un·der·priv·i·leged

adjective (of a person) not enjoying the same standard of living or rights as the majority of people in a society.
synonyms: needy, deprived, disadvantaged, poor, destitute, in need, impoverished, poverty-stricken, on the poverty line, indigent, lower-class;

'Underprivileged' is a word commonly used in reference to the poor, most commonly to refer to poor children or communities. It is a curious choice of words. 

This language is oddly used by a culture that often doesn't recognize its own tremendous wealth and privileges. I remember when the Lake House first decided to shut off our air conditioning how much we and others acted like it was a necessity for Florida living. It isn't, and most of the world lives in similar climates without it. It is a privilege that we mistakenly consider a real need. We think we need our mattresses, our hot water heaters, and our air conditioners and never realize that these things are mere luxuries and privileges. Even our choice to go without any such luxuries is itself an expression of privilege. We can choose to use it or not. We are very privileged. Choice, I would argue, is an expression of being a human. To strip one of their freedom and choice is to strip them of their humanity. This, in my mind, is truly what poverty is: a lack of choice or freedom. 

Another possible implication of the term 'underprivileged' might be that it is an accurate assessment. Without even being conscious of it, we use as a kind of subconscious confession. Perhaps we realize that everything that we have beyond food and water and basic shelter is just luxury and privilege, possibly at the expense of those who do not. Perhaps we realize the very privilege of being able to choose whether or not we talk about, think about or face poverty (if we are not poor), racism (if we are white), or sexism (if we are men) at all. Perhaps using the term 'underprivileged' is a way for us to acknowledge all of our privilege. Once we can acknowledge and embrace the fact that we have privilege in this world we can make it available to those who may not. Not as a hero or a saint or a martyr but as those who have come to realize that our salvation and freedom is as much wrapped up in our need for them as theirs may be in us. Together we can be free, together we can be human.

Celebrating Christmas

At Christmastime most of us spend a lot of money giving gifts to each other. We buy watches, jewelry, game consoles, clothing, food, movies, tablets, computers, and socks. Shout out to all y'all who got socks for Christmas. I've been there. Some of us also make our own gifts for Christmas, which is pretty cool. Jon got into growing and making gifts for his family and friends. We give gifts, homemade or store-bought, to celebrate the birth of Jesus of Nazareth in Bethlehem. We celebrate his birth as the greatest gift ever given, and we give our own gifts in memory of him.

How we celebrate Christmas says a lot about how we view Jesus. If we celebrate by singing songs of worship, it reflects that we believe him to be divine. If we celebrate by spending time reconnecting with family and friends, it may be that his life speaks to us of reconciliation. And if we celebrate by giving gifts, we may well be participating in his life by passing on the generosity and love that characterized his time on Earth. The stories preserved in the gospels of his birth, his family, his life, death, and resurrection are all rich to draw inspiration from. They are challenging and they are hopeful, and hopefully, they leave us different, more aware and active than before we heard them.

There is a tradition, a very old one, that is gaining more popularity lately, and which I'd like to highlight this Christmas. People are celebrating the birth of Christ by giving gifts. But instead of giving to people who love them, some folks are giving gifts to people they don't know very well, if at all. They are giving gifts to people because God loves those strangers, and that is worth celebrating. Organizations like Heifer and Compassion International are helping such-minded givers to celebrate by giving a cow or a goat or rice or fresh water to a family in another part of the world. How cool is that?

I imagine the Son of God looking at the celebrations taking place across the world this month, all in his name, all to his honor, and I wonder what he thinks of it all. The hymns ringing out in the church halls. The candy canes hanging on the tree. The hams and yams and eggnog. I picture him staring, somewhat interested, somewhat bored, at the gifts we give each other as a remembrance of him. It's good to give gifts to each other, and we should express that love. And yet...

Perhaps as he's staring at our celebrations, he quietly says, just to himself, "If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same." 

And then someone gives a gift, not to a friend or loved one, but to a stranger, or a foreigner, or any person who he has no business giving a gift to, and I imagine the corner of Jesus' mouth rise, just a bit, in a knowing grin. And he remembers another line of his own preaching: "But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High..." And his grin turns into a smile, because he knows now, for certain, that he is remembered. What better way to give a gift to Jesus than by giving a gift to those for whom he has such special affection.

For those of you that love our neighbors on the streets of Tampa, please consider giving to support our friendship with them. It's a costly friendship to maintain, but we think it's worth it. In January we will begin some major changes to our facility, and we could use the help. We will expand within the building to provide more space for people to be at home so that they can come in off the streets for a while. We will need to build a new bathroom, showers, and laundry machines. We will have to relocate our free market and set it up better than before. In addition to the construction work to be done we are also planning to open a computer lab. It will all be an additional expense that we frankly cannot afford. But we're moving forward by faith in the Giver of all good things.

