Thanksgiving---What’s Up With That???

 Greetings from the SoupMan!

Here we go again! Another year has flown by and it’s already Thanksgiving week. It’s a time many of us reflect on what we are truly thankful for. This will be my 39^th Thanksgiving on this earth. Well, er, ah, maybe a few more years than 39, but who’s counting!!!

 So am I thankful this year? You betcha! I am incredibly thankful and consider myself to be blessed beyond measure. Why you might ask? Is it because I am fabulously wealthy? Nope!  How about I’m blessed because of the huge mansion I live in? Nope—no mansion! Maybe it’s my thousands of adoring fans? No again---there don’t seem to be any adoring fans on my doorstep!

So gee, why do I feel so blessed. Well it doesn’t hurt that I have the most fabulous wife on the planet---Shana! But in truth the reason goes much deeper. Every day I ‘get’ to help people. Every day I ‘get’ to bless my fellowman. Every day I ‘get’ to give. And of course when I say ‘I’, I really mean ‘we.’ At the SoupMobile it’s a team effort. We ‘get’ to serve the ones Jesus called the ‘least of these.’ 

Notice the word ‘get’. We ‘get’ to help the homeless. We don’t ‘have’ to do it, we ‘get’ to do it. I consider it a deep privilege that the Lord allows me to do what I/we do. You’ve heard of the Monday blues. I never get them, or the Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday blues. Never! Every single day when I get out of bed I simply nod and thank God for this amazing privilege to serve others. And it truly is a privilege. Why so some might ask? After all we put in lots of effort, long hours and work many late nights. Could that be a privilege? Yes indeed! 

The reason is incredibly simple. As givers we get so much more that we give. No I don’t have a ka-zillion dollars and a huge mansion. Nonetheless my life is one of incredible richness, warmth, love and joy. And it’s all because the old saying is absolutely true---‘It’s better to give than to receive.’ And did I mention my how blessed I am to have a wife as fabulous as Shana.

Am I the most blessed man on the Planet? I think so, but who really knows for sure. The real lesson seems to be that when we give we actually lose nothing and gain so much more. Giving and serving is what we are all about at the SoupMobile. As such we are blessed beyond compare!

May you have a joyous and blessed Thanksgiving.

May the Lord Bless & Keep You & Yours.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan

DID JESUS PLAY BASKETBALL???

Greetings from the SoupMan!

Did Jesus play basketball 2,000 years ago? Hmm, I’m pretty sure there is no mention of Basketball in the Bible. However since Jesus/God created everything, HE must have created basketball---Right??? And we do know for sure that Jesus said “Go out into all the world and preach the Good News/Gospel.” 

Soooooooooooooooooo, having said all that, how do you think Jesus would feel about using basketball to spread that Gospel?

A lot has changed in the last 2,000 years but Jesus’s command to go out into all the world still stands. So on Friday October 19, 2012 (for the 2^nd year in a row) we are going to get creative and we are going to spread the ‘Good News’ with basketball.  Yes, you heard right---we are going to use basketball to spread the Love of Jesus. Here’s the scoop on how we are going to do it.

The SoupMobile is partnering with the amazing Dallas Christian College Men’s Basketball Team. http://www.dallas.edu/.  DCC Athletic Director, Sean O’Connor says that this is a group of young men who are on fire for Christ. They are bold in their belief in the Gospel and ready to use their God given talents to help spread the Good News to the less fortunate in our community. On October 19^th at 1:00PM, the entire DCC Basketball team, led by Coach Charles Williams is going to set up portable hoops on the blacktop parking lot of Williams Chicken located at the corner of 2^nd Ave and Scyene Ave and they are going to put on an exhibition.  Lots of dunks, long shots, bank shots and maybe even a few trick shots.  And there will be plenty of chances for the homeless to participate and shoot some shots too. We will be giving away free prizes like bicycles and gift certificates to our homeless family of friends.

 

Most important we are going to be spreading the ‘Good News.’ We will have local community Pastors on hand ready to provide spiritual guidance.  Christian counselors will be on standby ready to pray for any of our precious homeless guests.  Basketball will be played but Jesus will be the star.  Please pray with us that the event will be successful and that the love of Jesus will wonderfully bless the ones that Jesus called the ‘least of these.’ 

May the Lord Bless & Keep You & Yours.

p.s. Disregard the rumor that the SoupMan will be putting on a ‘dunking’ exhibition. I, er, ah, um, well frankly I don’t want to show up the DCC Basketball Players. Hey, am I a nice guy or what? 

