You Give Love a Bad Name

 As I pulled into my office parking lot, I was approached by a man with a gasoline can.  “Hey man, can you help me with a few dollars for gas?” He asked. “No,” I replied hurriedly, as I made my way into the office.  What he didn’t know, is that he has approached me three times with the same gas can story, and that he has been observed in our parking lot and a few  of the nearby lots with the same story for the past month.

In this podcast, Tony discusses the question of what we should do when approached by a panhandler on the streets.

Scripture: And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table. Dogs even used to come and lick his sores.  When the poor man died, he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, and from the netherworld, where he was in torment, he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.  Luke 16:20-23

Reflection:  What did you do the last time you were asked for money on the street?  Do you ever stop and give a donation to a panhandler on the freeway exit or street corner?  How can you tell if the person is really in need or just a scam artist?

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