January 24

Posted on January 24, 2016 by Tony Casson

January 24

TODAY IS…

the perfect day to celebrate God’s gift of Hope.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

The dictionary offers one definition of “hope” as “a desire supported by confidence of fulfillment.”

God offers each one of us hope as well as a future. With God as the One offering it, we can definitely have confidence in its fulfillment.

The question is, do we really desire what God is offering? We must also ask ourselves if we are ready, willing and able to pay the price.

First of all, we need to clearly understand what is represented in the hope that God plans to give us. It is the hope for our salvation and eternal life in His Kingdom. The future is one of indescribable peace, joy and happiness if we are only ready and willing to accept it and are able to pay the price. Part of the price for the salvation of our sinful souls and an eternal life of indescribable peace, joy and happiness is blood. But the blood was the blood of Jesus and it has already been paid on our behalf.

Since Jesus Christ made the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf, what sort of payment, then, is required of us? Belief. Our payment is the belief that Jesus Christ is our savior and only Jesus can lead us to a good relationship with God. “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9 NLT).

That’s it? We simply need to believe? Yes. That is all we need to do to receive God’s gift of hope and His plan for a future. It is not hard, expensive or complicated. It can be a little overwhelming at times, though, because once we accept that Jesus Christ is Lord, we will find that the desire to change the way we think, act and live will be powerful. What we must do, then, is become faithful followers of God. Read the Holy Bible daily to look for God’s guidance on how to fulfill His plans for us.

Not to worry, though. God’s patience is legendary. He will help us with our struggles and support us through our trials. He promises to give us hope and a future and we can be assured that He will fulfill that promise.

Enjoy God’s gift of Today and thank Him for the hope and the future that He is holding out to all of us who are ready to accept it.

*******

Taken from “TODAY IS….A Gift From God”, (C) 2013 Tony Casson

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“It’s Been a Long Road to Damascus”

Posted on January 24, 2016 by Tony Casson

“For you have heard of my former manner of life in Judaism, how I used to persecute the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it..” Galatians 1:13 ESV

The name of the movie I was watching the other day was “Unconditional” and, unlike many Christian-themed movies, this one was actually pretty good. While the messages are most often worth the time invested in watching these films, there are numerous problems with the production of many faith-based films, the most common of which is usually lack of adequate funding, but there are other issues as well.

Prominent among them is what appears to be an unwillingness to portray sin as provocatively, seductively, pleasurably and alluringly as it most assuredly is. From what I have seen, there is often a central theme of sin, but the films in which the sin is portrayed usually do a poor job of making it attractive, which takes away from the realism.

After all, sin is slickly packaged and difficult to resist, which is why it is so popular. I think it is important to portray it that way and then peal away the mask and expose the destructive evil that lies beneath the surface. Mind you, I am not calling for a glorification of sin. However, it is important to ‘tell it like it is’ when we are trying to keep others from sinning, or when we are trying to lead others out of it.

For example, there is no denying the pleasures that can be experienced while engaged in sexual acts, nor should such a denial be offered or inferred, but it must be pointed out that it is selfish acts of instant gratification society now views as ‘normal’ which constitute the sin that is being packaged, not the pleasure itself, and far too often the message is handled poorly, particularly in faith-based movies.

I lived a life allowing myself to be tricked into believing the lies that were packaged and presented to me in the most seductive, alluring ways. For 40 years I wallowed in a sewer of sin that didn’t appear to me to be a sewer at all. Quite the contrary. I thought I was swimming in a a pool of beautiful, crystal-clear water. That is, until I awoke in the hospital the day after my nearly successful suicide attempt. “And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight…” Acts 9:18 ESV

Of course, the clarity with which I would come to view the life I had lived would not come fully into focus for some time yet, but my ability to see my sin for what it was, and to see the way out of sin was clear. I first needed to shut my eyes to the sinful life I had lived, and it would take a little time, and a lot of prayer, before I could open them up to my past and learn from it.

“But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace. Then it pleased him to reveal his Son to me so that I would proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles. When this happened, I did not rush out to consult with any human being. Nor did I go up to Jerusalem to consult with those who were apostles before I was. Instead, I went away into Arabia, and later I returned to the city of Damascus.”  Galatians 1:15-17  NLT

For me, “Arabia” was the federal prison in Oakdale, LA and it appears that my ‘Damascus’ turned out to be Washington, DC.

