Gospel Con Carne: Recent Episodes
Mobile Loaves & Fishes
The ‘Gospel Con Carne’ is a gritty journey of Tex-Mex theology that explores the woundedness of society through untold stories of homelessness.
Our host, Alan Graham, is the founder and CEO of Austin, TX-based Mobile Loaves and Fishes – a social outreach ministry that has been empowering communities into a lifestyle of service with the homeless for more than two decades. Alan also is the lead visionary behind the innovative Community First! Village – the country’s only master-planned community designed specifically for men and women coming out of chronic homelessness.
On this episode of the Gospel Con Carne podcast, Alan sits down with our friend and neighbor, Justin! Originally from Houston, Justin later made his way to Austin where he found support from a family friend as he navigated life in a new city. After experiencing some bumps along the way, Justin made his way home to Community First! Village in 2021 and has embraced a new chapter of life—one marked by growth, gratitude and deep connection. Though he once faced homelessness and time in jail, today Justin is known for his welcoming spirit, green thumb and genuine friendships with everyone around him. Whether he’s giving tours to volunteers, tending to his yard or earning a dignified income through one of Mobile Loaves & Fishes' various teams, Justin lives with purpose, believing that God has restored what was once lost in his life. For Justin, the Village isn’t just home—it’s where he plans to stay forever, surrounded by a forged family and grounded in the belief that healing begins when we take care of ourselves in order to better care for others.
Join Alan on an emotional episode of the Gospel Con Carne podcast as he sits down with our Community First! Village neighbor, Kim. Originally from Oklahoma, Kim made her way to Austin through Child Protective Services and spent years in foster care and group homes before being adopted. Her parents strived to never give up on her, even as she struggled to let people into her life. Kim encountered homelessness after leaving home when she was 17-years-old, and by the time she was 19 eventually had become a young mother. Kim worked hard to create a stable life, and even ended up managing a rooftop bar at one point. Despite a series of setbacks, she remained full of love and care for those around her. And then Community First! Village came along—something Kim firmly believes was God's timing at work! Nowadays she spends her time tending to the gardens and helping to prepare homes in the Village for move-ins—something she loves because it allows her to welcome new neighbors with dignity and love.
The Gospel Con Carne podcast is back! Join us this season as Mobile Loaves & Fishes’ Founder & CEO, Alan Graham, and his guests tell the untold stories of individuals who have encountered homelessness. We are excited to kick off this season talking with Honey, one of Alan’s neighbors who lives in Community First! Village. Honey grew up in a broken home and transitioned into foster care when she was 16. After getting married and having three children, new struggles began to emerge in her life. The combination of divorce, remarriage, losing her home and severe health problems ultimately left Honey in a position of living out of her car with her husband at the time. She eventually found her way home to Community First! Village in 2018, but admits she was still dealing with several bumps in the road. It wasn’t until recently that Honey was encouraged by our Art House team to pursue her creative skills. Since then, she has been thriving with jewelry making and is also tapping into new creative outlets that allow her to earn a dignified income.
Join us for our final Gospel Con Carne podcast episode of the season as Alan sits down with our friend and neighbor, Cecile! Originally from Dallas, Cecile and her siblings were raised in a loving home by her parents until they later separated. After graduating high school, Cecile worked in the restaurant industry for a number of years, followed by decades-long work in accounting. She eventually moved to Austin in 2000, but unfortunately found herself homeless after the Covid pandemic hit. Thanks to a local homeless outreach program, Cecile moved into her very first furnished home in Community First! Village in June of 2022. Known around the Village for her loyalty, dependability and optimistic spirit, Cecile has a sociable nature that brings her close to her fellow neighbors. Additionally, thanks to her work with the neighborhood's Property Beautification team, she’s able to use her green thumb to tap into her passion for gardening and plants. Cecile is a devoted mother of two daughters and a loving grandmother to four grandchildren—and she beams like any proud grandmother would when she talks about their visits to her beautiful home in the Village!
Joining our host, Alan Graham, on this episode of the Gospel Con Carne podcast is our neighbor, Nick! Originally born in Kenya, Nick’s mom moved him and his sister to the United States when he was just nine years old. After spending his childhood in Georgia, Nick enrolled in the Army directly out of high school and served for six years. In 2014, Nick's job brought him to Austin where he had a stable income and housing. However, when the covid pandemic hit, he lost his job and had to live off of his savings. After constant searching, Nick was unsuccessful with finding another job, his savings ran low, and he and his mother were forced to vacate their apartment. Nick eventually found himself in a position that he never thought was possible—being homeless on the streets of Austin. After a couple of years living in survival mode, he and his mother found their place of permanence and belonging in Community First! Village in March of this year. Now living just across the street from each other, Nick and his mother enjoy spending time together and engaging with neighbors as much as they can. Together, they have found home and are surrounded by a supportive community.
On our newest episode of the Gospel Con Carne podcast, Alan is joined by our friend and neighbor, Bennie! Born and raised in Austin, Bennie learned early on what it looked like to care for others while growing up in a two-bedroom home with eight siblings. His parents, who were functioning alcoholics, took care of his family well despite being poor. With the integration of Austin happening during most of Bennie’s upbringing, he was often bused to and from school. He says this experience, coupled with growing up in the projects of the city, ultimately resulted in a lifestyle involving drugs. Following a broken marriage years later, Bennie wound up on the streets of Austin and disconnected from his family. Despite the loss he experienced, Bennie moved into his forever home in Community First! Village seven years ago and now considers many people around the neighborhood his family. On top of always helping out his neighbors, Bennie is often seen with a big smile on his face, doing his best to spread happiness all around him.
Joining our host, Alan Graham, on this episode of the Gospel Con Carne podcast is our neighbor, Cathy! Growing up in Freeport, Texas, Cathy experienced chronic homelessness from a young age alongside her mother and siblings. Often moving from place to place her whole life, Cathy says she doesn't feel like she had her first real home until she moved into Community First! Village in April of 2023. However, the road to finding her home in the Village didn't come easy. Cathy fell into the trap of addiction, just like other members of her family, until she began living in her car and finding the space she needed to get clean. Since moving to the Village, Cathy has been able to pursue her lifelong dream of being able to take care of herself and finds joy in the mundane, even something that may feel small, like paying her own bills.
On this week’s episode of the Gospel Con Carne podcast, Alan is joined by our neighbor and friend, Bernadette! Originally from New York, Bernadette grew up in an orphanage but was eventually adopted and had a great upbringing as an only child. Throughout her life, Bernadette became a hard worker within the entertainment industry which led to her passion for concerts and even renaissance fairs! Unfortunately, with the passing of her father came a reliance on drugs, and this eventually led to Bernadette becoming homeless. Later on she also lost her partner, which is when Bernadette says she realized she needed to stop her drug use. Today she proudly shares that she has been clean for eight years! After moving home to Community First! Village in 2018, Bernadette now feels like she’s in a safe place where she knows she’s loved and respected by those around her.
On our newest episode of the Gospel Con Carne podcast, Alan is joined by our friend and Community First! Village neighbor, Jimmy! Growing up in Queens, New York, Jimmy says he never really felt at home until he moved to Austin in 1982 to go to college. Despite having distant relationships with his immediate family growing up, Jimmy had the chance to reconnect with his dad after moving to Austin. During this time, they were able to rekindle their bond until his dad eventually passed away. Years later, Jimmy's wife passed away, which was followed by the hard hit of the Covid pandemic. Despite having a strong and consistent work ethic, Jimmy soon found himself homeless. Thankfully, with the help of a local church, Jimmy was able to quickly move into his forever home in Community First! Village in September of 2021. Not only does he work with our Property Beautification team on a daily basis, Jimmy also strives to be a good friend to his fellow neighbors by preaching love, finding the goodness in everyone and encouraging unity over division in the community.
