Tag Archives: homelessness

Random Thoughts from Seattle

24 Friday Aug 2018

Posted by in Church, Theology, Travel

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I’m currently in Seattle, WA – at a training with mission developers.  My focus is on poverty and homelessness.  It’s been an interesting week so far.  A lot of great networking opportunities, hearing about great ministry, and learning some great stuff.

A few things I’m taking away as we move towards wrapping up the training:

  1. There are some great people in ministry.  People who are in mission development are a unique breed of people – very entrepreneurial.  That’s not really a new insight.  But it’s great to be around people like this.  It’s great to be around people who come up with as many ideas for ministry as I do and not think it’s insane.
  2. Even while I’m away, ministry continues to happen – and sometimes there is no escape.  Ok, often, there is no escape.  As I was listening in to a conversation on homelessness and prison ministry, I was busy trying to help a friend find some kind of shelter for a few days.  From three-time zones away.  Technology makes this possible.  Which is incredible and amazing.  And it also is a constant reminder that there is no break for those caught in poverty and homelessness.
  3. We in the church need to have more fun.  We get so wrapped up in our work and so stuck on being serious for worship that all to often we forget to have fun.  Where there is life, there is fun.  There is fun where there is health.  Yes, the institutional church is in decline, but where are the things we can celebrate?  Where are the things we can have fun with?  There’s enough crap in the world to bring people down.
  4. There are plenty of things in the secular world that the church can learn from.  I was in a bar last evening with friends.  This was an incredible place.  More than just a bar.  It was a brewery.  It was packed.  I would estimate there was over 200 people inside.  It was open and movement was easy.  There were large tables, specialty groups (we saw a camera group, a medical group, a Birthday, and more).  Dogs were welcome.  And there was even a kids section.  Games were available for guests – for free.  Bathrooms were even different – one entrance with separate very private individual stalls, with a central hand washing station.  It was packed – did I mention that?  We sat and wondered what church would look like in such a location?  Or if a church took on aspects of this.  What would it look like?  How would it be different?  There was great life in the place, and a sense of openness and welcome.  And it wasn’t forced.  It felt natural.

As we wrap up, I come away with plenty more ideas and enthusiasm.  I look forward to being back home, seeing my family, and trying out the ideas that have been learned.  And seeing what God is up to and how we are creating environments where people will encounter God in unique ways.

The Sheltered Homeless

01 Wednesday Aug 2018

Posted by in Humanity, Society, Theology

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I met Lynn by accident.  She is a housekeeper at a motel just off the interstate about 20 minutes from the church I serve.  I was there to assist a homeless person get emergency housing for a couple of days for herself and her dogs as she made plans to move in with her sister in Maryland.  She told me her sister couldn’t come to get her for a couple of days and she had no money and nowhere to stay.  Lynn overheard this and as I was leaving, she approached me to seek assistance for herself.

Lynn shared with me that she lives in the motel.  She is paid just enough to cover the weekly cost of living there, with a little left over for her other expenses.  Not a great life for her and her two children.  But it’s what she had to do after her husband walked out on her.  She was trying to save up some money to move out to an apartment, but just couldn’t get any savings going.  And she isn’t alone.  Somewhere between 50-75% of the rooms of this particular motel are occupied by people who live there and pay their bill weekly.

Jeff lives in a motel just a few miles from the church I serve, along the Miracle Mile, just outside of Carlisle, PA.  Jeff’s been there for several months, along with his two cats, which keeps him company.  During his time, he’s racked up a debt and owes the motel owner enough that eviction proceedings have gone forward.  Jeff will be evicted by the eighth of the month – becoming homeless in the more traditional sense of the word.

But really, Lynn and Jeff are homeless.  They are what I call sheltered homeless – living in a motel, but not secure in their housing.  They have shelter, but it’s hardly home.

In recent months I have spoken with several motel managers and front desk employees about people who live in these motels and pay weekly.  Depending on the motel, anywhere from 25%-75% of the occupants of these motels are weekly residents, meaning that they pay an ongoing weekly rate to stay in a motel room.  And that doesn’t count the more traditional homeless who will “splurge” for a night or two by getting a room at one of these motels in order to get out from the heat or cold, get a shower, and a free continental breakfast.

