God talks about the poor over 2,000 times in the Bible
Today in a meeting the principle told us that there are at least five children in each of our classrooms that are homeless. I knew we had a few. But I had no idea it was like this. It kind of hit me like a freight train. What do you mean, they don't have a home. Where do they go at night? Shelters? Relatives? Cars? I almost threw up. I felt a lot of shame.
can we really continue to live this way?
Every day on my way to school I drive down this packed road, bumper to bumper BMWs and Lexus, one person in each. On the left are these three tall buildings, that look more like jails or out of control dorms. Fresh Pond Apartments. A nice sounding name for the biggest set of projects in all of Mass. On the other side of the road is this big beautiful building. Terraces, green spaces, and a grand entrance way. And from it a banner hangs, proclaiming "New LUXURY Condominiums. Starting in the 400's" That mean that you can buy a condo that is SO NICE that the base price in that building is $400,000.00. Drop a half-million easy, on a big fat condo, with a stunning view of the projects. What?
can we really continue to live this way?
I heard Tony Campolo speak again last week. I hope that one day I can put into practice half of what he called the audience to. I think about what he said about being safe. I know that walking through those projects would be dangerous. Of course it would be dangerous. But I think it would be even more dangerous to walk through the luxury condos. "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul." It is safer to risk my life in the projects every day until I die than to waste away sitting in the stench of my own comfort. This shouldn't be a hard decision. But it is. I make myself sick.
The poor are valuable.
can we really continue to live this way?
Every day on my way to school I drive down this packed road, bumper to bumper BMWs and Lexus, one person in each. On the left are these three tall buildings, that look more like jails or out of control dorms. Fresh Pond Apartments. A nice sounding name for the biggest set of projects in all of Mass. On the other side of the road is this big beautiful building. Terraces, green spaces, and a grand entrance way. And from it a banner hangs, proclaiming "New LUXURY Condominiums. Starting in the 400's" That mean that you can buy a condo that is SO NICE that the base price in that building is $400,000.00. Drop a half-million easy, on a big fat condo, with a stunning view of the projects. What?
can we really continue to live this way?
I heard Tony Campolo speak again last week. I hope that one day I can put into practice half of what he called the audience to. I think about what he said about being safe. I know that walking through those projects would be dangerous. Of course it would be dangerous. But I think it would be even more dangerous to walk through the luxury condos. "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul." It is safer to risk my life in the projects every day until I die than to waste away sitting in the stench of my own comfort. This shouldn't be a hard decision. But it is. I make myself sick.
The poor are valuable.