Tag Archives: homeless

To God, There are no Dead Men – Luke 20:38

The Words of Life I met a mentally unstable, completely homeless, suicidal man. He had planned to commit suicide by drug overdose in just a few days’ time, on his birthday. He insisted that he had no reason to go on living. Many would probably look at his situation and agree.

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It is more blessed to give than to receive… So give someone else a turn!

When giving becomes a selfish act When we place ourselves in the role of “giver”, say as in charitable act, we place another person in the role of “receiver”. We get to feel good about ourselves, and they get to suffer the indignity of accepting a handout. Who is more blessed? We are. Selfish… isn’t it?

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Advice for living on the street: Don’t be female.

Welcome to the Jungle The Law of the Jungle (summarised as “only the strong survive”) is unfamiliar territory to most people who will be reading this blog. So unfamilar, in fact, that many of us like to think it doesn’t apply to the human experience. It does. The content of this post is blunt, and possibly quite […]

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On Earth as it is in Heaven

To What shall I Compare the Kingdom of God? The kingdom of God is coming to the street subculture of Ipswich. How can I describe it? How can I document it? Just thinking about it brings Jesus’ refrain to mind, “to what shall I compare the Kingdom of God?”, and his declaration to Nicodemus, “very […]

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Sonny with a Chance

The Bible: A Book of Comfort My friend Sonny saw me in the Mall today and we had a bit of a chat. He said something very wise, which I pointed out was similar to something Jesus had said. At that point he produced a well worn, well loved Bible, and began reading it to me.

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The other side of the “No Smoking” sign: discrimination by Social Cleansing

Is this Social Cleansing? I’m a non-smoker. Indeed, I am even an ex-smoker, and I support the principle of removing cigarette smoke from the lives of those who don’t smoke. But the recent (1st Feb 2013) ban on smoking in some of the public spaces in Ipswich has made me uneasy from the start. Today […]

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“Mission to the Marginalised”…?

How many roads must a man walk down before they call him a missionary? I was invited recently to talk under the heading “Mission to the Marginalised”. (I frequently wrestle with the appropriateness and definition of words like “mission” and “marginalised”, but at least the other two words in the heading were pretty straightforward) I […]

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Why do all the charities have to be run by Christians?

“Why are all the charities run by Christians?” Of course I’m fully aware that it is untrue to say that “all of the charities are run by Christians”! In fact, I was initially at a loss as to how to respond to the question when it was put to me. My friend lives on a […]

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Street Links 2012 – God does not show favouritism.

Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? (Jas 2:5) I attended the Street Links event in Ipswich this week. Last time I was there, I was as part of one of the […]

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Marketplace Christianity – In a Marketplace!

What is Marketplace Christianity really? Generally, the term “Marketplace Christianity” is used to describe the way in which a believer can represent their faith in their normal life – in most cases, at work. I do think its helpful for us to ponder how to live out our life in such settings, but is the […]

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Chat Room

The End of an Era: Chat Room is to close The Chat Room at 241 Brisbane St, a drop-in centre serving three meals a week, closes down at the end of May 2012. I wrote this poem as an experiment. It contains my reflection on the Chat Room at what that community has shown me. […]

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