“If you want to go to church, you should go over to Joe’s Addiction. They accept prostitutes, junkies, tattoos and piercings. They’ll take anyone.”
“If your gospel is only about yourself, your spirit, your converts, and your words, and in practice your highest loyalty is to your flag . . .
One of the more frustrating elements of ministry at Joe’s is the complexity of the roots of problems. We daily encounter these plus the worldview and value system that is inherent to generational poverty. Add to these the ingredients of drug addiction and mental illness, and otherwise simple needs become recipes for extreme frustration.
“This is the original revolution: the creation of a distinct community with its own deviant set of values.” John Howard Yodel
Being “born again” means starting over and coming into the world as something new, something different. It’s a total overhaul, an extreme makeover that gives us a complet
ely new outlook on life. It means a revolution of values
Jimmy’s mouth dropped open. Then he said, “Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me?! Don’t mess with me!” I assured him that I wasn’t and asked if he would be willing to assist the chef at the country club. For a moment, Jimmy stood there silent. Then a gigantic smile swallowed the lines of Jimmy’s haggard face. He grabbed me around the shoulders, picked me up and began to sob, “God is giving me back my dream! He’s giving me back my dream!”
I looked at David, an alcoholic, vietnam vet who suffers from paranoid schizophrenia, and who spends part of every day at Joe’s, and his mouth was hanging open. He said, “That’s like ‘deja vu’ or something . . .”
Matthew is a murderer, but “Carl is a sex offender.” The sex offenders are the bottom of the barrel, even in prison.
Without a beat of hesitation, he responded, “God told me that we are going to have a lot of people!” My heart dropped. Oh no, I thought. What if God didn’t really say that to him? What would it do to Carl’s faith if people didn’t show up? I threw up a quick prayer, “God, you know… please show up! For Carl’s sake!”
Joey’s stared at me, his eyes widening and filling with tears. He said, “I am in darkness. I’ve been in darkness my whole life. That can’t be what God is saying.”
Her next thought was, “How will I pay for the supplies? Will the church pay for that?” Linda lives in a trailer park down the street from Joe’s. She receives a small check from the military each month that covers her modest needs, but rarely leaves any money leftover.
Local politicians prevent any legal action from being taken against the forced prostitution rings because they owe their position and influence to the wealthy business interests behind the brothels.
when I walked in here about an hour ago Jessi, one of the women here, grabbed me and took me next door. It was full of food for the guys, as well as gloves for them!
The point of this piece is to convey a feeling of the ambiance and sense of community the owners, employees, and regulars of his establishment are creating in a geographic area which could very easily find itself caught in a web of depression and hopelessness. The strip clubs that litter the landscape of this street may provide a few moments of arousal for their patrons, but these feelings are fleeting and are, in the end, detrimental to the overall health of the voyeur. What Joe’s Addiction provides is warmth and hope without judgment. They also provide one heck of a good cup of coffee.
“I’ve been living 50 years of my life entirely for myself. That’s a long time. I know how to do that. I am starting to live a different way now, not for myself, but for others. It’s new to me. It’s a way that I want to go. I think I’m going a new way. But I don’t want to start calling myself something, until I’m really sure that I am actually able to go this new direction.”
I was sad. The semi-lucid moment had passed. It was clear I wouldn’t learn anything more about Bill today. We couldn’t even converse anymore. He just kept repeating the same thing over and over again.
Finally, I’m seeing and experiencing the love of Jesus the Bridegroom. Until recently, this was the side of Him that I most adamantly denied.
I cannot remember having ever read a book that has touched me more, other than the Bible. Jamie writes not just from her heart, but from God s. One of my favorite works of all is Tozer's The Pursuit of God. I truly believe Simple Obsession should rank right up there and should be required reading for every Christian. My fervent hope is that it will become a classic in Christian literature I know it so rightly holds that place in my own heart. --Lawrence Cook, Attorney, Louisville, Kentucky
I have heard Jamie speak several times and consider her to be one of the best speakers I have heard. After reading her book I realized that it was Jesus through her that was so life changing. In this simple book the great truths of God are available as the sweetest morsels. Like a spring of refreshing, this amazing book has given life to my spirit. --Dr. Thomas R. Sattler, Ph.D. Professor of Philosophy, Retired, Morehead State University
Not only has Jamie started and continued to pastor on of the coolest churches I have ever encountered, she is a powerful author. I just finished reading her book Simple Obsession. I have read all the famous Christian authors and theologians of the past and present, yet never has a book been more powerfully used by the Holy Spirit in my life. It is a devotional, a theological treatise and a guide for practical ministry. This instant classic is for every Christian. --Rev. Jeff Roartet, Associate Pastor, Evergreen Fellowship, Evergreen, Colorado
The sad truth was that we were not modeling well for our children.
but, what about what we’ve been taught all our lives: Jesus could come back tonight. He could come back any minute, and you must be ready. as a child, this doctrine put the fear of the Lord in me. i grew up watching movies, “thief in the night,” and “distant thunder,” and listening to the song, “i wish we’d all been ready.” many were the times i came home from school to an empty house and wondered if i had been “left behind.”