Candy and I live in a homogenous area of mostly white, middle-class families residing in a suburban setting, sitting on the edge of rural. Our community has minimal diversity and our area churches, even less. Most of my life I’ve lived in settings with people like me. Our current home is like our others. The […]
What You Expect Forms Your Experience When leaving church a few weeks ago, a man called out, “Hey! You! Come here!” I didn’t much feel like interacting with another homeless man asking for a handout. He’d be unhappy with my solution, and my wife, fearing for our safety, wouldn’t want me to stop. I shook […]
Seek to Do Good on Sunday Last Sunday I shared my experiences in dealing with homeless people as I went to work. But a job change removed me from that urban setting and ended my encounters with the homeless. However, changing churches brought me back there every Sunday and some days in between. Homeless people […]
“Can You Spare Some Change?” For years, I’d drive to my urban office. After parking my car, the area’s homeless would often accost me. My goal was avoidance. And when that didn’t work, to minimize contact. I didn’t want to help others. “Can you spare some change?” I’d shake my head as I made a […]
In this Christmas season our thoughts turn more intentionally and more frequently to Jesus, the reason for this annual celebration. In consideration of the first Christmas, my thoughts are warm and cozy, happy and joyous, and idyllic and serene, with angels singing, kings bearing gifts, and happily contented shepherds shepherding. This is all true, but […]
A Journey of Faith on the Streets of America By Mike Yankoski (reviewed by Peter DeHaan) College student Mike Yankoski felt a promoting to truly understand what it was like to be homeless—by living among them. After careful planning Mike, and friend Sam, embarked on a six-month, six-city odyssey that completely changed all their perceptions […]