Dear SoupFriends,
Greetings from the SoupMan!
Have you noticed its been pretty hot in Dallas lately. We've had a whole stream of 100 degree days with no end in sight. I mean like, its smoking out there. Well, no real worries! We've got this thing called Air Conditioning (A/C). Oh yeah, good old A/C. Yep, we've got A/C in our homes, our cars, our offices, at church, in movie theaters, at the mall and gee whiz---just about anyplace we go.
So no worries. It's cool (all puns intended). Just like every summer in Texas we know it's gonna be a hot one. It's totally cool because most of us simply leave our A/C homes, get into our A/C cars and then arrive at our A/C offices. Just a few steps in between to feel the heat. Just enough so we can tell everyone we meet just how hot it is out there. And for our local TV Weather People its a huge talking point every night. But that's about the extent of it---it's just a talking point. After all in this modern day culture we all have A/C, don't we?
Oh wait, lets back up the A/C truth train for a moment. Hmm, on second thought I guess we don't all have A/C. In fact now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure there is a huge segment of the population who gets little or no A/C.
A little birdie told me that we have more that 10,000 homeless people living right here in the Dallas area. For most of them A/C is only a dream. There is no A/C if you are living in a cardboard box 
under a bridge; no A/C if you're home is a lean-to shack in the woods; no A/C if the place you lay your head each night is an abandoned building and interestingly enough no A/C in some of our homeless shelters. Our homeless friends have to suffer the entire summer in the sweltering heat. They face heat related problems like sunstroke, heatstroke and dehydration. All life threatening conditions. They face not just the general discomfort of the heat blast we get going from our house to our car to our office but a constant heat blast that can exceed 100 degrees in the day and stay in the 80's even at night. And with their limited access to water and fluids the situation can be downright dangerous.
under a bridge; no A/C if you're home is a lean-to shack in the woods; no A/C if the place you lay your head each night is an abandoned building and interestingly enough no A/C in some of our homeless shelters. Our homeless friends have to suffer the entire summer in the sweltering heat. They face heat related problems like sunstroke, heatstroke and dehydration. All life threatening conditions. They face not just the general discomfort of the heat blast we get going from our house to our car to our office but a constant heat blast that can exceed 100 degrees in the day and stay in the 80's even at night. And with their limited access to water and fluids the situation can be downright dangerous.So do we really care? We've got A/C and they (the homeless) don't. Does is really matter? Well I'm thinking it would matter to a guy who walked the earth about 2,000 years ago. Yeah, that Jesus fellow. He talked about reaching out to the ones HE called the 'least of these.' I think he would care. I know I care. I know my fabulous SoupTeam cares. I'm thinking that you care to. But caring is not enough if you're not doing. Yes, when Jesus talked about reaching out to those in need HE wasn't making a suggestion---HE was calling us all to action. In SoupSpeak, it means 'put up or shut up'. By gosh, its hot outside---do something. Don't just talk about the heat---do something!
Okay, I can hear you scratching you head and saying, "SoupMan, you got any ideas." Well as a matter of fact I do. How about something as simple as buying some bottled water for the homeless. You can buy a case of water for about four bucks. Way less than a double mocha spritzer carmel sprinkled foamed latte coffee at Starbucks. Buy a case of water and pass it out to the homeless. Can't do that you say. Okay, then buy it and bring it to the SoupMobile and we will pass out to the homeless. Can't do that you say. Okay, then go online at www.soupmobile.org and donate the money and we will buy the water and pass it out to the homeless.
Maybe one day you spring for the ice cream dessert for our 600 homeless lunchtime meals. Maybe you help us sponsor a homeless residence in SoupMobile Village (our homes have A/C). Maybe you come with us at lunchtime and help us serve the 600 meals in the 100 degree heat and show our homeless friends you're in it (the heat) with them.
Bottom line: Do something! Don't let the rest of the summer go by as you go from your A/C home to your A/C car and to your A/C office. Do something meaningful to help the ones Jesus called the 'least of these.' Still don't know what to do. Then call the SoupMan at 1-800-375-5022. He will give you some ideas. But if you call him, be prepared to think out of the box and push the envelope in a big way. The homeless have big problems that require big solutions. But no worries about that either because we serve a Big God!!!
May the Lord Bless & Keep You All.
Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan
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