Along the Miracle Mile there are well over a dozen hotels and motels.  At least half a dozen of these have weekly paying residents.  Add this up and it’s easy to estimate that there are hundreds who live like this in just this area alone.  At one motel, of the 64 rooms available, 16 had weekly residents.  Other motels had higher percentages of weekly residents.

Homelessness is a growing challenge in the US, especially in the region of the country I live in – South Central PA.  Our congregation comes in contact with the homeless regularly: doing ministry twice a month at the local Flying J truck stop where we make sure the homeless who live in their vehicles in the parking lot there are able to get their laundry done, can take showers, and get a meal.  We also come in contact with the homeless and poor through our monthly Dinner with Friends community meal held in our fellowship hall and we do what we can to help these folks with emergency food and connecting them to other agencies that can help them.  Sometimes the homeless will call or stop by the church during the week, seeking food, shelter, or references to agencies that can help.

Homelessness is on the radar for many people.  But it’s also something that remains an abstract issue for many, especially if a person doesn’t know a homeless person by name or know their story.  If you don’t know someone personally who is homeless, you probably never think about homelessness at the end of the day when you go to your own comfortable home that is warm in the winter or cool in the summer.  It’s just another issue that can be debated by politicians, or it’s something that we can be against generally, as long as it doesn’t directly impact us, make us uncomfortable or inconvenienced.  But when you know the homeless by name and know their stories, going home at the end of the day becomes another day in which you see how broken our world is.

People like Lynn and Jeff are a different variation of homeless – the sheltered homeless.  Or rather, the trapped.  They are caught in a vicious cycle that keeps them on the edge.  While they are paying anywhere from $250-$300 a week for their small motel room, they are often going without other necessities like food, upkeep for vehicles, medication, and more – things they need to survive.

Often times, these sheltered homeless are working, but are not being paid enough to meet their living expenses.  These are not lazy people.  And they aren’t blowing money on frivolous things, unlike the false stereotypes that persist around homeless people.  Those exist because someone, somewhere, worked the system and so the popular thought is that this must be true of all poor or homeless people.  Except it isn’t.

They are spending anywhere from $1000 a month for their housing up to $1200 a month.  That’s almost a mortgage payment for most Americans.  All for a motel room.  Not a house or an apartment.

The challenge arises because many of these people don’t have enough savings to pay for a security deposit and first month’s rent for an apartment that would in the long run make more financial sense, costing almost half as much as they are paying for a motel room.  But they make enough money to pay for the weekly expense of a motel room.  They end up getting trapped in this cycle – not enough for a long-term solution, but enough to stay off the streets or their vehicles.  And the government assistance offices don’t help pay for motel and hotel rooms, considering these as not a long-term housing solution.  Considering how much a motel room costs over the course of the month, I agree.

And then the trap really takes hold – an unexpected expense comes.  Maybe it’s their vehicle that needs a repair.  Maybe it’s a medication.  Maybe it’s a death in the family.  Maybe it’s all of those things.  A bill comes due for several hundred dollars.  Where does the money come from? And that’s how people get behind so easily.  When there is no room for error or accident, errors or accidents are bound to happen and suck a person down.

Often a challenge in talking about homelessness is getting an understanding of a different sense of time.  For many middle-class people, their focus is on the future.  They have a bright future ahead of them.  Middle class people are concerned about things in the future too – saving for a vacation, education for their children, retirement, etc.  But they are always looking ahead.

But someone who is in poverty, either poor or homeless, doesn’t have that luxury.  The only time that really exists for them is the present.  There are immediate needs that need to be met and met now.  And when someone is poor or homeless, there isn’t a lot of hope for the future.  The future becomes daunting and unbearable.  When you don’t really have a future to look forward to, why would you plan for it?  No wonder Jesus kept saying that he was bringing Good News to the poor.  He was bringing hope for a future for people who lacked any sense of future.

