Anthony sat in our cafe and raised his voice to complain about the trouble in his life. He rambled on about various problems. I stood near Anthony and listened to his story. He talked about violence and injustice and trauma involving his friends and family. The story stretched back to his childhood. Anthony also believed … Continue reading Harmful Spirit

After Jesus was raised from the dead, he spent some time hanging out with his closest friends. He did some things that blew their minds, like magically appearing in the middle of locked rooms and showing off the fresh scars of his crucifixion. He also did some regular stuff. For example, he found his friends … Continue reading Resurrection Breakfast

When I was in high school, I co-founded the heavy metal band “Cell.” A lot of people don’t remember my band. They must have not attended our performance at my high school’s Sadie Hawkins dance in 2001. That’s okay. I’m not offended. Unfortunately, our bassist moved to North Carolina and the band broke up. That’s … Continue reading Screaming Fans

After living in New Albany for a year, Rachel and I broke our lease and moved into an apartment in the middle of Midtown, across the street from the elementary school. Our new landlord allowed pets and we soon rescued a retired greyhound. We named our black and white giant Banksy, after the artist. We … Continue reading Bouncin’ Banksy

I stood with Rachel in a tiny duplex in one of the worst neighborhoods in Knoxville, TN. The floors of this duplex were made of unvarnished plywood and the kitchen/living room cabinets matched the floors. The landlord stood in the doorway, wearing a track suit and smoking a cigarette. We walked around the building and … Continue reading This Woman

I know a lot of faithful brothers and sisters with great stories. I’ve asked them to share their stories and every fifth Monday I’m going to pass their stories along.  This story is from my father-in-law, James Litsey. James has the purest missionary heart in the world and works with unreached people groups on a … Continue reading Communion with the Saints – Episode 1

Mike walks into our building every morning and everyone yells “Mikey!” in unison. He gives me a hug and makes small talk with a few of our regulars. Then he walks up to the coffee bar and humbly asks, “Would it be okay if I hopped in the shower?” The answer is always yes. When … Continue reading Blessed Are You Who Are Poor – Meek Mike

Karen suffered unthinkable tragedy in 2014 when her 12 year old son was murdered at a nearby park. The news circulated on a national level and Karen fell into deep depression. She soon became homeless and showed up at Midtown Commons. As we got to know her more, we recognized her affliction and heartache. Some … Continue reading Blessed Are You Who Are Poor – Freedom for Friendship

I met a woman rich in faith. Every day she thanks God for life. Mary and her roommate are on disability. They moved into the same apartment to share resources. One day Mary was out of food and out of money. For me, “out of food” means I don’t want anything in my cupboard. I … Continue reading Blessed are the Poor – Something Really Mattress

I run into more and more people who don’t realize there are two versions of the beatitudes in the bible. “Beatitudes” refers to the classic words of Jesus that start with “blessed are the…” and end with “for you…” or some variation. Usually, when someone refers to the beatitudes, the passage that person has in … Continue reading Blessed Are You Who Are Poor Pt. 1 – Is This A Joke?