by Elijah Horton, originally published by the Lake Union Herald, December 19, 2024.
I was 6 at the time and didn’t quite grasp the confluence of circumstances that had brought us all under the same roof. Here were Black men striving to get back on their feet — strong men who had encountered some bumps on life’s journey; recovering alcoholics, drug addicts, former inmates, homeless individuals, all attempting to assimilate back into society. There were men both feared and shunned by society.
Once a week I would accompany my father to the Potter’s House. His paternal concerns for my safety were overshadowed by a deeper need to teach me lessons that he knew could not be internalized otherwise. There, he would introduce me to the gentlemen, and we would sit together in fellowship — brotherhood — over a meal. My dad would listen to their stories, and he would share his. After a few minutes of singing together, he would present a devotional thought, and the men would all pray together; “Men ought often to pray …” (Luke 18:1) He always had a Bible verse, poem or quote for life’s situations.
My father possessed an understanding of the need for genuine connection. He understood the issues of life that plague us all. Our battles with self-acceptance, hopelessness, failure, anxiety, inadequacy. He was a living testament that God’s grace was unquestionably sufficient.
Read the full article HERE.