Crossing this bridge of understanding difference in time is important.  It’s what allows us to connect with the poor and homeless.  It’s what allows us to be where they are and also hopefully assist them in getting out of their situation if they so desire.  Often that starts with a simple question – what are your goals?  Not our goals – your goals.  This isn’t a silver bullet, it’s only a start – a baby step.

When I asked Jeff what it was like to live in a motel, he said that there are benefits – you get everything you need: a bed and TV and Linen and towels.  You don’t have to worry about utilities.  Most places give coffee and juice and bread in the morning (his breakfast).  And the most striking statement of all – You can move fast to a cheaper place if needed.  People who live in what they consider home don’t try to move fast to a cheaper place.

Jeff, Lynn, and many others are the sheltered homeless among us.  When we think that homelessness is just about making sure someone has a roof over their head, we are missing several things.  Homelessness goes beyond just material needs.  It involves people, relationships, and being trapped in an endless cycle that feels like a black hole.  Just when you think you get a step away from it, it sucks you back in and keeps you down.

If we are ever going to eradicate homelessness in our midst, then we need to acknowledge the extent to which it exists in its many forms.  From there, we learn people’s stories, we walk alongside them as best we can, and we celebrate with them when they finally do get a step away from the black hole that grips them.  Overcoming homelessness, whether sheltered or not, is about relationships and community.  It’s about value and worth of each person.

When we minister to and with a homeless person or family, we make a great deal of effort to ensure that they are reminded of their humanity, we hear their stories and get to know them, we invest ourselves and our time into their lives, we remind them that they are loved and that someone cares about them and their wellbeing.  We empower them and tap into their value.  We tell them that they are not alone – and we try to live that out.  We proclaim Good News to them.  We pray with them.  We do what we can with them.  We be with them.

And a big part of this ministry is about not being satisfied – not being satisfied that people have shelter even though it is keeping them poor and trapped.  There is a different way – a much better way.  We can do better.  We are called to be better.  Let’s eradicate homelessness here.

Does it affect you?

31 Tuesday Jul 2018

Posted by in Society, Theology

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Information is powerful.  It can give you great insight and guide you in where to go.

Recently I used a program that provides demographic information, along with trends, and insights into the area our church resides in and serves.

It was quite enlightening.  I found out that the area is aging, getting wealthier, and has a growing number of people with higher educational degrees.  There is also a growing middle age segment of the population.  The overall trends regarding religion are that people are less influenced by religion and are engaged with religion less and less.  As for interests, it seems that people in this region are most interested in their own health, their finances, and their futures.

When I read this, I see the connection of these things – an aging wealthier and smarter group of individuals who earned their success and are trying to figure out how to keep it.  This isn’t a judgement – it’s a summary of who the people around the church are.

And there is also a segment of the population that doesn’t really show up in the demographics – the poor and homeless, the prostitutes, victims of human trafficking.  That population is smaller than the main population, but it’s there.  I know – I encounter them often.  The overall trends regarding religion are that they don’t feel they are worthy of being a part of church, but they love the message of Jesus.  They interact with the church typically in non-worship functions that the church offers – social ministry and hands on ministry.  As for interests, they are concerned with where they are going to get their next meal, do they have enough for somewhere to stay, and how to pay this or that unexpected bill.  The focus is on the present tense.

Apparently then, there are two populations that don’t intersect very often.  If they do, it is usually pretty negative in society.  An example that I witnessed was in Harrisburg.  I was walking down the street to a meeting and a woman was in front of me.  We crossed the street and there was a man waiting on the corner.  He looked as though he were going to ask for some help.  She must have been hit up by him previous because she shouted at the top of her lungs at him to stop begging for money – to stop taking people’s money.  She swore at him, all while she was walking along.  He mumbled something, but didn’t respond directly to her.  I reached my car and the women went on.  The man came over to approach me and did ask for money.  I often don’t have any cash on me, so I told him I didn’t have any.  He looked disappointed.  He said he was just trying to get on the bus to go to work.  I went on my way to my next meeting.  Could I have done something different? Sure.  I could have taken him to work – or at least asked him where work was.  But I didn’t.  Too busy I guess.  I have no idea if this guy was telling the truth.  But really it didn’t matter.  I tell you this story in order to make a bigger point.

