Art of Recovery

Art of Recovery | Artist: Anonymous

One person is murdered every 31 minutes. One person is raped every 2.7 minutes. One person is assaulted every 7.2 seconds. One elderly person is victimized every 2.7 minutes. One child is reported abused or neglected every 35 seconds.

The above statistics are among many posted on the crime clock featured on the Art of Recovery’s web page.

April 16-June 30, 2010 is the seventh annual Art of Recovery in St. Paul, Minnesota. The Art of Recovery features artwork from various Minnesotans who have been victims of crime and have since used art as a means of healing and response. The mediums of art include paintings, drawings, poetry, photography, artistic journaling, collages, sculptures, comic strips, and more.

This event is sponsored by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Justice programs and the Minnesota State Arts Board. The show’s location and hours can be found on their web page here.

It can be obviously noted that this art show doesn’t directly involve homelessness in our area, but the very mission of Simply Living is to teach us how to love the suffering and oppressed in our city. It is important to note that homelessness is not the only venue of oppression that we see in the Twin Cities, or in the United States as a whole.

Many of these crime victims suffer from the deep effects of post traumatic stress disorder. Even with their direct suffering and oppression behind them, the healing process finds its complications. I think it is important to reach out to the suffering of our community, even if to simply show our support and love for these people.

If you live in the area, I encourage you to stop by the Art of Recovery’s show. They are also participating in St. Paul’s annual art crawl during the weekends. Having been to both of these art shows in the past, I can tell you that they are very moving and a great way to show your support to the artists and crime victims. Let’s restore these people of their humanity–the humanity that was forcefully taken away from them.

Oh, and it’s free! Check out more information here.

Until next time, love.

-Jess

Humility

We don’t go and get cleaned up because we don’t want to look dirty.

I have been thinking a lot about humility as of late…and when I came across this concept of our hesitancy to cleanse ourselves of our dirt, I found myself pondering the question: Is it possible that many of us subconsciously refuse to break our habits of disregarding the homeless because the act of doing so would reveal a very evident flaw in our current practices?

Employing a very visible difference in the way we regard the homeless is in itself an act of admitting that our previous disregard for this people was blatantly wrong. We are prideful, it is part of our human nature. But often times when I see homeless individuals standing on a street corner, fraying cardboard sign in hand, I notice that their eyes are almost always plastered to the tires of passing cars or to the telephone lines overhead. They actively avoid eye-contact with the people from whom they are asking for help. I can’t help but see the very blatant amount of humility it takes to so openly reveal your state of struggle to the general public.

There is so much we can learn from these people, but we are often far too prideful to step down from our self-created pedestals, approach them, and have a conversation, show love, learn.

Next time you see a homeless man or woman, consciously make the choice to practice humility. Approach him or her, converse, show love. Humility makes way for growth–humble yourself.

Until next time, love.

-Jess

Start Paying Attention

A common theme I have noticed in my life during the past couple of weeks is the blatant urge to start paying attention. Different conversations and class lectures have fed this thought, though it wasn’t until sitting in a local coffeeshop today that I was able to finally acknowledge the depth of its prevalence.

Headphones planted in my ears, my playlist landed on the song “Allah, Allah, Allah” by the band Mewithoutyou. The verses of this song are a series of repetitions of the following phrases: In everywhere we look, Allah, Allah, Allah in everywhere we look; In everyone we meet, Allah, Allah, Allah in everyone we meet. In every blade of grass, Allah, Allah, Allah in every blade of grass.

If you haven’t before listened to Mewithoutyou’s latest album, it comes highly recommended by yours truly. It’s not a new release by any means, but it is laced with a folksy, alternative spin on Christian music. It approaches Christian music from a very fresh angle. If you’re attracted to folk melodies and innovative use of instruments, I suggest you give it a listen.

Anyway, this concept of paying attention was further highlighted through that song. God is everywhere we look…his face is imprinted in every single human, in every bit of natural creation–but to truly see his face in all of these things is a choice. If you are not intentional in altering your perception of God’s creation, you won’t see him revealing himself to you through those means.

It is a lovely perspective to adopt when wondering how to look at the homeless population that resides in our city. When you exit 35E and encounter the man in tattered clothing, humbly standing at his corner, fraying cardboard sign in hand, make the choice to see the face of God imprinted upon him.

In everywhere we look, Allah, Allah, Allah in everywhere we look.

“Earth’s crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God; But only he who sees, takes off his shoes – The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.” -Elizabeth Barret Browning

Until next time, love.

-Jess

Homeless youth; a documentary.

