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Domestic Poverty

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Justice Prayers - February 6, 2024

The rulers of the earth plan, and scheme, and make laws, and change laws, and war, and pull down one, and raise up another. But they little think that they rule only by the will of Jesus, and that nothing happens without the permission of the Lamb of God. - J. C. Ryle

Child poverty is on the rise in Canada, putting over 1 million kids at risk

The Person in Front of Me

Mother Teresa once said this: “I do not believe in the big way of doing things. I only believe in the person in front of me.”

Those words shape the life my wife Diane and I live. Eight years ago, we left a large church in a wealthy part of Aurora (part of the Denver metroplex) to go to the poorest part of Aurora and serve among the broken. No plan. We just went.

Justice Prayers - December 13, 2023

Blessings to you as you reflect on hope during advent.  "But the needy will not be ignored forever; the hopes of the poor will not always be crushed." - Psalm 9:18 NLT 

They Don't Understand

“They don’t understand what it’s like, they’ve never been there.” 

Last week I attended a small town’s community dinner to talk to the regulars there, and this is what one lady said in response to a decision that the City Council had made not to support a specific service for the homeless.

I admitted to myself and to her that, in fact, I’ve never been in that place either – of needing to access a weekly free dinner, the food bank, or in serious danger of losing my home.

Intersecting Benevolence and Justice: Looking Beyond Needs

If there’s one thing Christians want to do, it is to help. We know we’re called to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and look after the sick (Matthew 25). We see people in our communities and around the world who don’t have what they need to thrive. We want to be Christ’s hands and feet, not only to provide for people’s material needs, but to point them toward the love of Jesus. 

Justice Prayers - September 20, 2023

The waters cleanse us with his gentle touch.
And here he shows the full extent of love 
To us whose love is always incomplete,
Though we betray him, though it is the night, 
He meets us here and loves us into light.
- Maundy Thursday Malcom Guite 

Canada says major grocery chains agree to help stabilize prices

When Love and Brokenness Collide

It’s eviction day, and the neighbours are celebrating. 

For months, a derelict house at the end of our block has been rented by a struggling group of people for whom one glance reveals lives characterized by hardship. Their arrival shepherded a spirit of underlying unease into our normally peaceful street, through loud nighttime arguing, ongoing substance abuse, and suspected petty criminality. When a sheriff arrived this morning to force their departure and board up the house, abundant relief flowed from home to home.

Underside the Mountain: Listening to a City’s Marginalized

While at a church planting conference in Montreal, I was able to explore the city for a day. I visited some drop-ins for those experiencing homelessness and, while eating lunch, I met a man. He was a true Montrealer whose family was from Ecuador. His head was adorned with long, curly hair; his body was adorned with style. He wanted to give me a tour of the city while on his bottle-picking route. I decided to take him up on his offer. We walked together for the day and I was able to experience the city from a powerful perspective – its hidden underside. 

Wrestling with Suffering

I started a new job as an Art Teacher at a Juvenile Detention Center in August of last year. Prior to teaching, I volunteered at the facility through my church. As you can imagine teaching justice-involved youth comes with a unique set of challenges. I’m at the center of a lot more angst and less excitement than I ever was as a volunteer. I also know a lot more about the residents– now my students.  Their stories are more pronounced in their daily classroom behavior. It can be a hard thing to carry.  I can’t imagine how hard it is to live the stories. 

Food that Helps not Harms

John Klein-Geltink is a long term coach for deacons and passionate foodie—as in food banks. In his work with Operation Sharing in Woodstock Ontario John has helped switch from food donations to food gift cards. This approach gives more agency to people involved and John talks about how he can see the fruit of this change from his long involvement.

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