A few pictures from the July Outreach

Mother, baby, and children all came to serve Jesus through feeding homeless people. (Those children don’t belong to that mother, only the baby,and 3 others not pictured)

Like usual, the line waiting for delicious pulled pork and blueberry cobbler stretched out of sight

This month we served pulled pork. These shoulders have a few hours to go yet, but they look pretty good now!

Smoked blueberry cobbler extreme. Probably our best looking cobbler ever! Yes, we really smoke it in our smoker.

And here’s what a slice of that cobbler looks like. Some are mostly blueberries like this one, and some have more breading. But the blueberry flavor is intense in them all.

We’ve switched to smoking and pulling the pork in advance so those involved can get some sleep Wednesday night. We started this when we started serving brisket a couple months prior. It’s not as dramatic, and the aroma of pulling it on the line can’t be beat, but sleep beats out aroma.

Transcript of video

Hi, this is Alan Robertson again, providing you a little update on Barbecue for Jesus and what’s been going on the last few months. Sorry it’s been a while, but we’ve actually had three outreaches that have worked out really, really well. First two, we actually did brisket for the first time,thanks to some generous gifts from some of the people who love our outreach and thought that everyone, even if they’re Muslim, ought to get something they can eat as well.

We don’t have may of those, but some people don’t like pork, and this particular person thought we ought to be offering beef, so happy to do that.

If Jesus was still keeping kosher, then he could He could certainly eat what we have to put out that time. But one of the big changes we made in how we do it is that we’re now doing it a way such that I’m not losing sleep by getting it done the last minute.

In particular, we had to do that for the brisket because for the brisket, they’re big things and I couldn’t bring them there and cut them up and slice them and chop them up all on site. This wouldn’t work. I did that and also changed where we’ve done that for the pork as well.

We still have a little more tuning to do to make sure that I still don’t lose sleep. Now, the nice thing is I don’t lose sleep on Wednesday night. Even if I lose sleep, it’s not on Wednesday night. Just before we go serve on Thursday. So that’s a good thing. Anyway, the weather’s been glorious.

And we’ve had some other additions. We now offer water and pop and chips to people. And of course, the people from Christ Body Ministry, they provide a lot of good stuff as well. Sometimes they bring what they have, which always includes coffee and usually includes burritos, sometimes chicken.  

And so we do all these different things to provide, you know, what people make sure people have what they need for the day.

The last two outreaches we’ve had, we’ve actually had kids there.Two outreaches ago, I should say, the previous outreach, whatever the right word is, we had a couple of kids, one of my grandkids and the son of another member of our church.

And last month I had both of our grandkids because they’re still off school. And a family that homeschools has decided to add this to their curriculum. So they’ll be with us every month. And a little bonus, she brought her a four-month-old baby as well. So we had kids ranging from 17 or 18, I suppose, in that range, I’m not quite sure, down to four months.

So that adds a lot of excitement. All the kids added a lot of excitement. They bring a lot of energy to the whole platform. And it really is cool to watch. To see how their enthusiasm revs up everybody, you know, honestly. And it’s really fantastic.

We continue to move along on getting the setup for an official legal non-profit. And finally got our EIN after about six weeks or so in the process. So we’ve made a lot of good progress.

And, you know, I actually had another little thing happen where God gave us a little... One of his divide appointments. We had someone come by the house to measure and so on for some drapes, not drapes, blinds in our house. And as it turns out, we just happened to mention that we couldn’t meet with her next week because that was cook week. And then we explained what that was. She was just so overwhelmed. She stopped and prayed for us right then.

And then after she went out, Left, she came back, decided to come back. I thought maybe she’d forgotten something, and she just offered us a cash gift because of how God had moved her. Of course, I’d also told her, what I tell everybody else, is that we never solicit for money, and we weren’t soliciting for hers either, right? We specifically kind of discourage people, but if God moves you to do it, I’m not getting in the way of that. God has his own ways, and... It’s fantastic to see how he moves in other people’s hearts.

