Touched By Greatness

Do you know the scenes in movies where the main character has this sudden flashback of their life?
Images flood the screen, cutting faster and faster from one scene to the next scene. It’s usually accompanied by a flapping sound of wings.
I just had one of those kinds of moments in my life.
It started with a friend of my Zuill Bailey.  He’s a Grammy award winning cellist.
I was talking to Rocky, my wife, yesterday about all the trouble we got into as teenagers. I was also telling Rocky about how he had the ability to play music in the correct style seemingly just by channeling the composer. Like he’s a musical, spiritual medium.
I was playing that conversation over in my head this morning. Then another moment came.
One of the all time greatest cello teachers to ever live called me one morning in 2003. Stephen Kates was dying. He needed help getting some messages out through the Internet. He knew I understand the Web. He was my cello teacher one summer in California. Here’s his New York Times obituary. 
And then of course there is my closest friend in the world, Jamie Johns. He’s the musical director of the touring Phantom of the Opera. He’s a composer, director and pianist.
Of the endless memories I have of Jamie, one that pops in my head from time to time was a piano trio coaching we were having in college. This professor was commenting on his pedaling (a big part of the piano is how you handle the pedals on the floor). He said it was some of the best pedaling he had ever heard.
Jamie is super human. He performs in countless areas at extremely high levels. “Beyond human” is pretty much all I can say.
The images and memories just kept coming. PhDs. Lawyers. Teachers. Professors. Artists. Conductors. Priests. Ministers. Faster and faster. The images just kept coming. The people. The conversations. The moments. The places. All these moments of being touched by greatness. Over and over and over again. Like a story line that lead all to now. Leading to this moment.
All these great people. Coming into my life. Effecting me and guiding me in ways that I can’t even truly appreciate.
And then they stopped.
In my mind, I found myself in the day center of Second Chance Village. I was surrounded by the homeless.
I wasn’t surrounded by the homeless as people who were in need of me. I was surrounded by the homeless as people who I needed.
The homeless are now my mentors. They are are now my guides. They are now the great people I am lead by every single day.
I tell you this story because I want you to think about all the greatness YOU are surrounded by. That YOU have been touched by through out your life.
YOU are also constantly being shaped and guided by great people, places and things. They are showing you wisdom. They are offering you guidance. They are connecting you to knowledge and understanding that is much deeper than you can possibly understand.
This is how God speaks to you.
God talks to you through people you meet on the street. God speaks to you through songs you hear on the radio. God speaks to you through your pets. God speaks to you through your friends.
You Just Have To Listen.
While God speaks to me occasionally through the accomplished people in my life. He now speaks to me every single day through the homeless. They are more connected to God and the universe than any people I have ever met.
They have been stripped of the pollution of society that causes us to lose sight of our connection to the world and the universe. It’s like light pollution that causes us to not be able to see the stars.
They are incredibly connected and in touch people.
The homeless are like the Buddhist monks that beg for food and money so they can focus on liberating their minds. But the difference, of course, is that the homeless have been forced into a monastic lifestyle. They have been imprisoned into desperate poverty by a society that refuses to look at them and deal with them.
The irony is that these homeless become more and more connected to God by their society-imposed exile. And society refuses to look at them even to find a closer connection to God.
I absolutely believe God takes shape in the homeless waiting for the “believers” to come talk to Him.
Would they see Him if they walked right by Him as he pleads for food? Most can’t see God when He’s standing right in front of them.
God is that panhandler they avoid making eye contact with. God is the person they walk by at lunch begging for change on the sidewalk. God is the family down the street that has no food for their kids.
But fear not.
God knows that to look Him in the eye is incredibly painful and difficult. He still totally loves you.
I just want you to be open to the greatness that is all around you. Be open to the message that is being delivered to you.
 
 

