Effective Charity

Author’s Note: This article continues a series deeply influenced by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert’s work, especially When Helping Hurts, Becoming Whole, and A Field Guide to Becoming Whole [1] . What follows is my own reflection on how those themes apply to reaching people experiencing poverty and homelessness at the Medford Gospel Mission. In […]

Gardens have a way of bringing people together. They offer beauty, food, work, purpose, and hope. A garden can become shared ground where people who might not otherwise know one another work side by side. It can invite patience, cooperation, and joy. At its best, a garden is a picture of community. In fact, the

Author’s Note: This article continues a series deeply influenced by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert’s work, especially When Helping Hurts, Becoming Whole, and A Field Guide to Becoming Whole. [1] I am grateful for the theological framework these books provide, and what follows is my own reflection on how those themes apply in the context

Years ago, I received a call from the manager of a local grocery store. He was frustrated, and I understood why. He believed the Mission had his shopping carts. Technically, we did not. But many people came to our shelter carrying their belongings in shopping carts. They arrived looking for a meal, a shower, clothing,

Author’s Note: This article continues a series deeply influenced by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert’s When Helping Hurts, Becoming Whole, and A Field Guide to Becoming Whole. In particular, the framework of poverty as broken relationships with God, self, others, and creation, as well as the emphasis on moving toward wholeness in Christ, comes from

Since writing “More Than a Signature,” the story that prompted my concern has moved from allegation to federal charge. The U.S. Department of Justice has announced that Brenda Lee Brown Armstrong, a longtime ballot initiative signature collector, was charged with paying individuals, including homeless people living on Los Angeles’ Skid Row, to register to vote.

Author’s Note: This article is deeply influenced by the work of Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert, especially the books; When Helping Hurts, Becoming Whole, and A Field Guide to Becoming Whole. I am grateful for the theological framework these books provide, and what follows is my own reflection on how those themes apply in the

Election season is upon us once again, and as usual, people are divided over issues that affect our lives, our community, and our future. Some of those issues are weighty and important, and others are less so. But whether national, state, or local, these issues can either pull neighbors apart or challenge us to think

Have you ever stopped to wonder what causes poverty so deep that people end up homeless? When we look around, we can see many things that are clearly problems. We see addiction. We see mental illness. We see the lack of affordable housing. We see wages that do not stretch far enough. And all of