Quick portrait of a street preacher
Tim Beeson and I sat on unbalanced chairs under a faded white tent that was once used for old-fashioned tent revivals. He talked excitedly about his shop and his girlfriend; he told wild stories about his time in prison and what led to his ten-year incarceration; and he remembered a recovering alcoholic he’d helped out once upon a time. Then he closed his eyes and quietly sang a song that he’d just written about Jesus.
On Monday afternoon, I finally stopped and talked with Tim, who works under the tent set up in front of the old Owl Court on Route 66, or Britton road in Oklahoma City. I pass by the tent every day on my way to and from work. Beeson, who says he is a preacher, sells fruit, plants, and vegetables out of his roadside tent. He said he tries to give back to needy people who stop to buy vegetables. Beeson leans through a haze of smoke to poke twigs under a 65-pound pot of soup inside his smoker. He talks about giving back 60 percent of all the money he makes by giving customers bowls of vegetable soup and free produce.