How many people travel on their own “Road to Damascus” without incident or interruption? Would I have wanted to continue down the same road I was headed without that confrontation? The scars on my neck, and the way God is using me today in Washington, ‘D’-is-for-Damascus C, speak to that quite loudly and quite clearly.

If my life were to be made into a movie, it would have to be ‘R’ rated, because my life was rated ‘X’ (at least) and the only way to adequately understand and appreciate the Victory of Christ over sin, is to portray the sin as provocatively as possible and then rip the scales off peoples’ eyes, let them see it in all of its bloody, destructive, life-stealing truth, and then compare it to the new life that can follow when the dust settles and the road becomes clear again.

Take a couple of minutes to enjoy the following video. I bet there are words in there that will resonate with you, and images that will seem familiar. For me, some of those words are, “I’m finally here. It’s been a long Road to Damascus.”

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From “TODAY IS….A Gift From God”

Posted on January 23, 2016 by Tony Casson

                                                          January 23
TODAY IS…
a good day to see God at work.

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God…” Romans 8:28 KJV

God has a hand in everything that takes place around us. Nothing escapes His attention. His eye is constantly on His purpose, and not necessarily our happiness, so we might not always be completely satisfied with everything that happens in our lives.

If we are fortunate enough to have accepted Jesus Christ as our savior and are willing to place our very existence in God’s hands, we will know that regardless of what may happen around us, or to us, God is working for the good of all who love Him and trust in Him. Perhaps we need to hang a sign in our homes to remind us: “GOD AT WORK – PATIENCE REQUIRED”.

As true children of God, we must accept the fact that what we want may not be what is good for those around us and may not fit in with God’s plans. We must constantly remind ourselves that God works for the good of everyone, and what He sees may be different from what we would like to see. As Christians, we have freedom, but we need to be sensitive to the freedom of others as well.

It is part of our nature as human beings and as God’s children to ask for things from the Father, but as maturing Christians we also need to realize that we need to ask God for guidance in helping us see how we fit into His plans, and how we fit His purpose.

We should also be aware that evil is all around us in today’s world. It should come as no surprise that occasionally some harm may befall us. It is during these times that we must fully trust God and know that He can make good things come from evil. As evidence of this, we only need to look to the Bible to the story of Joseph and the hardships he endured. Betrayal by his brothers; being imprisoned for doing the right thing when he resisted sexual temptation: it would have been easy for him to throw up his hands in frustration and say, “Why me?”, but Joseph always looked forward and tried to hold God’s hand in order that God would lead him through his troubles. When he finally came face to face with his brothers, they feared retribution by him. Instead, Joseph showed them love and told them, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.” (Genesis 50:20 NLT).

We need only to have faith in God’s wisdom and trust His love for us. That way we will know that He will always be working for the good of all of us. It may take some effort on our part now and then to understand, but if we ask God for the patience to wait for His purpose, we will see that His purpose is good and we will know He is working for the good of everyone.
*******

Taken from “TODAY IS….A Gift From God”, (C) 2013 Tony Casson

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Build A Boat

Posted on January 3, 2016 by Tony Casson

Following are words written well that I find particularly helpful at this moment. Sometimes I don’t feel smart enough or capable enough for the task that stretches before me. I know I am not worthy of it. And yet, these are the things I think and think I know.

When God wants us to do something, we simply have to understand that what we ‘think’ and ‘think we know’ are not relevant. What we must do is think outside the ‘box’ that our brain comes in and realize the power that created the entire universe is behind each one of us.

“Yep. That’s big.”

The author is known simply as “Beejai” and his blog is worth following.

The River Walk's avatarTHE RIVER WALK

build a boat

So Noah did everything as the Lord commanded him. (Genesis 7:5)

Read: Genesis 3:1-4:26, Matthew 3:7-4:11, Psalm 3:1-8, Proverbs 1:10-19

Relate: “Build a boat.”

“But God, I don’t want to move. My family is pretty settled here and the coast is an awful long way off. They don’t even speak the same language down there.”

