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Kingdom of the Poor: My Journey Home
As Charles Strobel, beloved Nashville priest and champion of the unhoused, reached the end of his life in 2023, he began to contemplate the last message he wanted to leave his family, friends, and community. With the help of his niece, Katie Seigenthaler, and his colleague, Amy Frogge, Strobel began to dictate The Kingdom of the Poor. He wrote, “Mark Twain, the great American folk hero and writer, has said, ‘The two most important days of your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.’ The following pages help to explain why I was born.”
The “why” of Charlie Strobel’s life, which was devoted to helping those without support systems and homes to call their own, was a simple belief that we are all poor and we are all worthy of love.
The Kingdom of the Poor is the story of the people and experiences that led him to this understanding and inspired him to live his life accordingly.
The “why” of Charlie Strobel’s life, which was devoted to helping those without support systems and homes to call their own, was a simple belief that we are all poor and we are all worthy of love.
The Kingdom of the Poor is the story of the people and experiences that led him to this understanding and inspired him to live his life accordingly.
179 pages, Paperback
Published September 15, 2025
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575 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
October 7, 2024
For decades Father Charles Strobel left an amazing legacy of helping the homeless in Nashville. Before the priest passed away in 2023, he, with the help of family and friends, wrote this beautiful and compassionate book about his life's work. Charlie, as he was known to all, saw each guest at the Room In The Inn shelter that he founded as an individual. Their stories will stay with you as they did with Charlie, giving him, he says, a deeper understanding of God and his own role on this earth to help the poor. Charlie is a good storyteller and his subjects are memorable, rendered with respect, honesty and spiritual reflections that Charlie calls Beatitude Moments. He challenges each of us to have the courage to see the good in the poor and homeless that he saw. Humble and well-loved throughout the Nashville community, Charlie leaves an important message of simplicity and dedication to truly care for our neighbors. Proceeds from the book go to support the work of shelter, hospitality, education and other services at Room In The Inn in Nashville. I haven't come close to describing the power of this book; you'll want to share it with family and friends and continue the work of Charlie Strobel.
March 20, 2025
“Blessed are those who endure bigotry and hatred, for the long arc of justice will one day bend their way.”
This is the first book I have ever felt compelled to leave a review for; if it can convince one person to pick this book up, that will be enough. The social issues in this book are as real today as they were in the times of Father Stroble’s early ministry. Injustice and inequities perpetrated by the governing systems in place are still present, but the solution continually proposed by Father Stroble throughout this book is just as possible—radical love. Love of one’s neighbor, of one’s forgotten neighbor, of one’s murderer neighbor, of one’s unhoused neighbor.
Father Stroble is a credit to us all through his creation of the Room in the Inn model. I have experienced the beauty of this model firsthand. Giving people the power to partake in collective care of their neighbor.
Here we strip religion, or the church, down to what I believe it could be- an entity founded with the ideals of loving thy neighbor, where baggage can be left at the door. I have had difficulty with modern religion, with power imbalances, unnecessary budgets for lighting and fog machines; but here we see the power of a prayer, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and an open door.
I have felt the crushing weight of the work mentioned in this book firsthand, advocating on behalf of those who fed the industrial prison complex who will never get the chance to live freely, or housed, due to lack of rehabilitation services available. What we see here is the solution that I can rest easy in within the systems presented before us—without the crushing weight of trying to carry it all. “Blessed are those who try to do something even when they can't do anything. They shall keep marching on.”
This is the story of a legacy, one built upon the ideals of genuine love for one’s neighbor, for ALL neighbors. Religion in its modernity often loses the power of its ability to lead with love, but we see that love on display here. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“We remember what matters. We remember the person that Charlie saw in us, in every one of us. At last we are standing as we were meant to stand: together”
This is the first book I have ever felt compelled to leave a review for; if it can convince one person to pick this book up, that will be enough. The social issues in this book are as real today as they were in the times of Father Stroble’s early ministry. Injustice and inequities perpetrated by the governing systems in place are still present, but the solution continually proposed by Father Stroble throughout this book is just as possible—radical love. Love of one’s neighbor, of one’s forgotten neighbor, of one’s murderer neighbor, of one’s unhoused neighbor.