God's Plan By Drake

I get angry.
I was crafting an angry blog post in my head this morning as I drove to work. I was angry about people that are irrationally and ignorantly afraid of the homeless. I wanted to create a fire and brimstone post about the true evil in our communities, aka the drug dealers that live in houses.
I just kept getting angrier and angrier.
Before I could get to work I had to drop off some clothes donations. I often take clothes we can’t use to:
Heart 4 the City
954 Eastland Avenue
Akron, OH 44305
They have a great clothes drop off facility.
As I was unloading clothes I usually leave the door of my truck open with Spotify playing. It makes unloading a truck load of clothes a little more enjoyable.
There was a small group of people working in the community garden at Heart 4 the City.
A man with some tools walked by and said, “You’re Sage!”
I have a complicated relationship with receiving gratitude and notoriety. It embarrasses me. But it also means the homeless are being remembered.
That man who stopped me was Stan Rittgers from the Summit Food Coalition.
He started talking to me about his garden at the church.
He talked about how he had a program for kids. They plant pumpkins.
He tells the kids that when they drive by to show their parents what they are growing. Each kid has their own plants.
He said he does this so that the kids have a sense of contribution. That they feel like they are creating something of their own.
Humans, he said, need more than the nourishment of food. They need the nourishment of mattering. Of contributing. Of not just taking but contributing.
Now. What I’m about to tell you is going to sound strange to some people. It sounds strange to me because I have not historically been this type of person.
But I am telling you that since I’ve been working with the homeless I feel like I have been directly plugged into the universe. You can call it whatever you prefer: God. The universe. The spirit.
But I hear it ALL the time now.
In fact, it’s to the point where I’m pretty sure the universe is talking to me constantly. It is guiding me and shaping my path.
This is crazy talk. I know.
Most of my rational friends will tell me that it’s all just a coincidence. That I’m hearing what I choose to hear.
I certainly can’t prove this. But I’m telling you: It is real!
Stan was telling me not to write about anger and what is upsetting me.
He was telling me to stay on point: to write about love. To write about humanity and what it means to be a human.
During this entire conversation the music in the background was the song: God’s Plan by Drake.

I been movin’ calm, don’t start no trouble with me
Tryna keep it peaceful is a struggle for me
Don’t pull up at 6 AM to cuddle with me
You know how I like it when you lovin’ on me
I don’t wanna die for them to miss me
Yes I see the things that they wishin’ on me
Hope I got some brothers that outlive me
They gon’ tell the story, shit was different with me
God’s plan, God’s plan

Here’s the video. It’s really good:

 

I'm Speaking Tonight about Second Chance Village with the Kiwanis

WHEN: Tonight, Tuesday April 24, 2018 at 6:15pm
WHERE:  Rockynol, 1150 W. Market St., Akron Ohio in the new Stonebridge Grill Room
This meeting is open to the public. It is a buffet dinner that costs $10.
Zack Milkovich, the Ward 10 Councilman, invited me to speak at his Kiwanis group in West Akron.
I LOVE these opportunities to share the story of Second Chance Village.
There is so much misunderstanding of the homeless population.

  • Lazy
  • Drunk
  • Addicts
  • Won’t work
  • Dangerous

We’ve learned to stop stereotyping people like African Americans and Latinos. But it’s still very socially acceptable to stereotype the homeless. And, of course, stereotypes are never based in reality. They are based in fear and ignorance.
So, trying to change the perception of the homeless is something I love trying to do.
But then the next layer of conversation gets really interesting:

  • Why are people “choosing” to live in tents?
  • And are tents the best we can do for Americans?

This is an onion where we have to spend time pulling layer after layer away to see what is really going on with this population.
This is interesting because of where America is financially. The stock market is at an all time high:

And unemployment is at a record low:

Yet Americans are still living in tents.
And then of course there is this:
Trump Budget Would Slash HUD Funds by $8.8 Billion, Ask Assistance Recipients to ‘Shoulder’ More Housing Costs

President Donald Trump’s recently released Fiscal Year 2019 Budget proposal included major cuts to the Department of Housing. The budget would slash department funding by about $8.8 billion, or 18 percent of 2017’s enacted levels.

This will absolutely, 100% without a doubt, increase the homeless population. So these refugee-style camps are going to be more of a thing.
My point is: This population is not going away. In fact, when we have another recession and if there are cuts to HUD this population will increase.
So, we need to spend time and effort coming up with a plan. It’s not going away.
I’d LOVE for you to come to the meeting tonight.
Here is the write up from the Beacon Journal on the event: (see you tonight, hopefully)
Tent city pioneer headlines Kiwanis Club event
Published: April 23, 2018 – 2:40 PM
Beacon Journal/Ohio.com
Tent city pioneer headlines Kiwanis
AKRON: Sage Lewis, homeless activist, auctioneer, marketer and unsuccessful mayoral candidate, will speak at the Kiwanis Club of West Akron 6:15 p.m. Tuesday at the new Stonebridge Grill Room at OhioLiving Rockynol, 1150 W. Market St.
At the $10 buffet, which is open to all, Lewis will talk about progress at his tent city for the homeless, Second Chance Village in Akron.
For additional information about the Kiwanis Club, please contact Mike Marks at westakronkiwanis@gmail.com or 330-475-9413.

