I have no idea what it’s like to be born underprivileged – to be raised without any example of work ethic or money management or hope for the future. I don’t know what it feels like to be a minority, to be overlooked, to be ignored. Having worked with ministries that reach out to the marginalized, my heart has been broken for people whose story is different from mine. Compassion is key. I can’t fix every problem. I can, however, suspend judgment & love people.

Gregory Boyle’s book “Tattoos On The Heart” is an incredible story of a man who wanted to see change take place for L.A.’s drug-dealing, gang-banging population. His tagline is “Jobs Not Jails.” Something he discovered quickly is that speeches, lectures, & advice wouldn’t change anything. He had to hire these guys, because nobody else would. He created Homeboy Industries – started a bakery, & began giving jobs to guys who only knew life on the streets. Anyway, it’s my favorite book I’ve read all year & I can’t stop recommending it.

America has plenty of success stories – of people who worked hard, picked themselves up by their boostraps & made a name for themselves. It also has a bloody dark side: slavery, oppression, intolerance, racism… the powerful taking advantage of the weak. That doesn’t look like Jesus & never will.

I do believe Jesus sides with the oppressed, the weak, the sinner, the broken, & the poor. For the privileged & the righteous & the strong & the powerful & the rich, there comes a great responsibility… to humble ourselves & care for “the least of these.”