http://jesusmanifesto.disqus.com/following the way of Jesus in the land of our captivityenThu, 22 May 2008 07:55:15 -0000http://www.jesusmanifesto.com/2008/05/20/identity-in-poverty-blessed-are-the-poor-in-spirit/#comment-509210Oh yes, that downward mobility thing. This is such a tough subject, and you've tackled with grace and humility. I'm trying to learn those traits, as suggesting that I should help to "make affluence history" more so than "make poverty history" seems ludicrous to most people I talk to. I worry that much of our ministry to the poor is out of pity that they can't live better lives...i.e. lives like ours. While at the same time, I've heard people use this same reasoning to remain apathetic and disengaged, usually sighting Jesus' words (out of context) that "the poor will always be among you" as a reason to not try so hard.MichaelClineThu, 22 May 2008 07:55:15 -0000http://www.jesusmanifesto.com/2008/05/20/identity-in-poverty-blessed-are-the-poor-in-spirit/#comment-506946How can you? Start by inviting them over for dinner. One by one that is what we're trying to do; the elderly couple on our one side, the Somali Muslim family on the other, the lone woman across the way, the gay couple my wife nannies for. It's a stretch but how can we do less? It's one way to start, to grow, to love.hewhocutsdownWed, 21 May 2008 19:57:40 -0000