Posted by Tagged with Racism, social justice Posted in Uncategorized

How Do We Love the Poor?

Yesterday I went to Cross of Glory Lutheran Church in Brooklyn Center to volunteer, sorting and distributing food and supplies to those in crisis living in the neighborhood around the church. About 100 people were served in the 3 hours I was there. About 100 more were still in line when I left. They waited in the rain for their number to be called. Once they got into the church, they were given a shopping cart and allowed 1-2 items from each table. The tables included canned goods, boxed food, produce, toiletries, toilet paper, bottled water, and diapers.
The pastor explained to me that they were asked by CAPI (a food shelf across the street) to host the giveaway, after the death of Duante Wright. It was not something the church was looking for. The invitation to help came in a time of crisis. However, the church now sees the neighbors with needs are not going away.

A crisis helps us to become aware of a need that was there all along.

I was surprised when I asked on my Facebook friends for recommendations of organizations that were actively reaching the Brooklyn Center Community. I received word of over a dozen individuals or groups who were on the ground serving there. I know that is only a snapshot of what was actually happening.
The day I volunteered, the church and CAPI received donations from people driving over 30 minutes to bring their car loads food, diapers, toilet paper, and hygiene products. One woman owned a coffee shop in Mpls and collected donations from her customers. Another worked for a company that collected donations from their co-workers. A few of the donors were white haired, “nice Lutherans” who were so eager to deliver their contributions.
It was wonderful to see all the people, many from the suburbs, all of a sudden appearing ready to help, but it made me wonder – why now?

The crisis woke us up to a need that has always been there. The poor have always been among us.


I went home after my day of volunteering to my warm house, a hot meal, and my comfy couch. But I couldn’t stop thinking about the people standing in line in the rain, waiting for food and diapers.

When I say poor, I’m talking about those who are not sure if they will have a roof over their head tonight or food to eat for their next meal. I also speak of those who feel buried by the rubble of their past. Those who have been born as children of poverty and can’t get out of the cycle they are in. It is incredibly complicated. If it was easy, our world would have figured out a way to eliminate poverty by now.

I opened up the Bible on my phone and typed in the word “poor” in the search. Here are a few verses that jumped out at me.

Proverbs 21:13 NIV
13 Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered.

Psalm 70:5 NIV
5 But as for me, I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer; LORD, do not delay.

Psalm 82:3 NIV
3 Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed

Proverbs 29:7 NIV
7 The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern

Matthew 19:21 NIV
21 Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.

Luke 14:13 NIV
13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind

These are just a few of the verses in the Bible asking for a response in caring for the poor. There are over 160 more if you want to read them yourself.

If loving the poor is stressed so much in the Bible, why do most Christians that I know, myself included, put this into a side category of our lives? When I look for people who are already doing the work, I notice they rarely talk about it or ask for help. They are too busy working and are consumed by the needs in front of them.

Maybe you are one of those who are already giving sacrificially to serve the poor. I would love to hear from you what your greatest needs are.

I want to be moved to action daily, and not just in times of crisis. Poverty is not going away. I’m thankful for “wake up calls” that remind us not to ignore the needs around us.

Posted by Posted in Uncategorized

The Way to Love

In a time of political division and cancel culture

Some people are only pleased if you tell them what they want to hear. Most people are just looking for others to validate what they already know and think. We gravitate towards certain news sources that say things in ways we agree with. The Internet knows this and suggest the sources that we should read past in past clicks and likes. We gravitate toward those who are most like us. We don’t challenge ourselves to question whether our way of thinking could be flawed or incomplete.

As a people pleaser who has close family and friends on both sides of the political aisle, I have become accustomed to silently listening to people “go off!” I hear the arrogance on both sides and wonder if they realize how ridiculous they sound.

I’ve heard all of these statements in one week.

“Those Liberals are the problem!”
“When _________is out of office, we can get back to normal”
“ (leader or politician) is an idiot!” “Black lives matter!”
“Blue lives matter!”
“All lives matter!”
“He should have known better than to run from the cops”
“There’s no such thing as a good cop”
“I support all police officers and the military no matter what”.
“I’m moving to Canada!”

I don’t speak up much and through all this quiet listening I’ve realized –
1. There are very loving and well meaning individuals who are both conservative and liberal.
2. The extremes on both sides seem unwilling to listen and quickly decide that those with different opinions are idiots, heathens, or wackos.
3. People are angry. We say crazy things when we are upset.
4. Most people never take the time to question their own way of thinking and change their opinions or admit that their comments may be triggering to others who live different lives or have different experiences than them.

How did this divide happen and what can we do about it?

Can we confess when we run too quickly away from conflict or think that we have all the answers?

Can we speak up when we see hate being spewed on others, and stand up for those with less privilege?

Can we allow others to be angry, while at the same time, looking behind the anger, and asking “why?”

Posted by Posted in Uncategorized

Lord, have mercy

Following the shooting of Daunte Wright.

Today a fresh wave of pain and unrest blanketed Minneapolis after the shooting of 18 year old Daunte Wright. It is yet another day when black men will ask themselves “Am I safe? Will this happen to me?” Another day when mothers of black sons wonder if the next one to be killed will be their son.

I often hear people debating in times like this whether the officer was to blame or whether the victim was “a criminal” and was deserving of their fate. Many respond with “I need to see the video or get all the facts before I can form an opinion. I need to know more about the person who was shot before I know how bad I should feel about it.” I personally believe that no one deserves to die, no matter who they are or what they have done. Nobody deserves to be killed.

This is my prayer today.

I feel so grieved right now.
I see the mix of fear, anger, and weariness that the black community is experiencing.
I see the protesters and mourners, flooding the streets, and imagine you, Jesus, standing among them.
Why am I so quick to form an opinion based on human sources? Why not go to you, my heavenly source? Why do I care more about the safety of my property that is here today and gone tomorrow than for the cries of the unheard?

I open my ears to listen and my mouth to admit when I’ve been wrong, prideful, and ignorant. Throughout my life, I have knowingly and unknowingly upheld white supremacy and put people into categories based on the color of their skin. I admit that I have not been willing to step outside of my comfortable fence and beyond my white neighborhood and white friends. I admit that I have been unwilling to change and daily feel the “need to be right”.
Teach me to live alongside people that don’t look like me, talk like me, or think like me. This includes those who I don’t understand. This includes your beautiful creations who are queer, non-binary, and transgender. This includes those whose hearts are full of hate. This includes EVERYONE WITH A HEARTBEAT.


Your love for ALL is wider and deeper than we can ever imagine, but help me to know a taste of it, so that this love can overflow to others.

I grieve alongside the black community today. I don’t pretend to understand, but I do feel the weight of their accumulated losses. Jesus, wrap your arms around them right now and bring justice and healing. Correct me, soften my heart, and if I can be a part of bringing people together to do the hard work of healing reconciliation, I say yes.