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Articles by Meghann Cotter
Jeremiah’s journey shows the power of building trust
It was Christmas Eve of 2020, and downtown Fredericksburg was nearly silent. kAmx D2E H:E9 y6C6>:29 36?62E9 E96 v2==6C:2 @G6C92?8 — E96 A2G6>6?E 96 925 42==65 9@>6 7@C >F49 @7 af J62CD — 2?5 368865 9:> E@ 2446AE E96 2A2CE>6?E H6 925 C6?E65 7@C 9:>]k^Am kAmw6 BF:6E=J 564=:?65[ 2D 96 925 6G6CJ @E96C ?:89E D:?46 H6 E@@< @? 2 =62D6 :?
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Many unhoused workers face early mornings waiting for day labor jobs only to receive equal pay as those who arrive later, illustrating a powerful message of unexpected generosity rather than fairness, reflecting God's abundant grace and valuing each person's worth regardless of their arrival time or effort.
Grace and generosity in the lives of unhoused day laborers
Many unhoused neighbors spend ridiculously early hours waiting around at day labor businesses. It is often a 4 or 5 a.m. wake-up call to be one of the first to arrive, only to be sent out for a measly $50 day’s work. kAmx>28:?6 7@C 2 >@>6?E E92E J@F 2C6 E92E =23@C6C — 2CC:G:?8 62C=J :? E96 >@C?:?8[ 52J 27E6C 52J] |2J36 J@F 92G6 6G6? 366? A2DD65 @G6C 7@C H66<D @? 6?5] %96?[ @?6 >@C?:?8[ 2?
A new approach to homelessness calls for justice and mercy
The job coach handed a 52-year-old man a blue checkered polo shirt. She suggested he take off his hat, helped him into a black blazer, and led him to a mirror. kAm“(9@ :D %wp%n” 96 6I4=2:>65]k^Am kAmw6 =@@<65 282:?] “|6n %92E’D >6n”k^Am kAm$@@?[ 96 H2D DECFEE:?8 E9C@F89 E96 3F:=5:?8[ :?EC@5F4:?8 9:>D6=7 E@ DE277 2D E9@F89 E96J H6C6 >66E:?8 9:> 7@C E96 7:CDE E:>6]k^Am kAm%96? 96 5:D2AA62C65]k^Am kAmp H9:=6 =2E6C[ x 7@F?5 9:> — D@33:?8 :? 2 3C@@> 4=@D6E] x D2E 5@H? @? E96 7=@@C 36D:56 9:>[ 2?5 96 3682?
A community song reminds us of belonging and forgiveness
There is a story about an African community in which every child is given a song. kAm%96 D@?8 :D DF?8 2E 3:CE9[ :? 46=63C2E:@?[ 2?5 :? E:>6D @7 A2:?] x7 E96 A6CD@? =@D6D E96:C H2J[ E96 4@>>F?:EJ 82E96CD — ?@E E@ AF?:D9 @C D92>6 E96>[ 3FE E@ D:?8 E96:C D@?8 2?5 C6>:?5 E96> H9@ E96J 2C6]k^Am kAm%96 :562 :D D:>A=6 2?5 362FE:7F=i (96? J@F C64@8?:K6 J@FC @H? D@?8[ J@F C6>6>36C H9@ J@F 2C6 2?5 E@ H9@> J@F 36=@?8]k^Am kAm(6 4@F=5 FD6 >@C6 @7 E92E C6>6>36C:?8]k^Am kAmx?
God’s parable reminds us faith grows even in rocky places
I was on borrowed time. kAm|J 7=:89E 7@C 2 =@?8\2H2:E65 G242E:@? H@F=5 56A2CE 62C=J E96 ?6IE >@C?:?8] |J 72>:=J[ A24<65 2?5 C625J 2E 9@>6[ H2D 8C@H:?8 :>A2E:6?E] qFE x H2D 46CE2:? x 4@F=5 >2<6 :E :? 2?5 @FE @7 %y |p)) :? F?56C 2? 9@FC]k^Am kAmp7E6C 2 7CF:E=6DD EC62DFC6 9F?E[ x 564:565 E@ >2<6 @?6 >@C6 =2A 2C@F?5 E96 DE@C6 — :?