Father Stroble is a credit to us all through his creation of the Room in the Inn model. I have experienced the beauty of this model firsthand. Giving people the power to partake in collective care of their neighbor.
Here we strip religion, or the church, down to what I believe it could be- an entity founded with the ideals of loving thy neighbor, where baggage can be left at the door. I have had difficulty with modern religion, with power imbalances, unnecessary budgets for lighting and fog machines; but here we see the power of a prayer, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and an open door.
I have felt the crushing weight of the work mentioned in this book firsthand, advocating on behalf of those who fed the industrial prison complex who will never get the chance to live freely, or housed, due to lack of rehabilitation services available. What we see here is the solution that I can rest easy in within the systems presented before us—without the crushing weight of trying to carry it all. “Blessed are those who try to do something even when they can't do anything. They shall keep marching on.”
This is the story of a legacy, one built upon the ideals of genuine love for one’s neighbor, for ALL neighbors. Religion in its modernity often loses the power of its ability to lead with love, but we see that love on display here. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“We remember what matters. We remember the person that Charlie saw in us, in every one of us. At last we are standing as we were meant to stand: together”
November 10, 2024
I discovered this book by accident in a Kindle sample. I was so taken with this book that I purchased the hardcover version. This is a gem of a book. It's simple, kind language resonates with anyone who reads it. I recommend this to anyone who has a heart and wishes to live and love more.
December 17, 2024
I give the Catholic social teaching lesson for OCIA at my local parish. Every time I give my lesson I tell the story of Fr. Charles Strobel. I love Charles Strobel. I encountered him first in an Ann Patchett essay collection. Since then, he is one of those saints I often pray with. I found this book, his memoirs, in Nashville at Ann Patchett’s bookstore. It has done me good.
This is not a work of theological heft. Nor should it be. The power of Charles Strobel is the power of taking Jesus literally and living like it. Charles represents the best of the post-Vatican II spirit. It’s concern for justice, poverty, nonviolence, and peace. Much of which has been lost in the contemporary American church.
Charles makes one consider “how do I serve the poor?” Thanks for your witness Charles.
This is not a work of theological heft. Nor should it be. The power of Charles Strobel is the power of taking Jesus literally and living like it. Charles represents the best of the post-Vatican II spirit. It’s concern for justice, poverty, nonviolence, and peace. Much of which has been lost in the contemporary American church.
Charles makes one consider “how do I serve the poor?” Thanks for your witness Charles.
December 31, 2024
Charlie Strobel started Room in the Inn in Nashville, an organization designed to offer assistance to homeless men, women, and families in this area. Our church regularly supports and participates in Room in the Inn’s ministry—and though I never personally met Charlie, many from our congregation knew him personally and thought very highly of him. Reading this memoir, it’s easy to see why. We’ve been going through it together in one of our classes at church, and it’s been so enriching and inspiring. I’m thankful for the example of this humble servant of God. If you’re expecting a theological tome, that’s not what this is. But if you want to better appreciate what it means for one’s life to be conformed to the image of Christ, I encourage you to read this.
November 26, 2024
A great short book about Charles' life and his love of the poor.
I think probably the highest praise I can give this book is that I really want to be more like him. He doesn't talk about himself hardly at all but in his writing about the world around him you can feel Christs' love. Experiencing the little I have of deep poverty, it is hard to be patient and loving. Charles had a deep internal peace based in Christ that all of his actions flowed out of.
I am very inspired by him!
4/5
I think probably the highest praise I can give this book is that I really want to be more like him. He doesn't talk about himself hardly at all but in his writing about the world around him you can feel Christs' love. Experiencing the little I have of deep poverty, it is hard to be patient and loving. Charles had a deep internal peace based in Christ that all of his actions flowed out of.
I am very inspired by him!
4/5
November 28, 2024
My church participates in The Room in the Inn program for unhoused persons, started by Father Charles Strobel, and this book helps explain why and how it began. He was an amazing man who understood his purpose in life, and he has made Nashville a better place to live. I also enjoyed reading his memories of growing up here. There are so many great quotes in this book. One of my favorites is, “The homeless are our neighbors to love, not our problems to solve.” Very inspiring memoir!
