I wrote this reflection about a month after beginning my Friday routine at the Jesus Center. It’s now almost a year later:

On Fridays between 2 and 4pm I sit on the lawn next to the front entrance (to be in the shade). I have two camping chairs I use to invite folks to come over and sit with me while I’m playing. If I talk to someone, I usually invite them to take communion with me (I’ve got a plate and cup sitting there on a little stool) or I’ll ask if I can pray for them. I’ve had some pretty good responses so far.

One guy I met last week came over because he was apparently moved by the music and seemed to want to play the guitar, so I asked him to sit down and play. While he was playing, I sang a (spontaneous) prayer for us. Afterward I asked him if he would like healing prayer for anything and he said yes (“I’m just trying to learn to be myself”). So I asked God to give him courage and understanding about how special he is as someone that God loves and created. He seemed interested in the prayers and looked very relaxed.

I asked him to come back the next time because maybe I would be able to borrow another guitar for him to play along. He had told me earlier that his guitar was recently stolen after leaving it unattended in a field for a few hours. My friend Grace and her 4 year-old daughter were there at the Jesus Center with me that day, too. A few days later Grace came to my house to give me her guitar (a nice one with a hard case) so that I could give it to him. So this morning, after setting up my things next to the “smokers”, I saw him getting off the Torres Shelter bus and you should have seen his face when I gave him the guitar. At first he thought it was just to play with while we were there, but then I explained to him that Grace wanted him to have it. He was pretty shaken up by the whole deal. Anyway, we’ll see what comes of our relationship. I’m praying that God does a miracle with him.