Teach A Man To Fish

We've all probably heard the quote of "Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime."

This is what compassion in action is all about. I've been working at the homeless shelter in town for 3 1/2 years and all the homeless shelters have the same things in common which are compassionate people and those who take advantage of your compassion.

We see the problems of the needy, and we give them food, we give them shelter, we give them clothes, we give them bus tokens, we give them McDonalds coupons, we give them groceries, and the list goes on.

There's a built in problem with trying to show compassion this way, it is that tomorrow is another day of being needy. Even the Government sees this problem and spends billions of dollars each year on keeping needy people alive, but still in need.

The Government isn't in the business of solving problems, but rather in fulfilling perceived needs. If the Government could solve all our problems, then what would we need them for? If they could pave a road that lasts 50 years, why would we pay the road commissioner? If they could solve all crime, what would we need the police, fbi, dea, cia, nsa, and a bunch of other letter organizations? If the government could eliminate poverty, then why would they need all the programs to house, feed, and provide for the needy? In order for the Government to stay viable, they need to keep the needs in place, while at the same time showing that they are doing something with the needs.

The Discipleship Center takes the heart of compassion and pairs it with the truth of scripture and we provide training to deal with the reality of life, or in other words, we provide a safe place to reset life and train a man to fish so when we let them go, they are better equipped to handle life as God intended.