October 6, 2024
The church I attend offers housing and food to the unhoused via Nashville’s Room in the Inn ministry. Two of my daughters attended the same high school Fr. Strobel attended and my other daughter attended an all girls Catholic high school with several of Fr. Strobel’s great nieces. All that to say: I was predisposed to like this book. Charlie Strobel changed Nashville for the better and I wanted to know how. Instead, this book told me why.
This book is the story of Charlie but also the story of those he encountered and loved — for he seemed to love all he encountered. Parts of this book brought tears. Other parts brought encouragement. More than anything, this book makes me long to make the world a better place better place in whatever small way I can.
This book is the story of Charlie but also the story of those he encountered and loved — for he seemed to love all he encountered. Parts of this book brought tears. Other parts brought encouragement. More than anything, this book makes me long to make the world a better place better place in whatever small way I can.
September 2, 2024
If you knew Charlie, you loved him. And if so, I’m confident that you will love this book as well. A simple and meaningful gift to the world, these chapters communicate Charlie’s heart for the Lord and his neighbors, despite all that he suffered which could have easily turned his heart from this call. I pray that God continues to raise up movers and shakers with love like Charlie had. I can’t wait to give this book to anyone who will read it.
June 11, 2025
I loved reading this book! As stated by Ann Patchett on the cover of the book, “A manual for decency and kindness”. For readers who like inspirational books, this is a must read. Father Charles Strobel tells you why he wrote the book in the first paragraph with a quote from Mark Twain, “The two most important days of you life are the day you were born and the day you find out why.” This is his story as why he believes he was born. Each story ends with what he calls a “Beatitude Moment”. He explains these moments as “totally unexpected grace filled moments when one is filled with love. We remember them as gifts of love-not simply memories”. Truly, this book gives you much to reflect on and how we need to connect with one another especially the less fortunate.
January 24, 2025
Author and bookstore owner Ann Pachett calls Father Charlie Strobel’s memoir The Kingdom of the Poor “a manual for decency and kindness.” There are no formulas or easy three-step processes in this book, but it is such a manual if you pay attention to how and why it was written.
Memoir can be a fraught, self-centered genre, but Father Strobel, founder of the Nashville-based nonprofit Room In The Inn, manages to focus the attention on others. Each of the book’s 30 chapters highlights someone or a group of people who contributed to his remarkable life and the massive positive impact of Room In The Inn’s work with people who are unhoused.
As the editors, Charlie’s niece (Katie) and a long-term Room In the Inn Volunteer (Amy), tell us at the beginning of the book, Father Strobel long resisted writing a book about his life. He seems to be one of those remarkably accomplished people who managed to stay humble despite all the praise aimed his way. Ann Pachett contributed that Charlie only consented to writing this book when his Parkinson’s and diabetes made it so “the only gift he had left to give were his words.” He “gave [these words] freely, with enormous love.” Further, the Room In The Inn’s website makes clear that all the royalties will be paid to the nonprofit.
The book opens with the Beatitudes from the Gospel of Matthew, and includes Charlie’s own “Beatitude Moments” throughout. Charlie writes that “Before I even knew what the Beatitudes were, I experienced them as a small child who lived among the poor and the meek. Let me tell you about them. Let me tell you as well about how I came to understand the Beatitudes as a framework for living. Let me tell you why the Beatitudes continue to live in our midst. And let me tell you about the people who gave me a passion for loving the poor in body and spirit. We are all poor and we are all worthy of love.”
That last sentence seems especially important. Charlie never gives off an air of superiority; he seemed to see the people he and his organization served as friends and as important contributors to their life together. He believed that we should all recognize our poverty, of one sort or another, and that “our real enemy is denying our shared poverty, which leads to a lack of understanding of and empathy for one another.”