Finding treasure in the small things that god values most
What is something good that lies deep inside you? kAm|2J36 :E :D D@ D>2== E92E @E96CD 42??@E D66 :E[ 3FE J@F <?@H E92E :E :D ECF6]k^Am kAm%9C@F89 2 >FDE2C5 D665[ J62DE[ 9:556? EC62DFC6[ 2 A62C=[ 2?5 2 5C28?6E 7F== @7 7:D9[ y6DFD 2D<D FD W|2EE96H `bX E@ A2J 2EE6?E:@?
A child’s wisdom shows the heart of Christianity and care
Although the dunes cast a healthy afternoon shadow on the shoreline, evening beachgoers still hover to soak up what remains of the day’s fading sun. kAm%96 E:56 7@C467F==J DH2==@HD E96 D2?5 2? :?49 2E 2 E:>6[ H9:=6 8F==D D?24< 6286C=J @? H92E’D =67E @7 62C=:6C A:4?:4D] r9:=5C6? 42DE E96:C <:E6D :?E@ E96 2:C[ 42AEFC:?8 E96 >28?:7:46?46 @7 E96 H:?5] {:768F2C5D 8:G6 @?6 =2DE =@@< 2E H92E’D 92AA6?:?8 :? E96 H2E6C] %96 D62 :D D@ 4=62C 2?5 E96 D<J D@ 3=F6 E92E @?=J E96 EF83@2ED 8=:5:?8 @? E96 9@C:K@? 42?
Word on the Street: A newborn’s cry taught me to welcome holy disruption
It is not the first cry of my new baby that I most remember. It is the one that came after the doctors had left, the nurses had returned to their rounds, and my husband had stepped out in search of something to eat. It is not the first cry of my new baby that I most remember. It is the one that came after everyone left. Suddenly, it is apparent that everything is going to be different. kAmxE :D ;FDE E96 <:5 2?5 >6 :? E96 C@@> ?@H] |J 962CE :D 7F== @7 ?@DE2=8:2 7@C E9:D AC64:@FD 3236[ 2?5 x 3C62E96 :?
Word on the Street: Finding strength in darkness through Mother Teresa’s story
On a lazy Saturday evening, I went in search of a good Netflix watch. kAms@4F>6?E2C:6D @7 2?J EJA6 2C6 FDF2==J ?@E >J E9:?8] qFE @? E9:D A2CE:4F=2C 6G6?:?8[ x 42>6 24C@DD 2? :?EC:8F:?8 DE@CJ 23@FE E96 =6EE6CD |@E96C %6C6D2 HC@E6 E9C@F89@FE 96C =:76 2?5 >:DD:@?]k^Am kAm(9:=6 E96 42?@?:K65 r2E9@=:4 ?F? :D 36DE <?@H? E@ E96 H@C=5 2D 2 A6246>2<6C[ 962=6C 2?5 2 7:?6 6I2>A=6 @7 H92E :E >62?D E@ =@G6 E96 =62DE[ E96 EH@\9@FC 5C2>2 56E2:=D 2 >@C6 :?E:>2E6[ 9F>2?
Word on the Street: Who’s really homeless? It may not be who you think
In the book "Beyond Homelessness," theologians Brian Walsh and Stephen Bouma-Prediger tell the story of two men: Kenny and Kenneth. kAm%96J 2C6 ?6:893@CD[ 3FE D66>:?8=J E96J 5@ ?@E 92G6 2 =@E :? 4@>>@?]k^Am kAmz6??6E9 :D DF446DD7F= — 96 92D 2 4@CA@C2E6 ;@3[ EC2G6=D 36EH66?
Word on the Street: Snowstorm shifts roles as Fredericksburg’s unhoused neighbors step up
Fredericksburg had frozen over. kAm%96 E9:4<?6DD @7 y24< uC@DE’D 3=2DE 925 244@>>@52E65 H96C6 244F>F=2E:@? F?56CA6C7@C>65]k^Am kAmx? EJA:42= D?@H 52J EC25:E:@?[ >6>36CD @7 E96 |:429 4@>>F?:EJ H6C6 4=2>@C:?8 7@C D9@G6=D 2E E96 7:CDE D:8? @7 7=2<6D] $?@H D:8?2=D 9@E 4@4@2 2?5 ;2>>:6D[ 52JD @77 7C@> D49@@= 2?5 2? 6I4FD6 E@ DE2J @77 E96 C@25D 7@C >2?J @7 FD[ 3FE H96? J@F =:G6 H:E9 J@FC 324< 282:?DE E96 8C@F?5 :E >62?D “>@?6J]”k^Am kAm~FC F?9@FD65 ?6:893@CD >:89E DECF88=6 E@ 7:?5 DE625J H@C<[ 3FE 3@J[ 42?