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan

Do You Believe in Miracles!!!

Dear SoupFriends,

Greetings from the SoupMan!

Do you believe in Miracles? How about a Christmas Miracle!!! It’s September and the SoupMobile has already experienced its first Christmas Miracle of the year. Let me explain.

As you may know the SoupMobile puts on an annual Christmas event called Celebrate Jesus. For seven consecutive years we have taken 500 homeless men, women and children off the streets of Dallas and put them up at the fabulous downtown Dallas Hyatt Regency Hotel. It’s a wonderful affair with more than 2,000 volunteers in attendance. All of our homeless guests receive new clothes, fabulous gifts, lots of love and we hold a huge banquet for them and in their honor. Most important is that when they awake on Christmas morning it’s in a warm safe bed at the hotel.  It’s with deep appreciation that the SoupMobile thanks the Hyatt for 7 wonderful years. Our grateful thanks to the Hyatt Regency Dallas Hotel and all of their amazing staff. It’s truly a hotel with a heart. 

Earlier this year in January the Hyatt informed us that they could not accommodate our event for Christmas 2012 because of major remodeling issues. Needless to say, this was a major issue in our planning for 2012. As you can imagine, booking a world class hotel for 500 homeless people and more than 2,000 volunteers for Christmas is no easy task. It’s not as simple as just picking up the phone and making a reservation. 

Once we heard the news in January, the SoupMobile set up a search committee to find a new hotel. Under the direction of event chairman Lon Ricker, inquiries were made throughout the Dallas area. Lon said he wanted to continue to have the event held in the City of Dallas because that’s where the SoupMobile is headquartered.  More importantly Dallas is where we ‘Feed & Shelter’ our homeless friends.  For many months Lon and his team worked the back channels with the goal of finding a world class hotel located within the city limits of Dallas that could accommodate a massive event like Celebrate Jesus. 

Well SoupFriends, we have our Christmas Miracle. The SoupMobile has just signed a contract to hold it’s 8^th Annual Celebrate Jesus Christmas event at the spectacular downtown Omni Dallas Hotel on December 24—25^th, 2012.  Yes, the SoupMobile in partnership with the Omni is making room for 500 homeless men, women and children this Christmas.  

Who gets the credit for this Christmas Miracle?  In truth it was a team effort and with the help of a whole host of key people in Dallas working diligently behind the scenes , we now have our Christmas Miracle.  However the ultimate credit goes to the Lord most high. HE is the one who parted the Red Sea and made this all happen. At the SoupMobile we lead by following Christ. And as the Bible says, “I can do all things thru Christ who strengthens me.”

Would you like to be part of this Christmas Miracle! Details on volunteering this Christmas at the Omni will be featured on the SoupMobile website www.soupmobile.org starting on November 1, 2012.

May the Lord Bless & Keep You & Yours.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan

Stepping out in Faith!

Dear SoupFriends,

Greetings from the SoupMan!

Writer and author Betty Eadie once said “Faith is not complacent; faith is action. You don’t have faith and wait. When you have faith you move.”

It’s not always easy to step out in faith but we know that God is faithful. In truth the entire history of the SoupMobile has been one of stepping out in faith and then trusting God to show us the way. Our faith walk started back when we were founded in 2003. We had no money, no donors, no deep pocket supporters, no sources of food, no mobile van, no umbrella church or organization to support us, and a mailing list that consisted of 5 people. Nonetheless we stepped out in faith to ‘Feed HIS Sheep.’ In that first year we served 5,000 meals and at the time we thought that was a lot. Now we serve more than 200,000 meals per year. We moved and stepped out in faith and God rewarded that faith.

In 2005 we expanded our mission to start our Annual Christmas event called Celebrate Jesus. Each year at Christmas the SoupMobile takes 500 men, women, and children right off the streets, puts them up at a fancy hotel, gives them fabulous gifts and holds a huge banquet in their honor. Most important is that when they wake up on Christmas morning it’s in a warm safe bed at the Hotel, not in a cardboard box under some bridge. When we started the Christmas event in 2005 we did not have the money for it or a hotel to take our 500 homeless, and we certainly did not have the expertise to pull off such a huge endeavor. The first year of the event (2005) we took 100 people to the hotel for Christmas. Now we take 500 every year. We moved and stepped out in faith and God rewarded that faith.