Bruegger's Bagels Just Gave Us ALL Their Left Over Bagels

Every day, it seems, I get inspiring and exciting good news about people that want to help the homeless.
It’s to the point where I can’t even get the time to share all the amazing things that happen to us because there are so many amazing things happening.
But this is SO cool I had to share it with you.
Bruegger’s Bagels, 3737 W Market St C, Fairlawn, OH 44333, USA has just allowed Second Chance Village to pick up ALL their left over bagels.
This opens an amazing opportunity for us.
We could potentially start a free bagel and coffee shop for the homeless and poor in East Akron.
Imagine a coffee shop where everything is free.
Coffee shops are an important part of the fabric of a community. It brings people together. It connects friends. It helps build your network for job opportunities.
But a coffee shop is simply out of reach for people that make less than $1/day.
I will say… I’m a little overwhelmed by the idea of being responsible for picking up bagels every single night 7 days a week.
It’s really important that we pick them up every night otherwise we’ll lose the connection. So we have to be super consistent.
Would anyone be willing to help me pick up these bagels? We need to pick them up after 5:30pm each night.
This is the Bruegger’s by Hobby Lobby in Fairlawn. I can tell you the details if you are interested.
I only live about 3 miles east from here. You might be able to just pick them up and drop them off at my house. Maybe someone is coming east through Fairlawn around 5:30 or 6pm?
So this is SUPER exciting news. But it’s exciting with a touch of daily obligation.
Thank you Bruegger’s! And thank you to anyone who might be able to assist with the pick up process.
Sage

You. Are. Beautiful!

If you’ve never been to Yellowstone National Park there aren’t enough adequate words to describe the beauty and magnificence of that place. It transcends human vocabulary.
That’s how I feel about our gathering at last night’s Akron City Council meeting.
Supporters and villagers all came to the Monday, April 9, 2018 Akron City Council meeting to make our case for why we believe Second Chance Village should be allowed to exist. We have officially put in our paperwork for our Conditional Use Permit to allow Second Chance Village to continue to exist.
The stories I heard last night were beyond incredible. They were touching, heart warming, logical, rational. They were just amazing. YOU were amazing.
Here are a recap of the people who spoke:
Paul (OP) – He is a resident of Second Chance Village. He is the physical manifestation of bravery. He has a speech impediment. He had told me earlier that he doesn’t speak in public because it gets worse. He spoke magnificently. He brought the hundreds of signatures many people from Second Chance Village collected. He spoke about the collaboration of the many agencies that collaborate with us.
Ducky (Annette) – She is a resident of Second Chance Village. She spoke about her High End Store she runs. She talked about how the homeless are “here and there. We are everywhere. I am Ms. Baker.”
Ron K. – He is a former resident of Second Chance Village. He talked about how he was once a Second Chance Village resident. And now he has a “beautiful” apartment in Barberton. He talked about how there is nothing like having help when you need it.
Ryan S. – He is a supporter of Second Chance village who was formerly homeless and now owns his own home. He talked about how passionate he is about this cause. He is no longer homeless. And now he has a home he is renovating himself.  He talked about how Second Chance Village is a tribe made of survivors.
Melissa “Rocky” Lewis – She is my wife and on the Board of The Homeless Charity. She thanked the city for how they have received us thus far, how other cities have not responded in such a measured and compassionate way. She referenced the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty 2017 study titled “Tent City USA“. And these two articles on a very successful tent city in New Mexico: In New Mexico Tent City, a Glimmer of Hope – The New York Times and Structures improve life at Camp Hope. She talked about shelter barriers like contracts, no safe storage. No day shelters for people that work night jobs. She talked about the cost of sweeping camps is costly and ineffective.
Gary M – He is a resident of Second Chance Village. He talked about how Second Chance Village is exactly what it is… a Second Chance. He talked about how the court system keeps our mistakes on our records for years and years. He talked about how Second Chance Village is now helping him start his own charity to help the homeless get into homes.
Laurie B – She is a supporter of Second Chance Village. She talked about how the homeless are not a group. They are individuals. She talks about how she has made friends with the villagers. She talks about how she has tons of friends at Second Chance Village. She talked about how Second Chance Village has made us look at the homeless.
Elliot – He is a resident of Second Chance Village. He talked about how it is a safe environment for recovering alcoholics and drug addicts. He talked about how other options don’t fit his needs and aren’t a place he feels safe. He talked about how Second Chance Village buys birth certificates, IDs and gets social security cards. He talked about how his parole officer said Second Chance Village is a good place to be.
Chana – She is a resident of Second Chance Village.  She talked about how her fellow villagers helped her setup her tent and brought her to the food pantry to get groceries. She talked about how grateful she is for the help she has gotten at Second Chance Village and how people there care.
Ernie T.  – He is a former resident of Second Chance Village. He said that he was safe at Second Chance Village. He didn’t have to sleep in a doorway and fear for his safety. He believes he’d still be on the street if it wasn’t for Second Chance Village.
Bill – He is a former resident of Second Chance Village. He came to us after being in an intensive treatment facility. He helped us early on to bring structure to the facility. He helped structure the security team and the camera surveillance. He now has a job and works with 37 treatment centers across the US helping people get treatment they need. He was hired right out of Second Chance and now drives a brand new vehicle.
Deloris – She is a resident of Second Chance Village. She talks about how closing Second Chance Village doesn’t add any more beds in shelters or addiction facilities. It doesn’t add a single bed for people that want recovery. She talks about how you can’t just throw people away.
John B. – He is a supporter of Second Chance Village. He is a minister and talked about how Second Chance Village relates to Christianity. He talks about how our greatness is measured by how we treat our most weak. He talks about how these people look out for each other. He talks about how Second Chance Village is a model neighborhood. He talks about how Second Chance Village is a model for innovation and creativity. “Just leave them alone. Let them build it themselves.”
Amy – She is a resident of Second Chance Village. Humanity demands human dignity. “If we have nowhere to go. Where would we go? Why would we be treated as outcasts? Where would we be disposed of? We are the product of a family. We are a consequence of society. We are struggling in society. It isn’t like we’ve chosen to live our lives where people look at us as less than human. What do we do? We look at other nations that outcast men and women. But what happens when we do it in our own country? How can we support closing down anything that supports people trying to find some kind of foundation?
Beth V – She is a supporter of Second Chance Village. She is with Akron City Repair Project. She talks about a “sense of place.” She says she has seen the villagers’ sense of place and dignity that she hasn’t ever seen before. She talked about how it allows people to get their stuff together so they can have the chance to move forward. She talks about how other organizations in Middlebury are extremely supportive of Second Chance Village.
And we had a neighbor come by and offer her support. She said that you can’t even see Second Chance Village from the street.
This is the article Doug Livingston from the Akron Beacon Journal put together on the event: Homeless camp finally seeks proper zoning through City Hall
Here is Channel 3’s coverage: wkyc.com | Push to keep Akron’s ‘Tent City’ open moves forward
Here is the Channel 3 video:
http://www.wkyc.com/video/news/battle-for-tent-city-continues-in-akron/95-8071418
Here is the front page of the newspaper today.

