10 Ways to Help the Homeless

As we continue to interact with homeless people on 6th street, we need to do so with wisdom. Read and implement these tips from the Seed Blog at Sojourn into your interactions with the homeless who need the hope of the gospel:

1. Never give cash to a homeless person
Too often, well intended gifts are converted to drugs or alcohol – even when the hard luck stories they tell are true. If the person is hungry, buy them a sandwich and a beverage.

2. Talk to the person with respect.
Taking time to talk to a homeless person in a friendly, respectful manner can give them a wonderful sense of civility and dignity. And besides being just neighborly, it gives the person a weapon to fight the isolation, depression and paranoia that many homeless people face.

3. Recognize that homeless people (and their problems) are not all the same.
The homeless are as diverse as the colors of a rainbow. The person you meet may be a battered women, an addicted veteran, someone who is lacking job skills the list goes on.

4. Share God’s love whenever you can.
If Jesus were walking the earth today, He would certainly spend time with the homeless. He would speak with them, heal them, and help them. Today, Jesus chooses to work through those who believe and follow Him.

Read the Rest

Q Conference 2010: Chicago

The Q Conference will be held in Chicago this year. The line-up looks great. I’ve highlighted some favorites. The Austin Q was stimulating, creative, and significant. I expect more of the same for Q 2010. Check out the line-up:

2010 Chicago Confirmed Presentations:

Putting a New Face on Photography | Jeremy Cowart, Celebrity Photographer
The Both/And of the Gospel | Timothy Keller, Pastor of First Redeemer Manhattan
Conversations on Being a Heretic | Scot McKnight Interviews Brian McLaren, Author
Responding to Our Fatherhood Crisis | Roland Warren, National Fatherhood Initiative
The Death of Christian America | David Aikman, Historian and Journalist
The Next Christians | Gabe Lyons, Q Founder
The Future of Education | Sajan George, School System Turnaround Specialist
Evolution of a Voice | Bryan Coley, Screenwriter
Being Provoked to Engage | Jo Saxton, Leadership Consultant
Muslim and Christian? | Buddy Hoffman, Pastor of Grace Fellowship Atlanta
The Church and the City | Charles Jenkins, Pastor of Fellowship Missionary Baptist Chicago
Recovering Ancient Practices | Phyllis Tickle, Author
Observing the Sabbath | Matthew Sleeth, Environmentalist
Don’t Eat the Food | Sean Womack, Brand Consultant
People of the Second Chance | Mike Foster, Founder of Ethur
Resetting a Creative Economy | Richard Florida, Sociologist
Collaborating in Community | Charles Lee, Ideation Strategist
Social Activism | Antonio Carlos Costa, Activist, Rio De Janeiro
Land of a Thousand Hills | Jonathan Golden, Social Entrepreneur
The Bible in Society | Q Panel
Greenlighting Reconciliation | Laura Waters Hinson, Filmmaker
Human Centered Design | David Blanchard, IDEO
Overcoming the Science and Faith Divide | Alister McGrath, Theologian and Author
Missionaries to America | Todd Hunter, Bishop, Anglican Church

Is Death Just a Door?

What do you make of suffering and death? How are we meant to approach it? With fear, indifference? It was poet and artist William Blake that said: “Death is just a door.” Singer/song writer M. Ward sings:

Death is just a door, Blake said it first. It’s just another room we enter, it’s a threshold that hurts. Birth is just a chorus, death is just a verse.

How do you approach suffering and death? Read more in my new article: “Suffering for a Greater Glory.”