Today was the hottest day yet.

I got to my spot (in front of the Walmart on Fort Campbell Boulevard) a few minutes after 10:00, and the temperature was already “up there.” People had a lot of questions about what I was doing, but as I handed them my flyer that explains how to “Prove It,” I got a lot of good responses (although I also noticed that lots of folks in that part of town were super-generous even when they didn’t have a clue what I was doing). Several people dropped off money, and a couple of young boys even donated some of their piggy bank money. And thank goodness, everyone kept bring me plenty of liquids!

You can listen to the song here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZK8QXZ0-Mo
Image: Bethel TV

So, other than it being really hot, I had a very good day, especially in my spirit—in fact, I had another one of those “Holy Ghost days.” Some of you are going to think I’m crazy when I tell you this … Around one o’clock, when it was really hot and it felt like the sun was right on top of me—I mean, my shirt was soaking wet from sweat, and I could feel it running down my back—a certain song came on my iPod, and I closed my eyes and almost forgot I was standing on a street corner and not in a church somewhere. The coolest thing is that the chorus of the song repeated “The King is here” over and over. When that part played, the breeze picked up and cooled down until it felt like I was sitting in front of an air conditioning vent. Every time that chorus played, the same thing happened. At one point, I even got a little chilled. I’m really good at sensing when people are walking up behind me, but I was so caught up in the moment that two ladies came up in front of me and tapped me on the shoulder: when I opened my eyes, there they were!

The Tuesday Cafe team says, “Prove it!” (By the way, stay tuned for details about how you can stand on the corner with me next Monday.) 

Around 4:00, I rode the bus to New Providence and went to the Tuesday Café (outdoor community meal) that Manna Café does every week. It was good to see everyone from the Manna team; I haven’t had much contact with them since all this started. The highlight of the night was that my brother Ricky and his girlfriend Laura got engaged recently, and they wanted Vicki and me to bless the rings before she started wearing her engagement ring. What an honor that was.

One last thought … It’s funny, the silly stuff you think about while standing out there holding a sign. The other day, I got to laughing so hard … You see, I’ve been trying for two years to convince my Manna Café Board members that we need a mascot—you know, something like the Chick fil-A cow that kids want to get their picture taken with—but I keep getting a big “no.” Well, I guess they’re right that we don’t need one, because the way things have been going, I’ve become the mascot. In fact, with all the Chick-fil-A food that everybody’s been bringing me, I might even go after the cow’s job.

Peace out.