welfare redefined

My friend Shanna shared this song with me.
Keith Naylor is a singer she knows from Indiana.

Lyrics to Keith Naylor's Song: Spring Street

"Hey mister do you have a dime?
Do you have a dime?
That’s all I need for my train fare.

I lost my job and my wife’s real sick
And my baby owes more than I can pay

And I smell the scent of Listerine
And the baby steps of a well planned scheme

And I wonder
Oh I wondered why my God is here,
I wondered why he needed a beer in the winter

Hey Jesus with your worn out clothes
And your scattered mind
What you doing on Spring Street?

Of all the people you could be
Do you have to be a disguise so distressing?

So I held out my hand to my new found friend
Side by side we walked to the Crystal

As we talked and as we ate
He forgot his scam and I lost my hate for the winter

I smelled the scent of love unseen
The longing of a heart that clean
And I wondered
I wondered why my God was here,
I wondered how he took my fear
Yes I wondered

Hey Jesus with your worn out clothes
And your scattered mind
What you doing on Spring Street?

Of all the people you could be
Do you have to be a disguise so distressing?

Hey mister do you have the time? Do you have the time?
I think I’m late for my train here
Thank you so much you’ve been more than kind and if you don’t mind
Could you spare me a nickel?

I spelled the scent of Listerine
And I gave the man the last of my change and I wondered

I wondered why my God was here
I wondered why he let me near
Yes I wondered

Hey Jesus with your worn out clothes
and your scattered mind
what you doing on Spring Street?

Of all the people you could be
Do you have to be a disguise so distressing?


I turned and walked away to my car
Met a man I had seen before and he asked me
Hey mister do you have a dime? Do you have a dime?"


Living in the city I am often stuck at the crossroads of questioning people motives .It is always important to have a healthy sense of discernment. Yet, I don't want to have my eyes blinded as I walk through life . Last year I went to a talk by a woman who works for a well known homeless advocacy agency in the twin cities. She advised us to refrain from giving money or food to the homeless carrying signs by the freeway ramps. She said the best thing to do is simply acknowledge their presence rather than awkwardly avoiding eye contact. I still wrestle with that.

Weekly I face the tension of telling an individual "no", or giving them a few dimes or a quarter for their "fare."

I often will never know what an individual might do with a few quarters for a "bus fare." A few months ago an individual was walking up and down our street asking if they could get 75 cents for yard work. They were trying to get enough money for the homeless shelter 30 day stay fee. I gave this person some change and they did a wonderful job raking our yard. Who knows if they used the money for their shelter fee. Yet Jesus asks us to give more than what is asked of us... Call me foolish...

In one of my favorite books of all time " Theirs is the Kingdom-Celebrating the Gospel in Urban America" Robert Lupton writes about welfare being redefined.He writes " Let the 'haves' work in partnership with the 'have nots'. each bringing something of value to contribute. Develop a system of reciprocity that gives poor people the dignity of earning and produces in the giver a sense of indebtedness and gratitude. Let the system be small and manageable so that accountability and integrity can be maintained. Let it be a personable system in which rich and poor touch each other's lives, where their values collide so that both are changed. And when you see pride return to the eyes of the young, and when the affluent offer with appreciation fair compensation for a job well done, you will know that you have created a model of community that is worthy to be called welfare."

The thought of reciprocity doesn't always make sense to me, and it is often difficult. It is often a matter of living the questions.
Their isn't an easy answer.....

I don't believe in handouts...
I believe in advocacy, dignity, justice, and empowering people.
Most of all I value building relationships and truly knowing each other's story.
Yet... often situations don't have a formula or a guidebook... Life in the urban context is filled with the collision of cultures and experiences.