I needed to visit Robbie for several weeks. kAm(96? 96 >@G65 7C@> |:429’D C6DA:E6 9@FD6 E@ 2 ?FCD:?8 9@>6[ x AC@>:D65 96 H@F=5 ?@E 36 7@C8@EE6?] qFE :? E96 3FDJ?6DD @7 =625:?8 2 J@F?8 ?@?AC@7:E[ C2:D:?8 >@?6J 2?5 =62C?:?8 E96 >2?J E9:?8D x 925 E@ =62C? 23@FE 42C:?8 7@C F?9@FD65 ?6:893@CD[ E:>6 8@E 2H2J 7C@> >6] x ?66565 E@ 8@] x E9@F89E 23@FE :E 52:=J[ 2?5 >@DE :>A@CE2?E=J[ x 925 AC@>:D65 9:> 2 A:?E @7 r9F?<J |@?<6J :46 4C62> H96? x 42>6]k^Am kAm%96 52J 42>6 H96?
Word on the Street: A story of judgment, faith and noticing those we pass by
My first apartment was in downtown Fredericksburg. kAm~? 2 52:=J 32D:D[ 6DA64:2==J H96? :E H2D H2C> @FE[ >2?J A6@A=6 H@F=5 H2=< FA >J DEC66E E@ 2446DD E96 ?62C3J 42?2= A2E9]k^Am kAmxE H2D ?@E F?E:= x 3682? G@=F?E66C:?8 2E 2 4@>>F?:EJ 5:??6C 9@DE65 3J 2 5@H?E@H? 49FC49 E92E x ?@E:465 2 A2CE:4F=2C >2? H9@ H2=<65 3J ?62C=J 6G6CJ 52J[ 6G6? H96? :E H2D 4@=5 @FED:56]k^Am kAm{2>@?E H2D 2 3:8[ 3FC=J 8FJ] w6 5:5?’E 42CCJ 2 =@E H:E9 9:>[ 3FE E96 @?6 328 96 5:5 92G6 H2D @7E6? @G6C=@2565[ 5:CEJ[ E@C?
Word on the Street:
A strange snow fell on our city one March as I accompanied the sister of a recently deceased member of our Micah community to the campsite where her brother had last stayed. kAmq6D:56D E96 7=F77J H9:E6 DEF77 H6 6IA6C:6?465 E92E 52J[ E96 E6>A6C2EFC6D 925 366? A@AA:?8 :?E@ E96 f_D @?=J 52JD AC:@C] %96 3C@E96C[ y:>[ 925 C6EFC?65 E@ E96 DEC66E 2D @FC H:?E6C D96=E6C 6?565]k^Am kAm%92E 7:CDE ?:89E 324< @FED:56[ y:> 925 DE2CE65 2 42>A7:C6 :? E96 A=246 H96C6 E96J 365565 5@H?] w:D 42>A>2E6 H2D 2D=66A :?
Word on the Street: Come and see my 'neighborhood' for yourself
Some things are too complex to explain in words. kAm(96? x 42?’E 86E >J A@:?E 24C@DD :? H@C5D[ x 5C2H A:4EFC6D]k^Am kAm(96? E96 A:4EFC6D 5@?’E 4@?G6J[ x 5@ H92E6G6C x 42? E@ :?G:E6 A6@A=6 :?E@ E96 DE@CJ]k^Am kAmx’G6 2D<65 A6@A=6 E@ ;@:? >6 2E 2 4@>>F?:EJ >62=] x’G6 H2=<65 A6@A=6 :?E@ E96 H@@5D E@ D92C6 E96 6IA6C:6?46 @7 =:G:?8 @FED:56] x’G6 D6?E 6=64E65 @77:4:2=D @?