“I didn’t tell you to move. I said build a boat.”

“A boat.”

“Yes. Build a boat. A big one.”

“Ummmm… how big is big?”

“450 feet long, 75 feet wide, 45 feet high.”

Gulp. “Yep. That’s big. Why does it need to be so big?”

“It will contain a zoo.”

“A zoo, inside a boat, in the desert…”

“Yes. Because it is going to rain. A lot.”

“Ummmm God? What’s rain?”

React: “You’re insane?” Has anyone ever said that to us when we begin to step out in obedience to what God has called us to do?…

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Resolutions

Posted on January 1, 2016 by Tony Casson

Following are two excerpts from my daily devotional “TODAY IS….A Gift From God”. The first is the entry for December 27, and contains some resolutions that might be helpful to us all. The second is from January 1, which contains sentiments that might be helpful as we embark on this journey through a brand new year.

TODAY IS…                    December 27

a wonderful day to look at things differently.

“How can I repay the Lord for all His goodness to me?”  Psalm 116:12 NIV

As the New Year approaches, many of us look forward to the end of the current year saying, “I hope next year’s a lot better than this one!” As if the stroke of midnight that changes one day to another holds a magical allure to us, we look at the approach of midnight December 31 as a chance to “start over.” Of course, the only true way to start over is to accept Christ into our lives, repent of our sins, and ask God for His forgiveness which really wipes our slate clean.

Be that as it may, perhaps God doesn’t mind a tiny bit of indulgence, so let us look at January 1 as a new beginning. There is no better time to prepare for the future than to use the Gift of Today to do it. As the New Year approaches, the pen and paper come out and ‘resolutions’ are made with which we hope to truly change in a positive way for the next year.

The most common resolutions are to lose weight and quit smoking. While these are both extremely important things to consider for our health and well-being, why don’t we look at things differently for next year, especially if we are among those who are glad this year is ending?

Let’s begin by looking back over the past year and taking note of all of the blessings we have received from God. Many of us will discover that some of God’s blessings accompanied those events which contribute to our looking forward to a new year. But if we think about it, we can see that we learned and grew as a result of those things and that God demonstrated His love for us time and time again. We should be less thankful that the year is ending, and more thankful that God was with us every step of the way.

If we really want to change, we will need God’s help, so how about considering some of these suggestions for resolutions?

· I resolve to thank God every day for all He does for me.

· I resolve to look for Christ in every person I meet.

· I resolve to do something significant in service to God and my brothers and sisters each day.

· I resolve to spend less time on the couch and more time on my feet doing the Lord’s work.

· I resolve to pray for other people every day.

· I resolve to think more about God so that I am less inclined to think about things I shouldn’t.

· I resolve to think less of myself and more about those around me.

These are a few suggestions you can claim as your own and then say, “I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of His people.” (Psalm 116:14 NIV).

*****************

TODAY IS…                          January 1

the beginning.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1 NLT

A new day. A new month. A new year.

So what are you going to do with it? In the beginning, God did something good. He created something of infinite wonder and beauty. Should you not do something good with the beginning that you have stretched out before you right now?

Of course you cannot do anything as remotely spectacular as what God did, but then, He doesn’t expect that. If you feel unsure or tentative about your ability to do anything that will have any impact, perhaps the words of Helen Keller will serve to reassure you:

“I am only one. But still, I am one. I cannot do everything. But still, I can do something. I will not refuse to do the something I CAN do!”

God is love, and He showed us His love by creating the world and the life that was to inhabit it. A good way for you to begin would be to return that love with a commitment to try a little harder each day to make His creation a better place. You can do this by spending a little time each day reading the Bible and asking God for help in understanding His Word and putting into practice the simple concepts repeated throughout its many inspiring pages.

None of us will ever be perfect, but we do have the ability to mirror God’s character by the way we conduct ourselves in daily life. It is far too easy to slip into bad habits and mirror the crudeness, immorality, and inconsiderate character that today’s society so often exposes us to. But with the determination to begin something beautiful and full of meaning, it will soon be apparent that what people see when they look at you is a mirror image of God’s love, patience, kindness, and forgiveness.

You see, you cannot do everything. Only God can do that. But you can do something to take advantage of today.

