Resources

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace | contributed by danielmarkoya
Music that will draw your heart closer to God...

Micah Challenge | contributed by NRitzau
Sunday, October 19 is Micah Sunday, a day where Christians around the world can pray for those trapped in the shackles of poverty.

Freedom Store! | contributed by NotForSaleCampaign
An online store that allows emancipated slaves to break their own cycle of poverty by connecting them with the global demand for fair trade goods.

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Other

Books

Down on Their Luck: A Study of Homeless Street People

By David A. Snow and Leon Anderson

This book is a sociological study of a group of homeless folks in the Western United States.  But it isn't in any way dry and dusty-- it is facinating with many quotes from the population and many stories.  It is as close to actually meeting homeless people as one can get through a text.

Music

Anawim Recommends:

The Jesus Demos by Rich Mullins (AKA: The Jesus Record)-- Simple, brilliant and thought provoking for anyone who wants to live out Jesus' life and not just talk about Jesus.

Lament by Resurrection Band-- This is the story of the Anawim.  The protagonist wants to live his life in freedom, only to find his freedom is his prison.  Eventually he reluctantly agrees that Jesus is the source of real life.  Awe-inspiring music.

Nothing Is Sound by Switchfoot-- The Anawim soundtrack.  Some of the favorites: "Happy Is A Yuppie Word", "Politicians" and "The Blues".

Worship CD by Rock Harbor Church-- This is Anawim's favorite worship music.  Simple, heart-rending, gorgeous.

Isa Courvetier-- Any album by this Spirit-inspired singer, but especailly Raw Sessions, comes highly recommended.  Beautiful music and lyrics.  Check out especially "Rend the Heavens" and "Holy Spirit Come"

Kevin McFall-- Street performer in Portland and frequent player at Anawim.  If you come across him, ask-- no, BEG-- him to play "The Beatitudes Song" or "Faith".  Or listen to his song "Rose of Gresham" which is about an Anawim member.

Casey Neill-- Awesome Portland performer.  Some Anawim favorites: "(Hooray for the) Riffraff", "Anglola" and "Sisters of the Road".

Movies

"The Man Without A Past" by Aki Kaurismäki

Okay, subtitles and foriegn films may not be everyone's cup of tea.  But for those who want to understand the homeless and some of the issues they deal with, this movie is essential. 

It is played for the deadest of deadpan humor, but it is brilliantly conceived, and it communicates the sense of a homeless community, both those on the street struggling for survival, and those who assist them. 

It doesn't flinch from difficult realities, such as gang attacks, the difficulties of not having id and divorce.  Yet it is punctuated by moments of humor when one least expects it.

Highly recommended.  The humor gets 3 stars out of 5.  The depiction of a homeless community gets 5 stars out of 5.

Find out more: http://dir.salon.com/story/ent/movies/review/2003/04/04/man_without/index.html

Websites

Check out the Wikipedia article on Homelessness in the United States:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness_in_the_United_States

Anawim Q and A

What does “anawim” mean, anyway?

Anawim (pronounced ah-nah-weem) is a Hebrew word that means, “the poor who depend on the Lord for deliverance.”  It is used frequently in the Bible, especially the Psalms and is the basis for Jesus’ statement “Blessed are the poor.”

“Trust in the Lord and do…