Word on the Street: 'Merry Christmas. I love you. That’s all.'
The old man had an attitude before I even showed up. By the time he got in my car, he had more than choice words for me and everyone else he would encounter that morning. kAmx D9@F=5 D6E >J 2=2C> 62C=:6C]k^Am kAmw:D A=246 E@ =:G6 925 AC@3=6>D]k^Am kAmp?5 :7 :E H6C6?’E 7@C >6[ >2J36 9:D <?66 H@F=5?’E 9FCE D@ >F49]k^Am kAm(6 H2=<65 :?E@ $EC66E r9FC49 H:E9 A=6?EJ @7 E:>6 E@ 62E 3C62<72DE 367@C6 H@CD9:A] qFE 3C62<72DE E92E >@C?:?8 H2D >F77:?D 2?5 5@?FED GD] E96 A2?42<6D 2?5 324@? 96 925 366?
Word on the Street: Community is about togetherness, love and sharing
"His small heart grew three sizes that day. Then the true meaning of Christmas came through"; and Zacchaeus … I mean the Grinch … "found the strength of ten Grinches, plus two!" kAmxE :D?’E sC] $F6DD]k^Am kAmxE’D E96 DE@CJ @7 2 >2? H9@ 925 E2<6? 6G6CJE9:?8 7C@> E96 E@H?DA6@A=6[ 2?5 9@H 96 H2D EC2?D7@C>65 3J 2? 6?4@F?E6C H:E9 E96 @C:8:?2= “r9C:DE”>2D]k^Am kAmxE :D 92C5 7@C >6[ 2E E:>6D[ E@ C6>6>36C E92E y6DFD 96=5 ;FDE 2D >F49 4@?46C? 7@C E96 H62=E9J 2?5 A@H6C7F= :?
Word on the Street: Embrace Christmas by truly seeing those in need
A downtown business owner texted in a panic after encountering a young girl sleeping in a car near her shop. kAm“x 4@F=5 ?@E 5C:G6 2H2J H:E9@FE 4964<:?8 @? 96C 2?5 :?EC@5F4:?8 >JD6=7[” D96 HC@E6] “x ;FDE ?66565 E@ E6== J@F 23@FE 96C 3642FD6 x <?@H :ED 8@??2 DE2CE E@ 86E 4@=5 D@@?]”k^Am kAm$96 AC@466565 E@ E6== >6 E96 8:C=’D ?2>6 2?5 D@>6 @7 E96 E9:?8D D96 925 =62C?65 23@FE 96C] x <?6H 96C[ 2?5 x H2D 23=6 E@ 2DDFC6 E96 D9@A @H?6C E92E 96=A H2D :?
Word on the Street: Choose to see the value in everyone around you this season
Some time back, I watched a friend in need attempt to repair five years worth of disintegrating relationships. The library, a local gymnasium, a number of area businesses and even her family had cut off ties in response to her boisterously disruptive behavior. kAm$96’5 A:4<65 FA 4C:>:?2= 492C86D — 2 76H ?F:D2?46 G:@=2E:@?D[ 2 EC6DA2DD:?8 @C EH@ 2?5 2? 2DD2F=E @? 2? @77:46C] pE E:>6D[ 6G6? E96 286?4:6D ECJ:?8 E@ 96=A 96C 925 366? =67E H:E9 =:EE=6 49@:46 E92?
Word on the Street: Dancing with God in spite of darkness because the light will come
It is the most exciting time to be a Christian. kAmx D2J E92E 2D 9F?5C65D @7 A6@A=6 x =@G6 2C6 2E C:D< @7 =@D:?8 962=E9 42C6 2?5 7@@5 2DD:DE2?46]k^Am kAmx D2J E92E 2D 9@>6=6DD D6CG:46 @C82?:K2E:@?D 24C@DD E96 4@F?ECJ[ :?4=F5:?8 >:?6[ 92G6 366? ?@E:7:65 E92E EH@\E9:C5D @7 E96:C 9@FD:?8 E6?2?ED >FDE =62G6 E96:C F?:ED] p== @7 E96> 92G6 A2==:2E:G6 5:D23:=:E:6D[ =:EE=6 E@ ?@ DFAA@CE DJDE6> 2?5 E96J =:G6 @? 2AAC@I:>2E6=J S`___ 2 >@?E9 :?