Make it the beginning of something good.

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Move Over! There’s a NEW ‘N’ Word In Town!

Posted on December 31, 2015 by Tony Casson

Yes, folks,there’s a new ’N’ word in town, and I have to admit I love it. In fact, I love the new ’N’ word even more than I hate the old one.

The first word – the one that so demeans and degrades African-Americans – is, unfortunately, still used far too often today by those who are not African-American. But it seems to be used more, these days, by those it disparages in reference to each other. It makes me cringe to hear it escape the lips of any person for any reason, but I’ll file that particular rant for another day.

The new ’N’ word is Nazarene – or Nasara – and is symbolized by ISIS with the Arabic symbol for the letter ’N’ as shown here:

ISIS  — being the murderous band of radicals that they are — uses that symbol to mark the homes of Christians in places like Mosul, as shown here:

Don’t be fooled into thinking that is a one-eyed smiley face. The Star of David marking the homes of Jews in Nazi Germany looked fairly innocuous as well, but the the hatred behind the marking of those homes is well-documented.

And so it begins in the Middle East with another group of fanatical murderers who suffer from an abundance of hatred and ignorance and a shortage of decency, tolerance, compassion, and human kindness.

Personally, I am grateful to be a Christian. I am thankful that I am ‘Nasara’, or ‘Nazarene’, or ’N’ and I am fortunate to have found the light within me that enables me to focus on the beauty of what God intended the world to be rather than the ugliness of what people try to make it.

So go ahead. Call yourself the ’N’ word. Call each other the ’N’ word. Call me the ‘N’ word.

Just make sure it’s the right one.

Originally published on “Medium”

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The Tale of Two Red Cups

Posted on December 30, 2015 by Tony Casson

I am always behind the curve in what is trending, so I am probably becoming aware of the “Starbucks Red Cup Saga” just as others are moving on to something else that is just as meaningless.

That said, the tale of the first “Red Cup” is a short story about “Advent.”

The word, Advent, is a noun which means “the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event” and is most commonly used at this time of year by Christians to signify “the first season of the Christian church year, leading up to Christmas and including the four preceding Sundays.”

Most people, regardless of faith – or lack of faith for that matter -are aware that in the month of November “Advent Calendars” go on sale.

Question: “What is an advent calendar? How does an advent calendar relate to Christmas?”

Answer: “The word ‘Advent’ has a Latin origin meaning ‘the coming,’ or more accurately, ‘coming toward.’ For Christian believers, Christmas is one of the greatest events in the yearly cycle, being the celebration of the greatest gift ever given by God to mankind. That gift was Jesus, the Son of God Himself, born into this world in human form and coming to live among us to show us the true nature of God, experience human joy and sorrow along with us, and finally, going of His own will to die a horrible, agonizing death. In this way the price was paid for all human sin that had cut us off from our Holy God and Heavenly Father, resulting in our complete and total reconciliation with Him.

Centuries ago, the importance of this event caused many Christians to feel that it was inadequate merely to mark off only one day on the yearly calendar for celebrating this incredible gift from God. Believers had (and still do have) such a sense of awe and overwhelming gratitude and wonder at what happened that first Christmas that they felt the need for a period of preparation immediately beforehand. They could then not only take time themselves to meditate on it, but also teach their children the tremendous significance of Christmas.” (from gotquestions.org)

Behold, the 2015 Starbucks Advent Calendar below. Has Starbucks insulted Christians and taken a stance against Christmas? I think not.

Now for the second tale, which I personally find much more interesting:

I live in Washington, DC, and at ‘my’ Starbucks located on ‘H’ St. NW next to Walmart I recently purchased my morning mud in a red cup. I have seen all of the signs in Starbucks everywhere, proclaiming how enlightened they are and boasting of their concern for the environment and the human condition.

Very, very admirable on both counts.

I have to admit that I have resisted buying one of the many ‘refillable’ cups they sell (some of which are quite expensive, mind you), but I – well, there is no excuse, but this particular story isn’t about me.

It is rare that I linger in Starbucks long enough to get a refill, but twice in recent days I have returned to the counter with my red cup to have it refilled, only to have my ‘barista’ refuse to take it and, instead, opting to fill a brand new cup, with a brand new lid, and a brand new sleeve.

