Recently I met Randy, a quiet, unsung hero of the effort to bring men and women safely back into our communities. Randy’s background is not exceptional. He’s a carpenter without a college education. He’s a former addict. But when we talked, he was just about to open his sixteenth transitional home to keep a roof over the head of former prisoners.
Some time ago, God gave Randy the insight to see that former prisoners need a safe place to get back on their feet, something between a halfway house and signing a lease on a place of their own. So he took out a personal mortgage, bought a house, and invited ex-prisoners to come be his tenants. Now Randy has 16 houses. Each house has a set of simple rules: Residents need to work, they need to be in church and Bible study together, and they need to contribute whatever they can to the house payment and general upkeep.
Randy’s vision was simple. He saw a need, and instead of stepping back and waiting for someone more “qualified” to lead, he stepped forward in faith to meet it. Thanks to him, many former prisoners have now found a way to stay off the streets and out of the way of temptation.
God also calls us to acts of simple, life-changing faith. What’s God calling you to do? What need has He allowed you to see? I encourage you to step out in bold simplicity of heart – He may intend to fill that need through you!