After Charlie's mother was murdered in 1987, the Strobel family released a statement that said “Perhaps it is the irony of God that a woman who abhorred violence died so violently, that a woman who gave so much to the needy lost her life in the act of serving them.” His mother’s murderer killed five other innocent individuals and the Nashville D.A. signaled that he intended the death penalty. Despite tremendous grief, Charlie and his family publicly expressed opposition to the death penalty and wrote “The cruelty of her death, as devastating as it is, does not diminish our belief that God’s forgiveness and love, as our mother showed us, is the only response to the violence we know. If this suspect is guilty as alleged, it is clear to us that he is deeply troubled and needs all the compassion that our society and its institutions can offer.”
Charlie went on to devote the next 36 years of his life to meeting the most basic material needs of people in Nashville, but he does not dwell on his heroism, but rather states that “the homeless saved my life. As I have recounted many times, I was curled up in the fetal position after Mama died. And I heard metaphorically, their voices saying, “Get up. Open the gate.” I didn’t want to. I was destroyed. But I got up. I opened the gate. The city of Nashville got up with me.”
Charlie supposedly asked nearly everyone he met “Do you know how good you are? … I want you to know how good you are.” He also reminded us that “We’re on this earth to get ready to die.” As morbid as that seems, he focused people on moving toward the selfless love of God and others. As poet Hayden Carruth wrote: “Yet not only our lives drift down. The stuff/ of ego with which we began, the mass/ in the upper chamber, filters away/ as love accumulates below. Now/ I am almost entirely love.” Charlie died on August 6, 2023, having embodied self-giving love in a truly remarkable way.
In the Epilogue, Charlie reiterates that “We are all poor and we are all worthy of love.” He urges us to carry on beyond him, in and through this world where “both grace and tragedy coexist." He notes that a “divine discontent” should compel us toward “a world without war, a nation without poverty, a city without homelessness, a family without abuse, children without empty stomachs, and an economic system without greed.” He reminds us that people are not our “problem to solve but [our sibling] to love.” Charlie is not naïve; he notes the seemingly insurmountable obstacles and feelings of impotence, but also points to the “joy in taking up a small part of someone else’s burden, the part you can manage…You will be strengthened by it and in turn you will know that someone else will not be crushed by what they cannot manage alone. This balance between people is the essence of love and joy.”
Memoir can be a fraught, self-centered genre, but Father Strobel, founder of the Nashville-based nonprofit Room In The Inn, manages to focus the attention on others. Each of the book’s 30 chapters highlights someone or a group of people who contributed to his remarkable life and the massive positive impact of Room In The Inn’s work with people who are unhoused.
As the editors, Charlie’s niece (Katie) and a long-term Room In the Inn Volunteer (Amy), tell us at the beginning of the book, Father Strobel long resisted writing a book about his life. He seems to be one of those remarkably accomplished people who managed to stay humble despite all the praise aimed his way. Ann Pachett contributed that Charlie only consented to writing this book when his Parkinson’s and diabetes made it so “the only gift he had left to give were his words.” He “gave [these words] freely, with enormous love.” Further, the Room In The Inn’s website makes clear that all the royalties will be paid to the nonprofit.
The book opens with the Beatitudes from the Gospel of Matthew, and includes Charlie’s own “Beatitude Moments” throughout. Charlie writes that “Before I even knew what the Beatitudes were, I experienced them as a small child who lived among the poor and the meek. Let me tell you about them. Let me tell you as well about how I came to understand the Beatitudes as a framework for living. Let me tell you why the Beatitudes continue to live in our midst. And let me tell you about the people who gave me a passion for loving the poor in body and spirit. We are all poor and we are all worthy of love.”
That last sentence seems especially important. Charlie never gives off an air of superiority; he seemed to see the people he and his organization served as friends and as important contributors to their life together. He believed that we should all recognize our poverty, of one sort or another, and that “our real enemy is denying our shared poverty, which leads to a lack of understanding of and empathy for one another.”
After Charlie's mother was murdered in 1987, the Strobel family released a statement that said “Perhaps it is the irony of God that a woman who abhorred violence died so violently, that a woman who gave so much to the needy lost her life in the act of serving them.” His mother’s murderer killed five other innocent individuals and the Nashville D.A. signaled that he intended the death penalty. Despite tremendous grief, Charlie and his family publicly expressed opposition to the death penalty and wrote “The cruelty of her death, as devastating as it is, does not diminish our belief that God’s forgiveness and love, as our mother showed us, is the only response to the violence we know. If this suspect is guilty as alleged, it is clear to us that he is deeply troubled and needs all the compassion that our society and its institutions can offer.”
Charlie went on to devote the next 36 years of his life to meeting the most basic material needs of people in Nashville, but he does not dwell on his heroism, but rather states that “the homeless saved my life. As I have recounted many times, I was curled up in the fetal position after Mama died. And I heard metaphorically, their voices saying, “Get up. Open the gate.” I didn’t want to. I was destroyed. But I got up. I opened the gate. The city of Nashville got up with me.”
Charlie supposedly asked nearly everyone he met “Do you know how good you are? … I want you to know how good you are.” He also reminded us that “We’re on this earth to get ready to die.” As morbid as that seems, he focused people on moving toward the selfless love of God and others. As poet Hayden Carruth wrote: “Yet not only our lives drift down. The stuff/ of ego with which we began, the mass/ in the upper chamber, filters away/ as love accumulates below. Now/ I am almost entirely love.” Charlie died on August 6, 2023, having embodied self-giving love in a truly remarkable way.
In the Epilogue, Charlie reiterates that “We are all poor and we are all worthy of love.” He urges us to carry on beyond him, in and through this world where “both grace and tragedy coexist." He notes that a “divine discontent” should compel us toward “a world without war, a nation without poverty, a city without homelessness, a family without abuse, children without empty stomachs, and an economic system without greed.” He reminds us that people are not our “problem to solve but [our sibling] to love.” Charlie is not naïve; he notes the seemingly insurmountable obstacles and feelings of impotence, but also points to the “joy in taking up a small part of someone else’s burden, the part you can manage…You will be strengthened by it and in turn you will know that someone else will not be crushed by what they cannot manage alone. This balance between people is the essence of love and joy.”
January 20, 2026
Charles Strobel's message in Kingdom of the Poor is simple and powerful, and hinges on the tenet of "Love thy neighbor." He dedicated his life to this mission, and framing this through the beatitudes (in what he calls "beatitude moments") is his way of saying that he has laid foundation, and more work is to be done. The book is written around his relationships with others and how people throughout his life have impacted him. He does not discuss what he has done for others (while I am sure there are many through his creation of Room In the Inn), but rather how others, from the unhoused to the murderer of this mother, have given him the power to live his life in the image of God. I am particularly moved by his advocation against the death penalty even after his mother was murdered, proving that sticking to your morality in times of difficulty will lead you out of the dark. I hope to lead a life with conviction as Charles Strobel did.
"To serve the Lord is to become worthless—not because you have no worth, but because nothing you do or have, by comparison, is worth more than the gift of God's love. Who is worthy to merit such grace? As the centurion exclaimed in Matthew's gospel, 'Lord, I am not worthy!' Becoming a worthless servant only happens when the relationship is of love. Looking for rewards and thanks disappear from the equation altogether when love rules. 'We've done no more than our duty' suddenly makes complete sense." (page 36)
"I believe we come together when we embrace the poor, when we accept that we all start in the exact same place—the day of our birth. Each of us comes into this world blood-red, naked, weak, vulnerable, and dependent on others for survival. Everything else—from pigmentation to possessions to power to prestige—is irrelevant in the face of this shared poverty." (page 25)
"Yet there is also joy in taking up a small part of someone else's burden, the part you can manage—the part you think you can carry. You will be strengthened by it and in turn you will know that someone else will not be crushed by what they cannot manage alone. This balance between people is the essence of love and joy." (page 144)
"Charles said he learned a lot about hospitality, not just from Clayton, but from the way others treated Clayton." (page 23)
"To serve the Lord is to become worthless—not because you have no worth, but because nothing you do or have, by comparison, is worth more than the gift of God's love. Who is worthy to merit such grace? As the centurion exclaimed in Matthew's gospel, 'Lord, I am not worthy!' Becoming a worthless servant only happens when the relationship is of love. Looking for rewards and thanks disappear from the equation altogether when love rules. 'We've done no more than our duty' suddenly makes complete sense." (page 36)