Word on the Street: The journey to God's grace can be frustrating, but exercise patience
During communion at church worship service one Sunday, a little girl came to the altar with her mother. kAm$96 42F89E >J 2EE6?E:@?[ ?@E @?=J 3642FD6 D96 H2D J@F?8 — >2J36 6:89E @C D@] $96 925 2 76CG6?E J62C?:?8 :? 96C @FEDEC6E4965 2C>D[ 4FAA65 92?5D 2?E:4:A2E:?8 E96 3@5J @7 r9C:DE] $96 <?6H H92E D96 H2D 5@:?8[ 2D :E 925 =:<6=J 366? >@56=65 7@C 96C >2?J E:>6D 367@C6]k^Am kAm%96 A2DE@C >256 9:D H2J 2C@F?5[ A=24:?8 2 4@>>F?:@? H276C :? 6249 A2:C @7 25F=E 92?5D]k^Am kAm“%96 3@5J @7 r9C:DE 3C@<6?
Word on the Street: Trust in God will help you face the fires of life
My grandfather was a larger than life kind of guy. So important to so many that, even seven years after his death, I’m still stopped by those who want me to know how they admired him. kAm!6@A=6 C6>6>36C E96 8:2?E @7 2 >2? H9@ DFCG:G65 !62C= w2C3@C[ 6I46==65 :? E96 uqx 2?5 4@F?D6=65 D@ >2?J 2D 2? 24256>J 5:C64E@C 2?5 =2E6C 4@==686 25G:D@C] qFE H92E E96J 5@ ?@E C642== H2D E92E 7:?2= 564256 @7 9:D =:76[ H96C6 2 EC2F>2E:4 3C2:? 96>@CC9286 D6?E 9:> DA:C2=:?8 :?E@ 2 D96== @7 2 >2?
Word on the Street: Challenging your perspective can show you a new path
What do you see when you look at a magic eye image? As hard as I try, I’ve never been able to see anything. I can look cross-eyed. I can stare at it for a long time. I can try different angles, but the picture never comes together for me. It’s a struggle for my eyes to see what the artist intended. To me, it’s just a two-dimensional picture to frustrate me. I’ve resolved, that I have two choices. I can stay frustrated, jealous that others can see something that I cannot. I can focus on my struggle.
Word on the Street: Faithfully helping those who are lost and forgotten
In the helping profession, there is an often-embraced motif that the helper should never work harder than the person being helped. There are plenty of arguments for this. People need to be active participants in their own healing. Maintaining the support role keeps the helper from being so entangled in the personal struggle that they can no longer be helpful. And the needs of the masses never match the resources available.
Word on the Street: Making the best of a narrow and hard road
Every year, there is a city leader who participates in the community’s annual point in time count. That is the one-day census, in which our community counts the number of people in shelters and places not meant for human habitation on a given night. Volunteers canvas the community, sometimes in the wee hours of the morning, looking under bridges, in parks or other spots that our unhoused neighbors are known to spend the night.
Word on the Street: Watch for opportunities to heal self, others along life's path
The afternoon sun warmed the downtown sidewalks as Black Friday shoppers strolled through the historic district. There were sales to find, Thanksgiving leftovers to eat and relatives to entertain. No one had time to notice the comatose man who had curled up on a bed of mulch in a church parking lot. If they did, the brief acknowledgment left them considering him an unwanted stranger rather than neighbor in need.
Word on the Street: We are, all of us, unfinished clay on God's pottery wheel
One of my favorite pieces of pottery is an ornate yellow pitcher, delicately painted with sunflowers. I bought it in Tuscany, while traveling with my mother and sister a few months before my son was born. I remember how carefully the store clerk had to wrap it up to protect it for our long journey home.
Word on the Street: God wants our trust, not our treasures
When I was a little girl, I was inspired by the story of one of the first known female reporters, Elizabeth Cochran. It wasn’t kosher for women to write or report the news at that time, so she went by a code name Nellie Bly. One of the stories she is most known for is an undercover journalism exercise, in which she became a patient in a mental hospital.