Join Alan on an emotional episode of the Gospel Con Carne podcast as he sits down with our neighbor Linda. In addition to learning more about Linda's story, you'll hear from one of our Mobile Loaves & Fishes' staff members, Frazel, who works directly with Linda in our Community Inn! Linda grew up in Louisiana with six siblings, later moving to several locations in Houston, and ultimately ending up in Austin. After spending time homeless, while living at a park in Austin, Linda met her case manager who was able to introduce her to Community First! Village. Linda moved home to the Village at the beginning of this year and feels that her experience has been life changing. She has a passion for cooking for herself and her fellow neighbors as a way of spreading joy and lending a helping hand to others. Linda is also a consistent worker at our Community Inn where she has built a beautiful relationship with Frazel, the Community Inn coordinator. More than finding a home and work, Linda is grateful that she has found community, learning that she is never alone with the forged family she now has in her new neighborhood.
On this week’s episode of the Gospel Con Carne podcast, Alan is joined by our neighbor and friend, John! Growing up on the beaches of Florida, John’s childhood was filled with love, surrounded by his mom, stepdad and two brothers. John later attended college in Arizona where he was able to reconnect with his biological father, working to create a relationship even as his dad struggled with alcoholism. John eventually entered a season of his life where many of his family members passed away, causing a breakdown in his marriage which led to divorce. This series of tragedies pushed John to leave his current surroundings and bike across the United States, working day jobs to make a living. When finding day jobs during the covid pandemic became virtually impossible, John began living on the streets of Austin. Since moving to Community First! Village in the fall of 2022, John has reconnected with his daughter and works consistently with our on-site janitorial team. While building relationships with his neighbors living in the Village, John has learned to accept people for who they are and often encourages them that good things are to come if you just hang in there!
On our newest episode of the Gospel Con Carne podcast, we are joined by our neighbor and friend, Tuana! Originally from Louisiana, Tuana grew up with her mom and two brothers. She says her mom’s drug problem forced the family to move around quite a bit, which left her to become involved with the wrong crowds from an early age. The pain Tuana experienced from the people she was left surrounded by led to her own drug use and ultimately left her in a state of living in her car. Thankfully, Tuana was connected to Community First! Village a year ago through our friends at Sunrise Church in Austin, and she has found immense peace since moving to the neighborhood. On any given day you will find Tuana tending to vegetables in the Village's aquaponics greenhouse or possibly driving her neighbors around the community on our Gus Bus. She's also a community builder! Since moving in, Tuana has discovered her gift of bringing the community together through cooking, which helps to create a safe and loving space for her fellow neighbors.
Joining our host, Alan Graham, on this episode of the Gospel Con Carne podcast is our neighbor, Orion! Growing up in a small Texas town, Orion had a simple, old-fashioned life and knew what good hospitality looked like. However, what he thought was considered a "normal" family dynamic ended up causing him trouble in the years to follow. With a family history of alcoholism and other unfortunate circumstances, Orion ultimately became homeless around the age of 18. When Orion later found himself in prison, he met some of the most spirit-filled people, which began his journey toward a relationship with Christ. While continuing to pursue a relationship with the Lord was never easy, Orion was put in situations and met people who helped him form the strong relationship he has with Christ today. Since moving home to Community First! Village in early 2023, Orion continues to shed light and love for the Lord through his interactions with his neighbors and others he encounters. He also regularly reminds those around him that as long as there is breath in your body, you can have hope.
On this episode of the Gospel Con Carne podcast, we are joined by not one, but two Alan’s! Joining our host, Alan Graham, is his friend and neighbor, Alan, who moved home to Community First! Village in December of 2019. Adopted as a baby, Alan built close relationships with his adoptive parents and fondly remembers his childhood growing up in north Austin. His life took a turn when he began using drugs as a young teenager, which led to a spiral that ultimately left him homeless. Since moving to Community First! Village, Alan has heavily relied on a Twelve Steps path of recovery for himself, while making amends with others in the process. Alan continues to improve on these steps every day and the work he's put in is reflective in his relationships with other neighbors and his deep desire to live servant-heartedly. While following the Twelve Steps has transformed Alan's life, he has found the most freeing part of the process to be the mending of relationships and rebuilding of the community that he lost along the way.
The Gospel Con Carne podcast is back! Join us this season as Mobile Loaves & Fishes' Founder & CEO, Alan Graham, and his guests tell the untold stories of individuals who have encountered homelessness. We are excited to kick off this season talking with Justin, one of Alan's neighbors in Community First! Village. Hear how Justin's family history of alcoholism ultimately took root in his own life, resulting in plenty of challenges along the way. Justin eventually found himself living a nomadic life out of his car, often hopping around different state parks or campgrounds. Since moving to Community First! Village in 2022, Justin has been able to find healing, both physically and emotionally, and now works on-site in the Village while building meaningful relationships with his neighbors. Through the ups and downs of his journey, Justin embodies what it means to just keep on going—because you never know what good things may lie ahead.
There are only a handful of people who have been with Mobile Loaves & Fishes since its very first day 25 years ago, and Alan's guest on this season finale of the Gospel Con Carne is undeniably one of them! Alan is joined by his daughter and Mobile Loaves & Fishes' Director of Community Empowerment, Taylor Graham, for this 25th anniversary special edition episode. You may be surprised to learn that being part of the family business wasn't always in Taylor's plan. Hear Mobile Loaves & Fishes stories from Taylor's perspective, and each of their reflections from their recent six-week journey in Spain on the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage. Whether it's serving our homeless neighbors over the past quarter century or walking 500 miles across Spain, Alan and Taylor agree there is one key takeaway found in each of these unique journeys: keep putting one foot in front of the other.
In this special episode of the Gospel Con Carne podcast, your host Alan Graham sits down with Brian Walsh, an author of one of Alan's favorite books, “Beyond Homelessness: Christian Faith in a Culture of Displacement.” When asked about the inspiration behind Community First! Village, Alan frequently references Beyond Homelessness as a book that helped him gain a rich understanding of the true meaning of home. Alan also often explains how Mobile Loaves & Fishes intentionally uses this framework of home in the design of the Village. This year, on the book's 15th anniversary, Brian and his co-author, Steven Bouma-Prediger, have launched a new edition that includes a postscript in which they discuss the evolution of their ideas and share true stories of home and community built anew.
In this special edition of the Gospel Con Carne podcast, Alan is joined by two community-driven individuals who we consider part of the Mobile Loaves & Fishes family. Sherwynn Patton is an MLF Board member and one of the founders of Life Anew, which practices restorative justice in Community First! Village. Joe Bland is the leader behind Joe Bland Construction, a family-owned business whose team has handled the infrastructure development of the Village. On Monday, August 28th, at 9:00am on the south steps of the Texas Capitol, the entire community is invited to honor 60 years since Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech. Tune in to hear more details from Sherwynn and Joe about the event and its relevance to this day, as we are reminded of a concept introduced to us by Jesus Christ—to invite people from all walks of life to the banquet table as we love and care for our fellow neighbors.
