The Exodus: Living the Parable of the Samaritan
"HUH?" you might say.
If you know anything about Christianity or the Bible, it's possible you already know the story of the Exodus and/or the parable of the Samaritan. Generally they have absolutely nothing to do with each other...
One is in the Old Testament, the other in the New Testament.
One is in an actual account while the other is a parable.
In MY story, the two go together. This is how God works with me. And I'm going to tell you why they do!
It's been 7-8 weeks since I last posted. In the meantime my son and I have been on an incredible adventure with homelessness. We have met incredible people and enjoyed immense favor while also meeting with great heartbreak and adversity too. I think the lessons I'm most grateful for are "I'm homeless, not hopeless." "I'm a victor not a victim." And also that "a change is gonna come". This I am sure of because, with the grace of God, I'm going to bring that change and I hope you'll help me.
The Exodus is my personal endeavor to help myself AND the women I have been experiencing a shelter program with exit it with dignity and begin a journey towards living their best lives. To do this I have a house in mind. It would accommodate all the adults plus their children. I have spoken with the other moms and it's something they are interested in exploring.
As part of moving into this home I would invite them to be a part of the Leadership Circle for my company L.U.V. Enterprises. In order to do this they would be required to go through the PAID 2 Parent program, an initiative of L.U.V. This way before it is launched, the people in charge can honestly say they have been through it and confidently recommend it to others. To make the Exodus happen, I'm inviting people to live the parable of the Samaritan with me. I need to make it clear that it's not an invitation to live the parable as you know it but to live it how I present it. I'm pretty sure there's a difference.
To raise the money to move, I'm hosting a Cash App "Flash" Fundraiser (cashtag: $Paid2Parent, The L.U.V. L.I.F.E. Cooperative) to collect the money needed to help myself and the women in this program. There are eight families with a total of 10 children.
Please note: If you do not have a CashApp account, try it using my code and we’ll each get $5: HJKSXTL (https://cash.app/app/HJKSXTL)
The first move would be to temporary housing giving us all a break from the insanity we have been experiencing. In that situation we would make more definite decisions on how we can move forward. We have all already agreed that a situation where we all live together would be welcome since we all get along.
I will accept investments at any time but really there are two time periods I'm interested in collecting for. The temporary housing would start as soon as we are able to collect the funds. The expense would include whatever it takes to move. The Fundraiser starts today, Sunday, 2/23/2020. The ideal situation is to raise the money for the temporary move in a 24 hour period! I'd like to book the house on Monday and have people move in on Tuesday. Please provide your email address in the "for" section and you will receive a bi-weekly update on how the funds collected have been spent.
This is the anticipated housing budget:
-Temporary housing: $5000 (includes moving expenses, transportation)
-Long term housing: $39000 (6 months in advance)
-Total: $43000
Any amount is appreciated. I keep saying "111 gets the job done" so even $1.11 will help. I am collecting with Cash App because my account is set up for business and a set amount of fees are applied once the funds are sent. I can also get the money instantly as opposed to a Go Fund Me where the fees are higher and it takes a few days for the money to be received.
If you would like to help but don't have Cash App, please consider donating to one of two organizations I'll eventually be partnering with because of how supportive they have been to me personally as my son and I have struggled. They are A Place Called Hope and the BWEL Foundation. Here are their donation pages:
A Place Called Hope:
https://www.apchchurch.org/support-us
BWEL Foundation:
https://www.bwelnc.org/donate/
Please note: I will not be a recipient of these funds but they are worthy organizations in this area worth investing in.
