Daily Life at the Merchant

Dear friends,


“Share your food with the hungry,
and give shelter to the homeless.
Give clothes to those who need them,
and do not hide from relatives who need your help.”
— Isaiah 58:7


It is so good to be doing the work of Jesus, showing His love to the poor and proclaiming His Good News to the lost! We are grateful for the ministry to which He has called us, and for the people with whom He has allowed us to work.


Daily Life at the Merchant
One thing is for sure at the Merchant, and that is you never know what may happen, or what kind of conversation you may be involved in. Just over the past few days, we have:

• Sat and listened as Isaac shared his heart-breaking and heart-lifting story. Isaac grew up in a Christian home with pastors for parents. “They raised me right, but I chose my own way. I regret it so much now.” After a broken marriage that produced five children, Isaac ended up in prison for 21 years. Since being released, he has spent most of his time on the streets, along with his three adult sons. Four months ago, he walked into a church and gave his heart to Jesus. We have been getting to know Isaac over the past couple of months, and have seen the character of the Lord evident in him.

• Listened with aching and horrified hearts as a young man told of what had been done to him and what he had done. We pleaded with him to change his course, assuring him that Jesus has a better way. As far as we can tell, this was to no avail.

• Helped a middle-aged couple get some new clothes and blankets, after all they owned had been taken from them the previous day.

• Gave blankets and warm clothing to many others who are trying to get prepared for the coming of cold weather.

A few weeks ago, we (Paul and Tim) sat with three people and shared the Gospel with them. All three were genuinely touched and expressed a desire to follow Jesus and give Him their lives. They prayed beautiful, simple prayers of repentance from the heart, and we prayed over them. There were plenty of tears and smiles as we felt the presence of the Father receiving His own. That’s the amazing news. The hard part is that we’ve had little opportunity to spend time with them since, and we’ve encountered one on the streets, drunk and ashamed. We prayed with him again and encouraged him in the grace of our God. And so goes this relational, Gospel ministry to the poor and the marginalized.


Clothing Room
The Merchant is receiving donations of clothing and blankets, especially cold-weather clothing. We are in need of coats, sleeping bags, blankets, socks, sweatshirts, pants, shoes, etc. It is always such a blessing to be able to pass these along to our friends who are in need.


Advocacy
Paul continues to be an advocate for the homeless, helping them to navigate the various agencies and service providers. This includes everything from getting ids to finding housing.


Prayer
The Merchant is slowly expanding as a prayer room for the city. If you would like to make use of this in any way, individually or with a group, please contact us. Currently, we host the following:

• Tuesday mornings at 6:30: Men of business prayer group.
• Wednesday mornings at 6:30: Prayer for the city.
• Friday nights: Friday Night Light, evangelistic and prayer ministry downtown.
• Sunday mornings at 9:00. Tulsa Boiler Room prayer.

We are currently planning a week of nonstop, 24-7 prayer. The dates will be November 5-11. If you are interested in participating in this, please let us know.

Support
We are in need of monthly sponsors to help pay rent and expenses to keep this ministry going. We’d so appreciate it if you’d consider helping us. We would truly love to sit down with you over a cup of coffee and share more. Please contact us if you’d like that.


If you are interested in giving financially, click the button below.

Support the Merchant