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To Bless The Poor - A Response to a Facebook Post, 21 April 2009
Brother ____, I enjoyed your article. Paying the poor to work on their own home. Hmmm, now that's a novel idea.
I'm familiar with the quote, "Give a man a fish and feed him for the day, Teach a man to fish and feed him for a
lifetime." I like that, it's a good and most likely true proverb regarding the poor.
Your idea changes that a little, ""Pay a man to learn to fish, And he'll be at your door for a lifetime wanting you to
teach him some more." Ziglar said it like this, "Give a man a crutch, and you create a cripple." I enjoyed your
article mainly because you are talking about DOING something worthwhile. With just a little tweaking it will work
really well.
The poor are poor for many reasons. Deal with the underlying causes and you may be able to help long term.
Otherwise, it's like winning the lottery. Folks who do win millions in lotteries usually are back to their normal MO
(modus operandi) within seven years or less. Why, they didn't do anything different.
Jesus said the poor are always with you. He says do good to all men, but especially to the household of faith. So
while we help our unsaved neighbor, we should help our saved neighbor even more, why? God is all about
taking care of his own. He's not a respecter of persons, he just knows that his own are more likely to hear his
voice and be motivated from above.
Here is an actual case. A brother in leadership in our fellowship was in need. He had a job and was faithful to
work hard. He made about a 1,000 bucks a month. His wife stayed home and cared for their two children. They
consciously made that decision as a family.
Their home was modest and in need of repairs. One day I noticed his pickup full of 4 inch sewer line. Asking what
he was doing, he said his sewer lines had to be replaced. The next question was did he have a friend with a
backhoe. No. Hmmm. I'll be over at your house after work today. I determined that someone had driven a truck
across his lines.
In just a little while we hand dug out the damage and had it repaired. The extra pipe went back to the store
saving him money. While I was there, my attention was drawn to his roof. It was fifteen years or so past replacing.
Knowing his level of involvement in the church I started asking for folks to help me help this family. In a short
short, we had $900 in cash donated, and 30 people signed up for a weekend roofing party. One brother helped
me tear off a lean-to carport. While at the dump getting rid of the debri, we notice the truck next to us throwing
away new materials. As soon as he left, we loaded 2x6, 4x4, plywood for decking, half the material we used
recreating the carport was there.
God was so excited, he was having others get involved to help us. Late in the night the second day we worked. I
remember pounding the final nails into the roof. It was a grand event and this family was blessed beyond
measure, and what's more, they deserved it.
Within three weeks this brother had a new job in a distant town making three times plus benefits more than he
was. In five weeks he purchased the first new car they'd ever owned. Within the year, they moved, and soon
after bought a home in that town. That was over a dozen years ago. They are doing great.
What about all those people involved? They were all blessed in doing their part. He that lendeth to the poor
lendeth to the Lord and He will repay us. All I can add to that is amen. We were all blessed. I have dozens of
stories of varying magnitude such as this over 35 years of Christian service. You are onto something Brother
________. Don't turn a blind eye, if God shows you something or someone to help, he'll make it possible to get it
done. No fanfare needed, no fund raising campaigns, just one caring heart to another, and things can happen
that will amaze you and the others involved. Plus, doing things like this with others just fosters love, community,
fellowship, and honors God
Final note: At the end of this project, there was about $300 in cash left over to hand this couple and say, here,
enjoy God's bounty. I never thought about it, but this money really did come from God. The new materials we
retrieved at the dump was about this value. The extra was God's way, abundant provision for one of his own.
Never have I seen the righteous forsaken or His seed begging bread. Hmmm, maybe, just maybe, some
unrighteous are motivated to become righteous, and we don't even have to pay them? Bruce Dickey
Brother ____, I enjoyed your article. Paying the poor to work on their own home. Hmmm, now that's a novel idea.
I'm familiar with the quote, "Give a man a fish and feed him for the day, Teach a man to fish and feed him for a
lifetime." I like that, it's a good and most likely true proverb regarding the poor.
Your idea changes that a little, ""Pay a man to learn to fish, And he'll be at your door for a lifetime wanting you to
teach him some more." Ziglar said it like this, "Give a man a crutch, and you create a cripple." I enjoyed your
article mainly because you are talking about DOING something worthwhile. With just a little tweaking it will work
really well.
The poor are poor for many reasons. Deal with the underlying causes and you may be able to help long term.
Otherwise, it's like winning the lottery. Folks who do win millions in lotteries usually are back to their normal MO
(modus operandi) within seven years or less. Why, they didn't do anything different.
Jesus said the poor are always with you. He says do good to all men, but especially to the household of faith. So
while we help our unsaved neighbor, we should help our saved neighbor even more, why? God is all about
taking care of his own. He's not a respecter of persons, he just knows that his own are more likely to hear his
voice and be motivated from above.
Here is an actual case. A brother in leadership in our fellowship was in need. He had a job and was faithful to
work hard. He made about a 1,000 bucks a month. His wife stayed home and cared for their two children. They
consciously made that decision as a family.
Their home was modest and in need of repairs. One day I noticed his pickup full of 4 inch sewer line. Asking what
he was doing, he said his sewer lines had to be replaced. The next question was did he have a friend with a
backhoe. No. Hmmm. I'll be over at your house after work today. I determined that someone had driven a truck
across his lines.
In just a little while we hand dug out the damage and had it repaired. The extra pipe went back to the store
saving him money. While I was there, my attention was drawn to his roof. It was fifteen years or so past replacing.
Knowing his level of involvement in the church I started asking for folks to help me help this family. In a short
short, we had $900 in cash donated, and 30 people signed up for a weekend roofing party. One brother helped
me tear off a lean-to carport. While at the dump getting rid of the debri, we notice the truck next to us throwing
away new materials. As soon as he left, we loaded 2x6, 4x4, plywood for decking, half the material we used
recreating the carport was there.
God was so excited, he was having others get involved to help us. Late in the night the second day we worked. I
remember pounding the final nails into the roof. It was a grand event and this family was blessed beyond
measure, and what's more, they deserved it.
Within three weeks this brother had a new job in a distant town making three times plus benefits more than he
was. In five weeks he purchased the first new car they'd ever owned. Within the year, they moved, and soon
after bought a home in that town. That was over a dozen years ago. They are doing great.
What about all those people involved? They were all blessed in doing their part. He that lendeth to the poor
lendeth to the Lord and He will repay us. All I can add to that is amen. We were all blessed. I have dozens of
stories of varying magnitude such as this over 35 years of Christian service. You are onto something Brother
________. Don't turn a blind eye, if God shows you something or someone to help, he'll make it possible to get it
done. No fanfare needed, no fund raising campaigns, just one caring heart to another, and things can happen
that will amaze you and the others involved. Plus, doing things like this with others just fosters love, community,
fellowship, and honors God
Final note: At the end of this project, there was about $300 in cash left over to hand this couple and say, here,
enjoy God's bounty. I never thought about it, but this money really did come from God. The new materials we
retrieved at the dump was about this value. The extra was God's way, abundant provision for one of his own.
Never have I seen the righteous forsaken or His seed begging bread. Hmmm, maybe, just maybe, some
unrighteous are motivated to become righteous, and we don't even have to pay them? Bruce Dickey
| Some Thoughts Regarding Helping the Poor, a Facebook Response |