Homelessness, human trafficking, poverty, prostitution, and more affect you.  You may not experience people caught in these things directly, or maybe you do.  But they affect you.  They affect you because when one person is caught in these, it impacts the whole of society.  I saw an estimate once that claimed that one homeless person uses $250,000 a year worth of medical services.  How so?  Well, a homeless person probably doesn’t have health insurance.  They have limited money and therefore buy the cheapest food they can find to fill their stomachs.  They typically have health challenges – many are diabetic.  When there is a health problem, they don’t go to their doctor because they don’t have one – they go to the hospital.  Guess who pays that bill?  If there is trouble with the law, guess where they go – jail.  Guess who pays that bill?  It’s paid through our taxes.

Imagine a different way of handling these situations.  Imaging offering housing first in order to get someone off the streets.  To recognize their humanity.  Taking that burden off of someone makes a big difference for a person.  It is one stress they have taken care off.  And it allows a person to start tackling other challenges.  In the long run, it cost far less, and is more caring and compassionate to pay for housing for someone who is homeless than it is to do nothing and end up paying for all the services they use.  The cost isn’t just in terms of money, but there is also a human cost.

The point is, if all we ever care about is ourselves, then we blind.  And it will cost us a great deal more than if we pay attention to the greater needs of society.

Scattering Seeds

02 Wednesday May 2018

Posted by in Church, Humanity, Society, Theology

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The ministry we do with the homeless is not too complex – at least not right now.  We try to make sure some basic needs are met.  We try to make sure people’s humanity is acknowledged.  We try to create a sense of community.  We try to share Good News with people and let them know that they are not alone.  We try to tell people that they are loved and valued by God and by us.  We try to tell people that they have value and worth.  We try to listen to their stories and walk along side people.  We try to learn from the people we encounter.  The underlying belief is that an encounter with Jesus changes lives – both for the people we encounter and our own lives too.

And the responses vary.  Sometimes people reject us.  Sometimes people are only looking for some material relief.  Some are not open to change in their lives.  Some would rather try to be in control, although being in control is often a part of the problem and a piece of what keeps people where they are.  Some initially come on board and engage with us, only to slip away later on – the tug of their past and their lives is too great.  Some start to see hope for their lives, and then they choose a different path that takes them back into the darkness.  They feel they are lost.

And then there are some who openly embrace it all – they embrace us, even though there is initial confusion on why a group of strangers would go out of their way to care about another stranger – especially a stranger who supposedly can’t offer anything in return.  They embrace a message of Good News, even though their life looks like crap.  They embrace the sense of community.  They embrace their humanity, they acknowledge the pain and suffering they are experiencing rather than trying to dull it.  They let go of control and embrace actual help.

And it’s scary.  It’s scary to completely let go of control of your life.  It’s terrifying.  Yet, this is what Jesus calls on us to do – to let go of our lives, to get out-of-the-way, so that God can come in and transform us.  To let ourselves die, so that we might experience resurrection.  And this is true for those who are being helped as well as the supposed helpers.  With Jesus, the lines blur on who is getting helped and who is helping.

When I think about what is happening, I can’t help but think of the Parable of the Sower.

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the lake. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: ‘Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!’

(Matthew 13:1-9, NRSV)

Our job isn’t to save people – only Jesus can do that.  Our job, if you want to call it that, is to spread Good News carelessly – to as many people as possible.  What they do with it is not our problem.

In sales, there is a saying – Some will, some won’t, so what, who’s next.  If Jesus has sales training I think he would have adopted this saying into one of his parables.

Some will take the Good News of Jesus and allow it to do its work.  Some won’t.  So what – it’s not for us to decide.  Who’s next – who will be encounter next to share the Good News?  We don’t know.  But we are ready.