This last month, the adults actually stood back and watched while the kids did all the work because we had five kids there.

It’s wonderful to be able to serve and then do God’s will for him. There at the outreach. It’s also, I found out, wonderful to be able to just watch God work through the children that are there and the other people that were involved.

And I got the chance to chat with some people on the line,  which I never did and done before, just haven’t had time and busy.

And we have some Bibles where we’ve given out. Actually, they’re They’re harmonized Gospels. They’re not quite Bibles. They’re from a Bible translation, but then they’re put together and woven together into a single narrative of Christ’s life and life teachings and ministry. And it’s a great thing. They’re actually done by a place up in Fort Collins.

Anyway, we’ve just been so blessed by all the things that God has brought our way. And we’ve been so blessed by your prayers and the prayers of other people as well, including strangers.

And, you know, it’s just such a blessing to be able to keep doing this. And God keeps blessing what we’re doing. And thanks very much for your time. And like I said, we covet your prayers. And they’re much appreciated. They are what makes this outreach go. So take care and God bless.

• How we got started

• Why we chose BBQ

• Our philosophy behind what we provide

• Where God guides, he provides

• Things in progress

• What can you do?

Formatted Transcript

There is an automatically produced transcript linked with the video, but below is a nicely formatted one.

Hi, I’m Alan Robertson, and I started BBQ for Jesus in May of 2024. I’d like to tell you a little bit about it.

I’ve always been blessed by providing people food they love. I just really enjoy it — and all the more so for people in difficult circumstances.

How we got started

I did a little homeless BBQ outreach before COVID. Then when COVID hit and things fell apart, and after I retired, I started looking for an ongoing way to feed people in need.

So I looked around and eventually found Jeff and Kate Simpson at Barbecue Mission in Phoenix. They have a mature barbecue outreach. We visited them for a few days, went to church with them, and served alongside them.

When we came back to Denver, we decided to partner with the outstanding people at Christ Body Ministries. They provide food, showers, clothes, and the love of Christ — along with the gospel — for the homeless in Denver.

I started this food outreach as a way of showing the love of Jesus to people in need by providing great barbecue. We can bless them in a small way.

Why we chose Barbecue

I chose barbecue because it’s my wife’s favorite food (and mine too), and it’s relatively easy to scale up to large numbers of people. Feeding people is a great way to show the love of Christ because everyone has to eat. It also opens the door to reach people who need the gospel.

We are dedicated to feeding people in need with great food. Many of them tell us this is likely the best food they’ll get all month.

Currently we smoke pulled pork, beef brisket, and blueberry cobbler.

Our philosophy behind what we provide

When you want to feed people in need, there are two great strategies you can follow. One is to feed as many people as possible with the resources you have — being a great steward. The other is to feed the people you serve with the same quality, love, and care as though Jesus Himself had stopped by for lunch.

We choose the latter approach. To us, the people we feed are Jesus. Check out Matthew 25. We feed them as though Jesus had dropped by for a visit. Great food, served with great love — that’s our approach.

Where God Guides, He Provides

We rely on God’s provision for this outreach. Where God guides, He provides. We don’t solicit donations and don’t intend to. This is His work, and He will supply everything we need.

We were inspired by the approach George Müller used. When we need something, we pray that God will provide it. Because we rely on God’s providence, we are never truly in need.

Although we don’t encourage gifts, we won’t stand between you and how the Holy Spirit might direct you.

Things In Progress

We’re currently in the process of becoming an official 501(c)(3) for legal reasons and to make sure I’m not a single point of failure. Right now I kind of am. If I get sick, injured, or God calls me home, the work shouldn’t stop. So we’re expanding the team.

What You Can Do

No one can do everything, but everyone can do something. For me, this is that something. For you, it might be praying for us, helping in whatever way you’re led, or even starting your own outreach.

We can never get too much prayer, so whatever else you might do, we covet your prayers. Prayer works.

Thank you, and God bless.