This is done for ‘health reasons’ which totally escape me since (and let me make sure I have this right) they want me to buy a $20 cup to bring in from the STREET, that has been in my HOME, and been exposed to an entire COMMUNITY of germs which they will then gladly fill, and refill to my heart’s content with no concern for the health and welfare of the public at large.

But they will not refill a cup I just purchased, thereby being environmentally UNfriendly, and wasting a perfectly good anti-Christian, anti-Christmas, communist red cup in the process!

“Lucy. You got some ‘splainin’ to do!”

Originally posted on “Medium”

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“The 365 Days of Christmas”

Posted on December 22, 2015 by Tony Casson

“Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!”  2 Corinthians 9:15 ESV

My dear friend, Cary, wrote a beautiful book called “Burning Down the Fireproof Hotel”. She also periodically posts on her blog, which is also called – yes, more deliberate torching of the things that keep us bound up within ourselves – “Burning Down the Fireproof Hotel.”  A recent post titled, “Shuffling to the Light” had me sharing the tears that she probably thought were her own, but she has such a wonderful way of painting pictures with words that I couldn’t help but cry at the picture upon which my mind’s eye was gazing.

My tears, however, were not falling solely as a result of what I was reading. They were falling in equal measure because her words made me thank God for His gift of her presence in my life, and I suddenly found myself looking back over the past year and I realized that God has blessed me with the gift of friendship of so many people that each day has been like Christmas morning where something beautifully wrapped and containing a thing that is precious beyond words sits waiting under the tree.

God has given me new life, and into that new life, new friends have flowed like a river that has no end. The water of their friendship has nourished me and helped me to grow in my faith and in my ability to be a joyful child of God.

And they keep flowing in.

Thank you Lord, for Cary, and Joey, Diane and Don, Scott, deedee, Josie, and Elisa, and Kathy; Larry, Marc, Mark, Gabe, Ryan, and ; Rusty, Jeff, Tommy, Nancy, Audrey, Becca, Elizabeth, Rebecca, Deborah, Trevor, Christian, and Randy; Jonathan, Tim, James, Jessica, Donna, Mike, Sarah, Tayler, Lee, Father Richard, Anne……..well, you get the idea. The list is long, and I am in awe. I am 62 years old and I have never had friends such as these!

Many, many of these friends have come into my life, one after another, this one knowing that one who introduces me to yet one more – all coming from the gift of Cary’s friendship. That gift has created a quandary for me: Christmas cards. I can’t write that many, nor do I have everyone’s address. And their friendship has created the ability for me to believe in myself enough to take on this project called “Mission Muffins”, which is a career-development program I am helping to put together for Central Union Mission in Washington, DC.

You can have your one special day of gifts if you like. Or you can choose the 12 days of Christmas if that is more your cup of tea. I pray you all will include celebrating the birth of the One who died so we all may live, for I surely will.

But for me, I will thank God for His daily gifts of the people in my life who make my life on this earth a thing of incredible beauty.

It’s like Christmas, 365 days a year.

May God bless you all, and may each one of you have a blessed holiday season, celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

 

 

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“At the Intersection of Freedom and Hope”

Posted on November 10, 2015 by Tony Casson

“Freedom”

“For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.”
Galatians 5:13 NLT

When we have found the path to true freedom, we have discovered the joy found in service to others. By exercising our individual freedom serving others, we become beacons of light for others to follow.

“Serve one another in love.”

In those five words can be found the steps we need to take to follow Jesus. In those five words is the key to understanding the true nature of Christ. Those simple words contain the road map to the complexities of living on this earth, and that road map will lead us to eternal life in God’s Kingdom.

Following the admonition of the Apostle Paul, we discover a way to use the talents and gifts God gave us in a manner that serves Him and glorifies His name. God never said we couldn’t own things. God never said we could not be successful. In fact, God gave us the ability to design, develop, and build the images of our dreams into the reality of successful businesses, but He also gave us the ability to do it in a way that gives Him glory and serves our brothers and sisters with love.