Growing up on a ranch with her family in West Texas, Community First! Village neighbor Eddie Jean learned what hard work looked like at a young age. Today, she continues this strong work ethic and earns a dignified income by creating beautiful paintings and ceramic pieces through our Art House program. Eddie Jean's story, however, hasn't always been a palette of bright colors. After encountering a series of deaths in her family, Eddie Jean ultimately ended up homeless and living out of her car. Despite immense grief and loss throughout her life, she has always seen the light in her circumstances and leans on her past to share unconditional love with everyone around her.
When Mobile Loaves & Fishes first began moving neighbors up off the streets of Austin and into permanent homes in Community First! Village in 2015, the neighborhood was a small, close-knit community. Now, with almost 350 formerly homeless men and women living in the Village, it takes more of an effort to really get to know your neighbors. Alan's guest on this episode of the Gospel Con Carne, Bowie, has been living in the Village for just over a year, but this is the first time the two of them have met! After alcohol consumption controlled his life for many years and eventually led to his time living on the streets, Bowie is now almost 20 years sober. Today he finds hope in his relationship with God and enjoys sharing this joy with the rest of his neighbors in the Village.
Gospel Con Carne host Alan Graham often describes Community First! Village as a peaceful place with a side salad of tension—and when many of these moments of tension arise around the neighborhood, the team knows just who to call. Michelle Ates helps our neighbors resolve conflict through restorative justice. Growing up as one of the only black people in her school classes, it wasn't until Michelle went to a Historically Black College that she realized her upbringing had been more privileged than the majority of her classmates. She uses her experience to help our friends transitioning out of homelessness to transform stereotypes they had of people who don't look like them, and ultimately helps us all to realize that we're not so different from one another.
A self-proclaimed free-spirit with a merry laugh, Alan's podcast guest and neighbor, Kate, grew up in the UK where she and her mother gardened every day, spending much of her time in nature. After traveling to the United States and later divorcing her husband in search of freedom, Kate eventually found herself living under a bridge. Although she enjoyed being surrounded by the creatures of nature that she loves, Kate chose to adjust her living situation and made her way home to a place of permanence in Community First! Village. Today she stays active gardening throughout the Village as part of the property beautification team, and also enjoys painting and writing poetry again. Facing adversity at several points along life's journey, Kate has learned how to best overcome challenging times simply by never giving up.
Our guest on this episode of the Gospel Con Carne goes by 'Sippi' – short for Mississippi – and has been a neighbor in Community First! Village for just more than a year. While it's easy to realize where Sippi's roots originated, he made his journey west to Austin, Texas as a young adult where he encountered a more challenging season of life in and out of homelessness for the greater part of a decade. Growing up as a star athlete with access to things that could get him into trouble, Sippi says he quickly learned that "there's a bad guy in all of us." Even during the dark times he experienced, however, Sippi kept his faith in God's plan, listened to His call and feels that he has now found the place he can call home.
If you've ever taken a tour of Community First! Village, then you're probably very familiar with this week's guest on the Gospel Con Carne podcast. Our neighbor Ute has been living in the Village for about five-and-a-half years and is one of our incredibly talented artists who earns a dignified income from the pieces she creates and sells through our on-site Art House program. Although she is extremely grateful for where she is in her life right now, Ute remembers the rougher times she endured while she was homeless for 10 years. Listen in as Ute shares her beautiful journey of living in Germany to eventually finding her home in Austin, and how she is able to extend grace and patience to her neighbors after restoring these necessary qualities in herself.
The Gospel Con Carne podcast is back for a new season of meaningful conversations with your host, Mobile Loaves & Fishes’ Founder & CEO Alan Graham! Whether having experienced homelessness or not, all of Alan’s guests are individuals who understand the value of community. This week’s guest, Alan’s neighbor Brandon, is no exception. Growing up in the foster care system, transferred from family to family five times, Brandon has learned firsthand how surrounding oneself with good company—even under vulnerable conditions—brings joy, hopefulness and a desire to encourage others who may be struggling to experience a similar level of goodness. Join us for this hope-filled conversation as we kick-off the 2023 season of the Gospel Con Carne podcast!
We are wrapping up this season of the Gospel Con Carne podcast with a powerful conversation with Tim Hawks, Lead Pastor of Hill Country Bible Church. A man of great faith who has been sharing the story of the Gospel in Austin for the past three decades, you'll hear a common theme behind Tim's vision that has connected his congregation to the work we do at Mobile Loaves & Fishes in serving our most vulnerable neighbors. Tune in as Tim discusses the benefits of stepping out of the comfort zone that our culture has created—one that leads to isolation and a sense of busyness—and into a life of adventure that God has wired us to thrive in: community.
We are wrapping up this season of the Gospel Con Carne podcast with a powerful conversation with Tim Hawks, Lead Pastor of Hill Country Bible Church. A man of great faith who has been sharing the story of the Gospel in Austin for the past three decades, you'll hear a common theme behind Tim's vision that has connected his congregation to the work we do at Mobile Loaves & Fishes in serving our most vulnerable neighbors. Tune in as Tim discusses the benefits of stepping out of the comfort zone that our culture has created—one that leads to isolation and a sense of busyness—and into a life of adventure that God has wired us to thrive in: community.
We are wrapping up this season of the Gospel Con Carne podcast with a powerful conversation with Tim Hawks, Lead Pastor of Hill Country Bible Church. A man of great faith who has been sharing the story of the Gospel in Austin for the past three decades, you'll hear a common theme behind Tim's vision that has connected his congregation to the work we do at Mobile Loaves & Fishes in serving our most vulnerable neighbors. Tune in as Tim discusses the benefits of stepping out of the comfort zone that our culture has created—one that leads to isolation and a sense of busyness—and into a life of adventure that God has wired us to thrive in: community.
We often say at Mobile Loaves & Fishes that our missional community is the secret sauce of Community First! Village. Alan’s guest on the podcast this week, Paul Gautier, and his wife Carol have devoted their lives to serving our neighbors every day by living in the Village as Missionals. Paul and Alan met back in 2002 on an MLF truck run and now, 20 years later, continue to serve Austin’s most vulnerable neighbors together. Paul shares an experience that he says was the biggest step in his faith journey and how he has learned the easiest way to live out the acts of the apostles—being in relationship with others.
Many of the neighbors living in Community First! Village experience mental health problems—some easier to identify than others. Alan's guest on this episode of the Gospel Con Carne, Shea, is on the autism spectrum and remained undiagnosed until later in her adult years. It took becoming homeless for Shea to seek mental health assistance, discovering that her difficulty in social settings, which caused her to become socially isolated and depressed, was deeper than she thought. Now, living in Community First! Village for more than three years, Shea finds dignity and healing through her work on our Genesis Gardens team. Tune in as Shea shares her story of living isolated on the streets of Austin to now living in a community where she is known and loved.
Many of the neighbors living in Community First! Village experience mental health problems—some easier to identify than others. Alan's guest on this episode of the Gospel Con Carne, Shea, is on the autism spectrum and remained undiagnosed until later in her adult years. It took becoming homeless for Shea to seek mental health assistance, discovering that her difficulty in social settings, which caused her to become socially isolated and depressed, was deeper than she thought. Now, living in Community First! Village for more than three years, Shea finds dignity and healing through her work on our Genesis Gardens team. Tune in as Shea shares her story of living isolated on the streets of Austin to now living in a community where she is known and loved.
