truth B told

Head Biker gets Lawn Cleaned Up

My church small group met this Saturday. We didn't study a book, nor did we sing songs. We didn't even pray. --We cleaned up people's yards...and one place is worthy of telling a story.

About 11 of us gathered at a closed down Harley Davison Bike shop. Weeds had grown up around the building, bushes were thick, and the back "patio area" was an overgrown mess. It had been left alone for sometime.

Who lived there? Well, the head guy of a local biker gang did. His apartment was above the bike shop. But the situation for his family had gone downhill. His wife died about a year ago. He got in a horrible motorcycle accident months ago, and their place has sat empty since all this has happened. A family in our church knew of the situation, and we made arrangements to go over and clean up their place.

The daughter of the dad (who is now in a nursing home) came to unlock the back gate. She was in tears as she remembered all the parties and friends who visited this place every night. Although she was extremely sad of her dad's condition and loss of her mother, she couldn't believe a church would come help clean up the place.

That's why we do it. We want people to know God's love reaches out past the walls of the church. It was a complete privilege to clean up the yard of a local biker gang member. It was rewarding to just be a window of light and love to a hurting family.

Now that the weeds are gone, the beer cans are picked up, and the grass is cut, it's time for God's love to sink in. My prayer is that the family will continue to wonder why a church helped them out. And then I hope their search continues...