standing up, speaking out...

The Simple Way...

Posted by Amanda , Thursday, February 18, 2010 12:28 PM

Our topic this week was servant leadership. At one point during the week, our speaker mentioned Mother Teresa. To me, Mother Teresa is the epitome of a servant leader. The woman gave up her entire life to love and minister to the needs of the poor and sick. She was humble, full of love and truly cared for others. She spoke up for justice and said she was "a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world." I admire the way she gave up her life for God. She let go of having material possessions, having a husband, or a nice house and a car. Instead, she devoted herself to love. This is a beautiful thing.

In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love. Mother Teresa

As I was thinking about this, I also remembered some more people who are showing others the same heart as Mother Teresa. In Philadelphia, PA, a man named Shane Claibourne started a community called the Simple Way. About three years ago, I read a book called the Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claibourne (highly recommended!) and it totally changed my life. The Simple Way is a community of people living in the ghetto, who spend every day loving their neighbors, helping the poor and loving Jesus. They are also incredibly involved in social justice issues. They have an after school program for children in the neighborhood and are currently working on building a garden in their community. I would definitely recommend checking them out and the things they are doing!
If you would like to check out what they are doing: The Simple Way

Another person that I was reminded of is a man named Brandt Russo. I learned about him last year as I accidentally stumbled across an article about him in Relevant Magazine. Brandt was leading a fairly normal life, lived in the States and loved Jesus...but he knew there was something more. So, he gave up everything that he had, purchased a bus and started driving around the States, living and helping the poor. He's lived on the streets for a year and has been jailed for trying to bring about justice. God has taken him on such an awesome journey and it's cool to read about. His mission is to love, to bridge the gap between the rich and poor and to meet the needs of the poor and neglected. He also began a t-shirt company called "Can't Ignore the Poor." The proceeds from his t-shirts go to help those in need.
If you would like to read more about Brandt's vision: Where's Brandt?
Or to check out his T-shirt company: Can't Ignore the Poor

Love God...Love others. This is what it's all about.