I am not saying there are not some good Christians in the city. I was speaking with some of them today (Sunday January 22,2006). They were not in a church with a group of their fellows proclaiming themselves christians and asserting their love of God. Rather, they were outside taking food to the hungry. This congregation rents space for their services, hoping one day to be able to afford their own place of worship. This day is further away than it could be because they have chosen to use resources to help feed the homeless and the hungry. Over the past year and more I have come into contact with many diverse Christians. Some I admit I have deep philosophical differences with, some I differ on basic beliefs with and some I share spiritual ground with. BUT the one thing all these diverse Christians have in common that I cannot argue with is that they live their faith. Not with loud words proclaiming their Christianity (OK some get a little loud and rambunctious) but through their actions. Christ chased the money-lenders from the temple and chastised those who only proclaimed their faith in church but failed to live their faith out in the world. I wonder what he would think of the majority of those who would claim to be christian but choose not to live their faith in their daily lives?

As stated, I am not saying there are not some good Christians in this city, just that the poor christians would appear to have them vastly outnumbered. What do I base this on? Observation and the fact that to me actions are far more revealing of what people are truly like than all their pious words.

We have in fact, two kinds of morality, side by side: one that we preach, but do not practice, and another that we practice, but seldom preach.

Bertrand Russell

We have too many high sounding words, and too few actions that correspond with them.

Abigail Adams

We citizens are the city and we must accept responsibility for the actions that the city undertakes. When the City begins to act in a manner that inflicts harm upon the less fortunate members of our society, it is up to us to require the City to act in a manner reflecting the citizens beliefs about acceptable behaviour. It is not acceptable to sit back and do nothing.

A person may cause evil to others not only by his actions but by his inaction, and in either case he is justly accountable to them for the injury.

John Stuart Mill

It is not enough to merely claim to be a just and compassionate society. We must match our actions to our words, or we will have become part of the problem. In turning our backs on those in need we let the darkness into our souls and our hearts. There is no need for the devil to act, throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted; the indifference of those who should have known better; the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most; that has made it possible for evil to triumph

The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it.

Albert Einstein

Note: see associated article on street view – a interesting question

I want to take a few minutes to say thank you to some deserving people. To all those who got together and held a Christmas Eve dinner for the homeless and disadvantaged – Thanks. To the kind people at MCC supportive Care Services who gave us games, music, story telling and a great meal on Christmas Day itself – Thanks. To the thoughtful member of al-anon who invited several of the meeting attendees who lacked a Christmas dinner destination to join her and her family – Thanks. To the people who put on the pancake breakfast in downtown old Abbotsford: nice job – I saw the joy on the faces of several people who attended and received not only food but many items very useful to those on the street and/or in need and heard how thankful they were for your thoughtfulness. To those who served a lunch at the Salvation Army on Tuesday December 27, I (we) appreciated your time – especially the young ladies who where there with their mother. Not only were they instrumental in serving the food but also their smiles and manners were a special Christmas treat – Thank you.

A general thank you for all those who took it upon themselves to help give those of us who need help to get back on our feet to have a more merry time.

I would be very remiss if I failed to take the opportunity to thank those members of the congregation of the Church of the Nazarene who come down to Street Hope on Wednesday evenings with food (tasty), gloves, hats, outerwear, clothes and the so necessary bedding. More, they take the time to get to know the people, to listen, to talk to them and treat everyone as real human beings. What a boost to the moral. What a difference in the way all to many treat the homeless – as a nuisance to be avoid and/or removed from (their) sight.

Oh and for those scrooges at social assistance for their dis-assistance a BAH-HUMBUG!!

For our so called leaders – a mighty BAH-HUMBUG for not only failing to address the many and varied shortcomings of the current system, but also for the fact that they so often fail to see the reality of the situation through their rose coloured glasses and for failing to heed Albert Einstein when he said “A man should look for what is, and not what he thinks should be”. Open up your minds, take a look at the real world and start to address the situation.