As can be seen in my most recent statistics post, the Wilder Foundation has conducted a multitude of insightful research considering homelessness in our area. The statistics I provided earlier were concerning homelessness as a whole. Kendall’s most recent post touched on women living in a state of homelessness. Today I would like to take a few minutes to open all of our eyes up to the realm of homeless youth.

I have dedicated posts to this in the past, most recently in the post concerning Source Ministries. I encourage you to check out their website for more Twin Cities-specific statistics, as well as volunteering opportunities.

In light of the Wilder Foundation’s research, I came across an Emmy-nominated documentary they produced through Twin Cities Public Television. It is called, “Homeless Youth: Finding Home.”

On their YouTube channel, they have the documentary in its entirety, posted in a series of different chapters. It gives some valuable insight to the perceptions of homeless youth. Check out the documentary at the YouTube link above!

Until next time, love.

-Jess

Homeless Women in Minnesota

Hi all! Sorry for the extended hiatus. I have been in the process of trying to find employment since I will be graduating in a month (wahoo!) and have been extremely busy with schoolwork. I hope to have more of a regular presence on this blog as time continues on.

As stated above, I am in the process of finding employment for when I graduate in May. I have a huge heart for non-profits, and have been searching for a position at the Minnesota Council of Non-Profits website. Today I stumbled upon a position at a homeless shelter/transition home for women called Emma’s Place or Emma Norton Services.

Emma Norton Services really stood out to me in a big way. As I watched the video testimony of some of these women on the home page, my heart was becoming tangled with an array of emotions and deep sorrow for these women and their children. I also felt hope and knew these women were finding and sewing restoration back into their lives. I knew right then, this was something I am being called to do.

He has a plan for me.

I want to encourage you all to check out Emma Norton Services, and please be praying for these women and children who are going through a time of transition.

Until next time – be blessed.

-Kendall

Homelessness in Minnesota: Recent Stats

I located some recent statistics concerning homelessness in our state…the helpful research I found was done by the Wilder Foundation. The full report can be found here.

It is no surprise that due to our current economic standing in the U.S, the number of individuals and families facing homelessness is increasing rapidly. I know that statistics bear little meaning when not also paired with a face, but I do think it can help to be informed with concrete numbers–they provide a means of seeing the depth of this crisis.

A few of the stats found are as follows:

-In October of 2009, the number of homeless individuals in our state neared 9,452…compared to the 7,751 counted in 2006. Keep in mind that these are only the individuals counted in shelters…there are plenty more outside of these shelters.

-The number of homeless families with children increased 27 percent, from 1,318 in 2006 to 1,670 in 2009.

-The study counted 1,207 youth (age 21 and younger) on their own, up from 867 in 2006; 220 age 17 and younger; 987 age 18 through 21.

Again, for the statistics in their entirety, click here.

As we have been saying from the beginning, it is important to be intentional in moving beyond the statistics. With numbers clearly screaming the true depth of this crisis, let us seek to befriend these people. Show them love. Restore them of their humanity.

Until next time, love.

-Jess

The Art of Discipline

After a short hiatus due to crowded schedules, I have returned, committing to regular updates and stories about my endeavors with the homeless in the Twin Cities. Apologies for my absence.

In light of the busyness of life as of late, I have been reflecting on the concept of discipline. I think it can be obviously concluded that living according to the gospel in the midst of our fallen world is not an instinctual practice. In fact, the entire teachings of Jesus completely go against our experience of the world. As Christ-followers, we are faced with a choice: either we dismiss Jesus as absurd, or we need to reevaluate our understanding of this world.

I have been thinking of this concept most recently in terms of spiritual discipline. In one of my classes this past Tuesday, my professor was talking about the word Ascesis. The definition of this world is more or less encapsulated in the spiritual disciplines that each of us is called to develop if we want to become the person God intended for us to be. The Lord requires this Ascesis of us on a very constant, very individual basis.

Springtime brings with it this feel of new life…all that was made dead through out the winter is now given opportunity to grow and thrive. Paired with that refreshment and new life is a general sense of busyness and overcrowding. I have found myself distracted and disconnected (hence my absence). I am then reminded of this verse: For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant; later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. -Hebrews 12:11

I see now that how we choose to use our time is a spiritual issue. Prioritize the things in your life, dedicating significant time to the categories deemed necessary. And with the time you have left over, don’t be idle. Be intentional in reaching intimacy with the Lord. Be ready to meet Him every single day. Be intentional in loving his children.