Broken

24 Tuesday Apr 2018

Posted by in Church, Health, Humanity, Theology

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Many of us sit in comfort in our homes of multiple thousand square feet, with our nice lawns measured in either a fraction of an acre or in multiple acres.  We have nice vehicles that are pretty reliable.  We have our well-paying jobs that pay us enough for our necessities as well as for the nicer things in life.  We enjoy our vacations.  We enjoy the health we have.  We sit down in the evenings and enjoy entertainment.  And have no worry or thought that tomorrow will be any different.  Why should we?  We have what we need and many of the things we want.  Is everything perfect – of course not.  But really, we’re doing pretty well.

And many of us have no clue about another population that exists in our midst – usually just down the road.  It’s a population that survives day-by-day.  A population that lives day-by-day.  A population that is constantly worried about what they will eat and where they will lay their head for the night.

This isn’t a lazy population.  They aren’t living in luxury off of welfare.  In fact, many don’t receive welfare, or what they do receive isn’t enough to make much difference in their lives.  They aren’t going to the grocery store to buy lobster.

Many in this population work full-time.  Are you surprised?  They work full time and they don’t make enough to cover housing and the other necessities of life, like food, cosmetic necessities, feminine products, things for their kids, clothing, health care, and transportation.

They live in anxiety – it is a constant blanket that covers them each night.  Only this blanket doesn’t provide warmth and comfort, but rather dis-ease.

Many have animals that they care for. Before you spout off about how these poor folks shouldn’t have animals because they can’t take care of themselves, realize a few things.  These animals are often the only ones who offer these people actual love.  These animals are the only ones who keep many of these people going to the next day – their animals give them purpose for going forward instead of giving up on life completely.  Their animals are there for them when no one else is.

Many of the people I have come across lately are women.  Their significant other left them – often left to fend for themselves and their children.  Their men just up and left, some never to be heard from again.  In some cases, that’s an improvement – at least they aren’t suffering domestic violence any more.

Our society is broken.  There is no other way to describe a society where there are homeless women left to fend for themselves.  We aren’t great – we’re broken.  And for many, there is no recognition that society is broken.  If it doesn’t affect you directly, then there isn’t a problem.  The only problem with that belief is that the belief itself is broken.  What happens to one in a society, impacts the rest.  I know this because I’m willing to bet that as you read this you are felling some kind of emotion – maybe guilt, maybe anger, maybe motivation, maybe a combination of emotions.  At any rate, you’ve been impacted without being homeless yourself.  Your emotional state has been affected.  And that’s just a small impact – tiny actually.  But it’s a start.

Can we agree that we have a problem?  That it’s a problem that we have people who are working full-time and can’t afford housing?  Can we acknowledge that our society is broken – at least in this regard?  Can we agree that something should be done?  And not just throw money at the problem?  Or just focus on the material?

Can we agree on just that?  Once we agree to that, can we figure out what to do as a society?  Can we move past the empty rhetoric of politicians and campaign slogans and propaganda?  Can we actually deal with the problem?

I don’t want to live in a broken society.  Correction: I refuse to live in a broken society.  As Christians, we are called to participate in the unfolding of the kingdom.  I take that call seriously.  I pray that you do too.

“That’s what Christians are supposed to do…”

19 Monday Feb 2018

Posted by in Church, Politics, Theology

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“That’s what Christians are supposed to be doing…”

This is the phrase a non-religious friend of mine said when we were talking yesterday.  We were talking about ways to tackle homelessness and I had the opportunity to share with my friend what the good people at St. Stephen Lutheran Church were undertaking – doing ministry over at the Flying J – making sure people had access to showers, laundry, and food.  We spoke for several minutes about some other opportunities we were considering and the many possibilities that existed to make an impact in the lives of people who needed help – including getting people connected with resources and professionals that could help them.

That’s when my friend said those words that caught my attention.

And revealed something insightful to me as well.

How are we Christians known and what are we known for?  Are we known because of a sect of Christianity that seems more concerned with aligning with political power – if so, then we have our focus in the wrong place.  If this is the most important thing that we Christians do, then there is something seriously wrong with our Christianity and with our faith.

I don’t buy the notion that Jesus died for our sins so that we could align ourselves with one or the other political party in the US in the 21st century and treat our political opponents in a very non-Sermon on the Mount way.

