Bibles, bats and bizzarro world...

As I was standing there in the apartment...I realized that if the thugs did show up and were carrying guns...this half-pint baseball bat wasn't going to be much good.

Let me give you some background to this story...Monday night I was contacted by a young single mother who has recently been beat up by a female drug pushing thug that lives not to far from my house. She called me to ask if I would meet her at her house, to get some of her stuff; because she was afraid she was going to get jumped by the morning drug thugs.

You see that morning as I was walking to my Monday neighborhood prayer meeting, I pasted by her home and noticed a young black man hightailing it out of her apartment and she came out ear glued to her cell phone. I could see the cops were already circling the block. So I touched base with her and found out that a car had drove by, maced her ex-boyfriend and that 2 guys had scuffled with him and that one had a gun. She freaked, called the police and they took off. Of course since her ex-boyfriend had a warrant for his arrest...he jetted out of there as well. The police showed up and did their thing and I went to the prayer meeting.

So that night she calls for help. So I stop my newspaper reading on my day off, grab my little league bat, slip it in my jacket and head off for a little pastoral house visit. I assist her in her covert household goods accumulation tour and keep a watch on the door. It was here as I was contemplating what exactly I would do if they showed up...since they lived around the corner and her car was out front; that I realized how crazy my life is. I thought to myself..."Would I want to be shot doing this kind of work?" It was an interesting moment of personal career choice reflection. Anyway, she loaded up her stuff, I jammed some stuff in her window to make sure it wouldn't open, since it didn't have a lock and she didn't want them breaking in. We headed out to the car and put her stuff in it.

As we did...I heard a lady crying and sobbing and calling out for her boyfriend as she was running/walking down the sidewalk in the dark. I am standing there looking at this young girl that looks about 14; as she is tripping out or running for her life, or has just been raped, or is lost...and the surreal craziness of it all was just....thick.

I asked her if she needed help...she was startled by the 6 foot three guy, dressed in black, asking her if she needed a ride. Ridiculous moment...she says no and stumbles on crying out for Nathan or something like that...I open up my door, toss my bat on the passenger seat and head home.

"Honey, I'm home..."
"How was work dear..."
"Oh...the usual...bibles, bats and bizzarro world."