Word on the Street: When things seem dark, keep listening for the holy spirit
On a lazy Saturday evening, I went in search of a good Redbox flick. Documentaries of any type are usually not my thing. But on this particular evening, I came across an intriguing story about the letters Mother Teresa wrote throughout her life and mission. While the canonized Catholic nun is most known to the world as peacemaker, healer and fine example of what it means to love the least, the two-hour drama details a more intimate, human face of the idolized servant.
Word on the Street: God's plan may be revealed through prayer during times of worry
As an idealistic college student, I attended a banquet where American aid worker Heather Mercer told her story. Heather had gone to Afghanistan in early 2001 to work for a faith-based humanitarian aid group. But as her team distributed blankets, food and basic care to the Afghani people, they shared their faith and were consequentially imprisoned. The 105-day ordeal stretched well into the aftermath of September 11, and could have easily resulted in their deaths.
Word on the Street: Some in need finding their place
The way our unhoused neighbors interact with Micah Street Church always intrigues me. Many find comfort in the uniquely designed worship circle. A wooden cross carved from a tree trunk sits at the center, accompanied by a single candle that invites the light of Christ to be with us each week. Others linger at the breakfast tables just beyond the serving line. They are close enough to hear and share the worship experience; but they are still far enough away to disassociate.
Word on the Street: 'We may all be one' by loving one another
Somehow, distinguishing between the deserving and undeserving poor has become a fad. We have empathy for families with children. But our hearts grow cold for the middle-aged man whose traumatic childhood left him floundering on a path of addiction, incarceration and mental illness. We ache for the teachers and public safety professionals who cannot afford to buy a house in the city they serve.
Word on the Street: Consider what a sense of community can do for those in need
I am often incensed by the common misconception that homelessness, for some, is a choice. “All we can do is provide resources,” they say. “People have to be motivated to accept them.” “I can’t work harder than my client,” they say. “They don’t want help,” they say. “People have free will,” they say. Or the kicker, “if they suffer long enough, perhaps they will make different choices.” Maybe. But in my experience, suffering leads more to hopelessness than it does to self-help.
Word on the Street: On your journey in faith, take the time you need
The weather was perfect, and the crowd was plentiful that Good Friday afternoon. Participants took turns carrying the heavy wooden cross between significant stations in downtown Fredericksburg, meant to symbolize the various events that happened on Jesus’s walk to the crucifixion. On the fringes, I noticed several of our unhoused neighbors walking with us. And more joined us along the way. As we passed through the jail alley and crossed Hanover to stand in front of city hall, my phone began pinging.
Word on the Street:
Springtime always feels the same for me. The cold weather shelter closes. Daffodils break free from their long winter’s nap. Warming temperatures bring out the shorts and T-shirts. With them comes a rise in police reports on homelessness, photo dumps of unwanted places that unhoused neighbors are sleeping and requests for some kind of mass camp-clearing activity.
Word on the Street: Fill your garden with authority by building relationships in community
My confession is that I like to think I have it all worked out. I like to know where I’m going. I like to believe I’m accomplishing something. And the best feeling in the world is a “to do” list and the sound of my pencil crossing something off. The problem, when it comes to big world problems, is that I think I can tackle those too with a list, a policy, a plan, a deadline, a class or a quota. I think I can end homelessness. I think I can personally free someone from addiction.
Word on the Street: Are you ready to wander with Jesus into the fray of life?
A strange snow fell on our city one March as I accompanied the sister of a recently deceased member of our Micah community to the campsite where her brother had last stayed. Besides the fluffy white stuff we experienced that day, the temperatures had been popping into the 70s only days prior. The brother, Jim, had returned to the street as our winter shelter hotel rooms ended for the season. That first night back outside, Jim had started a campfire in the place that they bedded down.
Word on the Street:
There is a photo in the 1989 North Stafford High School yearbook of a brown-eyed, bushy-haired junior. There isn’t much on record of him in school years before or after, but at least for this moment in time we can set a mile post in a mysterious journey that most of our community does not even know it has taken part.
Word on the Street: Meet our neighbors in their level place
As the snow fell on Fredericksburg this week, a crowd of unhoused neighbors sought refuge in a church fellowship hall. A dozen or so napped around the periphery. A fierce game of Uno unfolded at a nearby table, while others drowned themselves in coffee and snack food. After a bit of debate, several of the young’uns negotiated a basketball from the supervising staff, and the game began. For a few short hours, a handful of grown men twisted and turned, bobbed and weaved across the court.