The old hymn says that they will know we are Christians by our love.  Not by our politics.  Not by our fear.  Not by our separating people into us and them.  Not into our allegiance and loyalty to a party, politician, or nation.  By our love.

Love acted out.  Love that this lived out.

It is time for Christians to act like Christians again.  Let me alter that – there are many Christians who do live out their faith and love.  They just don’t get the attention that many other Christians do who are more interested in making stupid comments about how we shouldn’t vaccinate our kids or that God is punishing some portion of the country through disasters because we don’t hate homosexuals enough or other such nonsense.

They will know we are Christians by our love.  They will know we are Christians by the care we give and offer the poor and outcast.  They will know we are Christians by using what we have been giving to help those in need.  They will know we are Christians by how we feed people.  They will know we are Christians by how we value people – all people.  They will know.  Why?

As my friend so eloquently stated – “That’s what Christians are supposed to be doing…”

It’s just so obvious.  It’s obvious to someone who isn’t even a practicing Christian that this is what Christianity is supposed to be about.  Why isn’t it obvious to practicing Christians?

As we heard in our Gospel lesson from this past Sunday – Jesus said.  “The time has been fulfilled.  The Kingdom of God has come near.”  The time is now for us to act like Christians.  God’s Kingdom is at hand.

Miracle Mile

11 Thursday Jan 2018

Posted by in Church, Humanity, Society, Theology

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There is a stretch of road in the community I live and work in that is called the Miracle Mile.  According to Wikipedia (as good a source for this as anything else I found):

“The stretch of US 11 between I-76 and I-81 is known as the “Miracle Mile” since it contains plenty of traveler services including restaurants, gas stations, lodging, truck stops, shops, etc. There is no direct interchange between the two interstates, so travelers must use this stretch, or travel through downtown Carlisle, to get from one interstate to the other.”

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_11_in_Pennsylvania

The more common explanation I have heard regarding the name is that it got its name because it’s a miracle if you can get through the mile because of the traffic.  There’s some truth to that, but there’s plenty of exaggeration too.  Having lived in Washington, DC, even the Miracle Mile doesn’t see traffic like downtown DC or NYC.

Regardless of the reason for the name, it’s the name that this stretch of road has.

And it’s the stretch of road that also has a variety of people who are considered outcasts, expendable, unworthy, and worse.  It’s the stretch of road where there is homelessness, drug addiction, prostitution, sex and human trafficking, and immigration issues, among other challenges.  It’s the Miracle Mile – a place where it’s a miracle that people can drive through this stretch of road and completely ignore what happens there.  It’s a miracle that people can keep a blind eye to what goes on.

But what if that could change?  What if the Miracle Mile was known for something else – where miracles happen.

That’s what I think it can become.

That’s what God is calling on us to do.  To live out our faith, to create an environment where people can encounter Jesus and have their lives changed.  That would be a miracle.  To gather churches of different denominations together, agencies that deal with all sorts of challenges, businesses, etc.  All coming together to tackle the pervasive challenges that haunt the Miracle Mile.

What if the Miracle Mile were a miracle in our midst?  Not a miracle in the sense that you can get through it, but rather that it’s a miracle because people’s lives are changed – for the better.

Jesus is quoted as saying the following:

35for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” 37Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” 40And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”

(Matthew 25:35-40)

What if the miracle that God has in mind is right here in our midst? That those who are imprisoned in human trafficking, homelessness, and drug addiction are set free.  That those who are hungry are fed and the thirsty are given a drink of life-giving water.  That those who are widowed and alone have true companionship and community, that those who lack clothing are clothed, that those who are children would be loved and cared for, That those who are strangers are welcomed with hospitality, that those who have lost their humanity and dignity will have it restored.

That is the vision of what a miracle looks like.  That is what it means to live out the faith that we have been given.  That is what the kingdom of God looks like in our midst.  It’s not some distant, far off thing that we read about in the Bible.  It’s right here, just waiting to be unleashed.  And God is tapping us on the shoulder and saying, it’s time – it’s time for a miracle. It’s time for the Miracle Mile to be a miracle.

