2020 American Express NGen Leadership Award

We don't care about what we don't see.

Countless people are invisible to us. We overlook the poor and homeless, partly because we don't share much space with them. More seriously, we often choose not to see the realities around us. We hold misconceptions about who is deserving or not, or make false assumptions about people's poverty being their own fault.

Terence Lester calls us to see the invisiblepeople around us. His personal encounters and real-life stories challenge Christians to become more informed about poverty and homelessness, and to see the poor as Jesus does. When we see people through God's eyes and hear their stories, we restoretheir dignity and help them flourish. And when we recognize our own inner spiritual poverty, we have greater empathy for others, no matter their circumstances.

Let love open your eyes. Discover how seeing leads us to act with compassion and justice—as God intends.



Terence Lester (PhD, Union Institute and University) is a storyteller, public scholar, speaker, community activist, and author. He is the founder and executive director of Love Beyond Walls, a nonprofit organization focused on raising awareness about poverty, homelessness, and on community mobilization. He also serves as the director of public policy and social change and as a professor at Simmons College of Kentucky (HBCU). He is the author of I See You, When We Stand, andAll God's Children, and he coauthored with his daughter, Zion, the children's book, Zion Learns to See. He and his family live in Atlanta.



Foreword by Dave Gibbons

Introduction: Searching for Home

1. Demystifying Poverty

2. You Don't Have to Fear

3. Making Room in the Margins

4. How Much Is Enough?

5. Ignorance Can Be Hurtful

6. You Are Part of theSolution

7. Different Communities, Different Needs

8. Dignity and How to See People

9. Creating Communities

10. Creating Consistent Rhythms

Conclusion: Each One Matters

Acknowledgments

Questions for Reflection andDiscussion

Notes