Subtle hint: Home Depot or Best Buy gift cards. See?

click to give :)

PO Box 75157

Tampa, FL 33675

Happy holy days, everyone.

Black Friday

First, a confession: I have not loved my neighbor as myself. I have not come even close to that. I am often a traitor to the God I claim, and I further that betrayal by my satisfaction with our paltry efforts to soothe our own conscience, which is all too easily soothed. As part of an ongoing process of repentance, I call us, all of us out on our collective bullshit. Yesterday was Thanksgiving. Today is a day to reflect and to repent. Forgive me for the brashness to follow, but I have to do this.

†

An adaptation of Amos 5:21-25, framed in the context of our holiday charity:

"I hate, I despise your token meals,
     and I take no delight in your perfunctory saying of grace.
Even though you feed the hungry and give drink to the thirsty
     I will not ascribe treasure in heaven to you;
And the handshakes and hugs with the homeless,
     I will not consider as friendship with the beloved of God.
Take away from me the noise of your songs;
     to the jingles and slogans I will not listen.
But let every day that sees the sun rise be your day to feed the needy
     and let them be not "the needy", but rather your friends.

"Did you bring to the hungry good things to eat and drink during the other 364 days of the year, O house of America? You shall align with the politicians, your kings and the celebrities, your gods, and I will send you into exile beyond the third world nations whom you pity, and of whose pity you are not worthy," says the Lord, whose name is the God of hosts.

Do we think that the hungry are impressed with our overflowing of love on the one day a year when it is in keeping with the theme of the day? Is that what they are to us, a token calendar item like the Easter bunny or Valentine's Day decor? How very dehumanizing, thank you so much, God bless, go away. 

Why do we even do this? Do we seriously think that this is helping the hungry or the homeless or the struggling? To show up to help feed people on the one day a year when there are way too many people showing up to help feed people? That's like when a four year old kid helps his mom make breakfast; it's cute, but not at all actually helpful. And we know this, right? I know that you can't always tell just by looking or talking to someone if they're household doesn't have enough food, but as a subtle hint about the state of things, THERE ARE HOMELESS PEOPLE ALL OVER THE PLACE. Or do they only become visible on the one day when we will acknowledge their need, their existence, even? And then the rest of the year they go invisible again? I've heard of the super power of being able to make yourself invisible, but being able to make an entire segment of our city invisible? And without their consent? That's downright incredible.

So who is this for, if it's not really about all of our long-standing and deeply-invested concern for our brothers and sisters across the economic spectrum? Is it for the church folk, that crowd of pseudo-do-gooders that like to make a cute outing of petting the poor? Is it for the cameras and the Instagram pics or the local TV news cameras? Is it for our parents or pastor or boss? In whose eyes are we trying to look good, because God the Father sees right through that shit. I guess that only leaves each of us, doing it for our own sake. We try to feel good by looking good, and we bypass the hard work of doing good, of living good, of embodying good as a way of life. 

Please can we leave the poor out of our vanity? Please do not take advantage of their desperation for a meal to feed our desperation for approval, for appearance, for self-medicating lies. In doing this, we perpetuate token activism and sanctimonious sentimentality.

Do we want to really be a friend to the friendless and a help to those in need? Let us do what we do on Thanksgiving Day the other days of the year. When it's not popular or cool or a public relations opportunity. And on Thanksgiving Day, stay at home, enjoy dinner with your family and friends, and include among them those who have no home in which to celebrate the day. Give someone a living room to doze off in after eating too much. Give someone your ear and your heart, and save your pity for your own soul. 

Virtute enim ipsa non tam multi praediti esse quam videri volunt.

Few are those who wish to be endowed with virtue rather than to seem so.

Marcus Tullius Cicero, Laelius de Amicitia

Thanks & Giving

What is your favorite Thanksgiving memory?

When you ask someone about their favorite holiday memories you might hear about how delicious the meal was but in almost every case you will here "We..." as in "We always got together", "We always ate really good", and if it's me telling the story, "we always watched Planes, Trains and Automobiles together." You see while food is often the first thing we think about when our minds turn to Thanksgiving, it's really family, community and togetherness that are central to the holiday.  