Now... most people are familiar with the parable but if not you can search "Luke 10:25-37 KJV". A link will pop up so you can read it. Listed below is a summary of the fifteen steps taught in the parable of the Samaritan to alleviate the suffering of his "neighbor". Here is a link to the first video in my series called "The Exceptional Samaritan". It breaks down the entire section of scripture mentioned above and applies it to helping others today:
https://youtu.be/gthncTb5Iq8
Step 1, "saw him": Acknowledged the person and that there was a problem (Luke 10:33)
Step 2, "had compassion on him": By definition is a good part endeavor, "a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune (part 1), accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering (part 2)", definition courtesy of dictionary,com (v. 33)
Step 3, "And went to him": Met the man's needs NOW, not when it was convenient for him; if you can't do this be supportive of those who can (v. 34)
Step 4, "bound up his wounds": Compassion in action. Like a modern day EMT, took care of the man's most immediate needs; the Samaritan analyzed the situation and stabilized the victim before moving him from the road; this prevents further injury (v. 34)
Step 5, "pouring in oil and wine": To cleanse, help to heal wounds (v. 34)
Step 6, "set him on his own beast": Lifted him off the ground; sacrificed his own comfort to help this man (v. 34)
Step 7, "brought him to an inn": Provided a stable living environment that was appropriate for his needs; made sure he was in a place he could completely heal (v.34)
Step 8, "took care of him": Wasn’t left to heal or recover on his own or “figure it out” (v. 34)
Step 9, "took out two pence and gave them to the host": Investment (v.35)
Step 10: Get others involved who can help (v. 35)
Step 11, to the host "take care of him": Made sure to continue the care or provide better; gave the victim an opportunity to fully recover (v. 35)
Step 12, to the host "whatsoever thou spendest more": Invited host to spend whatever was needed, didn’t skimp on the life of that person; their worth is infinite, this is an opportunity to show them (v.35)
Step 13, to the host "when I come again": There was accountability. He didn’t just leave money and be done with the situation. He left money and stated he would be back. He had to already be known at this inn and a frequent guest to leave such a large responsibility on the innkeeper. Even though we do not know details, we can speculate that it is very possible the Samaritan traveled some distance to get to an area where he was known. This was so he could leave the wounded man in a place where he was sure of the quality of service and he could trust that what he asked for would be done. (v.35)
Step 14, to the host "I will repay thee": The Samaritan says this but I imagine this thought was running through the mind of the injured man. (v. 35)
Step 15, "Go, and do thou likewise": Repeat. (v. 37)
Will you join me in "[doing] thou likewise"?
Thank you in advance for your support. Create today. Peace...
If you know anything about Christianity or the Bible, it's possible you already know the story of the Exodus and/or the parable of the Samaritan. Generally they have absolutely nothing to do with each other...
One is in the Old Testament, the other in the New Testament.
One is in an actual account while the other is a parable.
In MY story, the two go together. This is how God works with me. And I'm going to tell you why they do!
It's been 7-8 weeks since I last posted. In the meantime my son and I have been on an incredible adventure with homelessness. We have met incredible people and enjoyed immense favor while also meeting with great heartbreak and adversity too. I think the lessons I'm most grateful for are "I'm homeless, not hopeless." "I'm a victor not a victim." And also that "a change is gonna come". This I am sure of because, with the grace of God, I'm going to bring that change and I hope you'll help me.
The Exodus is my personal endeavor to help myself AND the women I have been experiencing a shelter program with exit it with dignity and begin a journey towards living their best lives. To do this I have a house in mind. It would accommodate all the adults plus their children. I have spoken with the other moms and it's something they are interested in exploring.
As part of moving into this home I would invite them to be a part of the Leadership Circle for my company L.U.V. Enterprises. In order to do this they would be required to go through the PAID 2 Parent program, an initiative of L.U.V. This way before it is launched, the people in charge can honestly say they have been through it and confidently recommend it to others. To make the Exodus happen, I'm inviting people to live the parable of the Samaritan with me. I need to make it clear that it's not an invitation to live the parable as you know it but to live it how I present it. I'm pretty sure there's a difference.
To raise the money to move, I'm hosting a Cash App "Flash" Fundraiser (cashtag: $Paid2Parent, The L.U.V. L.I.F.E. Cooperative) to collect the money needed to help myself and the women in this program. There are eight families with a total of 10 children.
Please note: If you do not have a CashApp account, try it using my code and we’ll each get $5: HJKSXTL (https://cash.app/app/HJKSXTL)
The first move would be to temporary housing giving us all a break from the insanity we have been experiencing. In that situation we would make more definite decisions on how we can move forward. We have all already agreed that a situation where we all live together would be welcome since we all get along.