In 2009 we again expanded our mission to include sheltering the homeless with a venture called SoupMobile Village. The Village is a series of group homes specifically designed to take a homeless man, woman, or family right off the streets, put a roof over their heads, help get them a job, and return them as working productive members of the community. When we started the Village we did not have the upfront financial funding or the experience and knowledge to do it. In less than 3 years we now have 7 fully operational homes in SoupMobile Village. We moved and stepped out in faith and God rewarded that faith.

Well folks, it's 2012 and here we go again. Once again the SoupMobile is getting ready to step out and move in faith. Once again we are going to do it without all the normal things that conventional wisdom says you need to start a new venture. We don’t have the financial resources, the infrastructure, the backing, or the experience for this new venture. What is this new venture you ask? We are opening up the SoupMobile Thrift Store. The Grand Opening is set for September 1, 2012. How will this story come out in the end? Well if history is any indicator the punch line will one day be that ‘We moved and stepped out in faith and God rewarded that faith.’

It’s important that you understand that we aren’t loose cannons here at the SoupMobile. We do vet our new projects, we do all the needed research, and we do give our new ventures the utmost serious and careful consideration. Nonetheless we always end up stepping out in faith. I love the quote by Samuel Johnson who said “Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must first be overcome.” And remember everything we do, every project we start, and every move we make is all with one goal in mind---‘Serving Christ by serving the ones HE called the ‘least of these.’

Once again the SoupMobile is stepping out in faith. As usual we will be looking to the Lord to part the Red Seas for us and lead us to the Promised Land. Once again we will be crawling out on a limb knowing without any doubt that Jesus is already out there waiting for us. We invite you to come out on that limb with us. More details can be found at www.soupmobile.org.

May the Lord Bless and Keep You and Yours,

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan

Prayers for Miss D

Dear SoupFriends,

Greetings from the SoupMan!

The SoupMobile was founded in 2003 with a primary mission of 'Feeding the Homeless' in the Dallas area. In 2009 we expanded our mission to include sheltering the homeless in our program called SoupMobile Village . We now have seven group homes in Dallas which are specifically designed to take a homeless man, woman, or family right off the streets, put a roof over their heads, help them get a job, and eventually return them as working, productive members of the community. It's a 'Hand UP', not a 'hand out.'

Yesterday we admitted Miss D into one of the Women's Homes in SoupMobile Village. Normally that would not be a big deal. We regularly have women entering and graduating from our program. However, Miss D is different. Yes, she is homeless, but she also has Stage 3 Cancer.

Cancer of any kind is serious. Stage 3 is very serious. In addition to needing a lot of physical care, Miss D will need a lot of love. Most important she will need a lot of prayers. The Bible says that "With God all things are possible." I believe deeply in the power of prayer. The SoupMobile itself was founded in 2003 with prayers from a multitude of people.

The SoupMobile is not a medical facility. Nonetheless we are going to pull out all the stops to care for Miss D. We are partnering with Parkland Hospital to meet all of her medical needs. One thing the SoupMobile can and will provide in large quantities is Love. Misrak, our House Mother, is already hovering over Miss D like a Mother Hen. We've already had inquires from a lot of people offering to help. Right now what we need most are your prayers for Miss D.

Finally I want to thank YOU -- our donors, supporters, volunteers, friends, and prayer warriors for making SoupMobile Village a reality. It's because of YOU that the Village was founded in 2009 and it's because of YOU that we now have #7 homes up and fully operational. It's because of YOU that we can take in someone like Miss D, put a roof over her head, and provide her a safe and secure living environment and lots of love. From the bottom of my heart I thank you and I know Miss D does too.

May the Lord Bless & Keep You & Yours,

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan

Kids, Kids Kids!

Dear SoupFriends,

Greetings from the SoupMan!

When most people think of the homeless they think of adult men and women. When I think of the homeless I think of adult men, women, AND children. Oh yes, there are many homeless children out there! In the Dallas area alone we have more than 1,200 homeless children. How do we know that? We know because these are children that are living in local homeless shelters and we can physically count them.

However we also know there are hundreds more out there that are NOT being counted. Children that have fallen through the cracks and have no place to call home. Children that have no hope and a future that looks very bleak. There are many fine charities in Dallas that are trying to address this issue. The SoupMobile feels blessed to be one of those charities.

The SoupMobile was founded in 2003 as a ‘mobile’ soupkitchen that now serves more than 200,000 meals per year to the homeless in the Dallas area. In 2009 we decided to expand our mission to also include sheltering homeless men, women and YES -- Children! When we made this decision we actually ran into some opposition. Some people told us that sheltering the homeless was risky business. They went on to say that the SoupMobile should stick to what it knows best -- Feeding the homeless.