Thanksgiving is next Thursday and many of our friends who live on the streets will have lots of options for getting a holiday meal. One cool thing about Thanksgiving is that it's a time when people do remember the poor and arrange to serve a big meal to those who might otherwise go without. We obviously think that's a pretty great idea since it's what we commit to do throughout the year. We serve dinner with tablecloths and centerpieces every Thursday at The Banquet all year long and one of the only Thursdays we close throughout the year is on Thanksgiving because, well because there are so many other places to get a great meal that day. Here is the thing though, a meal on thanksgiving is not the same if you don't have a family to share it with or a family room to fall asleep in after you stuff your face, and that is what we are excited to offer next week. We will be opening the doors of our home again this year and we will have quite a bit of food to share but it is our home that we are excited to share with those who might not have another family room to chill in. For the last few years we have opened our doors at the Lake House to anyone that wanted to join us for Thanksgiving. Our memories are made by being together and it is together that the central part of every holiday memory and experience is made complete. Our memories should be "we" memories.

If you do not have anywhere else to be or anyone one else to spend Thanksgiving with, please consider this your invite. If you want to just swing by and say hello, you will be welcome. 

Your Presence is requested at 908 E Lake Ave

5:00 pm on Thursday, November 28th

Join us as we give thanks together!

Feel free to bring a side dish or a friend.

Halloween What What

Tonight a lot of our team is with the Lake house throwing a block party for the neighborhood. It's become a regular tradition each year, with a lot of neighbors and neighborhood kids showing up and looking forward to the fun, silliness, food, and candy. Last year, the party slid down the road from the Lake house itself to nearby Ragan Park. Now it's even bigger than before, and there is so much room to spread out and set up hoola hooping, caricatures, face-painting, and whatever else brings a smile to people's faces. 

Meanwhile...

We still have the Banquet to serve tonight, so Andrew has corralled half a dozen or so friends to cover for our regular team who will be setting up the block party. Holidays are a crazy time, but we never want to let the celebrations keep us from our most basic service to our neighbors. Because it's also our most reliable way to get to know each other, and to build relationships. And that's what we're all about. 

As it turns out, InterVarsity is all about that, too. The students of IV at the University of Tampa and Hillsborough Community College are teaming up with us to do a creative type of Halloween outreach. Students will be going door to door trick-or-treating, but instead of asking for candy, they will be asking for donations of food, clothing, or other supplies for the Well to give out to our people on the streets. It seems like an unlikely way to connect people who have with people who could sorely use, but it makes sense to us. It's a great way for them to meet the neighbors and a great help to our neighbors on the streets. Here's what the students will be giving to each house on a card, it explains the idea better: 

What other night can people go from house to house, knocking on doors and be met with smiles, hospitality, and generosity? It is a night when our culture opens our doors and lives to strangers and to children without concern for the masks that they wear, and offers good things just for stopping by. 

We chose to use this great tradition of trick-or-treating to knock on your door on behalf of the hungry in Tampa. Thank you for opening your door to us and for your generosity tonight. 

Tonight we remember Jesus' words, "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in.'"

Thank you for opening you doors to us. 

So much is coming together tonight, and so many people, too. This is gonna be awesome. 

Richard's Story

Richard Interview - The Well from Underground Network on Vimeo.

In Over Your Head

A guy walked in today looking disheveled and asking for help with getting an ID. "He needs Jesus," a woman says under her breath as he walks by. Don't we all? 

Some things are difficult for me to do. If I had to do work on a car, say replacing the water pump, I would have a hard time. Truth be told, putting together an IKEA bookcase is hard for me to do. Whether it's God's perfectly imperfect design or my lack of trying hard enough, I'm terrible with my hands. I don't really do three dimensional work. If I couldn't ask Cliff or Tim for help, I'd be screwed. It just gets overwhelming to me. 

For some of our neighbors, getting a hold of an ID or a birth certificate or a social security card is a nightmare. Asking for help with food stamps could be a daunting process, especially when you don't have immediate access to a computer or phone. Not having a stable address is a huge hindrance, too. Whether they are limited by how much skill God gave them at birth or by the effort they put into it or by the effects of a rough life, some things are really hard for them to make happen. 

When I ask one of my friends for help with something handy, it's embarrassing. I have to swallow my pride and acknowledge that I just suck at this, at something that I'm supposed to be able to handle. I have to accept any jokes they might make, because they're right--I am comically incompetent at some things. But I don't care, because I'm grateful for the help. But I have (usually) kind friends and brothers, who often don't even give me grief over it. 

In other things, I get to be the one who's good at something. Finding information that's publicly accessible is pretty easy. I have a computer, and I'm good at filling out forms. I can make a phone call and navigate through the menu, ask the right questions to find out what I'm looking for. It's no big deal, really. I just gotta remember to be gracious about it and not seem bothered or judgmental about it. People have put up with my incompetence so many times, and they've been gracious about it so that afterwards I don't feel like a piece of crap, I feel cared for. I really need those moments of grace, and so does the next guy. 

You don't need to be a social worker to help someone out. You don't need to be a pastor to care for someone. You don't need to be Jesus Christ to be open and kind. But if you are open and kind, you will be like him. And that may be just what that man needs right now.