There but for the grace of God, go I.  In these times of intractable economic travail, there are fellow Americans with talents, and resumes that are stunning, who have found themselves without resources.  Engineers, Lawyers et al. I can currently name  three individuals, veterans, who were all in the six figure income bracket, and are now just barely hanging on.  Once you hit that economic slide it can be irreversibly slippery, were it not for folks that dedicate their lives to helping the homeless.

I recall a time when I sat on the Board of the Salvation Army along with one very well healed board member from England, where the Salvation Army began.  He explained to me how the origins and history of the SA touched his heartstrings. They knew that the mainline churches of the day were primarily ministering to “shiny Christians,” while leaving the poor to fend for themselves. Not so in line with the corporate works of mercy that Jesus spoke of, so they formed their own earthly mission  to the poor. They are now rated the number one charity in the nation, having led the way to such fine programs like Piquette Square in Detroit and restoring dignity to ones life.

My grandfather Frederick Reginald Brewer was one the early missionaries who came over from England with William Booth. He was one of the early editors of the War Cry, the Salvation Army magazine.

Let us not ever forget the saving power of  Grace and the potency of the love of  our brothers and sisters. There is really nothing else that matters.

Tucson has one of the nation’s most successful programs for homeless veterans, Esperanza and Escalante.  I encourage you to include them in your holiday giving.

Homeless: Ex-NBA Player & Vet’s Comeback

By Sheree R Curry Nov 12th 2010 @ 11:30AM

Coniel Norman, who is a former NBA player and a military veteran, was homeless right before he moved into Piquette Square, a new, $23-million 150-unit apartment project in Detroit built to house and care for homeless veterans.

Norman was a star on the University of Arizona basketball team in 1972 and was later drafted in the second round by the Philadelphia ’76ers, where he played two seasons before heading to the Continental Basketball Association and then the San Diego Clippers. After being released by the Clippers in 1979, he enlisted in the military.

“My brother served in the Army and was in Vietnam,” Norman says. “I was looking for a career after basketball and I wanted to see what military life was like.”