Nonetheless we stuck to our decision and in October of 2009 opened our first group home for the homeless. Last week on May 18th we celebrated the Grand Opening of our 6th group home. In just over 2 & ½ years we have opened 6 homes for homeless men, women, and children. An amazing feat to be sure, but only amazing because we serve an amazing God who paved the way for it all to happen.

At the May 18th Grand Opening two of the children from our housing program cut the Red Ribbon.
Both children came to us about a year ago. They had no adequate housing and had literally been out of school for one full year. They had fallen thru the cracks and their future did not look bright. After a year in our program it’s a whole new ball game. They have a safe, warm place to lay their head down every night. They are doing great in school and they have something we all need -- Hope!

I’ve spent the last 9 years as Executive Director of the SoupMobile serving the homeless. I count it as a deep privilege that God lets me do what I do. And as long as the Lord lets me put one foot in front of another, we will continue this mission of reaching out to the ones Jesus calls the ‘least of these.’ I will candidly admit that while my job is highly rewarding and a true labor of love, it’s not always sugar and spice. As in any job, issues, problems, and hurdles do occur. However, success stories like these two children make it all worthwhile.

We’ve had a lot of wonderful success with the adult men and women in our housing program and for that I’m most grateful. Having success with the children is the icing on the cake. And make no mistake, the success of our housing program is not because of me. I am only one small piece of the puzzle. It takes an army of supporters, donors, volunteers, and prayer warriors to make something like this happen. More important it takes a loving God who is alive and well and parts the Red Seas for the SoupMobile time and again. My grateful thanks to you all for your part in the SoupMobile housing program. I thank you from the bottom of my heart and I know the kids do, too!

May the Lord Bless & Keep You & Yours,

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan

Puppy set on fire!

Dear SoupFriends,

Greetings from the SoupMan!

Today's blog is not about the homeless. It's about a puppy. If you've been following the news in Dallas recently you've heard how a group of young men set a little puppy on fire and then laughed hilariously as the terrified puppy ran for safety.

For the last week animal rescue people and veterinarians have worked feverishly to save the life of the puppy they named Justice. Unfortunately the puppy died. The vet said that at the end, as she was with the puppy, he was still trying to wag his tail as he drew his last breath. I don't know about you but this just rips my heart out. And to be truthful my blood boils just a bit as I think of the cruelty of the young men who set the dog on fire.

What kind of people would set a dog on fire and then laugh hysterically as the puppy ran for his life? What kind of people could stoop to this level of depravity? Hard questions, to be sure. I think an appropriate question is how important is one puppy's life in the grand scheme of life? After all, human beings are dying every day.

Am I saying a puppy’s life is more important than a human being’s? Not exactly. What I am saying is that how we treat animals is a sign of the human condition. The Bible says that God created us in his image and likeness. I know beyond any doubt that God is not smiling about young men setting a puppy on fire. By any measure, what they did was savage and heartless.

So now the question is, where do we go from here? Can any good come out of this unspeakable act? Perhaps it can. A $25,000 reward has already been put up by the SPCA through Crime Stoppers to bring the men involved to justice. Basically they are seeking justice for a puppy name Justice. And while an element of vengeance may be a motivating factor, that's really not what this is all about. It's really about accountability. As a society we need to send a message out loud and clear that this kind of behavior is not okay.

Mistreatment of animals is not right, it’s not something to be laughed about, and most important, it’s not to be tolerated. Bringing these young men to justice will not bring the puppy back but perhaps it will save the lives of puppies down the road. On a deeper level perhaps bringing them to justice for killing a puppy may prevent them from doing something worse down the line.

At the SoupMobile we are not new to this issue of caring for animals. My wife Shana is a longtime animal activist and leads a team at the SoupMobile that feeds the dogs that belong to the homeless people we serve. Yes, the homeless have dogs as pets just like you and I do. And for a homeless person who has nothing, a faithful dog can be everything!

We are not seeking vengeance but we are seeking accountability. More important, we are praying that the message will go out loud and clear that cruelty to animals is not a laughing matter.

p.s. Breaking News! 18 year old Dallas man accused of setting Justice the puppy on fire has turned himself in to police and is being held on bail of $100,000 at Dallas County Jail.

May the Lord Bless & Keep You & Yours,

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan