This week, most of the nation is experiencing it’s first taste of winter. Even here in OKC, we’ve managed to dodge the ice, but not the temps. We have definitely been made aware of winter’s presence.

Wednesday, we unloaded a semi truck full of food from the Food Bank. While helping with the unloading, one of our favorite neighbors, Clyde, began growing icicles from his Santa-like beard. I was his unloading partner and also experienced the same phenomenon around my hoodie.

Today, Luke and I went on our weekly large furniture pick up journey. As we drove to SW OKC, we couldn’t help but notice that the van’s heater wasn’t kicking in. By the first pick up, we were frozen solid. The silly thing didn’t heat up until hours later. Brrrr!

I know all of us have had similar experiences this week. But for most of us these moments are brief and remedied by a warm home, cozy car, and hot chocolate. For some of our close friends at the mission, this is an hourly, daily, even monthly condition most can not retreat from. What a heartbreaking thought. Paul said this week in prayer time, “I have a hard time going to sleep at night until I pray for my homeless friends by name…Roy, Robert, Lou, Dwight…”

I know that a lot of us have similar thoughts and prayers going up. What if God is wanting to use us to answer the very prayers we are praying for the homeless and poor? What if we are called daily to remedy the problem?

Maybe we could buy a cup of hot coffee or a warm pair of gloves for a bell ringer. Or swing by Mcdonald’s and pick up an extra value meal and give a hot meal and “God bless you” to the man with the cardboard sign on the corner. Maybe it’s becoming involved in a local urban ministry with your family.

We challenge you to pray not only for the homeless and those negatively affected by the cold weather, but also to be used as an answer to the very prayer you are praying.

Ron