For two years, no one in Community First! Village knew or saw much of our neighbor Blair due to a health condition that left him believing he needed to stay in his home. Now, after living in the Village for more than four years, going a day without seeing him out and about in the community is quite unusual. As the unofficial "mayor" of Community First! Village, Blair finds purpose encouraging his neighbors to start a new beginning in the Village—a place where they will be fully and wholly known and fully and wholly loved by their community, all judgement aside. Today, after facing his fear of coming outside his home, Blair exudes a palpable excitement for life while fulfilling what he believes is God's purpose for him of being a good friend and neighbor to everyone he encounters.
When you would lie in bed at night as a child and dream about what you wanted to be when you grew up, like Alan's guest Jason, maybe you dreamed of being a rockstar or an artist. One thing Jason never dreamed about was being homeless. At one point in his journey, however, that became his reality. After living through the storms of life on the streets and then laying down roots in Community First! Village almost a year ago, Jason now expresses elements from his personal experiences through the incredible detail of his art—reigniting and living out the dreams of his youth.
If you've listened to the Gospel Con Carne podcast long enough, you know that relationships and the importance of community are recurring themes. This week's episode is a little more personal in nature, as host Alan Graham is joined by his older brother, Harrell, for a conversation down memory lane. The Graham siblings reflect on growing up in a time when community seemed to have a different meaning, and talk about the relational challenges of being raised in a household that was stricken with mental illness. Harrell and Alan also share the many ways Community First! Village is focused on building community in a generation that seems to be missing it, and find themselves in agreement on an important piece to the community puzzle—knowing your neighbors.
It takes a Village, along with a loving community, to lift up our neighbors who are living on the streets and bring them home to Community First! Village. Alan's guest this week on the Gospel Con Carne podcast is no stranger to navigating this multifaceted process. Leah Hargrave is the founder of The Charlie Center, a homeless hospitality and navigation center in Austin, and has moved more than 30 men and women to Community First! Village through her relentless focus on connecting with and serving our friends who are experiencing homelessness. Through her years of homeless ministry, Leah has realized how her own life experiences help her relate to our most vulnerable neighbors and better understand the deep need we all have for community.
We're back with season five of the Gospel Con Carne podcast! So many new faces are being welcomed home to Community First! Village, and we're excited to be able to share more of our neighbors' stories with you. This week, Alan is joined by his neighbor Helen, who takes us on a deep dive into her career as a nurse in the UK and her journey over to the United States. Helen stumbled into a long season of burnout and addiction, which ultimately led to recovery and a new-found sense of purpose through her work as an artist in Community First! Village.
On the season finale of the Gospel Con Carne podcast, Alan is joined by the Executive Director of Foundation Communities, Walter Moreau. Like Alan, Walter is a "do-er." Foundation Communities currently has more than 20 affordable housing communities which serve about 7,000 families and single adults throughout Austin and North Texas. The organization also provides education opportunities and other support services to help empower its residents to achieve educational success, financial stability and healthier lifestyles. Listen in as Walter and Alan discuss the value that comes with getting to know our neighbors, as well as the future collaboration planned between Community First! Village and Foundation Communities to lift more of our homeless friends up off the streets.
As a prankster with a contagious laugh heard throughout Community First! Village, joking around has always been a defense mechanism for this week's Gospel Con Carne guest, Phil, as he has faced challenges throughout his life. While Community First! Village is a place where our formerly homeless neighbors can engage on a journey of restored hope and dignity, healing from years of trauma and addiction takes time. Listen in as Phil opens up about his ongoing challenge of trying to move away from a lifestyle he has known for so many years, to one based on his desire to be clean and have restored relationships with his now-grown kids. Phil also shares what he has learned about the value of being honest with yourself and not being afraid to reach out and tell someone when you're struggling.
As a prankster with a contagious laugh heard throughout Community First! Village, joking around has always been a defense mechanism for this week's Gospel Con Carne guest, Phil, as he has faced challenges throughout his life. While Community First! Village is a place where our formerly homeless neighbors can engage on a journey of restored hope and dignity, healing from years of trauma and addiction takes time. Listen in as Phil opens up about his ongoing challenge of trying to move away from a lifestyle he has known for so many years, to one based on his desire to be clean and have restored relationships with his now-grown kids. Phil also shares what he has learned about the value of being honest with yourself and not being afraid to reach out and tell someone when you're struggling.
This week at Mobile Loaves & Fishes is all about celebrating our volunteers, and the Gospel Con Carne podcast is no different! Alan's guest, Noble Doss, has been volunteering with MLF for more than three years in our Community Market. Our Community First! Village neighbors visit the on-site market daily for basic necessities, and also treat it as a gathering spot with other neighbors and visitors. Noble brings camaraderie to the market, building deep connections with the men and women he sees on a regular basis. He's even been known to show up in costumes for special occasions! Hear Noble's journey as a doctor, and lessons he has learned in his work about the commonality we share as human beings. We are so grateful for volunteers like Noble who bring care and compassion to their roles as we serve our friends who have experienced homelessness along with our brothers and sisters who are still living on the streets.
After Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005, our guest on this week's Gospel Con Carne, Brian Bell, recalls traveling back to what was left of his damaged home to gather his belongings and set off on a new path in life. He headed to Austin, Texas with hopes of starting over, but the loss of his job along with a deep depression which halted his motivation left Brian in an unexpected state of homelessness. Countless days and nights of traumatizing experiences led him to wonder - "How did I get here?" Now, after only six months of living in Community First! Village, Brian is an active and engaging neighbor who has worked for our culinary program and also our bed-and-breakfast operation. As he settles into his new community, Brian believes the deep-rooted anger he has previously experienced in life has helped him see and better understand the importance of trying to ease people's suffering through the simple act of kindness.
At Mobile Loaves & Fishes, we believe that the single greatest cause of homelessness is a profound, catastrophic loss of family. This week’s guest on the Gospel Con Carne podcast, Letty, experienced not the physical loss of her family, but the loss of having no one to love and care for her. Being told from a young age that she wasn’t supposed to be born, and bullied by peers and family her entire life, Letty found herself living on the streets off and on for almost eight years before moving to Community First! Village last September. Despite the many obstacles Letty has faced, she has persevered, and has done so while utilizing what she has found to be a simple yet powerful relational tool—a smile.
Community First! Village is a place where men and women from different walks of life find restoration and healing, and our Missional neighbors play a vital role in this process through intentional relationship building. Christina Hite and her husband, Dustin, have been living in the Village missionally for almost a year. Although they've never personally experienced homelessness, the Hites have a deep understanding and connection to our formerly homeless neighbors who have been a part of several broken systems. After deciding to foster children, the Hites started a family with their now adopted daughters and have shared their hearts for ministry with their girls in many ways. Living in Peoria, Illinois with no intention of moving, a tour of Community First! Village in 2019 changed everything. After a lengthy season of discernment, the Hites moved to Austin with their daughters to live full-time alongside formerly homeless men and women who are healing from the ravages of the streets. Hear their compelling story along with some profound nuggets of wisdom they have learned from their daughters along the way of their unexpected journey together.
As a budding songwriter in Nashville more than 30 years ago, our guest on this week's podcast, Vernon, once felt like he had it all. He wrote songs for Keith Urban and also had several other number one hits on the country music charts. And then, things changed. When friends in the music industry started disappearing and checks started getting smaller, Vernon entered a decades-long downward spiral of heavy drug use and spent years living on the streets. Just when he thought he had hit rock bottom, Vernon met his wife, Helen. The two have both overcome drug addictions and continue to pursue their passions in music and art, respectively, while living together in Community First! Village. Hear their journey of restoring relationships and walking away from drugs together, as they continue to see God show up in their lives.
