The Misconceptions About the Poor and Homeless

Messiah Community Radio Talk Show

We don't care about what we don't see. Countless people are invisible to us. We overlook the poor and homeless, partly because we don't share much space with them. More seriously, we often choose not to see the realities around us. We hold misconceptions about who is deserving or not, or make false assumptions about people's poverty being their own fault. Terence Lester calls us to see the invisible people around us. His personal encounters and real-life stories challenge Christians to become more informed about poverty and homelessness, and to see the poor as Jesus does. When we see people through God's eyes and hear their stories, we restore their dignity and help them flourish. And when we recognize our own inner spiritual poverty, we have greater empathy for others, no matter their circumstances. Let love open your eyes. Discover how seeing leads us to act with compassion and justice—as God intends. Terence Lester is a minister, speaker, community activist, author, and founder of Love Beyond Walls, a not-for-profit organization focused on poverty awareness and community mobilization. His campaigns on behalf of the poor have been featured in USA Today and Black Enterprise, and on NBC and Upworthy, and have been viewed by millions of people globally. Terence has delivered countless sermons and speeches at conferences, churches, and schools, and has been featured in publications around the country. He has served on the ministry staffs of Word of Faith in Austell, Georgia, New Life Presbyterian Church in College Park, Georgia, and is a communicator at West Ridge Church. He has authored five books, including Getting Past Stuck, Simple Prayers for Hurting People, and Identity Theft: Defending Who You Are. He has also coproduced a biographical documentary based on his book The U-Turn Project: Answering the Call. Terence has also received numerous awards for his community activism including the Empire Board of Realtists Distinguished Service Award (2017), SCLC Social Advocacy Award (2016), Atlanta Voice's 50 under 50 honor (2016), the True to Atlanta Award presented by the Atlanta Hawks (2016), and the Fulton County Schools Service Award (2015). He and his wife, Cecilia, and their family live in Atlanta. Visit Terence's website http://www.lovebeyondwalls.org/