A woman, laboring in childbirth, lay crying out in agony. Her baby was crowning, but clutched in her hands was not a lifeline; it was a crack pipe. She was an addict, lost somewhere along life's dark path. Her partner lay beside her, unmoved, also chasing the next high. Though Team Jesus surrounded her with love and help, both she and her partner rejected it.
Within the hour, her screams fell silent.
In the chaos of the streets, a child was born. Police arrived. The mother fled into an alley and abandoned her newborn, discarded like trash. The baby was retrieved, but a day later, we learned the child did not survive. The mother was released back onto the streets.
I am reminded of Proverbs 26, where it says a dog returns to its own vomit, which is a powerful picture of sin's relentless grip. This world is lost, hurting, sick, and deprived. What are we doing to combat this disease?
Our battle is not just physical, but spiritual, against principalities and powers. It would be easy to close the doors and look away. But that is not what Jesus, nor Fred Jordan's legacy, nor I can do.
Our calling is to reach them before the first toke or needle, before the bottle, before the cycle begins. Yes, we help hundreds on the streets daily. But we must also reach thousands through every tool at our disposal: Back-to-School bashes, Thanksgiving and Christmas feedings, radio, television, and social media—sharing the redeeming love of Jesus, who can change any life.
That mother who gave birth on a sidewalk? She never imagined this life. Help us reach those who are still "before the now"—the father who just lost his job, the young woman seeking acceptance in the wrong places.
