The signs are starting to come up on the fence of the park here in New York City. It is going to be a long haul. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Graffiti is still working to provide help for those still on the street tonight. We are using low-risk volunteers that don’t
Continue reading
Different City. Last night I walked through our park in NYC. I had never seen it completely empty. Ever. A solitary police car was patrolling the pavement, flashing its lights. I prepared to tell them I was helping with essential services and receiving a shipment, but the car turned in the other direction. At the corner,
Continue reading
It’s a new day and a new way to do things in New York City. It’s easy to say “shelter in place,” but what if you don’t have a shelter? It’s easy to instruct people on the internet, but what if you don’t use the internet, or even have a cell
Continue reading
Dear Friends: You will see a picture of Jose from Wednesday. Jose has had a turn-around in his life and has become a great encourager of others on the street. One of my favorite quotes from the new Jose is this–“It’s not my movie.” His point is that each of
Continue reading
I heard someone say this last week—”Most giving is really a trade.” I keep thinking about it. How much of love is really a trade? When someone sings, “I can’t live without you”—are they really thinking about what is best for the other person? If we go to a church
Continue reading
“A wise heart knows the right time and way.” Ecclesiastes 8:5 Proverbs and Ecclesiastes in the Bible talk a lot about knowledge and understanding and wisdom. There are things we need to know, but knowledge sometimes is not enough. A person can know a lot and still be a fool,
Continue reading
However we express it, we all know deep down that there are some things in life that we will need to resist. We have a fight of faith in life, not a fight against people or circumstances, but a fight for faith through those challenges. Anxiety is the devil’s turf. It grinds
Continue reading
“Bum.” To be honest, that is what I thought when I first saw him. Nothing new here. His long beard was matted and dirty. His clothes were worn. He smelled like a hamster cage. It was clear he had been living on the street. He might be dangerous, or crazy.
Continue reading
They didn’t know what to do. They were in a neighborhood new to them, and they wanted to reach out to their neighbors. Many of these neighbors were from different countries, and some of them were having tough financial challenges. The group asked their leader what they could do for
Continue reading
Think how our own consciousness has changed. Over thousands of years, we processed our world in a certain way. A hundred and fifty years ago, telephones, radio, and movies didn’t exist. A hundred years ago, television had not even been invented. Forty years ago, we didn’t have the internet. Thirty
Continue reading