"I believe we come together when we embrace the poor, when we accept that we all start in the exact same place—the day of our birth. Each of us comes into this world blood-red, naked, weak, vulnerable, and dependent on others for survival. Everything else—from pigmentation to possessions to power to prestige—is irrelevant in the face of this shared poverty." (page 25)
"Yet there is also joy in taking up a small part of someone else's burden, the part you can manage—the part you think you can carry. You will be strengthened by it and in turn you will know that someone else will not be crushed by what they cannot manage alone. This balance between people is the essence of love and joy." (page 144)
"Charles said he learned a lot about hospitality, not just from Clayton, but from the way others treated Clayton." (page 23)
January 18, 2025
The Heart and Hands of a Worthy Servant
The late Father Charles Strobel, Roman Catholic priest and founder of Nashville’s Room in the Inn homeless shelter, lived a life dedicated to the anawim (Hebrew for “poor” as in the first and Strobel’s favorite Beatitude, “Blessed are the poor, for theirs shall be the kingdom of heaven” – Matthew 5:3). His lasting mark was for the economically downtrodden, but he treated every person who came into his life as needy in recognition that all of us are poor in spirit, closer to the fullest meaning of anawim, and in need of God’s healing grace. His life was dedicated to bringing everyone closer to that grace and God’s kingdom. “The Kingdom of the Poor” is Strobel’s memoir of his life, from childhood to his final months, as a servant for God’s kingdom.
“The Kingdom of the Poor” struck close to me. In the years I lived in Nashville I volunteered several times with my Sunday school class at The Room in the Inn. Sometimes we prepared, served, and cleaned up after a lunch for the homeless. Sometimes, in the cold, dark months of winter, we hosted at our church a meal, laundry services, clothing and overnight shelter for the overflow that sought refuge at The Room in the Inn. I met all kinds of people in need. Some were chronically homeless, unable or even unwilling to overcome. A few were suddenly and unexpectedly thrust by life events into the world of the homeless, bewildered and often ashamed. Some were trying diligently, with the help of resident programs at The Room in the Inn, to overcome addictions and bad choices. Some were looking for whatever they could get. Some were grateful for anything they could get. All were needy. All were anawim. All revealed to me my own poorness of spirit.
Strobel didn’t solve Nashville’s homeless problem, but Nashville and countless lives are better because of him. We all are blessed by his life as a good and worthy servant to the least among us for the kingdom of God (Matthew 5:34-40). Read his life story.
The late Father Charles Strobel, Roman Catholic priest and founder of Nashville’s Room in the Inn homeless shelter, lived a life dedicated to the anawim (Hebrew for “poor” as in the first and Strobel’s favorite Beatitude, “Blessed are the poor, for theirs shall be the kingdom of heaven” – Matthew 5:3). His lasting mark was for the economically downtrodden, but he treated every person who came into his life as needy in recognition that all of us are poor in spirit, closer to the fullest meaning of anawim, and in need of God’s healing grace. His life was dedicated to bringing everyone closer to that grace and God’s kingdom. “The Kingdom of the Poor” is Strobel’s memoir of his life, from childhood to his final months, as a servant for God’s kingdom.
“The Kingdom of the Poor” struck close to me. In the years I lived in Nashville I volunteered several times with my Sunday school class at The Room in the Inn. Sometimes we prepared, served, and cleaned up after a lunch for the homeless. Sometimes, in the cold, dark months of winter, we hosted at our church a meal, laundry services, clothing and overnight shelter for the overflow that sought refuge at The Room in the Inn. I met all kinds of people in need. Some were chronically homeless, unable or even unwilling to overcome. A few were suddenly and unexpectedly thrust by life events into the world of the homeless, bewildered and often ashamed. Some were trying diligently, with the help of resident programs at The Room in the Inn, to overcome addictions and bad choices. Some were looking for whatever they could get. Some were grateful for anything they could get. All were needy. All were anawim. All revealed to me my own poorness of spirit.
Strobel didn’t solve Nashville’s homeless problem, but Nashville and countless lives are better because of him. We all are blessed by his life as a good and worthy servant to the least among us for the kingdom of God (Matthew 5:34-40). Read his life story.
