Under the Overpass: Ch. 2 - "I thought Jesus talked about love!"

Overnight, the life Mike had known ceased to exist. As he walked away from his dad's car and into the Denver Rescue Mission, he entered a world saturated with pain, suffering, disease, hopelessness, addiction, and smells he'd never smelled before. His goal in starting within a rehab center was to get acclamated to the language, demeanors and lifestyles of a culture with which he'd had little connection...plus, it put the minds of his family and friends at ease to know he'd start off somewhere a little safer than the open streets!

What he learned, slowly, was to lean on Christ more than ever...and to speak thoughtfully about Him. He learned to go beyond religious platitudes and to minister to the part of the person that was really in pain. As he began to form friendships with the men at the shelter, Mike realized the importance and freedom of honesty - brutal, vulnerable honesty. After a particularly moving conversation with James one night, Mike reflected on the ease with which many of these men shared their pain, partly because hiding it took too much effort. He compared it with the discomfort many of us have in admitting our weakness or brokenness. Reflecting on Psalm 34:18 (The Lord is close to the brokenhearted), Mike writes, "I wondered if pretending you're not broken keeps God at a distance."

In listening to the mandatory sermons that the guests of the rehab program attended, Mike's other honest thought was this: "Do speakers assume that to be homeless or addicted you are on the road to hell?" In a moving reflection on that question, Mike reminds us that Jesus came not to minister the well, but to heal the sick - that his message to those who were burdened was "come to me and I will give you rest." This didn't mean that you didn't preach repentance, but rather, you preached it by sharing Christ's infinte love for those who were weary, burdened, sick and lost. By preaching hell, fire and damnation, Mike says, "...these speakers [were] condemning the broken for being broken."

Over his month in Denver, Mike transformed his life and his heart more than many of us have ever tried in our lifetimes. He had seen men's lives changed by the saving power of Christ and in turn, his own faith strengthened by witnessing how scripture comes alive in the presence of the suffering.

Discussion Questions:

• How do we view the lost and the broken?
• Are we honest about our weaknesses and brokeness...With ourselves? With each other? With God?
• Do we turn to the Word of God in our lives? Has the Word of God ever come alive for us when we are in need? When others are in need?
• What can we do to help Christ's invitation to the weak materialize today: "Come to me you who are weary..."?

Under the Overpass: Ch. 1 - "Be the Christian you say you are."

And so began Mike's journey - a journey that led him to the darkest corners of America as well as deeper into his own faith. We begin this book discussion with a look at the first two chapters of Under the Overpass.

Chapter One gives us a glimpse of the internal journey that led to the beginning of Mike's endeavor to live with (and as) the homeless - to really strive to understand. Beginning with a challenge from the preacher, "Be the Christian you say you are," the foundation of Mike's work came from an honest appraisal of his own life and "report card" as a Christian. He reflects on the ease with which he drove past the "least of these" on his everyday journey, the hypocrisy in his own life, the intellectualization of faith that had not yet led him into action. And then it came.

The Holy Spirit like lightning struck. In scripture we can read of the Spirit coming as fire, or a rush of wind - Mike refers to the flicker of lightning. He doesn't call it the Holy Spirit, but the calling had every element of the Spirit's call. Not just an idea, but a picture that came with that idea, and then more ideas that supported the initial desire, and finally, confirmation from others, many of whom from which Mike expected the opposite reaction. And so they went, two together, to begin this new journey.

Discussion Questions:

• What does it mean to "be the Christian you say you are"?
• Are you honest about your relationship with Christ and his commission to us to be disciples? Where do you succeed? Where do you fall short?
• Where have you heard or felt the calling of the Holy Spirit in your life? What was your reaction?

Welcome to the Genesis Book Club!!

Welcome to the first installment of the Genesis Book Club! Our hope is that we can use this forum to enable a larger number of people to participate in a series of book discussions. Knowing that everyone's schedules are filled with more demands every day, hopefully the online format will give you the flexibility needed while still allowing you to engage in the discussion of the books selected.

Our first book will be Under the Overpass: A Journey of Faith in America, by Mike Yankowski. We will focus on two chapters per week to allow us to finish the book in time for Mike's visit to St. Andrew Parish in Rochester. No worries - read as you can, and share your thoughts as they come!

God bless, and happy reading!

Rakhi

Director, Genesis Ministries

http://www.genesis-ministries.org/