His name is Hammer.
I had the distinct privilege of meeting Hammer on Sunday of this week. As a fulfillment of the work to which we believe God has led us, sksimants and I have begun volunteering at Stone Soup.
Stone Soup is a ministry of the Quapaw UMC in Little Rock. On Sunday afternoons, Quapaw opens their fellowship hall and feeds the hungry. Many of those who come are homeless.
At Stone Soup, I met Hammer.
GS found Hammer at the corner of the street waiting for the doors to open. He invited Hammer in and found out he was a musician. GS pointed that out to me, and thought that maybe we could make a connection.
I sat down next to Hammer and began to talk.
I introduced myself, shook his hand, and he said, “They call me Hammer, because I’m a carpenter by trade.”
He told me that he used to play drums and guitar. How he writes music. How he had came to know Jesus/God. How as a homeless man in Baton Rouge he worked with a ministry helping other homeless folks. How everywhere he hung his tarp, he built an altar. “It’s pretty simple, really”, he told me, “all I need is two stones and a log. I sit and pray and write songs and read my old Bible as much as I can.”
Hammer told me something else.
He told me that no matter what happened, God always took care of him. God always made sure he had food to eat and water to drink. Made sure that he had friends to be around. Made sure that he always had a song in his heart.
As sad as I thought and felt that Hammer’s story was, he kept coming back to “God always takes care of Hammer.”
As they began to serve lunch, I asked if I could pray with him. He said he would like that. We prayed, and he got in line to eat.
As we walked over to the line, he said, “Don’t forget to pray for me when you think about me. My name is easy to remember. Hammer. Because, like Jesus, I’m just a homeless carpenter.”
As the past couple of days have gone by, I keep coming back to that statement. “I’m just a homeless carpenter.”
I remembered the Rich Mullins song, “You Did Not Have a Home”:
Oh, You did not have a home
There were places You visited frequently
You took off Your shoes and scratched Your feet
‘Cause you knew that the whole world belongs to the meek
But You did not have a home
No, You did not have a home
And You did not take a wife
There were pretty maids all in a row
Who lined up to touch the hem of Your robe
But You had no place to take them, so
You did not take a wife
No, You did not take a wife
Birds have nests, foxes have dens
But the hope of the whole world rests
On the shoulders of a homeless man
You had the shoulders of a homeless man
No, You did not have a home
Well You had no stones to throw
You came without an ax to grind
You did not tow the party line
No wonder sight came to the blind
You had no stones to throw
You had no stones to throw
And You rode and ass’ foal
They spread their coats and cut down palms
For You and Your donkey to walk upon
But the world won’t find what it thinks it wants
On the back of an ass’ foal
So I guess You had to get sold
‘Cause the world can’t stand what it can’t own
And it can’t own You
‘Cause You did not have a home
Birds have nests, foxes have dens
But the hope of the whole world rests
On the shoulders of a homeless man
You had the shoulders of a homeless man
No, You did not have a
Birds have nests, foxes have dens
But the hope of the whole world rests
On the shoulders of a homeless man
You had the shoulders of a homeless man
And the world can’t stand what it can’t own
And it can’t own You
‘Cause You did not have a home
I’ve thought about Hammer often over the past couple of days. I’ve thought about his story.
Most of all, I’ve thought about two statements:
“God will always take care of Hammer.”
“Like Jesus, I’m just a homeless carpenter.”
I’m pretty certain that God and Hammer spend a lot of time together. I believe that God has a special place in His heart for Hammer. Hammer reminds Him of His Son.
I wonder how much more we would feel God taking care of us, if we would be a little more “Like Jesus, just a homeless carpenter.”
Really touching article. It brings the Lord closer down to earth. It’s amazing how much fruit, too, the Lord is generating on this man’s comments. I wonder how many lives have been touched by his simple words. It helped me know the Lord more, thanks.