January 17, 2026
Please read this book - but beyond that - please open your heart and allow yourself to look at the poor and the unhoused as people of God (just like any of us) who are in need of love. Live your life in a way that the needs of the poor are a priority, not an afterthought or a burden. I was able to help prepare an evening meal and welcome a group of 12 honored guests on Thursday evening at “Room In The Inn” at our local church. I admit it was a scary step for me, but these words of Charles Strobel launched me into action and inspired me to move beyond my own comfort: “We are all poor and we are all worthy of love … recognize our common poverty, recognize our common goodness - and act accordingly”.
October 29, 2025
This book is lovely. It’s very polished and squeaky clean, which sometimes pulled me out of the trance of reading and made me think about how the reality of these be-attitudes are messy and hard in the making. I felt the absence of those hard stories omitted from the book. I wish they were included. However- that shouldn’t discourage you from picking it up! It’s full of wisdom and goodness. Little gems have stuck with me. I keep coming back to this quote “Once I realized that he was not my problem to solve, but my brother to love, the change was almost immediate. I changed and he changed, and we grew to know and love each other.”
Read it. See what sticks with you.
Read it. See what sticks with you.
November 25, 2024
I loved everything about this book. Charles Strobel led a beautiful life. The title of his book "The Kingdom of the Poor" is just the beginning of his message of love, grace and faith. Such thought was put into every aspect of the book from the way the chapters begin, to the vignettes that were added, the people who were honored and those who contributed. My favorite book of the year and I've read many!
December 21, 2024
This is about faith and social justice. If you don't think that these are (or ought to be) connected, you will be disappointed or enlightened (possibly both). If you have wondered how to make the connection, this will show you one path to doing so.
Above all, this is the story of one man's spiritual journey and life's work helping others and how he opened himself up to the blessings that come with that.
Above all, this is the story of one man's spiritual journey and life's work helping others and how he opened himself up to the blessings that come with that.
April 4, 2025
Despite an endorsement from Ann Patchett I found the book disappointing. I finished only because I bought it and it was only 145 pages long and could be read in one sitting. The book was a general overview of Strobel's life and work. I was looking for something more in depth. Overall it was a good reminder of the need for social justice always, and that need is growing today.
August 22, 2025
Excellent book. Father Charles Strobel grew up poor in Nashville and never stopped loving the poor. It was with them he was called to serve. In this book you meet the people Charles knew, served and loved, family, friends, and unhoused neighbors. With each story Charles ends with a beatitude to remember their spirit.
December 25, 2025
“I have always believed our real enemy is denying our shared poverty, which leads to a lack of understanding and empathy for one another.” (25)
“We do not need more faith; we need confidence in the faith we have.” (38)
“If our hearts are more grateful than when we began, we will know we are moving in the right direction.” (39)
“We do not need more faith; we need confidence in the faith we have.” (38)
“If our hearts are more grateful than when we began, we will know we are moving in the right direction.” (39)
March 30, 2025
Father Strobel talks about his youth, his priesthood, his desire to love the poor and provide housing and food. One of his special moments is as chaplain to the Yankees when David Cone pitched a perfect game. A beloved, saintly figure in Nashville. His love of the poor never wavered
July 12, 2025
This book could not be more relevant to our present “time between times.” It offers a way of living that will ease all of our suffering as we seek to lessen the suffering of others. Charles Strobel lived a life that mattered and his words will help us do the same. Please read this book.
August 23, 2025
An excellent series of short essays glimpses inspiring everyday moments in Fr. Strobes life. It is a a testament to good works and the beauty one can create or find in people around us we might otherwise over look.
September 3, 2024
Poignant and humbling, although I did gloss over some of the sermons.
October 11, 2024
I wish I could’ve given this man a hug
October 28, 2024
I cannot recommend this book enough. As Ann Patchett says, "It is a manual for decency and kindness." And, we could surely use more of that. Thank you, Charles Strobel, for doing your part.
October 31, 2024
Having known and worked for Charlie, I knew this book would be great. It far exceeded all of my expectations. Every human should read this book.
November 5, 2024
Filled with thought provoking wisdom
November 6, 2024
Such a beautiful life and legacy.
November 17, 2024
Really needed as we are in a time between times.
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