Spring energizes…take that energy and channel it toward loving people. I encourage each of you to approach the people you see on the streets while you’re outside enjoying this sunshine. Be intentional in showing your love for them, rather than leaving it to be assumed. Make your love blatant.

I’d love to hear the stories of your encounters!

Until next time, love.

-Jess

Do You Have Advice For Me?

Today, I am struck with writer’s block and procrastination, but I still have a heart that is yearning to help out the homeless. For the past two months I have been contributing to this blog, writing to help you all understand and give advice as to how you can help out the homeless. Now, my question is, do you have advice for me (re: volunteering, giving back to the community, etc.)?

Recently I was conversing with a fellow colleague about this blog and they gave me praise on Jess and I’s blogging efforts. As well, they told me to check out a place here in the Twin Cities called the Union Gospel Mission. The Union Gospel Mission states on their website, “… [they have] responded to the needs of homeless and hopeless people in the Twin Cities metro area for more than 100 years. Primarily known for its work with homeless and chemically dependent men, the Mission also has a long history of providing practical assistance for women and children.”

There is a great opportunity and need for you and I to help out in the coming weeks at the Union Gospel Mission. On Saturday, March 13, 2010, an event entitled “Soup for the Homeless Soul” is happening at the Twin Cities Union Gospel Mission location. Sponsors of this event include local colleges and schools: Bethel University, Northwestern College, Minnehaha Academy and North St. Paul High School.

I encourage you to make it to this event at the Union Gospel Mission and help out the homeless. If you do end up volunteering/attending this event, please let me know and leave a comment, I would love to hear about your experience! Additionally, if you have had any past experiences at the Union Gospel Mission, I would love to hear about those too!

I will leave you with the same question I asked at the beginning of this post, do you have advice for me (re: volunteering, giving back to the community, etc.)? I am looking forward to hearing your feedback.

Until next time — be blessed.

-Kendall

How can you make a difference? Intentionality.

Today, I find myself inspired by a comment from one of our readers.

In response to Kendall’s most recent post entitled, “Homeless but not Hopeless,” Elisa wrote: “The thing I am beginning to realize is that if we don’t seek these opportunities or plan for them as possibilities, they probably won’t happen. Even if we want to value the homeless, just the simple excuse of not having time might keep us from acting when we are faced with opportunity.”

Those words of wisdom struck me with some hardcore truth–valuing the homeless community goes beyond any sort of internal declaration. It goes beyond a simple coffee shop conversation with friends.

When we examine our lives, it can easily be concluded that the things we dedicate our time to most fervently are the things for which we hold the greatest value. Most friendships or relationships are measaured by the amount of time spent creating that emotional bond.

When faced with the proposition to set a tangible amount of time aside for the homeless, many of us may immediately respond with something reminiscent of, I would much rather be genuine in the time I dedicate to these people. Setting specific time aside turns it into an obligation. I want it to be heartfelt, thus I will choose to approach when I encounter them and feel led to do so.

But now I am left wondering how often the reasoning behind that very justification actually takes place–because with a mindset like that, when you are finally presented with an opportunity to approach and interact with a homeless person, the justification slides in the other direction, as you are late for a meeting or in the midst of an important phone call.

My point is, as Elisa pointed out in her comment, intentionality is central to making a true difference. It may seem trivial, but I encourage you all to set time aside on a Saturday once a month to show love to the homeless. As Elisa said, we must create opportunities if we wish to encounter them.

The only way to make a true difference is to live differently.

Until next time, love.

-Jess

“Homeless, but not Hopeless”

I came across an article today in the Saint Paul Pioneer Press titled, “Homeless, but not hopeless.” The article was published earlier this month, but I found the title very intriguing, so I read on. As I continued to read the article, I felt a sense of optimism for the homeless in the Twin Cities.

The article talks about jobs, responsibility, and the restoration of government jobs. These three things can really help out the homeless and get them back on their feet if they abide by the rules. “Social workers are grappling with the task of helping … the thousands of other families flooding into the state’s shelters. Project Home, which takes the overflow when family shelters are full, is handling twice as many families as it did five years ago. But why? Last week … homeless parents met to talk about how they got there — and how their homelessness could have been avoided. That advice, plus input from officials of the area’s homeless agencies, yielded a list of ways to cure or prevent homelessness.”

This article gave me, and I hope will give you more of a hopeful and optimistic view of the homeless, but the article should, as well, be a conviction to us because there is still work that needs to be done to help these people out. We can make a difference, and help the lives of many people who are living on the streets and in shelters.

I encourage you to read this article and if you have feedback, please comment

Until next time — be blessed.

-Kendall