Do you give to panhandlers? Jesus said, "Whatever you do for the least of these, you do for me." Does this mean we should hand out cash to homeless people?

As followers of Christ, what do we actually do for "the least of these?" Give money? Or something else? And if we give money, do we give for the right reasons, or out of guilt or shame? Is there a wrong reason to give??

One side says, "Give every time you can, to every person you can, in every way you can." The other side of the argument are those who say, "Don't give. You are perpetuating addiction...giving money that's used for liquor or drugs. Instead, offer a meal." Here in Roanoke there are great organizations, like the Rescue Mission, where a person can get a meal, a shower, a quilt on his bed, an introduction to Christ. All of those sound better than a Buck for a Bottle. Do we offer solutions or a quick fix...literally, a quick fix? At the risk of sounding trite, what would Jesus do?

My friend told me that her son lives in a downtown area and is often approached for money from homeless men. Her son always offers to take them somewhere and buy them a meal. That offer has never been accepted. They are not hungry for something he is willing to buy. Yet I find his response very Christ-like. Christ really would offer them the bread of life and living water.

Whatever you do for the least of these, you do for me. Would you willingly feed an unhealthy habit? Would you do it to feel good about yourself or because it's the easiest response? Is the easiest response the best thing that you would do for Christ?

I've gone both ways on this issue. Give money, don't give money. Give food, don't give anything. One day I leaned out the window and handed a box of crackers to a guy on the side of the road. He took them.

But once Dave drove past a guy who appeared down-and-out, then regretted it. He turned around. He got out of the car, approached the guy, and offered some money. This offended the man's pride. Dave got an earful about his self-righteousness. Apparently just because someone is under an overpass, doesn't mean they want or need charity. Ouch.

Lately my approach is to pray, "Lord, what do you want me to do?" I figure He knows each situation far more intimately than my snap judgements. Today, I saw a man at a highway on-ramp. Traffic was uncharacteristically backed up, so I assumed there would be someone there, and sure enough, there was. I prayed my prayer and felt in my heart the answer was, "Not today."

When I got close enough to read his sign, this is what it said.

"If Jesus were on the side of the road, would you give Him something?"

Boy, was I glad I had prayed before I got closer. If Jesus were on the side of the road, I hope I'd give Him something. I hope I'd give Him my time and my undivided attention. It's what I'm trying to give Him daily...my time and my attention. Yet that's much more than I gave this guy. I simply gave him a smile and right now, a prayer.

What do you guys do? I really want to know.




Matthew 25:35-40
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, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

What keeps us from resting like a little girl in her daddy's arms? Many of you already know the answer. (Thanks for the responses to the last post!) We all let scary stuff in...in the form of movies, newspapers, and books we read. We invite creepy, debauched images in, and call it entertainment. Then, we live in fear of what's around every corner. That is not how God wants us to live! He wants us confident by day, so we can do His work and go where He sends us. He wants us to rest peacefully at night, so we can be refreshed and recharged for the next day's work.

Sleep in peace. Starting tonight. Here are some practical tips:

1. Stop letting creepy stuff in. Only you and the Holy Spirit can determine together what that stuff is. (Hint: the first thing that came to mind when you read that sentance? That has to go.) I know years ago the Lord whispered in my ear that Stephen King books were out for me. At the time, I really enjoyed reading Stephen King. I also suffered terrible nightmares. I let the books go and I've never regretted that choice.


2. Pray before bed. Not just the cursory "God blesses", but really pray. Pray that the hours of rest be a type of Sabbath to you. A time set apart. Pray that the Lord speak to you in the night. Pray against bad thoughts and dreams. Even my littlest ones pray, "Lord, may your angels surround and protect me tonight..protect my thoughts and my dreams."


3. Don't care what others are doing. None of us are too old for peer pressure, darn it! What everyone else is watching (wearing, saying, listening to) really affect us. We want to do what our friends are doing. Cut that out! Who cares what your friends are watching? If it's not good for you, don't ingest it. If they offered you salmonella-drenched sushi, would you eat it? No! Then don't eat the shows they're offering, either.

4. Rebuke the Spirit of Fear. "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of love, power and a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7) There IS a Spirit of Fear, and it's not from God! Send it away, in the name and by the authority of Jesus Christ. It might sound something like this, "In the mighty name of Jesus, I send the Spirit of fear away from my life and my heart. You have no place here! I belong to the King and I will not fear! He will protect me and keep me safe."

5. Use Netflix. Yes, you read right. The movie stores are simply horrible and there's nothing there you or your kids need to see. Nothing. I don't care if you're stopping in for a Dora the Explorer tape, during your visit you'll see a lot more than you bargained for. Order safe and family-friendly, Christ-honoring DVDS via the mail with Netflix or another service. Bonus! No late fees! And they are simple to return...just pop them in your mailbox! You'll thank me!

6. Get Plugged In. This is an online service of movie reviews from a Christian perspective. The only thing I don't like about Netflix is their reviews are according to pop culture. Therefore, we've had some unpleasant surprises, mostly concerning PG-13 movies. Plugged In will allow you to read everything about a movie before you watch it either at home or at a theater. Often a movie is 98% fine for your family. Plugged In will warn you of the scene or two that you'll want to skip. Check it out at www.pluggedin.com.

1 John 4:18 says perfect love drives out fear. It's a promise and it's for you. The one who is perfect love personified is Christ himself. Ask Him to conquer fear in your life. Then be obedient to the Holy Spirit as He shows you what you need to cut out or cut back on.

Let me know how it's going, sisters! I'll be praying for you!

My nephew Steve is so wise that I call him Solomon. You know, the guy in the Bible, David's son. Famous for asking for wisdom. Later in life got stupid, married 700 women and worshipped false gods.

I call Stephen Solomon because he's wise. He has a blog and it is hosting a furious debate about the value (or lack thereof) of horror films.

What do you guys think? My readers are largely women, at the middle-ish point of life, moms, and I want to know what you think.

Do you watch scary movies? The creepy supernatural ones (The Sixth Sense) or the blood and gore ones (Saw 1-4)?

Scripture says, "Whatever is good, pure, and lovely, think on these things." I think it's easier to think on those things if I don't let the other stuff in. Yet, I watch graphic violence on Law and Order, then roll over and go to sleep. Dave says, "There's nothing like a murder to fall asleep to."

Until he said that, I honestly didn't even think that it was a show about murder. I thought it was a show about detectives.

Does this mean I am completely numb to the victims?

What do you watch? What do you let your kids watch? Why? Why not?

C'mon, answer. I really want to know.