Posts Tagged ‘Doyle robinson’
“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far it is possible to go.” — T.S. Eliot
For all of us, it is often easy in life not to take risks. Easier to stand by and watch than to put our necks on the line in an attempt to change a certain situation. Or maybe some of us are great “dreamers” but we have a hard time, when it comes time, to step up and follow through with our dreams because of fear. No matter how great or miniscule, we deal with risk, everyday all of the time. There are statistics that can be looked at to evaluate the amount of risk involved in any given situation to either encourage people or deter people from doing things.
Sox Place is an environment all about taking risks. The only reason Sox Place even exists today is because of some very monumental risk taking. If Doyle had not taken a HUGE risk, over a decade ago now, and moved his family and entire life to Denver, Sox Place would not be here. If the people who continuously donate their time, money, and prayer, Sox Place would not survive the way it does today. If our staff members did not step out and decide that they would rather work with the kids at Sox Place, doing this ministry, rather than any number of career choices, Sox Place would not be what it is today.
People will often tell you that working with the type of kids that come to Sox Place is a risk that is just not worth taking. People will say that the risk is so much greater than the reward. However, isn’t this what is so amazing about Jesus and his ministry? Whether it is the story of the woman at the well or Jesus choosing to use fishermen as the men who will forever change history through his ministry, he leads a great example of what it means for us to be risk takers.
Lately, this is an issue that God has been laying on my heart in a huge way. One thing we always say at Sox Place is “We need to give them the best we’ve got.” We may not always have the best food for the kids or the sweetest new clothes but we always give them the best we have. It is so important for our ministry that this is also the case in all of our interactions with our kids, because they are worth the risk. God doesn’t call us to be complacent or to just try to meet the needs of the kids that walk through our door. God calls us to daily take risks and put our necks on the line for the people we serve.
As Jesus showed us how to be risk takers through his ministry, so can we show our kids how to be risk takers through ours.
- Sam
It started on the streets; it’s where I got my street name from the streets kids in 2000 after passing out hundreds of pairs of socks on the 16th Street Mall in downtown Denver. The streets were the home of the street kids, known as gutter punks, train hoppers, old school, and, by the media, “mall rats.” They were from all walks of life, from all over America, just hanging out on the Mall, a place many called their “living room” because that is where they came together as a family.
When I came in 1998, they were up and down the mall, but mostly around Skyline Park on 16th and Arapahoe streets. I would simply walk up to a crowd, asking if they needed socks. They would of course say yes, taking them with smiles on their faces and, once in a while, a thank you. It started with a pair of socks or even a blanket donated by a church somewhere in America.
After two years the street kids gave me the name Sox, accepting me into their world.
I would spend a few hours during the day and at night. I walked with them, among them, and just on the edge of their existence. God set my heart to them when I was out on the streets and that is where I am returning. I have been longing to be back out there with them again, and with the great staff that is now at Sox Place Drop-In Center, I can. So for now I will be out there a couple days a week and one to two nights. I will be joined by Stevie, one of our college interns, on Tuesday. This doesn’t change my passion and love of our Drop-In Center, but I must get back out there in their world!
Doyle
SOX PLACE is for you..the gutter punk, the train rider, the homeless youth, you who just need something to eat, you who just need a safe place to crash. Whether you’ve been on the street for one day or one decade, SOX PLACE IS FOR YOU!
We are open:
Tuesday-Friday: noon-4pm
Saturday: noon- 2pm
Sox Place is a drop in center for street kids that provides a safe haven for them to call home. But it’s not just a drop in center, it’s a church. Doyle and the supporters of Sox Place are dedicated to changing lives one relationship at a time in the heart of Denver. Surrounded by prostitution, heroine use, and meth addiction Doyle dives into the mess of people’s lives and loves them where they are at.
After living in Manhattan, seeing a homeless person becomes as normal as hailing a taxicab or going to a Yankees game. While most of us walk by, going about our daily routine, or snarl and roll our eyes at what we presume is the drug addict or alcoholic, have you ever actually stopped and asked them what their story is? That is exactly what Doyle Robinson does everyday in Denver, Colorado.
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Drop by “Sox Place” in downtown Denver most days and you’ll find several dozen young homeless people eating lunch, working on computers or relaxing while watching a movie. What you won’t find is any outward signs that the non-profit drop-in center is run by an ordained minister of deep personal faith.
His name is Doyle Robinson. The kids on the street gave him his street name of “Sox” after Robinson spent several years passing out clean socks to homeless people in Denver. Robinson is a minister ordained in the Assemblies of God, a Protestant denomination of over 60 million people worldwide.
So why isn’t Robinson’s faith on display?
“If your faith isn’t real it’s very apparent,” he says. “It comes across fake, it comes across empty and shallow. If your faith is real you live it on a daily basis.”
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He was terrified. At any moment they could leap forward, press a screwdriver to his throat and mug him — in front of God and the whole world. In fact, the way they were glowering at him, they could do much worse.
“Hi,” Doyle Robinson offered. “How you doin’?”
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