homeless shelter 12 years ago and he's been our part-time janitor at Bud's Warehouse ever since.

Today, Ed picked up Jackie from the nursing home to bring her by Bud's Warehouse so she could say "hi" to everyone.

It's hard to believe that Ed and Jackie have been dating for 21 years. Nothing would make him happier than to get married and move in together. But because of her health, they've had to settle on declaring themselves married by common-law and live apart.

So on his days off, Ed picks up Jackie at her nursing home for short trips by bus around town. "She has to stay with me," Ed notes, "and I have to have her home by dark."

"You can't keep us apart," Jackie says. "People in love need to be together."

Start-up Faithventure Dirt'N'Nails Hopes to Employ and Provide Transitional Program for Homeless

A few years ago, I met an individual who was starting a Chicago area greenhouse tomato business to employ homeless individuals. His idea was very exciting because it's easy to see how such a venture could provide a fantastic environment for people rebuilding lives using the healing nature of gardening. Ever since then I've encouraged people in the Denver area to explore such an idea as a faith venture.

Today, I learned of a new farming start-up in the metro area that has the vision of transitional housing and employment in a farm setting. From their web site:

Dirt’N’Nails Farms Inc. came into being as a thought and then a vision March of 2009, starting with the thought of giving plant starts and potted vegetables to those in need to boost not only their food supply but also their morale.  Whether we’re talking about homeless families or hungry ones, mental and spiritual well-being is as important as physical well-being.  Simply giving the homeless a place to live is not enough.  Simply giving the hungry food is not enough.

Then came the vision.  A commercial greenhouse filled with vegetable starts and potted vegetables waiting to be delivered; farm land used to grow not only money-making things to keep it running but also food to feed the hungry; a staff made up of the adults of homeless families working part-time on the farm while working out financial, intellectual, and emotional issues that came from their time being homeless; education opportunities for school kids and organizations like 4H programs; and so much more.

Read more here.

While they wait for their non-profit approval from the IRS, they are seeking

volunteers for artwork, business planning and accounting, and for the board of directors. For more information, contact Monte at mpescador@dirtnnails.org or at 303-263-1171.  

I look forward to watching this project develop.

Should They Stay or Should They Go?

It's the hardest decision you will ever face in a faith venture employing people rebuilding lives from addiction, homelessness and prison. The reality is there comes a time when you need to make a judgement call whether to keep working with an individual in the program or let them go.

As long as someone is showing growth, we are prone at Belay Enterprises to walk alongside them within the structure of a three-strike rule. Ultimately, our faith ventures are places about grace. But that's where it gets really hard.

Sometimes grace is walking alongside someone when that is the painful, difficult route. And sometimes grace is firing someone from the program because there is a lesson to be learned and other people need the opportunity of the program.

I wish there was a formula for making such decisions. There's not.

It's more of an art, a feel, an active seeking of what God wants.

And a trust that no matter what decision is made, God will use it to birth something new... a new life growing out of brokenness.

Denver Post Columnist Explores Ex-Offender Employment Issue

Excited to see the Denver Post focus on the very real problem of finding a job as an ex-offender in Denver. It's a very good article but I wish it had included more detail on how much money taxpayers save when people coming our of prison successfully find employment.

Ronald Sena's troubles started with heroin, which led to thievery and shoplifting and larceny, which led him to prison. He was 19 the first time he went in. For most of the next 20 years, he made regular use of the revolving door, accumulating a lengthy record of nonviolent crime.

That was many years ago, but I'm laying it out first because Sena's past refuses to stay in his past and because his terrible choices will be all that matters to some readers, so I'll save them the trouble of reading further.  

 "Prison record is a ball and chain for jobless ex-felon," Denver Post, Tina Griego, 1-8-2012 

I encourage you to read the whole article here.

New Life Born From Brokenness

Relapses happen. The old life sometimes exerts a seemingly irresistible force on people rebuilding lives from addiction, homelessness and prison. 

I remembering feeling great discouragement when I first faced that reality at Bud's Warehouse. An individual who had come back from heroin addiction, who was thriving in our program and ready to graduate to a job in the community, suddenly disappeared back into the world of drug abuse. 

Perhaps, I unrealistically hoped that once people experienced new life and the satisfaction of supporting themselves in a job, they would never be tempted to make their former mistakes. It seems so naive to write that down today almost 13 years later. But the unsatisfying truth is that sometimes people never relapse but often they do...and that is all part of God's plan of redeeming lives where brokenness is the only path to life. 

I remember my surprise when our former employee returned from his relapse into heroin wanting to share his new story of life. Yes, he had made a mistake. Yes, he needed to be let go because of his bad choice to use. But a few months later, he realized that if Bud's Warehouse, the best place he had ever worked, the one place willing to give him a second and a third chance, a place of grace trying to mirror Jesus' forgiveness and offer of life, if that place had to let him go, maybe he had a real problem. And he needed to get serious about whole-heartedly pursuing his recovery.

The reality is that we will always have some that relapse. And we all are guilty of relapses one way or another when we revert to our old way of life that focus on the self whether it shows up in addiction, pride, greed, or anger among many others. But we know that future mistakes have less power because of the prior experience of God's grace. 

We need to pray for people rebuilding lives that these relapses don't last long because the power of the new life outweighs the strength of the old. 

And we celebrate together when we learn that one former program participant may be returning with a new outlook on life and the strength born of brokenness to make it.

Experiencing New Life on the Job

I'm a big believer in the career and life skill program we use at Bud's Warehouse to train people rebuilding lives from addiction, homelessness and prison. 

A big part of that program is our weekly hood-check on Wednesdays where everyone shares what is going on in their life. I'm such a fan of this activity because of the tremendous camaraderie and personal breakthroughs I've witnessed over the years during this time.  Every company would see big benefits by implementing a weekly hood-check. 

I've never heard of anyone following our lead...until now.

A close friend of mine with a new start-up company just called me bubbling over with stories related to his recent start of the hood-check at his business. Every day on the job they are gathering in the morning to implement pieces of the Bud's Warehouse program in a for-profit setting. 

He told me it's turned into one of the most incredible experiences of his adult life. The employees have grown incredibly close to each other while experiencing some amazing stories of God acting in their midst. 

My friend struggled for words to explain what was happening in the lives of some of the employees. One word came to mind. Resurrection. Employees were seeing new life spring up in places formerly occupied by pain and long-term struggles. 

He shared with his staff that he was modeling his organization on this place in Colorado called Bud's Warehouse and everyone expressed great enthusiasm for supporting our organization. I'm most excited that he plans to hire people rebuilding lives sometime in the near future because his particular business will provide one of the best environments for people seeking to overcome past difficulties while building significant career skills for the future. 

Once again, I'm amazed at the impact Jesus-following business people can make by approaching their business as a ministry.