The Word on the Street: What the homeless taught me about prayer, by Philip Yancey is an interesting article in Christianity Today. In it, Yancey says this:
“If you’re writing a book about prayer, you should hang around the homeless for a while,” said my wife, a veteran of inner-city ministry. “Street people pray as a necessity, not a luxury.”
Her advice made sense, especially after I interviewed Mike Yankoski, a Westmont College student who, along with a friend, left school for five months to live on the street. (His book, Under the Overpass, tells the story.) Mike told me that homeless people, having hit bottom, don’t waste time building up an image or trying to conform. And they pray without pretense, a refreshing contrast to what he found in some churches.