As a missional neighbor in Community First! Village, this week’s guest on the Gospel Con Carne podcast, Lori Nava, lives and serves alongside our neighbors coming out of chronic homelessness. In this episode, Lori shares her personal experience with the loss of a relationship with her father and the empathy this has given her for the many traumas our formerly homeless neighbors living in the Village have endured. She also shares her experience as a young, single woman living in the Village, and the sense of security she feels living amongst her neighbors. Lori also reminds listeners about the value of community and that, regardless of our backgrounds, we should never let our brokenness define us.
After thinking she had lost every family member she had ever known and loved, everything changed when this week's guest on the Gospel Con Carne podcast, Leatha, received a Facebook message from a man saying he was her father. For more than a decade, Leatha thought her father was dead, and she had been alone. After living on the streets for almost four years, Leatha's father, Gary, helped her move into Community First! Village where they now both live and earn a dignified income working on the farming team. Learn more about Leatha and her incredible journey—one that involves a second chance to change her life through a connection she thought was gone forever.
Many of the men and women we serve at Mobile Loaves & Fishes, whether living on the streets or in Community First! Village, suffer from mental health illnesses. This week on the Gospel Con Carne podcast, Alan has a conversation with Chris Roubieu, the program manager at Integral Care who works directly with our formerly homeless neighbors in the Village who struggle with mental health disorders. During this Mental Health Awareness Month, Chris shares his understanding that everybody, regardless of their background or life circumstances, has their own struggles. He also encourages listeners to strive to find a deeper level of empathy for individuals who are mentally ill by trying to see the world through their eyes.
On this week’s episode of the Gospel Con Carne podcast, Alan is joined by Community First! Village’s first formerly homeless resident, Sam. In 2005, Mobile Loaves & Fishes lifted Sam up off the streets of Austin and moved him into what was our first RV through our Community First! program -- at the time referred to as 'Habitat on Wheels.' Now, 16 years later, Sam is living in the Village where he is working on several projects connected to his passion for engineering, geology and photography. Hear Sam talk about the adventures he has been on sparked by his interest in God’s creations, including photographing some incredible scenes that have been used in weather reports on the news! Above all, Sam shares the importance of following God’s call to discover the gifts He has given each of us.
As the current dialogue around homelessness in Austin continues to intensify, Mark Hilbelink, lead pastor of Sunrise Community Church in Austin, joins Alan on this week’s episode of the Gospel Con Carne podcast for a hope-filled conversation around serving our friends who are struggling to survive on the streets. On a daily basis, Sunrise Community Church welcomes and serves many men and women who are experiencing chronic homelessness, and through Sunrise Homeless Navigation Center, provides resources to help support our homeless neighbors. Tune in as Alan and Mark discuss the importance of meeting people where they’re at through the shared experience we all have with brokenness.
We are so excited to kick off season four of the Gospel Con Carne podcast with our well-known Community First! Village neighbor, Billy "Shorty" Joe—a man who carries quite a large presence around the neighborhood. No stranger to the streets, Shorty spent more than 30 years homeless in Austin before making his way home to the Village in November 2016. Although he was homeless himself, Shorty spent many of his years while on the streets focused on serving his fellow brothers and sisters who were looking for warmth and safety. To this day, Shorty’s servant-hearted spirit has prevailed as he has stepped up to serve his community on a regular basis. With a heavy heart from many recent losses, Shorty shares his wisdom in trusting God’s perfect plan for each of our lives.
We're excited to wrap up this season of the Gospel Con Carne podcast with our friend Chris Baker, founder of The Other Ones Foundation. In the midst of Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, this conversation between two guys who have been serving men and women living on the streets of Austin for many years comes down to a simple approach toward healing the broken—just loving on people. Hear Chris talk about his childhood and what he feels could have easily led him to being chronically homeless himself by the age of 20 if he didn't have people in his life to support him. You'll also learn more about the servant-hearted work Chris leads with The Other Ones Foundation and his desire to be in fellowship with the men and women who need it most.
This week’s Gospel Con Carne guest, D’Juan Davis, has learned a lot about leading and serving over the course of his life. He also exudes these two qualities every day as a member of Mobile Loaves & Fishes' culinary team in Community First! Village. Over the past several months, the culinary team has stepped up for their fellow neighbors by cooking and preparing fresh lunches daily. On the outside, the culinary team demonstrates hard work and compassionate customer service. Inside the kitchen doors, however, there’s much more going on—there’s a family. Hear D’Juan’s journey and the advice he once received from a friend living on the streets that led him to finding home in Community First! Village. This advice, along with the many lessons D'Juan has learned, have taught him that “blood is what connects us, but love is what makes family.”
We're celebrating volunteers this week at Mobile Loaves & Fishes, and our guest in this Gospel Con Carne episode is among the longest-serving volunteers to bless our organization! Host Alan Graham often talks about the powerful impact of an individual's halo in helping to grow Mobile Loaves & Fishes into the organization it has become since its founding 22 years ago. Mary Lou Batlan and her husband Bob have seen firsthand the halo effect in action. Mary Lou and Bob’s interfaith marriage has brought both the Methodist and Jewish communities together under the goal of serving our homeless and formerly homeless friends. Serving those in need connects people in profound ways, and the Batlans have played a major role in bringing together different groups of people across the broader Austin community into a lifestyle of service. Hear some of the many memories Mary Lou shares in this Zoom interview from her time volunteering with MLF and the beauty of people coming together to be the hands and feet of their brothers and sisters in need.
It's always hard to say goodbye to a dear friend and neighbor in Community First! Village. This week's Gospel Con Carne guest, Cheryl Williams, has been part of the Mobile Loaves & Fishes family for more than four years. She moved to the Village after several years of being homeless, and is moving at the end of this month after having been re-connected to her family. While we are saddened to see Cheryl go, let there be no doubt that this is a wonderful celebration for us. Through her struggles with addiction and a loss of family, Cheryl says she found hope in her Community First! family, and ultimately by surrendering herself to God to live the life He has paved for her. Hear Cheryl's beautiful story of following God's call, which has led her to reuniting with her son and choosing to start a new chapter in her life.
From a brief time living in Kenya to working on projects in impoverished areas of Louisiana, Sarah Satterlee gained a firsthand understanding of the value of built environments that bring diverse individuals together. She also has a firsthand understanding of Community First! Village, now a 51-acre development in northeast Austin designed specifically for men and women coming out of chronic homelessness. Not only is Sarah the Staff Architect at Mobile Loaves & Fishes—the developer of Community First!—she also lives in the Village among its many formerly homeless neighbors. Hear how Sarah's experience serving in communities that truly know their neighbors has shaped her architectural mindset and created in her a desire to build "neighborhoods of knowingness" as we imagine future expansions of the most talked about community in Austin, Texas.
After living in Venezuela for three years as a teenager, this week's Gospel Con Carne guest Melissa Nicewarner Daly says she came back to the U.S. with a newfound level of awareness. Melissa has always had a passion for justice and building community, with a driving force of bringing people together and lifting people up. Realizing that there is no clear cut path for mitigating homelessness, Melissa and her team at HomeAid Austin are dedicated to creating equitable communities by partnering with other nonprofits to serve some of the most vulnerable men and women in our community. Hear how Melissa's journey of serving others has led to her role as Executive Director of HomeAid Austin where, among other projects, she and her team are shepherding the construction of eight tiny homes on Phase II of Community First! Village.