Here’s Cleveland.com’s coverage: Second Chance Village supporters rally at Akron City Council to support homeless encampment | cleveland.com
This is WKSU: Homeless Community in Akron Looks to Comply with Zoning Rules | WKSU
Here is the video of all these comments:
https://www.facebook.com/doug.livingston.92/videos/1637546762948987/
That’s all I can say. You are beautiful, amazing, strong, brave, awesome, wonderful people.
We are on the right side of history. America will do better by its homeless. I truly believe that revolution will be marked in history as starting in Akron Ohio.
Stay strong. Be brave. Have hope. Come to this with endless love. And  we’ll win.
Thank you.
 
 

Come Support Second Chance Village April 9 at City Council at 7pm

WHEN: APRIL 09, 2018 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
WHERE: CITY HALL – 166 SOUTH HIGH STREET, AKRON 44308
Akron City Council meets in Council Chambers on the 3rd floor of the Municipal Building, 166 South High Street, Akron 44308. The public is invited to speak to Council at the end of every meeting during a public comment period. Speaking is limited to 3 minutes per citizen and to matters within Council’s authority.
Second Chance Village is entering its do or die phase of existence.
We are being required to submit a Conditional Use Application for the city.
The city has told us to submit our application as a “Conditional Campground.”
Several people have told me on the side that they think it’s a trap. That the city will never allow a campground within city limits. And that’s why they are having us submit it as such.
I refuse to descend into a conspiratorial mindset. Suspicious thinking never leads anywhere good.
So I come to this process full of hope and belief that the city of Akron cares about all of its citizens and wants no one to be left languishing in the gutters and under the bridges.
Ultimately, City Council will decide our fate.
To begin this process we are all going to attend the Monday, April 9 City Council Meeting. We would love for you to come join us in support at this meeting.
If you would like, you will be able to speak for 3 minutes. But otherwise, just attending will show city council that the community cares about its homeless and we can do better than what we’re currently doing.
I’d recommend getting there at 6:30.
You are welcome to speak from your heart.
But I’ll offer this suggestion if you’d like any tips:
This movement has been so successful because of you and your support of this cause.
We have intentionally tried to be warm and inviting to the entire community. We have created a movement based on faith, love and hope.
There is always a place and time for agitation and tension. But personally I feel we aren’t there yet.
The homeless of Second Chance Village have created something beautiful for themselves. They have asked nothing of the city or the government. All they have asked is to have the opportunity to quietly live and build something for themselves.
So, telling stories of the great people you’ve met and the experiences you have had would be great.
We need to give City Council the benefit of the doubt. To do the right thing.
We definitely have some great supporters on City Council. We want to inspire the others to allow us to continue our work.
We want to share the amazing community the homeless have all shown us here at Second Chance. We want the entire Akron community to join us in working together as one.
That’s the message I’ll be sharing on Monday night.
I truly hope to see you there.
 

