"By becoming poor ourselves, by loving until it hurts, we become capable of loving more deeply, more beautifully, more wholly."
"We have to accept suffering with joy, we have to live a life of poverty with cheerful trust and to minister to Jesus in the poorest of the poor with cheerfulness. God loves a cheerful giver."
Mother Teresa
Friday, November 27, 2009
(whine)
I am so close to finishing my book (first draft) I can taste it. I'm trying to figure out publishing, but it is good to have it almost done. I just wrote about how God takes care of our finances, usually just right on time. But, just as I got home Diane told me that our tax check, which we were depending on, is still weeks away, and will be a thousand dollars less than we expected.
Unfortunately, we were depending on that check to pay our bills, to fix our car, to get our medicine. If we don't get our-- honestly, expensive-- medicine, I won't be able to work for Anawim and Diane won't be able to function at all.
I am honestly tired of the stress of not knowing what money we will have or when. I have been praying to the Lord for a regular income so we can figure out what we need to pay when, but the finances have been honestly much worse these last few months.
This week, I've been praying for the Lord to give us that tax check immediately, and He clearly told us no. He did give us a generous gift of 200 dollars from a friend, which helps us right now, but it does nothing toward our medicine or bills. I'm so worn from all this.
I can write this here because by the time people read this, something will be done. But I can feel like I've whined about this to someone. Keep reading if you want to find out how it works out.
Unfortunately, we were depending on that check to pay our bills, to fix our car, to get our medicine. If we don't get our-- honestly, expensive-- medicine, I won't be able to work for Anawim and Diane won't be able to function at all.
I am honestly tired of the stress of not knowing what money we will have or when. I have been praying to the Lord for a regular income so we can figure out what we need to pay when, but the finances have been honestly much worse these last few months.
This week, I've been praying for the Lord to give us that tax check immediately, and He clearly told us no. He did give us a generous gift of 200 dollars from a friend, which helps us right now, but it does nothing toward our medicine or bills. I'm so worn from all this.
I can write this here because by the time people read this, something will be done. But I can feel like I've whined about this to someone. Keep reading if you want to find out how it works out.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Paradoxes
Another paradox is:
"We will solve homelessness by giving people housing."
Somehow, this doesn't work. Why? Because the problem isn't houselessness. It's a worldview difference that the empowered cannot accept.
Homelessness and AIDS
Homelessness is a social disease like AIDS is a physical one.
To prevent each requires a love that is not intuitive.
To even treat the symptoms is complex and cannot be resolved by simplistic, naive solutions.
Living with it is difficult and effects every area of your life.
Just like a person with AIDS, the society that continues to live with homelessness will die. They may not know it ahead of time, but it will happen.
To prevent each requires a love that is not intuitive.
To even treat the symptoms is complex and cannot be resolved by simplistic, naive solutions.
Living with it is difficult and effects every area of your life.
Just like a person with AIDS, the society that continues to live with homelessness will die. They may not know it ahead of time, but it will happen.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Moving the Homeless To One Area of Town
Laguna Beach is moving all of their homeless away from the beach to a parking lot:
Homeless Plan: Ambitious or Ridiculous?
That's the same thing they do in L.A. This is why they have such a serious problem in skid row. On the one hand, it focuses the services to one area-- that's good. On the other hand, cities who enact this plan tend to spend more money policing skid row than people that don't.
The main problem I see is that it is segregation. And the problem with segregation is that it increases fear, which increases dehumanizing acts. People who are afraid of others feel freedom to do to those they fear they wouldn't do to "normal" people. This is why it's just a bad idea, overall.
Homeless Plan: Ambitious or Ridiculous?
That's the same thing they do in L.A. This is why they have such a serious problem in skid row. On the one hand, it focuses the services to one area-- that's good. On the other hand, cities who enact this plan tend to spend more money policing skid row than people that don't.
The main problem I see is that it is segregation. And the problem with segregation is that it increases fear, which increases dehumanizing acts. People who are afraid of others feel freedom to do to those they fear they wouldn't do to "normal" people. This is why it's just a bad idea, overall.
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