Vista House Visit
Tonight I will meet with Furman University students who are living this summer in intentional Christian community at Vista House. I always enjoy my time with these students, even though the group changes yearly....
Pentecost
Yesterday was Pentecost Sunday and I was privileged to preach at Pickens Presbyterian Church. Many of the worshippers wore red. The children began the service by walking in waving sticks with red and orange...
What You Can Do, Chapter One, Angelika’s Journal
Each chapter of Angelika’s Journal offers suggestions for what you can do. Here are the suggestions from Chapter One: 1. Find out what the fair market rent is in your area. Check out http://nlihc.org/oor...
Study Notes from Angelika’s Journal, Chapter One
Finding the journal in a pile of garbage on the side of the road indicates that people were most likely evicted from their home. When a landlord evicts a family, everything in the house...
Opening Eyes on a Poverty Tour
Today I led poverty tours through neighborhoods in Greenville,SC. for two different groups of people. Some of the neighborhoods on the tour are blighted but with redevelopment work beginning. Others are completely built out...
A Coat Named Mr. Spot
After eating Papa’s yummy waffles for breakfast, Mimi told the children to put on shorts and tee shirts because it was going to be a hot day. While Betsy was looking for her sandals,...
Conversations on the Porch
The screen porch addition to my house was my gift to myself. All the furniture is shabby. The cushions in the rocking chairs are flat in places. The current green color of the chairs...
Permanent Change is Slow and Gradual
Permanent change is slow and gradual. This concept is extremely frustrating for those of us who like quick fixes. We want a magic wand to make the world a better place (as we define...
Angelika’s Journal: What You Can Do About Poverty
Introduction Some people from a congregation decided to take a walking tour through a blighted neighborhood so they could see, smell, and feel for themselves some of the poverty in their own community. They...
How We Think About Work
Because we have different funds of knowledge based on our age, gender, race, ethnicity, socioeconomics, education, experiences, etc., we often ascribe to others the solutions to a situation that would work for us. This...
Strangers among us
Have you ever thought about the appearances of Jesus after the resurrection? To Mary Magdalene, he appeared as a gardener; to the men on their way to Emmaus, he was a stranger on the...
Love is not optional
Do we reach out to others because we want to change them or because we love them as they are? What a question. Of course, we want people to improve their lives. Why else...
A Matter of Perspective
Perspective is a wonderful thing. A story floated around on the internet about a wealthy father who took his son on a trip to show him how poor people live. Where the father saw...
Give Children the Vote
Children don’t vote. Oh, if only they could. What might they vote for? I’m not talking about longer recess or only desserts for lunch. If a child could vote, what kinds of things would...
A Matter of Scale
Sometimes when we become aware of the overwhelming needs of certain people in our communities, we become frozen. There is no way we can fix everything so people can meet their basic human needs....
Charity vs. Justice
I have often talked and written about the difference between charity and justice. Jim Wallis in a Sojourners article in November 1985 explained well that charity is not justice. He wrote: “Charity requires no...
Who said it?
Some people believe that it’s only the liberals who want to change the world for the better for people who live in poverty. I know people from all along the faith and political spectrum...
Joanna at Easter
This is Easter weekend, the holiest of the Christian year. Joanna was present at the crucifixion and resurrection but is often overlooked. Here is her story in her own words from More Conversations on the...
Welcome to the Our Eyes Were Opened blog
Welcome to my blog. For some time, I’ve been wanting to blog because I get asked questions; come across insightful information; and have thoughts to share about poverty, faithful living, social justice, or life in general. This...