Outside the church walls

09 Tuesday Jan 2018

Posted by in Church, Humanity, Theology

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I read a lot.  I read books, articles, blogs, social media postings, letters, etc.  I love to read.

I love words too.  I love to read, write blog posts, social media posts, tweets about the bible, prayers, etc.

I love to talk too.  I love to talk about faith, grace, theology, politics, philosophy – all deep subjects.

Those are all nice and good.  Sometimes those are essential.  But that’s not all we are called to.  We are called to more.

In the January, 2018 issue of Living Lutheran, Frank G. Honeycutt wrote the following words:

To an outsider in much of North America, Christianity might be perceived as an indoor, climate-controlled religion.  But so much of the Bible’s story is told outdoors. “If these [disciples] were silent,” Jesus once said famously, “the stones would shout out.” (Luke 19:40)

Source: Click here for the online version, pg. 5 for Honeycutt’s article

When I read that statement, it struck me.  So true.  So much of Jesus’ ministry happens out there.  He encounters problems when he is in the synagogue.  He’s doing ministry out there, beyond the walls.

My question is this – are we doing the same thing?  Why or why not?

One of the things that the disciples at St. Stephen are starting to look at are some of the pervasive challenges facing our community just outside the doors of the church.  We are situated in a unique location – just two miles down the road from one of the major travel intersections in the country – Interstate 81 and the Pennsylvania turnpike.  There’s a mile stretch between these two major travel routes.  Commerce is going back and forth all day, every day, all day long, 365 days a year, non-stop.

And with so much traffic and commerce, there are many businesses in that one mile stretch that cater to the traffic.  But there are also other populations that reside on this stretch too – populations that no one wants to deal with, let alone talk about, or even think about.

There is homelessness, drug addiction and trafficking, sex trafficking, prostitution, immigration, and more.  It’s all there, right outside the doors of the church, just down the  road.  I pass through this stretch every day on my way to and from the church.

The question is, what are we called to in relation to this?  We called to be outside – where the challenges are.  We are called to build relationships.  We are called to proclaim boldly the good news of God’s loving saving presence.  We are called to not only think and talk about these people just down the road, but to do something.  We are called to be Jesus’ hands and feet, to bring Jesus’ very presence to populations that I think Jesus would want to be present in – the outcast, the forgotten, the imprisoned.

It starts with an acknowledgement – there are people who are homeless, who have big challenges, who are trapped in things they have no control over.  It starts with an acknowledgement – that Jesus has encountered us and changed our lives, but Jesus isn’t done yet.  It’s only the beginning.  It starts with an acknowledgement – taking the first step is really scary because we have no idea what will happen or where this will go.  That’s just were it starts though.  It’s only the beginning.

Hold on tight, we’re in for a ride.  Jesus is driving.  He’s taking us to places we don’t want to go.  He’s telling us to keep the doors unlocked as we travel through these places.  Not only that, he’s inviting us to get out of the car and be with people.  That’s scary.  But is there really another option?  We could keep staying inside the walls of the church, where it’s comfortable and clean and neat.  Where the facade of our lives makes us look good to those around us.  Or we can acknowledge what exists around us, acknowledge that Jesus won’t turn a blind eye and won’t let us sit in comfort.  Faith isn’t about being comfortable, it should make us uncomfortable enough to get moving.

John 6:68 quotes Simon Peter as saying:

Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life.

Yes, indeed Peter, Jesus does have the words of eternal life.  And not only that, Jesus’ words make us uncomfortable and cause us to react, respond, and get moving.

You have the words of eternal life Jesus, where else are we going to go?

What’s that?!? You want us to go out from these walls because of the words you have breathed into us?  You want us to venture to places we would rather not go because of the holy food that nourishes us?  You want us to get up and carry out the words that you speak to us?  You call on us to respond in trust to the faith that you give us?

The answer is yes.  I hear you calling me, us, and more, together.  To travel just down the road.  Outside the church walls.  Where most of the Bible happened.  I hear you calling us to not just read the Bible and hear the stories of a distant place and time, but to live the Bible and our faith.  Thank God we aren’t doing this on our own, but that you walk with us in this journey, that the Spirit is infused in us and empowers us to go, and that the Father is listening and continually creating a path set before us.