In “The Oakdale Chronicles” on August 24, 2013, I wrote about the freedom that comes with allowing God to open the ‘eyes’ of our hearts:

“God has opened wide the eyes of my heart, and He can open YOURS as well. With our eyes wide open we can see many things we could not see before: We can see hope; we can see peace, happiness, joy, love, and forgiveness; we can see the goodness that lives and breathes all around us.

And with our eyes wide open we can also see the hunger, the pain, the suffering, and the desperation of other people. But these are not bad things to see, because once our eyes are open, we can also see our place in God’s plan to HELP those who are afflicted. Seeing our place will allow us to take the action necessary to improve the condition of our brothers and sisters who are all God’s children.

And THIS, my friends, is freedom.”

“Hope”

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11

Imagine a place where leather goods, pottery, jewelry and other quality hand-crafted items are produced and sold; a place where a variety of unique restaurants are clustered; a place where tasteful Christian-themed apparel is printed and embroidered, then offered for sale in an attractive shop containing other Christian books, gifts, and music; a place where fine herbs and a colorful variety of gourmet tomatoes and other select produce items are hot-house grown and sold the day they are picked; a place where beautifully re-upholstered sofas and chairs and professionally refinished and refurbished dressers, tables and other furniture can be found; a place where you can take your car to get an oil change or perhaps even a custom paint job; a place where vehicles laden with workers and tools leave daily to go out and assist those in need while helping to make the community a more beautiful place; a place where you can drop off a load of canned goods to be distributed to area food banks and then park your car and peruse some locally produced Christian-themed paintings and sculptures; a place where adults can go to learn how to read and then enroll in a group to read about God; a place where Christian musicians are offered training, the opportunity to join with others to create music and then afforded the opportunity to record that music while others learn the art of doing the recording; a place where anything that can be produced by the hands of man is produced and sold in an environment of restoration and renewal of the human spirit; a place where anything is possible if it can be imagined; a place where no one is refused the services or the opportunities offered, regardless of their faith, but where everything is done in an attitude of Christian service and love.

Such a place will be built by people who believe that there is, indeed, hope and a future for those who are ‘hopeless’ and cannot see the future. Such a place will be called “HOPE CITY”.

Imagine that you are a part of it.

Imagine yourself standing at the intersection of Freedom and Hope.

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Helping Muffins Speak.

Posted on October 30, 2015 by Tony Casson

Can something as small and seemingly insignificant as a muffin really have a significant impact on a person’s life?

For the last several months I have immersed myself in an idea called “The Mission Muffin Co.” with exactly that premise in mind. Having benefitted from being taken in by, and made to feel welcome (and safe) in, this place called Central Union Mission upon my release from prison in May of 2014, God finally provided me with the courage to ask David Treadwell, the Mission’s executive director, a question that has since changed my life and will – with the help of many people – ultimately change the course of other men’s lives as well.

The question?

“Have I ever told you about my idea to make ‘Mission Muffins’?”

I hadn’t, to that point, but I did, and here we are.

This is an exciting time, and it is truly an exciting idea. Not because it’s mine, and not because it is particularly original in the grand scheme of things, perhaps, but because it is something new for Central Union Mission’s 130+ years of service to Washington, DC’s neediest residents, and it is something that possesses tremendous potential to impact men’s lives in remarkable ways.

The world is in such a terrible state that it is often easy to throw up our hands in despair and declare that nothing can be done. I know that from the perspective of people living in homelessness, it is difficult sometimes to avoid the feelings of hopelessness that can creep in. So many things can contribute to an individual’s sense of loss and lack of purpose: lack of adequate education; growing up and living in poverty; addictions to drugs or alcohol; errors in judgment that leave us with criminal records hindering or impeding any forward progress.

I believe that hope is never lost, and that something as tiny as a muffin can provide the spark that will make it burn brightly in a person. I believe that a muffin can speak to a man’s soul and inspire him to want to move forward, to learn, and to build a future. Many who have lived ‘normal’ lives and have grown up in ‘normal’ circumstances may look at the men the Mission serves and see a collection of ragtag individuals who are ‘not salvageable’, ‘unmanageable’, ‘beyond redemption’, ‘irredeemable’.

Muffins with a mission can change a man’s life. And you can help.

Check out The Mission Muffin Co. website and find out how.

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