Comments on: I Can’t Hide the Homeless Anymore.

By: mark

mark — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 01:08:48 +0000

hey man… just a comment. I made the mistake of saying something to the effect of “we don’t have the same problems with homelessness in the suburbs” in class one time. my professor completely schooled me in front of the entire class. lets not forget that this is not an issue just occurring in the city. i realize i am commenting on this post a little late, but i am just getting around to checking your blog.

By: Tim

Tim — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 18:35:41 +0000

Hey man,

Thanks for the props. I am just writting what I see. I really feel people need to see it as well. It is really that important. Just so you know, Part 4 is now up and ready. It was another intense night with the homeless. Talk to you later man. Peace.

By: Mike Lehr

Mike Lehr — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 02:44:41 +0000

Todd, you really got me thinking with this post and our conversation the other night. I just posted about this on my blog. Click on my name above and it should take you to it.

By: Jessie Robinson

Jessie Robinson — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 19:08:46 +0000

I just went to a “Convoy of Hope” in the area I live (Charleston, SC) and found that so many of the people coming through for help struggle just like I do. They are working hard, trying hard, and many believe in God and keep the faith even in the adversity they live with daily.

My husband was homeless at one time. He was recovering from alcohol addiction and had lost everything (job, family home, material possetions, Chiropractic Licensure) all because he had Grabbed hold of alcohol and drugs trying to fill a major void (that God shaped hole) and as I know him now I am in awe of his dedication to Christ and his dedication to helping others fight their way into recovery. I’ve never been homeless, but I have been without a relationship with Christ and I’d take homeless with Christ than a house without him any day. God has called us to go after his lost, hurt and broken in a way that is familiar to us, in recovery from addiction; I’m recovering from addiction to food and relationships; my husband is recovering from addiction to alcohol and drugs but truely what we are recovering from is a loss of relationship with Christ which is why we were using other things to fill the darkness in the first place.

We are just starting a “celebrate recovery” at our church and hope that this will also assist getting those who are in need (including the most lost, hurt, and broken) receive God’s love in a very viable way.

We hope to be able to assist people just like us: Those who are homeless, jobless; those who have lost family and friends and those who don’t have Christ in their lives to recover from that brokenness. We are called to help the lost sheep.

By: Josh Clark

Josh Clark — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 21:11:21 +0000

My wife and I just had the opportunity to attend the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) annual conference in St. Louis and we’ve been asking a lot of questions about how to do ministry WITH the poor. We are both from the middle class (even though Karlene grew up poor) and the tension of the Jesus’ instructions to the rich man weigh very heavy on our heart. The three tenants of the CCDA are Redistribution, Reconciliation, and Relocation. I think that the hardest one for me as a comfortable member of the middle class is the relocation component. But I have to believe that it is worth asking for God to intercede in my life regarding. Why? Because the thing that separates us from reconciliation and redistribution is identification. In order to get beyond charity (the act of giving in order to make one feel good) to justice, there must be identification.

My largest fear in life is that I will go away sad like the rich ruler because I have much. My prayer is that God will expand my compassion for the poor, so that I may follow Christ into identification with the poor and dispossessed.