I will accept investments at any time but really there are two time periods I'm interested in collecting for. The temporary housing would start as soon as we are able to collect the funds. The expense would include whatever it takes to move. The Fundraiser starts today, Sunday, 2/23/2020. The ideal situation is to raise the money for the temporary move in a 24 hour period! I'd like to book the house on Monday and have people move in on Tuesday. Please provide your email address in the "for" section and you will receive a bi-weekly update on how the funds collected have been spent.
This is the anticipated housing budget:
-Temporary housing: $5000 (includes moving expenses, transportation)
-Long term housing: $39000 (6 months in advance)
-Total: $43000
Any amount is appreciated. I keep saying "111 gets the job done" so even $1.11 will help. I am collecting with Cash App because my account is set up for business and a set amount of fees are applied once the funds are sent. I can also get the money instantly as opposed to a Go Fund Me where the fees are higher and it takes a few days for the money to be received.
If you would like to help but don't have Cash App, please consider donating to one of two organizations I'll eventually be partnering with because of how supportive they have been to me personally as my son and I have struggled. They are A Place Called Hope and the BWEL Foundation. Here are their donation pages:
A Place Called Hope:
https://www.apchchurch.org/support-us
BWEL Foundation:
https://www.bwelnc.org/donate/
Please note: I will not be a recipient of these funds but they are worthy organizations in this area worth investing in.
Now... most people are familiar with the parable but if not you can search "Luke 10:25-37 KJV". A link will pop up so you can read it. Listed below is a summary of the fifteen steps taught in the parable of the Samaritan to alleviate the suffering of his "neighbor". Here is a link to the first video in my series called "The Exceptional Samaritan". It breaks down the entire section of scripture mentioned above and applies it to helping others today:
https://youtu.be/gthncTb5Iq8
Step 1, "saw him": Acknowledged the person and that there was a problem (Luke 10:33)
Step 2, "had compassion on him": By definition is a good part endeavor, "a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune (part 1), accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering (part 2)", definition courtesy of dictionary,com (v. 33)
Step 3, "And went to him": Met the man's needs NOW, not when it was convenient for him; if you can't do this be supportive of those who can (v. 34)
Step 4, "bound up his wounds": Compassion in action. Like a modern day EMT, took care of the man's most immediate needs; the Samaritan analyzed the situation and stabilized the victim before moving him from the road; this prevents further injury (v. 34)
Step 5, "pouring in oil and wine": To cleanse, help to heal wounds (v. 34)
Step 6, "set him on his own beast": Lifted him off the ground; sacrificed his own comfort to help this man (v. 34)
Step 7, "brought him to an inn": Provided a stable living environment that was appropriate for his needs; made sure he was in a place he could completely heal (v.34)
Step 8, "took care of him": Wasn’t left to heal or recover on his own or “figure it out” (v. 34)
Step 9, "took out two pence and gave them to the host": Investment (v.35)
Step 10: Get others involved who can help (v. 35)
Step 11, to the host "take care of him": Made sure to continue the care or provide better; gave the victim an opportunity to fully recover (v. 35)
Step 12, to the host "whatsoever thou spendest more": Invited host to spend whatever was needed, didn’t skimp on the life of that person; their worth is infinite, this is an opportunity to show them (v.35)
Step 13, to the host "when I come again": There was accountability. He didn’t just leave money and be done with the situation. He left money and stated he would be back. He had to already be known at this inn and a frequent guest to leave such a large responsibility on the innkeeper. Even though we do not know details, we can speculate that it is very possible the Samaritan traveled some distance to get to an area where he was known. This was so he could leave the wounded man in a place where he was sure of the quality of service and he could trust that what he asked for would be done. (v.35)
Step 14, to the host "I will repay thee": The Samaritan says this but I imagine this thought was running through the mind of the injured man. (v. 35)
Step 15, "Go, and do thou likewise": Repeat. (v. 37)
Will you join me in "[doing] thou likewise"?
Thank you in advance for your support. Create today. Peace...
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