Comments on: Imagine LA–A city where no child sleeps on the street http://blog.fuller.edu/churchthenandnow/2009/05/25/imagine-la-a-city-where-no-child-sleeps-on-the-street/ A Blog by Kurt Fredrickson & Eddie Gibbs Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:05:54 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Ryan Bell http://blog.fuller.edu/churchthenandnow/2009/05/25/imagine-la-a-city-where-no-child-sleeps-on-the-street/comment-page-1/#comment-450 Ryan Bell Wed, 17 Jun 2009 05:29:05 +0000 http://blog.fuller.edu/churchthenandnow/?p=290#comment-450 Hey Kurt, good to see you today. We just joined forces with Imagine LA and we are very excited to about this partnership. Thanks for your witness! Hey Kurt, good to see you today. We just joined forces with Imagine LA and we are very excited to about this partnership. Thanks for your witness!

]]> By: Mike McCartney, M.Div '78 http://blog.fuller.edu/churchthenandnow/2009/05/25/imagine-la-a-city-where-no-child-sleeps-on-the-street/comment-page-1/#comment-438 Mike McCartney, M.Div '78 Mon, 25 May 2009 20:28:49 +0000 http://blog.fuller.edu/churchthenandnow/?p=290#comment-438 It's exciting to see Kingdom involvement in human lives, be they homeless or home-equipped, but we need to not lose sight of the fact that God likely has no desire whatsoever to eliminate homelessness (or poverty or middle-class-ness or wealthy-class-ness or any other western socio-economic class.) Jesus was, Himself, homeless, and apparently very content being so, and NEVER attempted to shift folks from one socio-economic class to another. In our extensive work with the homeless in our community, to be sure there is a percentage of folks who would RATHER climb the socio-economic ladder. But there is a huge percentage that either (a) merely WISHES they were un-homeless but refuse to do what's necessary to climb out, or (b) CHOOSES to remain homeless, avoiding the unwanted trappings of materialism -- mortgage payments, insurance payments, car payments, etc. So here's to being careful with a title like, "Imagine LA–A city where no child sleeps on the street" or "Imagine LA–A city where no child sleeps on a bed" or "Imagine LA–A city where no child sleeps on a middle-class mattress." We're foolish to think that we are (or ought to be) the norm for all peoples. Blessings !! It’s exciting to see Kingdom involvement in human lives, be they homeless or home-equipped, but we need to not lose sight of the fact that God likely has no desire whatsoever to eliminate homelessness (or poverty or middle-class-ness or wealthy-class-ness or any other western socio-economic class.)

Jesus was, Himself, homeless, and apparently very content being so, and NEVER attempted to shift folks from one socio-economic class to another.

In our extensive work with the homeless in our community, to be sure there is a percentage of folks who would RATHER climb the socio-economic ladder. But there is a huge percentage that either (a) merely WISHES they were un-homeless but refuse to do what’s necessary to climb out, or (b) CHOOSES to remain homeless, avoiding the unwanted trappings of materialism — mortgage payments, insurance payments, car payments, etc.

So here’s to being careful with a title like, “Imagine LA–A city where no child sleeps on the street” or “Imagine LA–A city where no child sleeps on a bed” or “Imagine LA–A city where no child sleeps on a middle-class mattress.”

We’re foolish to think that we are (or ought to be) the norm for all peoples.

Blessings !!

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