Episode 87 :: Lindsey Krinks :: Stories of the Streets: Faith, Loss, Homelessness and Hope
“The kingdom of God is not just somewhere we go when we die, it’s something we bring about in the here and now by the way we live together.”
Today I’m honored to share my conversation with the incredible Lindsey Krink. Lindsey is a street chaplain, author, housing rights advocate and the co-founder of Open Table Nashville, an interfaith outreach non-profit serving the homeless community. Her beautiful and poignant book Praying With Our Feet: Pursuing Justice and Healing on the Streets shares her faith journey and personal evolution as she began to see the Gospel come alive under bridges, and the words of the Old Testament prophets make themselves known in tent cities, and in the shivering shoulders of those caring for one another trying to survive on the fringes of society.
In this powerful episode, Lindsey shares with us a little bit about the stigmas and assumptions that are made about people experiencing homelessness, as well as some of the stories she has seen and experienced, and where she has seen God’s heart for people come alive on the fringes with the least of these.
There are so many narratives that surround lives that we don’t fully understand, and Lindsey brings the practical and the prayer provoking of how we can intersect this particular crisis that affects so many. From how we can better treat fellow image bearers with dignity to practical ideas for what to keep in your car, and how to get involved in your own neighborhood, there is so much packed into this episode. Lindsey’s heart is for us all to take the opportunity to examine our call from Christ to love our neighbor, to nurture a fire in our belly and in our bones to light up the world for justice and love in Jesus’ name. As we talk about often on this podcast, there is no limit to what the Lord can do with a heart surrendered to Him. I hope and pray that this episode presents good questions for you to consider, and also presents opportunities for you to engage God’s creation in a more full and compassionate way, however God may lead you to do so in your own season, place and time. You matter. Your neighbor, houseless or homed, matters. Your story matters.
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Connecting with Lindsey Krinks (and Open Table Nashville):
-Her book: Praying With Our Feet: Pursuing Justice and Healing on the Streets
-Open Table Nashville // their amazon wishlist // how to volunteer with them
-”The Contributor” her husband’s newspaper that provides jobs (and dignity) for neighbors experiencing homelessness
Episode Sponsor: Hopefuel
Use the code SIMPLY15 for 15% off your purchase!
References:
Nashville lunch counter sit ins
St. Teresa of Avila (being the hands and feet of Jesus -- see the whole essay at the end!)
Dr. Cornel West “Justice is what love looks like in public.”
Bombing in Nashville Christmas Day 2020
Tornado in Nashville March 2020
Eviction moratorium, but still an eviction crisis
The Village at Glencliff- Micro-homes in partnership with Glencliff UMC
GraceFull:Growing a Heart That Cares for Our Neighbors by Dorena Williamson
ColorFull: Celebrating the Colors God Gave Us by Dorena Williamson
ThoughtFull: Discovering the Unique Gifts in Each of Us by Dorena Williamson
(you can hear more from Dorena during our conversation in episode 11 and 12 of the podcast)
A fantastic article about Lindsey and her book from the “Nashville Scene”
Scripture References:
Mark 12:31 -Loving our neighbors (along with 100 others)
Deuteronomy 10:18, Deuteronomy 14:28-29, Isaiah 1:17, James 1:27- (It was Deuteronomy not Numbers, sorry!)- sharing about social justice and provision for widows
Psalm 33:5 (one of MANY) God has a significant heart for justice -- scriptural deep dive here
Psalm 90:12-Grant me a heart of wisdom and teach me to number my days
Acts 2-5 (and most of the book really!) - the Church’s development
1 Corinthians 12-We each have spiritual gifts
Luke 10:25-37-The Good Samaritan
Amos 5:24-Let justice roll down like a mighty river
Isaiah 58:6-The kind of fasting I want for you is justice
Isaiah 58:7-Pay your workers and don’t turn away from your own flesh and blood
Matthew 6:10-On Earth as it is in Heaven
Acts 17:26-28, Galatians 5:13, Hebrews 10:23-25 -the Lord made us to dwell with Him and in a way that points each other to Him and then serve one another
Acts 2:42-46- they constantly provided for one another
-Mark 5 // Mark 1:41 -”Lord if you are willing” -- indignant -- moved from the very gut in compassion and pity and hated that this was happening to him - (Greek wording explained here)
Matthew 9:36-Moved with compassion like sheep without a shepherd
Proverbs 19:17, 1 John 3:17-18 ,Psalm 82:3, James 2:15-16 -serve the poor
Psalm 42:7- deep calls to deep
Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are his body.
Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.
— St. Teresa of Ávila
Here are a few take aways from our conversation and from Lindsey’s book that have really impacted me:
--Start at home. How do you communicate about people experiencing homelessness? How can we better respond with nuance and compassion?
--When we see a friend on the side of the road, or in a parking lot, how do you instinctively respond? Just a small act of kindness in a wave or a smile, can affirm a person and see them with dignity. The way we encounter people impacts them from in the inside, out. Our small acts of kindness, even just a hello, can reinforce that person’s healing resources within themselves.
--Want to be a little more proactive? Then think through ways to do what Lindsey suggested and “be prepared”
Practical ways to engage friends experiencing homelessness:
Carrying socks (in any season)
Water
Snacks
First aid stuff
And I love simply asking: “Could this be useful to you?”
--And if you need a next step, most of the resources I have listed in the show notes are Nashville area centric as far as boots on the ground work, but they all have amazon wishlists and ways to donate, and social media feeds to follow where you can learn, donate and gift to those who are able to go and physically be the hands and feet of those on the street.
-A couple of other ministries and non profits that I’ve really learned a lot from recently are Love Beyond Walls out of Atlanta, GA and Michelle and Aaron Reyes’ church, Hope Community Church in Austin, TX. The hearts behind this work, along with people like Lindsey and many others all across the country and the world even, are accessible, we just have to be willing to look.
I’m so grateful that you hung out with me today, friend. Truly. The Lord is not finished with any of us. Keep going. Keep learning. You matter, your story matters.
Connecting with Emily and Simply Stories Podcast:
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*Intro and Outro music is from audionautix.com