Word on the Street: 'Get proximate' to people who are suffering
I have two children. The depths of love I have for both of them is deep and wide and by all intents and purposes equal. Yet, the ways in which I, as their mother, am called to care for them are drastically different. The 3-year-old is quite possibly developmentally advanced. He has a sharp eye for puzzles. He practically packs his own lunchbox, picks out his own clothes and usually reminds me when and how we are supposed to do things. The 9-year-old, while wicked smart, struggles deeply.
Word on the Street: Changing the world with a song in our heart
Have you ever noticed the songs that accompany humanity’s cry for justice, kindness and humility? Songs capture the heart of people seeking to change their circumstances. They have a reputation of inspiring, mobilizing, uniting and igniting the common good. Years after an injustice has been resolved, it is the battle cry of musical resistance that summons a nostalgia for what has been accomplished; and sometimes the work still yet to be resolved.
Word on the Street:
In my office, I keep an earthy-green crocheted afghan draped over the back of a futon. I love the color, its soft texture; most importantly, I love the story it represents. It was created by a woman I got to know in my early years of ministry. Tammy, whose street name was “lil bit,” was a tiny, frail woman whose mobility issues often kept her from mobilizing out of some of the rough places she would sleep at night.
Word on the Street: Giving thanks to God this holiday season
I know you think Thanksgiving is not too far off, but for those of us in helping careers, I’m here to tell you we’ve been celebrating for weeks. Even before the ghosts and goblins make their Halloween debut, the calls come pouring in with holiday cheer. And I promise they’ll be steady until the dust settles sometime between Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve. “Thanksgiving should be a day we give back,” they say. “How can we help you on Nov.
What kind of home do we want God to find
Begin with the end in mind. It is habit two of Stephen Covey’s “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.” Essentially, it points to the importance of always knowing where you are headed so that the steps you take are always moving in the right direction. “People are working harder than ever, but because they lack clarity and vision, they aren’t getting very far,” Covey says. “They, in essence, are pushing a rope with all their might.” You cannot create what you cannot imagine.
Word on the Street: Remembering those we lost on Micah Community All Saints' Day
The morning after Lisa died, I followed her two scrawny fur-balls into my backyard. The small Chihuahua and terrier-mix had meant too much to her. I could not bring myself to let animal control take them into custody on my watch. So, they had come home with me until I could figure out what was next for them. I sat on the back stoop as Ms. Belle and Bella snuffed around in the grass. These two were not the first of Lisa’s puppies. She had battled the outdoors for seven years with another pup in tow.
Word on the Street: Eternal life
The sun set over Portland, Oregon, as I walked back to my hotel on the last night of a conference weekend. By no surprise, my travel to major cities is not usually wrapped in curiosity for architecture, food, entertainment or tourist traps. I want to know about their homeless population. Oregon, which has earned its place this year from the floor of the Supreme Court to the front pages of national newspapers, has most recently captured my imagination.
Word on the Street: Be the soil and help seeds to grow
As an advocate for the least, lost and left out, I am often pigeon-holed as only caring about “those” people—the chronically homeless, the addicted, the sick and otherwise undesirable. If someone’s practicality is disrupted enough by my advocacy, they might even ask why a person who has had three chances should continue to be accepted when there are plenty of people who haven’t had one chance.
Word on the Street: Mercy over judgment
A few weeks ago at celebration of life for a longtime friend of Micah, the officiating pastor told the story of a time he encountered the recently deceased woman in Costco. The woman, who happened to be a distant relative of his, was wandering around the mall parking lot when he arrived for some weekly shopping. She followed him in the store in hopes of piggy-backing on his good nature for a bite to eat.
Word on the Street: The giving tree
If Scott were still alive, he would want me to say I was his best friend. The true story is that he was the best friend, and I was merely someone who happened to be blessed by his friendship. I knew Scott for a long time before I truly realized how serious he was about being my friend. Scott liked to find things and buy things that he thought I or my children needed—ice cream, cupcakes, whipped cream, thrift store jewelry, coupons.
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