There's a hot August day back in 2013 that is chiseled into the memory of Alan Graham and his guest on this episode of the Gospel Con Carne, Ed Lundin. During a hearing before the Travis County Commissioner's Court on August 13, 2013, Mobile Loaves & Fishes received its first site development permit for Community First! Village. At the time, Ed was volunteering at a local church while following his call to serve the homeless. After years of ministry and serving as an ordained Episcopal priest all over the country, Ed met Alan during this particular site development hearing, and later became one of the first Missional neighbors at Community First! Village with his wife Judy. Listen as Ed reflects on all of the diverse communities that he has served over the years, but none quite as deep and diverse as the one he currently calls home.
Sherywnn Patton and Gospel Con Carne host Alan Graham are two men with vastly different upbringings and backgrounds, yet in recent years have found themselves collaborating in their work with a common goal in mind—bringing healing, dignity and reconciliation to men and women who need it most through the lens of the Gospel. In this episode, Sherwynn and Alan, along with guest host Amber Fogarty, unpack one of Mobile Loaves & Fishes' core values—that "all members of the human family are equal in dignity"—and explore its application and significance at a time of heightened racial tension in our country.
When Chad Zunker's NFL dreams were crushed by an All-American safety early in his college playing days at The University of Texas, he knew nothing of the journey that awaited him. In the years ahead, Chad's ambition turned to writing. Manuscript after manuscript led to a pile of rejection letters (he stopped counting after 1000), yet there remained a persistent nudging on his heart that told him to continue pressing forward. And then he was introduced to "the camp" deep in the woods of East Austin—a moment that would become a providential intersection in pursuit of his dream to become a published author. (Be sure to check out Chad's legal thriller, An Equal Justice, that is dedicated to Gospel Con Carne host Alan Graham.)
As our country continues to navigate a health crisis of unprecedented proportions, Gospel Con Carne host Alan Graham takes you back nearly 15 years to another significant event that drew Mobile Loaves & Fishes onto the front lines of a different kind of unprecedented disaster. When Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in August of 2005, MLF was still a young organization with only a few food trucks serving meals to the homeless in Austin, Texas. Although the hurricane disaster hit hardest more than 500 miles away, Alan and MLF Board Member Neal Nolan share why "not going was not an option," and how the organization's response during Katrina's aftermath unexpectedly became a defining moment for MLF in the years to follow.
As an only child growing up with divorced parents, Jessica Mitchell says her upbringing in Topeka, Kansas was normal by all accounts. Her journey to where she is today in Austin, Texas, however, isn't quite as straightforward. Jessica is a missional resident living in Community First! Village where she lives alongside and serves men and women who are coming out of chronic homelessness. Gospel Con Carne host Alan Graham describes her as nothing short of a blessing to the entire community. What you may be surprised to learn is what Jessica considers one of the largest blessings in her own life that time when U.S. Marshals came knocking on her door.
Gospel Con Carne host Alan Graham always loves to say that "behind every great woman, there's just a man." This is your opportunity to meet that great woman in Alan's life, his wife Tricia Graham, who has faithfully been by his side for nearly four decades. Tricia is the Director of Resident Care for Mobile Loaves & Fishes, and oversees the organization's daily engagement with the formerly homeless men and women who live in Community First! Village. She describes the recent several weeks of dealing with the COVID-19 crisis as an extraordinarily unsettling moment, but one through which she has continued to have a sense of peace knowing that—just like other difficult seasons of life—this, too, will soon pass.
Everything we do at Mobile Loaves & Fishes is about relationships and connecting with other individuals human to human, heart to heart. So as you can imagine, in this unprecedented time of social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our organization faces a challenging dynamic as we seek to continue growing community and building relationships with our friends who have experienced homelessness. In this episode of the Gospel Con Carne, you'll hear from Amber Fogarty, MLF's president and chief goodness officer, as she and Alan discuss the organization's response to the global crisis, how it has impacted our day-to-day operations, and why it's important that we all lean on faith as we navigate the coronavirus storm.
With a personal understanding of what it feels like to be seen, Susan McDowell, CEO of LifeWorks Austin, has made it a top priority for Austin's youth experiencing homelessness to be seen and heard as they navigate their way to self-sufficiency. With similar values to Mobile Loaves & Fishes, LifeWorks Austin focuses on the relational needs of individuals experiencing homelessness and instilling dignity in our friends who may simply desire to be seen. In this episode of the Gospel Con Carne, Susan recounts her personal experience of feeling noticed, which led her to the opportunity to attend college where she majored in philosophy—a degree that has helped lay the groundwork for the many decisions she makes as the leader of an organization serving Austin's most vulnerable youth. [A NOTE FROM OUR HOST, ALAN GRAHAM: As we navigate through this unprecedented time in our world, it dawned on me that the term 'social distancing' is something many of us had probably never heard of just a few weeks ago—and yet today it is a common defense as we all deal with the coronavirus outbreak. Everything we do at Mobile Loaves & Fishes and Community First! Village is about relationships. As we often talk about on the Gospel Con Carne podcast, we consider community to be our greatest source of healing, dignity and transformation. Connecting with others human-to-human, heart-to-heart is something everyone inherently needs in their lives. It's the way God designed us to live. So while we keep our physical distance during these uncertain times in order to keep ourselves and others safe, we still crave that human connection. One way we have decided to continue connecting with you is through our Gospel Con Carne podcast. Please keep in mind that this conversation with Susan McDowell was recorded before the impact of the coronavirus pandemic had fully set in and our daily lives dramatically changed. We hope you will feel connected to us as you listen, and know that we are praying for you and your loved ones as we all endure this crisis together.]
As an adventure-seeker, Tim Shea lived many of his years for the thrill of a challenge. Among those challenges, however, was his use and distribution of drugs. Tim spent years in and out of prison while carrying the destructive weight of a drug addiction, which led to a downward spiral with his health and eventual loss of relationships with his family. With nowhere to turn after losing one of his jobs, Tim found himself homeless on the streets of Austin. He has now been living at Community First! Village for more than three years, recently completed 30 years of parole and will soon be the first person in the United States to live in a 3D-printed home in his new community. Hear Tim’s restorative journey of finding home through the relationships he’s built at Community First! Village.
From founding one of the largest accounting firms in Austin to becoming the CEO of St. David's Foundation, Earl Maxwell has experienced the benefits of creating long-lasting, relational foundations throughout his career. After spending 31 years as a CPA, Earl answered the call to serve his community by joining and leading the St. David's Foundation team for more than a decade—a team who will surely miss Earl when he retires next month. In addition to creating many valued relationships over the years, Earl has also learned about the importance of reconciliation and, ultimately, letting God become the CEO in his life. We are grateful to end season two of the Gospel Con Carne podcast by sharing a great conversation with an absolutely great man.
A young boy with the dream of one day becoming a rockstar, Lee Espinoza has been in and out of bands and playing his guitar for more than 40 years. The day Lee remembers most from his journey, however, is a July day in 2015 when he lost it all. His car, his home and his hope—all gone. After living on the streets and in shelters, Lee had a hard time adjusting to the place he now calls home in Community First! Village. But even through the trials that life has thrown his way, Lee says he has learned the true meaning of community. Following a recent serious accident and a challenging recovery, Lee believes he was saved by his newfound community and, above-all, by his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
While he's somewhat of a newer face around the Community First! neighborhood, Sherwynn Patton has already touched the lives of so many of our neighbors. As executive director of Life Anew, Sherwynn helps guide individuals who are locked in conflict through a process of restorative justice with intentional conversations that lead to meaningful relationships and life transformation. As a neighborhood full of individuals who were once kicked to the fringe of society and are now learning to do life together in new ways, Community First! Village has become an ideal place for the restorative justice principles to be put into practice. In this episode of the Gospel Con Carne, hear how events in Sherwynn’s life have enabled him to recognize the importance of community and its ability to help us grow through conflict.
