In a society such as ours, there is no small number of desperados -- many of them hardened desperados. In urban ministry, at first, I assisted such people from my home and from my vestry. I stopped that at my home when my late wife Mirjam became afraid -- and she had good reason to be afraid. But wherever my assistance was not attached to a place -- attached to my office, say, or to my home -- I gladly helped out. To turn people away is a sad necessity. This morning a man fled barefoot from a police operation -- and came to my door. I said no, no help. He refused to accept my answer. Then he wailed: "You must listen! You must listen!" If I had met him somewhere else, I would have helped him. OBSERVATION: Just this week, I paid for a night's accommodation for a couple. But I did it because my giving was not "attached to a place".
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