Take the Order

Yes it was another stressful day being the overall director of the annual huge Thrash & Dangle competition at the Rock Gym. This was crunch time where the working staff had a hundred climbing routes that had to be course set and picking up prizes from over 100 sponsors etc, and the competition was just a few days away. Amazingly every year at the time of the competition everything somehow became in place. Everything came together all at the same time and it was once again glorious to witness, but so exhaustive, incredibly exhaustive physically and for me….mentally as well. So the 2011 climbing competition was just a few days away and I was stressing out, or at least aligning my attitude to think I was stressing out. So around 2:00 I decided to escape the happenings at the gym and leave briefly to get a fast food lunch.

Down the street I arrived at a Jack in the Box restaurant and pulled into a empty parking lot. My mind was full of so much thought it was running non stop. I jumped out of my vehicle being in a rush and suddenly was stopped by a homeless person that was humbly sitting with his dog in the bushes outside the restaurant. He gently asked me if I could purchase a hamburger for him. I very rudely said “No” and then continued my rush into the restaurant. Since it was after 2:00 the lunch rush was over and there was absolutely nobody in the restaurant except for two female employees. The one employee took my order of a chicken sandwich value meal which included a drink. As the girls were putting my order together I walked over to the soft drink machine and filled my cup with Sprite. Once the cup was filled I suddenly heard a loud voice saying, “Buy him a hamburger.” I turned around quickly to see who just said this to me and was obviously standing behind me, and there was nobody there. Then again I heard the voice say, “Buy him a hamburger.” The room was absolutely empty and I could hear the two female employees carrying on a conversation with each other in the back of the restaurant.

I walked around the empty restaurant tables and chairs and actually was looking under the tables to find whoever was playing this joke on me, and nobody was there. I know for sure somebody was there since the words were so loud, but there was nobody there. I searched for 5 or more minutes and still, there was nobody there. I then heard a girl yell out, “Your order is ready.” I was still standing away from the front counter looking around, then slowly walked up to get my meal. I then told the employee to also please add another hamburger to my order. My mind kinda shook off the weirdness and I was back into rush mode filling my head with all of the competition stuff I needed to get done. I paid for the extra hamburger and then walked out of the restaurant and then rudely said

“here you go” to the homeless guy as I handed him the bag containing the hamburger. I didn’t just hand him the hamburger, I almost somewhat threw it to him, and then jumped in my vehicle and started the motor. As I put the vehicle into gear I glance over at the homeless guy who was practically in front of me, and he was holding the hamburger up high above his head with both of his hands in praise. He had a great smile on his face and he just stared at the sky as he gave praise to God for receiving this hamburger. I kept the vehicle brakes on for a while as I just watched in amazement. Even as I eventually slowly drove away he was still staring at the sky in praise with this hamburger.

At this time in my life I was doing a lot of spiritual study and was hearing a voice talking to me since my leg breaking accident in 2009. So hearing a voice within me was not suddenly something new. The climbing gear store I owned recently closed its doors and I was going through a bankruptcy. Yes I had a lot on my mind but still, I have always been a kind person, but here I was actually being the somebody that I am not. It was shocking how I had become so human again within a time while I was entrenched within spiritual study. I could have simply helped this homeless person out, but I basically rudely stepped over him since he was in my way while I was enjoying filling my mind with my unnecessary aggravations. This situation with this homeless guy I think about all of the time. “Buy him a hamburger.” Even as I write this I feel myself tearing up. This homeless person taught me so much as now I sit at his feet seeing the great teacher that he actually is.

I name this writing, “Take the order,” because now if a homeless person asks me for a hamburger, I go the extra step. I take the full order asking what they would also like on that hamburger. Also do they want French fries and a drink to go with that hamburger. I feel totally proud of myself as I lovingly hand them a full meal. Not proud in ego, but proud that as a human, I did the right thing. Life isn’t just about me only! Even if I am within my busiest rushing time, I know how to recognize when need comes to me, and I slow down and take the order.

God is very amazing! It is interesting that when I do give, I somehow at a later time receive a greater portion. In 2011 I was studying the Roman Catholic Church attending church service every weekend. I didn’t feel like I was learning more than a hint of what the Bible actually contains, through just showing up once a week for one hour, but I did enjoy the overall energy I felt with being within community. I listened to the instruction I received from this loud voice I still hear. The voice said every week to give $10 to the church. I always used the church envelope and wrote my name on it, “From Marty the Climber,” and proudly placed my $10 into the envelope. The church I visited was mostly near my house in Phoenix, but I also enjoyed attending a church that my friend Robert and his family attended in Tempe. Sunday was today and I was going to climb at the rock gym following the mass so I decided to go the the church in Tempe, since the gym was just down the street from the church.

As I was within three miles from the church I looked in my wallet to make sure I had money, and all I had was a 20 dollar bill and two one dollar bills. So I started asking myself what should I do? I still need to get some kind of lunch before I go climbing, and two dollars was not going to get me much. I then heard the voice say, today you will give $20 to the church. I actually started negotiating with the voice saying that the voice does not understand the situation I will be in, and then the voice simply said, “I will provide for you.” I was already running late to get to the church in time for the start of the mass. Once in the church I reluctantly placed the $20 into the envelope and enjoyed the mass. Wow that Tempe church is really magical. A great community of people they have! Following the mass I decided that I was going to skip the lunch since the $2 was not going to give me much, so I drove to the rock gym. Within five minutes of me walking into the rock gym, a catering truck suddenly arrives and food from the nearby Pita Jungle restaurant is delivered. The Pita Jungle employee presents a speech saying that they really enjoy the Phoenix Rock Gym and in appreciation, the surprise lunch meal is being given for free. The empty table suddenly became a buffet table of many foods for everybody to enjoy. I really couldn’t believe what I was witnessing. I just kept thinking of how the voice said all will be provided, and that how the $2 I didn’t spend now became a glorious buffet way beyond imagination. It seemed to be a amazing coincidence.

But the miracles kept happening. Driving to work a homeless person on the street corner is holding a sign seeking monies, so I stop and give a dollar. Later that day I visited the local Subway restaurant next to the gym and the manager who has never given more than a slight discount, says, “Marty, today lunch is on me.” Wow this is really cool. There is another homeless person to whom I give another dollar, but then that day I received no free meals. Maybe it was because I was expecting to receive something for my good doing? A month later there was another homeless person holding a sign so I gave $5 and thought no more of it. But then on that day I went and visited the Subway restaurant again, and as I opened the front door I noticed that

there was a $20 bill stuck in the bushes outside of the restaurant. I ended up buying lunch for my friend that accompanied me at lunch time that day.

I visited my mom in Ohio and we decided to take a trip to my brother Eric’s house. It usually is a two hour drive. At one of the stop signs was a homeless person so I asked my mom to roll down her window and give them this one dollar bill. Later we stopped at a McDonalds restaurant since my mom, and her friend Dollie that accompanied us on the drive, really enjoyed their McDonalds routine. Being a athlete I usually seek something healthier. After they ordered their breakfast goodies I went up to the counter and told the manager that I really enjoy the warm glow that I could feel emitting from him. The manager hesitated for a moment, and then said that he would give me anything I wanted for free. I only wanted a cup of coffee. The manager then told me that my words really made him feel special. My mom looked at me and said, ”How did you just do that?” …… as I slurped on my gifted hot coffee with a smile.

“Take the Order” really means a lot to my heart. I even now own a .com that is called One Dollar Ministry. If the person is standing on the street corner in need, I can surely part with one dollar. I can surely part with one dollar for that same person or same persons every day! I even now keep dollar bills in my vehicle knowing that they are actually there for somebody else’s need. I give a huge THANKS to that Jack in the Box homeless person, “that saw me more than I saw him,” so many years ago. Today I returned to that same Jack in the Box and sat in the same place as the homeless person was sitting in. The landscape has changed but the visit was really worth it. Worth it to finally put this behind me as my heart feels healed, from that time I became the ugly somebody, that I am not.