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The Twenty-Piece Shuffle: Why the Poor and Rich Need Each Other
Join Greg Paul as takes a look at a remarkable paradox, where the poor can miss their blessedness while the wealthy overlook their own desperate needs.
240 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2008
About the author
Greg Paul
20 books8 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 7, 2017
I was not looking to read this book. I was looking for something on Giving for a sermon that I was writing, and something in the description of this book caught my attention and I decided that it might be informative. Boy, was informative the right word to use, but it was not informative to my sermon. But once I started I could not stop. Paul tells the story of his ministry and work in such a way that it is captivating, encouraging, and painfully convicting. I asked myself "how many times have I had the opportunity to serve and passed it up?", as well as "how many times have I served with a sense of arrogance?".
What I came to see from reading this book is how broken I am, even though I try to show everyone else how well put together I am. In being able to recognized that Paul shows how much I can gain by learning to give of myself; not that my gain should be my motive. He also pointed out how much those who have so little can gain so much by being treated like they have something to give, rather than just being a recipient, whether physically, i.e., as with clothes or food, or emotionally as we become vulnerable through relationship and let them minister to us in our times of need. It all boils down to letting real relationships grow between myself and others, especially those who seem to have nothing to offer. (It seems that I read that somewhere in the words of Jesus!)
It seems that Paul has found a great way of carrying out the words of the Prophet Amos "Seek good and not evil, that you may live; And thus may the LORD God of hosts be with you, Just as you have said! Hate evil, love good, And establish justice in the gate! Perhaps the LORD God of hosts May be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.... 'I hate, I reject your festivals, Nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them; And I will not even look at the peace offerings of your fatlings. Take away from Me the noise of your songs; I will not even listen to the sound of your harps. But let justice roll down like waters And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.'" (Amos 5:14 - 15, 21 - 24 NASB) All the time he is telling his story and the story of those who he has come into contact with, he never makes it seem like his vision of inner-city mission is the only way, just the only way he has experienced and thus he uses it as a challenge for others to find the way they can fulfill the imperative of James "Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world." (James 1:27 NASB)
Paul has issued a challenge to everyone who will read this book, to fulfill the mission of Christ's Kingdom and take the invitation to the poor and needy, the outcast on the byways and highways of life to come to the banquet and sit down with the King and enjoy His bounty.
What I came to see from reading this book is how broken I am, even though I try to show everyone else how well put together I am. In being able to recognized that Paul shows how much I can gain by learning to give of myself; not that my gain should be my motive. He also pointed out how much those who have so little can gain so much by being treated like they have something to give, rather than just being a recipient, whether physically, i.e., as with clothes or food, or emotionally as we become vulnerable through relationship and let them minister to us in our times of need. It all boils down to letting real relationships grow between myself and others, especially those who seem to have nothing to offer. (It seems that I read that somewhere in the words of Jesus!)
It seems that Paul has found a great way of carrying out the words of the Prophet Amos "Seek good and not evil, that you may live; And thus may the LORD God of hosts be with you, Just as you have said! Hate evil, love good, And establish justice in the gate! Perhaps the LORD God of hosts May be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.... 'I hate, I reject your festivals, Nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them; And I will not even look at the peace offerings of your fatlings. Take away from Me the noise of your songs; I will not even listen to the sound of your harps. But let justice roll down like waters And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.'" (Amos 5:14 - 15, 21 - 24 NASB) All the time he is telling his story and the story of those who he has come into contact with, he never makes it seem like his vision of inner-city mission is the only way, just the only way he has experienced and thus he uses it as a challenge for others to find the way they can fulfill the imperative of James "Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world." (James 1:27 NASB)
Paul has issued a challenge to everyone who will read this book, to fulfill the mission of Christ's Kingdom and take the invitation to the poor and needy, the outcast on the byways and highways of life to come to the banquet and sit down with the King and enjoy His bounty.
September 3, 2016
The one element Paul adds to the subject of poverty and the church compared to most I've read on the subject is the idea of mutuality; that is, the idea that the (relatively) rich and poor each have something to give and gain from the other. This enhances a more comprehensive view of the church's orientation toward the poor and poverty in general.
Other than that, Paul's three paradoxical pairings provide a good thumbnail sketch of the needs and opportunities within issues of social concern: isolation vs belonging, productivity vs fruitfulness, and suffering vs glory.
Overall, the added value described above makes this one of the better reads among the prolific, even cliche, social justice writings of contemporary parlance.
Other than that, Paul's three paradoxical pairings provide a good thumbnail sketch of the needs and opportunities within issues of social concern: isolation vs belonging, productivity vs fruitfulness, and suffering vs glory.
Overall, the added value described above makes this one of the better reads among the prolific, even cliche, social justice writings of contemporary parlance.
October 12, 2011
Wonderfully honest journey of the mission field within all of our cities. Let us each remember that though it is important to venture to the far-reaches of the world, our own cities have so many hurting and lost brothers and sisters out there!
Want to Read
September 4, 2008Very exciting to see this; looks like a great essential for all honest Christians interested in social justice.
July 17, 2009
Anyone who is considering going on an inner-city mission trip should read this book. If you've always thought that people on the streets choose to or want to be there, think again.
Want to Read
July 17, 2009RCL
September 12, 2013
Wow... so raw. So real. This is the church I want to be a part of! Thank you, Greg and Sanctuary! Church-goers, please get a copy of this and read!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews