It was a very good night

I'd made the chocolate cake to take to Zac's last night. Younger Son said, 'They sleep on the street; they'll be grateful for any cake.'
'You must be joking,' I said. 'They're fussy so'n'sos and if it's no good they'll tell me so.'

I watched anxiously as Jim took a mouthful. He munched it slowly then turned to me. 'You make this?'
I nodded.
He gave me the thumbs-up. Phew.

It was a really good night in lots of ways. We've been looking at Paul's letter to the Corinthians for some months now. Sean's been explaining lots of the background and we've been reading The Message (a modern translation). I'm not always that keen on The Message but last night's chapter was very well done. At the end I said, 'I'm almost coming round to thinking that Paul is okay after all.'
Sean said, 'You're starting to like him?'
'I wouldn't go that far!'

Jim had brought his girlfriend along for the first time. They came and sat on the bench next to me and Jim introduced us. You could see he was well-chuffed to have a lady on his arm, and she seemed really nice - and concerned for him too.

Then at the end I was talking to - or rather I was listening to - two others discussing their situations. Both had been in prison but one, while there, had made a decision that his life was crap - he'd gone from children's homes to borstal to prison - and had cried out to God, not knowing if he even existed. God had answered his prayer and he'd turned his life around. He'd given up drink, drugs and cigarettes and he's been clean for the last fifteen years. (I have to admit he still looks quite scary - or would do, I imagine, if you didn't know him - but he has a gentle face - if you look closely - and a heart for others.)

The other is still on the drugs, the drink and the cigarettes and he's recently split with his girlfriend and has nowhere. He's seeing drug people this week and is hoping to get into rehab, maybe next week. He's a smart guy and knows where his life is headed but, I don't know, I felt that he's not quite ready, he's not desperate enough for the change. That's not fair: I don't know him well enough and I shouldn't judge him. I really hope and pray that he gets into rehab and that he can stick with it. He is a lovely guy; I really like him. Please God help him.

I feel so incredibly honoured to be part of the community at Zac's and to be accepted and trusted so that people will talk to me. I am completely different from them; I have more materially than all of them and I have no real idea of that life. They could so easily ignore me or view me as a conscience-cleaning do-gooder, which maybe is what I am, but I am absolutely blessed by them.

Yes, it was a very good night.
xx