Where Faith and Your Professional Reputation Meet

Feb - 25 2016 | By

Sometimes being a true Believer and walking follower of the Lord Jesus requires professional courage as well as personal commitment.  Today I came across an article posted on a professional Board on LinkedIn, a web site on which I have a strong professional presence as an Executive Recruiter.  I have never hidden my faith or passion for the homeless in my professional life and it has never harmed me, but rather enhanced my standing in the Healthcare community.  As further proof of this, for the past 20 years I have put a scripture (Prov. 16:3) on my Signature line on every outgoing email to clients and candidates.

Here is a link to the original article on LinkedIn, and my response posted this morning.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/former-homeless-mans-perspective-homelessness-san-francisco-wilson?trk=pulse-det-nav_art

My response on LinkedIn:

I applaud your compassion and your bravery in writing and posting this perspective Jeffrey.  It is a rare thing to see this level of sincerity and understanding in the professional community.

As a Volunteer Chaplain to several San Fernando Valley (L.A. County) Rescue Mission’s Homeless Outreaches and the LAPD Jail Ministry “The Nehemiah Program” (where many of the detainees who seek prayer and counsel are homeless individuals), I have seen miracles of restoration and healing among the various striations of the homeless community, including the mentally ill, through coming to have a true relationship with the Lord and His Body.

In our current society, the economic bubble has a very thin membrane for most people and bursts easily as this writer and many of the responders have noted.  For those of us who follow the Lord Jesus in truth and in deed, (both faith AND works that are the fruit of faith) mercy and grace as it has been given to us, must certainly be passed on by us to those that God places in our lives, even if it is only a “chance” encounter on the street.  In the Kingdom of God there are no coincidences that are not orchestrated in some way by God, and our love must be for others as His Love is for us all.  (Rom. 8:28, 1John 3:16)

It has been my experience that many of those who find themselves living in their cars after years of worldly successes, are there for the same reasons that the people of Israel found themselves in captivity in Babylon.  They are being given an opportunity to truly see and acknowledge the Grace of God without the distractions of position and wealth.  Those that hear the Word of God preached in power at a homeless feeding, when they themselves are the homeless, very often hear the Word for the first time, though they may have been sitting in pews in rich churches (regardless of denomination) for many years.

God does not desire religious affiliation, but rather true relationship with Him and others from His people.  Many of those homeless (among hundreds, perhaps thousands) that I have met and ministered to in the past 20 years, have returned to “normal” life (jobs, income, homes and ease of living) with a new understanding, relationship, dedication and yes, joy in the Living God who gave them life, loved them, died on a Cross for them, and called them to Himself to love others.

Many others, the more “hardcore” homeless, among them the mentally ill and emotionally crushed (including PTSD veterans), have been raised up from addiction, depression and other forms of dysfunction, to become blessings to their community, although still homeless.  Somebody has to clean the streets of it’s recyclable garbage, and be there to guide those who daily become homeless to safety and show them where the food, clothing and shelter resources are.  I have personally been blessed to be allowed to raise many of these up myself, and remain available to them as shepherd, teacher and friend.

I didn’t mean to dive so deep, and not all who read this will understand or appreciate this perspective, but for those who do, please check out my website at www.whatisjesusdoing.net.

Meanwhile, Jeffrey’s advice to have a kind word for, or to give a small monetary helping hand to those less fortunate than yourself, is surely good counsel to those of us blessed and/or lucky enough to have good jobs and homes at the moment.  Oh, and while you are at it, shake their hand and look them in the eye.  That is the greatest gift of all to someone who is struggling with the impact of becoming homeless and marginalized by “society”.

So…I have included this as a blog to my friends.  If I can be out there in my professional life, so can you.  Go, and may the Lord go with you!

In His Constant Grip of Grace, with Love, in truth,

John Henry Raskin, Roadhouse Rabbi

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