When Jesus told his story of a principled Samaritan, it no doubt scandalized Jewish sensibilities. Any self-respecting Jew would have expected the Samaritan to kick the Jew while he was down. The last thing they would have anticipated or hoped to hear was that he had enough compassion on him to lend him a hand …
Lambs Among Wolves
Too many Christians are, as they say, “seldom right but never in doubt.” They may have a commanding appearance, but their mudslinging stump-speech testimonies don’t win many people to Christ. “The American cultural proclivity to reject authority and put down opponents,” says Elliot Clarke, “has bled into the church, staining all our attempts to win …
Francis #2
I recently mentioned my friend Francis, an older man with a long unkempt white beard, soiled and sweat-stained clothes, worn tennis shoes, and an odor that lasted in your mind longer than you wished. Though he is limited in social skills and displays some mental health issues, Francis reads five or six newspapers a day …
Francis
No, not the “Saint.” Come to think of it, maybe he is a saint. My friend Francis was living in doorways or behind dumpsters when we first met in San Francisco’s Tenderloin; a gentle and sober soul with a demeanor belied by his wild appearance. His riotous silver hair was as unwashed and unkempt as …
What’s YWAM, and why is Barney donating the profits from his new book to them?
Glad you asked. YWAM (Youth With A Mission) in San Francisco is a ministry with which I’ve been involved in one way or another for many years. Their facilities are located smack dab in the middle of one of the City’s oldest and most challenging neighborhoods, the Tenderloin. I’ve been going to the “TL,” which …
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