Some Books Are Like This...

This is a book that our local radio station DJs started talking about back in December. I've listened to their powerful testimony about just how the book moved them. I immediately put it on my "must read" list. But, I didn't get to it until two weeks ago. Here's a description from the Internet:

A modern-day slave and an international art dealer are bound together by a dying woman's faith. Will Ron, the art dealer, be able to embrace Denver, who's been homeless for almost 20 years? Will Denver learn to trust a white man? There's pain and laughter, doubt and tears, and in the end a triumphal story.

This book is amazing! It really tells the story of the unlikely intersection of these two lives. It makes the reader step inside her head and see just what beliefs, profiles, and maybe even prejudices still reside there. I haven't quite finished it...but I am close.

Yesterday, these two men who have developed a unique and authentic friendship were here in our city. They did a book signing. I had the pleasure of meeting them both there. They are delightful people. And the truth is, they, and their story have tugged my heartstrings. I've always had a passion for the "underdogs" of the world. Their story, though, has helped me see that you sometimes have to "roll up your sleeves and get dirty" with those in need. We can't just give cursory service at holidays or other times to feed our own need to SAY we helped.

Yet, I wonder just how often this happens for me. I give a bag of clothes and am satisfied with myself...yet, I've never offered to go down to the shelter and comb hair or help someone pick out their clothes or paint fingernails or anything else. I see the men standing on the street corner in our less desirable section of town and I check to make sure my doors are locked.

The beauty of this story is that Ron Hall was the same. He knew he could write a check for the homeless shelter that could make a difference. Instead, his wife, who KNEW we were supposed to be the hands and feet of Jesus, wanted to go there and interact with the people. She knew they needed to sit and listen and just BE with them. She knew that they needed to offer hope and help to those in need. And you can't do that, in the truest sense, from the "donation vantage point". You have to be willing to get in there and take action.

If you have not read this book, I suggest you think about it. Read the words of the International Art Dealer, Ron Hall, as he learns to reach out and offer hope to the hopeless. Read the words of Denver Moore, a "modern-day" slave, who spent his life as a Louisiana share-cropper and homeless man. Marinate in their words as their lives and their mission intersects with each other.

I'm not quite finished, but the truth is, I couldn't wait to finish to be able to share the beauty of the story.

May we all find ways to interact with those who are "the least". Blessings.