Everyone has a story to tell, and Community First! neighbor Helen Hopkins is never at a loss when it comes to sharing her next tale. Many of our neighbors here at the Village struggle when trying to reflect on their upbringing, but Helen has an abundance of treasured memories with family and the life she has lived. Hear how Helen spreads her love and faith with other residents in our community and also outward into the world as she strives to live intentionally among her neighbors.
As the leader of The Gathering, a Christ-centered mission at Community First! Village, Matt Freeman (a.k.a the Pastor Dude) is a familiar face with a jovial presence around the neighborhood. Matt spends a good amount of time helping his formerly homeless neighbors through a process of healing and restoration, and often draws upon his own past experiences through the most difficult trials to remind others that he, too, once felt broken and beyond repair. In this episode of the Gospel Con Carne, Matt breaks down the simple truth of the gospel and explains how the path he once found himself on in life—including a turning point moment that involved time in jail and his loss of hope—led to healing you can only find in Jesus Christ.
While his time on the streets lasted about three years, John "JR" Rogers says he feels like he was homeless most of his life before moving into Community First! Village. Designated as the outcast of his 11 siblings, JR lost the sense of love at an early age and later dealt with his heartache by blowing into a harmonica. JR has experienced his fair share of storms in life, but felt the sharpest loss when his wife of 32 years passed away. This loss pushed JR into a deep depression that eventually left him living on the streets and believing he could no longer trust anyone. It hasn't come easy, but JR has learned to receive and, in turn, provide unconditional love to anyone he encounters as he has a newfound appreciation for what he considers the true meaning of multiplying God’s Kingdom. (Editor's Note: JR is the talent behind the harmonica you hear at the beginning and end of the Gospel Con Carne podcast. Thank you for keeping in mind the beauty of the person behind the blues as you listen to his episode.)
As one of the original founding members of the Mobile Loaves & Fishes "six pack," Pat Patterson is a man who exudes selflessness. He even recalls how helping others in need at one point in life just wasn't fulfilling enough—only because it wasn't happening often enough by his servant-hearted terms. This conversation with Pat gives a touching look into his life as he reflects on his childhood on a farm, serving in the army, meeting the love of his life, Bunky, followed by 52 years of marriage and raising six children. When a hurricane struck the Gulf Coast in the early years of the Mobile Loaves & Fishes ministry, Pat realized that God had big plans for the path ahead. So Pat did what Pat does best—he continued to serve, and has been in awe of God's work ever since
A victim of abuse from as far back as she can remember, Penny Hunt first ran away from home when she was only 6-years-old. By the age of 12 she was hopping freight trains across the country -- partly for the adventure, but mostly for survival. At one point in her journey she landed in Austin with nothing more than a mountain bike, two backpacks and $80 in her pocket. Continued neglect and abuse followed, leaving Penny with a complete loss of faith in humanity. Penny, however, has never given up the fight. Today as a neighbor living in Community First! Village, she's doing her best embrace her new community of friends as she recovers from a lifelong journey filled with lots of love and whole lot of loss.
As a sixth-generation Texan, Kathryn Whitaker has certainly had her share of life. She had a good upbringing in the Texas Panhandle, and soon began her own Texas-sized family (six kids from kinder through college) after marrying her college sweetheart. But the storms awaited, and so did her anger with God. In this authentic conversation, Kathryn shares how her struggles through a miscarriage, a troubled marriage and managing the needs of a child born with serious health complications has rocked, challenged and, ultimately, solidified her faith. She is also reminded daily that none of us is ever too far from God's redemption. (Be sure to check out Kathryn's soon-to-be-released book - Live Big, Love Bigger.)
A self-described "straight F" student when he was growing up, Larry Cottrell never fully learned to read and write until he was 38-years-old ... when he was in prison. He was exposed to alcohol and drugs at a very early age, which was the main contributor to his spending more than two decades behind bars. But through it all, Larry says he never doubted God. He reads his Bible daily, knows that he's as imperfect as they get, and is learning to love again through new friendships and a dog named Trouble.
Remember the dot-com heyday of the late 1990's? As co-founder of the software company Vignette, Ross Garber certainly does. Ironically, starting a successful high-tech start-up also happens to have been one of the most lonely and isolated moments in his life. Today, in midst of a decades long family genealogy project, Ross has acquired a growing sense of gratitude for his Jewish ancestors along with a desire to weave charitable acts, a giving heart and simple kindness into his everyday actions. As the topic of homelessness becomes an increasingly polarizing subject in Austin, Texas and other cities around the country, this powerful conversation with Ross Garber provides a timely reminder about priorities and the value of being connected.
In many ways, Ellis Johnston is the epitome of one of our fundamental beliefs at Mobile Loaves & Fishes related to the largest cause of homelessness in our country. In almost all cases it starts with a profound loss of family or an otherwise significant breakdown in one's family unit. Ellis knows this all too well. An abusive childhood at the hands of his father led Ellis on a path toward drugs and alcohol at an early age. Following time in prison, he wound up homeless and paranoid while living on the streets of Austin. Today Ellis is an actively contributing neighbor of Community First! Village and thrives on the many friendships that are now a regular part of his life.
She was never homeless, though Wendy Smith recalls how she easily could have ended up on the streets when she was ready to give up at one point in life. Following a rough childhood involving divorced parents, she found steady ground in her relationship with Christ. Following a failed date to a Huey Lewis concert more than 30 years ago, today Wendy and her husband Larry have found themselves as missional residents living in Community First! Village where they serve individuals coming out of chronic homelessness. It is an experience she never imagined encountering in life, and also one she's quite certain she would never change.
Raised as one of 11 children in a sharecropper's family in Mississippi, Dexter Batie encountered a literal life-changing storm when he was only seven years old. Several years after his mother passed away he dropped out of school, and as a teenager found himself on a path of crime and drugs. Dexter was in prison by the age of 17, and eventually wound up homeless on the streets of Austin for two decades. After living in Community First! Village for more than a year, he takes pride in defending his new neighborhood as a place that has him closer to the path he desires in life.
As a successful day trader with a solid work ethic, David Jamail distinctly remembers the point in his life when God offered him a welcomed alternative to his self-reliant worldview. For once, the Gospel made sense to him. The timing also couldn't have been more appropriate, as a self-inflicted marriage crisis soon followed that would test David to the core of his being. We love to talk about relationships on the Gospel Con Carne, and this deep discussion on the struggles faced by a husband and wife is a true testament to the power of unconditional love.
The first real memory Robin Draper has of her parents is when they divorced when she was only 8-years-old. That breakdown in her family unit - the profound loss of family that we talk about so much at Mobile Loaves & Fishes - ultimately became the start of a long, tough road for Robin. She is an adventurer. She is a fighter. She is a mother. Today her own beautiful and spunky 8-year-old daughter is having a different kind of impact on the family all around her, and has given Robin new inspiration to become a better woman.
As co-founder and general partner of Austin Ventures, Ken DeAngelis is a man who understands financial success. A disciplined investment strategist, his venture capital firm has raised more than $4 billion in capital over the past three decades. While Ken is regarded by many as a captain of industry and pillar in Austin's investment community, he is by no means a man without struggles. He also has reached a point in life in which he's okay talking about those struggles as he puts his newfound understanding of the importance of building authentic relationships into action.