Why Martin Luther King Jr Matters

I had forgotten today was his 50th anniversary of being assassinated in Memphis Tennessee.
On one hand, that’s a little strange because I consider MLK to be my primary role model. On the other hand, I forget a lot of things.
I had been thinking a lot about him as I drove to work today.
The mystical side of me thinks his memory was in the air so that’s why I was thinking about him.  The practical side of me thinks his memory was in my mind because of the importance of this month for Second Chance Village.

The God at Dr. King’s Kitchen Table

There are countless stories of Dr. King’s that are iconic representations of bravery, calmness and steadfast belief in the nonviolent approach to protesting. You really can’t believe his resolve when you read about it.
But there is one story I love the most.
He came home late Friday night, Jan. 27, 1956.  He was tired and on edge. His phone rang and the sneering voice on the other end said, “”Leave Montgomery immediately if you have no wish to die.”
His fear surged. He was shaking. He put on a pot of coffee and fell into a kitchen chair.
This was the beginning of what he was to declare his most profound spiritual experience.
He describes it in his book Stride Toward Freedom.

I was ready to give up. With my cup of coffee sitting untouched before me, I tried to think of a way to move out of the picture without appearing a coward. In this state of exhaustion, when my courage had all but gone, I decided to take my problem to God. With my head in my hands, I bowed over the kitchen table and prayed aloud.
The words I spoke to God that midnight are still vivid in my memory. “I am here taking a stand for what I believe is right. But now I am afraid. The people are looking to me for leadership, and if I stand before them without strength and courage, they too will falter. I am at the end of my powers. I have nothing left. I’ve come to the point where I can’t face it alone.”
At that moment, I experienced the presence of the Divine as I had never experienced God before. It seemed as though I could hear the quiet assurance of an inner voice saying: “Stand up for justice, stand up for truth; and God will be at your side forever.” Almost at once my fears began to go. My uncertainty disappeared. I was ready to face anything.”

Three days later a bomb blasted his house and his family escaped harm by a hairsbreadth. “Strangely enough,” King later wrote, “I accepted the word of the bombing calmly. My religious experience a few nights before had given me the strength to face it.”
His revelation that night has always had a profound impression on me.
I get scared. I ask: Am I screwing up my life? Am I throwing away all the things and money my wife and I have collected for the last twenty years? Am I going to be financially ruined? Am I going to be physically attacked?
The answer is always this moment Dr. King experienced that one midnight in 1956.
“Stand up for justice, stand up for truth; and God will be at your side forever.”
I often ask myself: “Would Martin Luther King be proud of me?”
I look to him and his spirit as my guide and my strength.
I then remind myself that I am healthy, strong, educated and given a great opportunity to make a difference.
Everything I’ve experienced has prepared me for this moment in my life. As a student of literature, music, history and art in college I’ve learned the lessons of our past. As a businessman and entrepreneur for the last 20 years I’ve learned money, strength and capitalism. As a father and husband I’ve learned responsibility.
And all of it culminates in the life and leadership of Martin Luther King Jr.
I know I’m not half the man he is. He is everything I want to be and likely will never achieve. But that’s the point of a role model. They are a vision. They are an ideal. They are the mountain top.
Martin Luther King Jr. and others like him are important because they hold up the ideal of what is possible. They are the 4 minute mile. They are the lunar landing. They are the cure for polio.
A role model pushes you to your limits. They give you hope and strength.
We need them. 
Having Martin Luther King Jr. as part of the American historical landscape is more valuable than we can even imagine. His importance will likely be remembered for as long as there are written historical records.
In my most private moments, when I’m feeling strong and confident, I sometimes say to myself, “What if I could be as great at Martin Luther King Jr.?”
It’s an arrogant thought. I feel embarrassed even asking the question. But then I give myself a break. This is how the world gets better. When people ask, “What if I could be as great as…” we all move up a tiny notch in civilization.
My wish for you on this 50th anniversary of his death is that you have a role model. That you have someone you aspire to be. It adds a wonderful glow to your journey through life.
 

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