How lives get changed

12 Tuesday Sep 2017

Posted by in Church, Health, Humanity, Politics, Society, Theology

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Yesterday I watched this video and you should too!

It’s a TED talk from the Mayor of Albuquerque on how the city is successfully dealing with homelessness and panhandling.

Mayor Richard J. Berry is doing the right things – empowering people, tapping into people’s value, treating people like human beings, and the results are impressive – huge reductions in homelessness, and getting people the help they need for drug and alcohol problems.  Go figure that when you actually treat people like people, then lives improve.

Even though this is a government initiative, it sounds like the Gospel message in which people’s lives are changed.  Yes, the Mayor doesn’t actually say anything Christian, but if he isn’t living out the Gospel with his “Better Way” program, then I’m not sure how you could.

Imagine if we took this same attitude to other cities.  Imagine if churches took this same attitude with their own ministries.  Imagine how lives could change if we actually took people at face value, we tapped into their value, we connected them with services that can work with them on challenges, we built relationships with people, and treated people as people who have potential for so much more.  Add in a Gospel message in which grace, mercy, love, peace, and forgiveness abound, and you’ve got yourself the makings of something incredible that people would want to be a part of.  Not because it would be really cool and cutting edge, but because it would be a message and activity that people desperately needed to hear and experience.  And once you have that – look out.  Lives would be changing.

Giving money to the homeless

02 Thursday Jun 2016

Posted by in Humanity, Theology

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So, do you give money to a person holding a sign or a cup that says they are homeless and need help?

We’ve all come across people like this.  There have been times when I have given money and times when I haven’t.  There hasn’t been a rhyme or reason as to why I have sometimes and why I haven’t other times.  Sometimes I give because I feel like it.  Other times I give because I follow a feeling inside me that tells me to give.  And other times I don’t give.

Here’s an article from someone who has decided to always give.  I have a lot of respect for his reasoning and for what he does.

I’ve been thinking about this a bit lately.  The reality for me is a little different – I don’t come across people who are homeless where I am very often.  I do come across people who need help though, so I think it’s similar.

Here’s the ideal solution – first, I stop worrying about time.  Yes, I have to get away from my East Coast, middle class concern about time and promptness.  Because anyone who needs help is going to take an investment of time.  As I preached this past Sunday, healing is messy.  I think that’s true for helping people too.

Second, I have to have resources.  That doesn’t always mean money.  Sometimes just giving money is an easy way out.  And often it isn’t the answer.  It’s giving a fish when someone needs to learn how to fish and you are the one who can teach fishing.

Here’s the biggest thing when it comes to someone asking for money – it’s not about the money. Move the situation beyond the financial transaction that is seems to be.  It’s about a person in need – even if it’s not money that they really need.

Find out the person’s name and offer yours.  This is a person after all, not just a sign or a thing.  Talk with the person and find out what the real need is.  I mean the real need.  It may take several questions.  There may be lies involved.  There may be truth.  Here’s the deal – you won’t know.  Put yourself in the person’s shoes – they are desperate and asking for money.  Would you be completely open and honest if you were desperate, for whatever reason?

Ask yourself some questions – how can I really help this person?  Is this a short term problem or long term?  Can I connect them with someone who can help them?

My experience has been that someone who really needs help is willing to talk.  Someone looking to get some money out of you usually isn’t.

Then, do something.  We’re not called to judge the person.  We’re called to do what we can.  Even if it’s small.  And often, I’ll offer a prayer with the person for their well being.

Here’s the biggest concern – homelessness is a big problem.  Your job isn’t to solve homelessness – it’s to help one person who is there right in front of you.  But you aren’t there to fix the other person either.  Sometimes helping someone is just finding out their name – reminding them that they have value and worth because they are human.

And, be open to being helped yourself too.  You have your own challenges, you aren’t perfect.  Sometimes the people we are aiming to help end up helping us.  We aren’t called to be strong.  We’re called to be love and be vulnerable.  Like I said, it’s messy.  Be ready to get messy.