September 7, 2019
It wasn't too long ago that Lori Laughlin (of Hallmark Channel fame, no less) and Felicity Huffman were headliners in an investigation that revealed they had paid up to $500,000 to get their children accepted into the colleges of their choice. One headline read "Money and Privilege Make Parents Stupid and Dishonest." The headline could have been "How Dumb People Mess Up Their Kids." The term "helicopter parenting" has been replaced by "snowplow parenting."
August 21, 2019
Poverty is a many-headed dragon. Racism, lack of education, generational cultural issues, drugs, incarceration of someone in the family, you name it--it all stands in the way of lifting folks out of poverty and the limits that surround them. From the beginning, UNITE INDY knew that although there were many hands at work in our city, so many of these efforts suffer and many fail due to their lack of the simple supplies and assistance they need every day to do their work, like diapers, or socks, or people to work along side them. To that end, we introduced our Meet The Need web portal. On this site, ministries and charities upload their needs for volunteers and items they require, and the great people of our city have responded...
August 7, 2019
Every year payday loan companies drain $60 million in fees from our communities on the 1.2 million loans they make here. These loans mostly affect those in our urban areas and predominantly people of color. Pretty much, everyone working in the inner-city sees these companies as a cancer that feeds on our most vulnerable citizens. In spite of an annual percentage rate (APR) of 391 percent, these loans are sold as a sensible solution to a short-term financial need...
July 21, 2019
This is a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody. Maybe you've heard it? But have you ever taken it seriously? Ever looked in the mirror and asked yourself, "is this is a story about me?" Well let's read it again: There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have...
July 7, 2019
My granddaughter was making a deal with her younger brother regarding a swimming competition they were about to undertake at the community pool. I had suggested that the smaller child get some kind of handicap so their race would be more fair and after much negotiation, she said to him, "now draw that up and we will sign it." That's the world today...
June 21, 2019
In 2017 I wrote a blog about Brishon Bond and a conversation he had with Jim at our first meeting on racism in Indianapolis. They talked about phrases like "black lives matter" and "white privilege" and how those terms can mean different things to different people. Brishon spoke eloquently, without rancor about a black man's view of the world. It was an important discussion, and provided insight on how things look through the eyes of a man of color. Brishon had served time in prison, so for many of us, he was kind of a rock star--he was our example of the kind of success those who had once been imprisoned could have if given an adequate chance at a normal life...
June 7, 2019
"Beards, they grow on you". -Author unknown
In 2 Samuel 10, King David had sent his envoys into foreign territory. Their reception was not friendly. They were seized, their beards were cut off, and clothes cut short. David's reply upon hearing the news? "Stay there until your beards have grown back....
May 22, 2019
I found this special pronouncement online next to a picture of Jesus. Here it is: "You are going to Hell if you are not a member of our FREE online church The True Body of Christ Restored. You can access our entire website without being a member." I'm no expert, and normally, I won't be telling people what they should and shouldn't believe, but I'm going to go out on a limb here. The folks who put this little message online are either confused, troubled, or possibly just nuts. I listened to their video message and learned that although the website could be viewed for free, (yippee), the part where you "avoid going to hell" requires membership for which you are to pay them $100 every month...
May 7, 2019
How many of us have looked to the heavens and said these words. "Lord, if you really have a plan for us," heal our child, help me with this debt, make the flooding stop, save my marriage. You name it, we've asked.These two kids got a quick and amazing answer when they said those words. One caveat: If you are skeptical of the power of God, you should stop reading. You won't like this story...
April 21, 2019
Motivational speaker Wayne Dyer said that a lot of people drag a big bag of muck around with them everywhere they go. It is the rotted accumulation of all the disappointment, frustration, unfair things, and loss that they have experienced in their lives. Sometimes it even holds difficulties faced by past generations.So, they walk around with their bag and once in a while they take out a handful and kind of smear it on themselves so people can see how awful events have been for them...
