Book Review - "Borrowed Shoes - A True Story"

Reading the above book has given me a greater understanding of what it means to be homeless. Dr. Charles G. Hawkins, Sr. spent a week on the streets of St. Louis (6 days) and Memphis (1 day) undercover as a homeless person. He did all the things that a homeless person has to do to survive. He made it a total of seven days. He details each day's events hour by hour. He tells of the sour attitudes and rejected looks towards homeless people and the day-to-day attempts to eat. There is an occasional spot of humor but most of the book details his time on the streets and in the shelters. Anyone wanting a better understanding of the struggles of the homeless should read this book. I highly recommend it. The following is an excerpt.

"I pray that those who read this book may afterwards be more conscious of the many people who, for whatever reason, are struggling just to keep body and soul intact. We often lay the blame for this condition at the feet of someone. The reality is, if the words of Jesus have any credibility, this state of affairs will never change. He said, ". . .ye have the poor always with you" (Matthew 26:11). The question then is, what is the state of mind of the person who finds him or herself in the economic quagmire. In many cases, they are not only homeless but also hopeless. It was during the third day on the streets that I began to sense the feeling of isolation these disenfranchised people experience that so destroys their self-worth. It was as if I had become invisible, and even though there were people all around, no one seemed to see me except to express their dissatisfaction with my presence." page 157

Two scriptures became more focused in my thoughts as I read this book. . .

The first one is what Jesus said, recorded in two places. . ."the poor ye always have with you." Matthew 26:11, John 12:8

The second one is also what Jesus said. . ."the poor have the gospel preached unto them." Matthew 11:5

This was one of the defining characteristics of His ministry to show John that He is the Messiah. What a challenge to us today? Is preaching the gospel to the poor one of the defining characteristics of the church today? Hmmmmm?