Today started early with prayer and a morning walk (5:00 am to be exact). Then the trip into Santa Cruz to socialize with the the crowd of people that most, if any, do not want nor desire to socialize with. As I walked quietly (almost unnoticed to those that I came to spend time with) I looked over their faces and saw despair and deep worry. So, I decided to just walk quietly, hoping not to be noticed at all. It felt strange, almost sinful, that I would want not to be seen. But the purpose was to teach me to look as Jesus would look into the hearts of men. I felt like I was the shadow of someone they did not recognize. This was a lesson never to be forgotten, I hope! What I noticed and how I felt were almost identical yet separated from one another as thought two persons were agitating one another. It was the way I was supposed to view the undesirable, the hurting, the unrecognizable. It came very clear, like the water from a deep spring, I must always see the hurt and the pain. For me to truly understand the love Christ has for men, I must see and feel the pain of those I serve. From now on I am going to walk quietly, see clearly, and love courageously!

Peace

Dennis