Matt and I walked to a popular spot on Vincennes street – a stoop that sits in front of an empty lot. An abandoned house once stood on the lot before homeless squatters burned it down. They were trying to stay warm in the winter. Several of our homeless friends still hang out at the … Continue reading An Odd, Yet Hopeful, Prayer Meeting
A handful of people have recently asked me how they should approach ministry to the poor. Specifically, they want to know how to get started. I used to tell people, "Pray and do what Jesus tells you." While this is still the best approach, I’ve realized it’s not the most helpful advice. Ministry to the … Continue reading Loving the Poor – “How Do I Get Started?”
Last week, I shared that mine and Rachel's bikes and tools were stolen from our garage. A couple hours after posting that blog, a brother and sister in Christ generously gave us their very nice bikes. As Rachel road her new bike around the block she said, “This is the best bike I’ve ever ridden.” On … Continue reading How to Become Fabulously Rich
I’ve been struggling to produce a blog every week. I used to sit down and hammer out a month’s worth of material, but lately I’ve written each post a day or two in advance. Some weeks I’ve written two or three rough drafts and scrapped them after realizing my half-hearted, half-baked opinions aren’t interesting. There’s … Continue reading What is Leadership?
While I was at work the other day, I pulled out a giant flip chart, grabbed a Sharpie, and started writing down questions. A smart guy once said, “The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality.” In a neighborhood like mine, defining reality involves asking a lot of questions. I wrote things like … Continue reading What Is Church?
We have two showers at Midtown Commons. For the first three years I worked here, no one showered in them. In fact, we just used the showers for storage space. Then, one day, Linda (who I mentioned last month) came into the Commons and asked if she could take a shower. She was a mess … Continue reading Dignity Pt. 1 – Showers
