All the same. . .

The Same As We Are

He whom we look down upon, whom we cannot bear to see, the very sight of whom causes us to vomit, is the same as we are, formed with us from the self-same clay, compacted of the same elements. Whatever he suffers, we also can suffer.

St. Jerome

Reciprocity

In Both Directions

The church has a long history of serving people at the margins…. At the same time, however, an older problem has been intensified. The modern self’s blindness to the other as part of the self has led to an increasing perception of charity as a one-way street, something that originates with the charitable self and leads to handouts for those in need…. Fresh encounters with people on the underside of history introduce a critical change. In solidarity with the marginalized, the modern one-way street gradually begins to bear traffic in both directions.

Joerg Rieger
Source: Remember the Poor

Elevator Speech

So, after two decades of working/living among very low-income persons, here are the main points of my "elevator speech" on what I've learned:

1.  Consult the experts on poverty---that would be the so-called "poor" themselves. People closest to a problem usually know most about it, or at least the most important things about it.

2.  Stay to your mission--refine, but never abandon.

3.  Make respect your "default" setting.

4.  Partner for collective impact--give credit to everyone except your organization.

5.  Don't sweat failure--embrace risk.

Wealth of the Poor

At last, I'm proud to announce that my new book, Wealth of the Poor:  How Valuing Every Neighbor Restores Hope in Our Cities, is finally available. 

Well, almost widely available.

Let me explain. 

We missed the sales deadline to place the book widely in retail establishments and on-line.  So, what we have is a pre-release option on the book.

You can order it today directly from ACU Press by calling 877-816-4455 or by visiting their website at www.abilenechristianuniversitypress.com. 

Wider distribution will begin in May 2013, as you'll learn by going to Amazon!

Naturally, I hope the book sells to broaden the reach of the CitySquare story and its model for urban renewal. 

Let me know if you order one! 



Watermelon at "the corner"

My head is still reeling with thoughts, impressions and experiences I've enjoyed the past two weeks at "the corner" of Malcolm X and Dawson Street.

Every week magic manages to break out on the porch of the abandoned house that's nestled under a big shade tree.

This afternoon I engaged in amazing conversations.  More on that in future posts.

But what made today special was the watermelon we shared.

Actually, a woman who came by carrying a big watermelon shared it with all of us.

It seemed like Jesus feeding the 5,000 with the loaves and fishes!  That watermelon went a long way.  Everyone was invited to take a piece and everyone did.

I suppose you would need to be present to fully appreciate the dynamic of what happened.

So beautiful.

So full of peace.

So about hope.

More later.

Hmmm. . . .what if homeless persons owned a can, plastic, paper recycling business?  As I say, more to come.

People are amazing.

1 Corinthians 1:26-31

Inequality and illness. . .

Every once in a while I run across an exceptional website or blog. 

Good.is happens to be one of those. 

Don't know how I missed it for so long. 

You can check out the home page here. 

What follows was "Post of the Week" for March 6-12, 2010. 

Inequality Makes Me Sick (Literally)

GOOD Blog > Andrew Price on March 6, 2010 at 5:39 am PST

Given that income inequality in the United States is pretty bad (see map), this interview with the epidemiologist Richard Wilkinson is especially interesting. Wilkinson has found that high levels of income inequality correspond to all sorts of social problems. In other words, it isn't having more, but sharing more, that makes a community healthier.

"...we looked at life expectancy, mental illness, teen birthrates, violence, the percent of populations in prison, and drug use. They were all not just a little bit worse, but much worse, in more unequal countries. ... Epidemiologists and people working in public health have been doing this work for some time, not only controlling for relative poverty, but for all the income levels within, for instance, an American state. So once you know the relationship between income and death rates, for example, you should be able to predict what a state's death rate will be. Actually, though, that doesn't produce a good prediction; what matters aren't the incomes themselves but how unequal they are. If you're a more unequal state, the same level of income produces a higher death rate."

Wilkinson's explanation? In countries with more income inequality there is fiercer competition for status, and that leads to higher stress, more crime, less trust, and a host of other socially corrosive phenomena.

To check out this site click here.

An observation. . .

Jesus never told or asked rich people how they intended to "convert" the poor.

Rather, he offered invitations like, "Give all you have to the poor and come and follow me."

Maybe our ministry is really to and for the well-to-do--a ministry of giving it all away. 

What do you think?

A song about a very wealthy woman. . .

I love country music!

What a song!

What a message!