When he was a child, Johnny Brown says he dreamed about being a police officer. He always wanted to help people. Part of that dream would eventually come true, but Johnny's time on the police force was cut short by a series of bad decisions that ultimately resulted in him ending up homeless. Johnny has spent a good number of years trying to find his way again in life, and has learned many lessons along the way. He also has been a believer his entire life, and for once says he feels free from the wounds of his past.
John Vincent was the most enthusiastic neighbor ever to grace Community First! Village, known by all for his larger-than-life personality and entrepreneurial mindset. Sadly, John left this world too early. He passed away a few months ago after suffering a major heart attack, and we miss our brother deeply. We’re grateful to have been able to record this Gospel Con Carne episode with John prior to his passing and be able to share a glimpse of the amazingly rough though beautiful life he lived. John endured a childhood of abandonment and as an adult spent a good number of years in prison where, as he describes, it often seemed easier than living on the streets. In this final conversation we were blessed to have with John, he shares the ongoing struggles of addiction and how community was the difference maker in his life as he pursued a path of transformation. Your Community First! family misses you, John, and we love you dearly.
Ever since seeing Elvis Presley in concert as a 7-year-old boy, Louis Messina knew he wanted to be in the music business. Today he is recognized as a powerhouse promoter in the music and entertainment industry—and has been for the past several decades—with current and past clients including Taylor Swift, George Strait, The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen and U2, among others. Taking a trip down memory lane evokes a range of emotions from Louis as he discusses family, relationships, business and a career focused on helping others' dreams come true.
When Gary Floyd talks about his childhood, he has plenty of good memories to share. The one part that he wishes would have been different is the role alcohol played in his upbringing. Gary was introduced to alcohol at a very young age, and it led him down a path of recklessness that ultimately landed him in prison for nearly two decades. Today Gary is a well known, outgoing neighbor in Community First! Village - and though his days are not without struggle, he is grateful for the power of hope.
Texas Senator Kirk Watson joins the Gospel Con Carne podcast for a compelling conversation about the current issues facing our community. His journey to the state senate has led him to see the power of both collaboration and communication. Through his time spent in politics, Senator Watson also has been witness to a new level divisiveness and its unfortunate impact on society. He shares his deep belief that hope matters, and is what ultimately can bring about real change in our world.
If you want to find Richard Devore around Community First Village, you need to look no further than our Genesis Gardens. Richard works diligently as part of the gardening operation in the Village, and even leads regular tours with volunteers to share about his newfound community. This is quite a change from the previous life he lived, during which Richard says he lacked drive and direction. Today, he's grateful for the little ways in which he feels appreciated on a daily basis.
At one point in life, Donna Berber described her existence as one of misery, sorrow and hardship. Once you hear her amazing story, you’ll understand why. After enduring a childhood filled with tremendous grief and loss, Donna shares how her experiences cultivated in her a heart of compassion for others who found themselves in a place of suffering. Today she leads A Glimmer of Hope, an extraordinary foundation she co-founded with her husband Philip, which is dedicated to inspiring hope and empowering community throughout Ethiopia. Today, Donna's halo and her impact on the lives of others has literally been felt around the world.
Our friend Will Langley is a person who acutely understands the deep impact of broken family relationships on one's life. He survived a past riddled with abuse and immense loss, and ultimately ended up on the streets living a life of panhandling and struggling to overcome addiction. Will shares his intense journey of brokenness, battling addictions and the friendships that helped lead him to the place he is today as a hard working and trusted neighbor.
To the world it seemed like Joelle Maryn had it all. She was an accomplished model, ran a successful cosmetics company and lived a life of luxury while splitting time between New York and Los Angeles. Joelle contends that she indeed had a lot of 'stuff' - but hers was the stuff of emptiness. Her journey through emotional homelessness led her into the ministry, and she now works with youth and young adults to cultivate spiritual growth in their lives. Joelle's story of grace, redemption and reconciliation is a powerful reminder of what can happen in one's life when they simply stop and turn around.
For Kristin Paulson, fewer square feet at home has resulted in fewer burdens in life. It hasn't always been this way. A year ago she and her family traded in their comfortable American dream lifestyle for a 350-square-foot tiny home in Community First! Village where they serve as one of several missional families. While our friends who live in the Village all have different paths and experiences that led them here, the power of transformation is a common thread woven throughout their stories. Kristin's journey of discovering her true identity through Christ has left her with a greater sense of purpose, and an opportunity to help others who are in need of healing.
Charlie Click is a welcoming neighbor who most folks around Community First! Village recognize from his regular trips around the neighborhood on his motorcycle. After growing up in what he refers to as a hard core environment, Charlie battled with drugs, alcohol, prison time and a profound sense of loneliness for much of his life. Charlie's journey of survival led him home to Community First! Village, where he has found a new sense of safety and security. His is a powerful conversation touching on the pain of broken families and the deep desire to discover a place to belong.
Tim League is the founder and CEO of the Alamo Drafthouse, and has been a strong advocate of Community First! Village since its beginning. His unexpected exposure to issues involving homelessness came by way of his professional journey and his desire to create a unique - even transformative - moviegoing experience. Tim shares about his path in life marked by positive family relationships, crisis, failure and his focus on trying to lead with kindness in all that he does.
Emily Seals has been living in Community First! Village for two years, though many folks likely still remember her as the kind, white-haired panhandler who often flew a sign at the corner of Loop 360 and Bee Caves Road in Austin. She survived a past full of abuse and significant trauma, and ultimately ended up living on the streets for more than a decade. When a stranger rolled down his window one day and asked Emily her name, she unknowingly took her first steps into a restorative journey and the security of a new friendship.
Mobile Loaves & Fishes is an extraordinarily relational ministry, and Meagan McCoy Jones truly exemplifies the transformational impact that relationships can have on family, business and serving others. A fourth-generation owner of McCoy's Building Supply, her life has been profoundly influenced by the will of her parents to cling to their faith and push through a crisis they encountered in their marriage when she was younger. As a result, Meagan has a deeper understanding behind what she calls the "power of showing up."
My friend Bonnie Durkee is used to making her presence known at Community First! Village. A mostly blind, diabetic amputee, it's not uncommon to find her in conversation or trading friendly jabs with neighbors as she rolls around the neighborhood in her wheelchair. Bonnie is also incredibly resilient, as demonstrated by the number of storms she has faced and overcome in life. Her desire to conduct herself as a person of integrity – in a way that would make her father proud – is truly admirable.
After experiencing a childhood of poverty and his own encounters with homelessness in early adulthood, John Paul DeJoria is recognized as one of the greatest entrepreneurs and philanthropists in our country. He also exemplifies what Alan Graham likes to refer to as the Heart-Over-Pocket or H/P Ratio. From an early job as a door-to-door encyclopedia salesman to his role as co-founder of the Paul Mitchell line of hair products and also Patron tequila, John Paul lives by a key mantra - "Success unshared is total failure."
Tracy Krause is a brave woman who understands what it takes to survive. After enduring a challenging and abusive childhood, she left home as a young teenager and walked into a life of drug and alcohol addiction on the streets. She now knows without a doubt that the people you surround yourself with have a significant impact on your path in life. Tracy's journey has led her to Community First! Village, where for once she feels like her dignity is being restored and her soul redeemed. Her story culminates with an overwhelming sense of joy and healing when she experiences the familiar comfort of a hug from another loving individual.
A preview of the coming launch of the 'Gospel con Carne' podcast with Alan Graham, founder and CEO of Austin, Texas-based Mobile Loaves & Fishes.