Conclusion

  Denver concludes the book saying, "But I found out everybody's different- the same kind of different as me.  We're all just regular folks walkin down the road God done set in front of us.  The truth about it is, whether we is rich or poor or somethin in between, this earth ain't no final restin place.  So in a way, we is all homeless- just workin our way toward home. (Pg. 235)"
  Often times we do not live out God's calling, because we are afraid of those different from us.  I believe that this book is calling us to not let differences stop us.  Many times we judge others according to their appearance, social circles, and circumstances (like homelessness), and therefore, become unwilling to minister to them.  However, this book inspires us to remember that God created every person with a special purpose.  We do not know what God has planned for another person, but we still have to perform God's calling for us.  As we work our way towards "home," we ultimately want to bring as many people with us as possible.  I believe that Deborah highly understood this principle.  Consequently, she didn't let fear of differences stop her, but instead became different to minister to the homeless.  Her legacy prompts each of us to do the same, as we work our way toward home.

Murchison's Estate

   At the end of the book, Ron continues in his art dealing profession with a chance of a lifetime: the sale of the Murchison Estate's art.  Built in the 1920s,  the Murchison Estate in Dallas was visited by United States presidents, movie stars, and even J. Edgar Hoover.  In 2001, Lupe Murchison, one of the wealthiest people in Texas, passed away.  Her family asked Ron Hall to sell all of the art on the estate, hundreds of pictures and statues.
  During this time, Ron hired Denver to live at the estate and be the night watchman.  Here, Denver discovered his art skills after using left over paints to create his first work of art.  Since then, Denver has crafted over a hundred pictures, selling some of them in his spare time.

An article about the Ron Hall and the sale of the art at the Murchison estate:
http://www.dmagazine.com/Home/2003/08/01/Business_The_Art_of_the_Sale.aspx

Some of Denver's Works of Art:

Denver with one of his works, which was auctioned at Nashville Rescue Mission

Angels We Have Heard

Jacob's Ladder

Memory of a Red Bird

Denver's Greeting Cards

 Website with Denver's artwork for sale:
 http://www.theceruleangallery.com/Denver_Moore/The%20Upper%20Room.htm

Carrying on the Torch

   After a long hard battle with cancer, God told the Halls through Denver to "break the chains" binding Deborah to earth and to let her spirit go free to be with Him in paradise.  That night, on November 3, 2000, Deborah went home to be with the Lord.  This part of the book was especially heartbreaking for me as a reader, because having to let go of someone close is never easy.  Recently my grandpa passed away.  After several years of Parkinson's disease, my grandpa finally journeyed to his last stop: heaven.  When I was with my grandpa on his last night on earth, the pain of watching him suffer almost seemed to drown out the pain of soon losing him.  Later, during the visitation, funeral, and aftermath, I was not prepared for my grandpa's life to be forgotten.  I wanted everyone to remember his commendable acts.  Things he taught me, like persevering through pain, have become a part of me.  His example pushed me to a higher standard for my life.  Even though he is no longer with us, his legacy lives on through the lives he has touched.
   In the same way, I believe the Halls desired for Deborah to be free of the pain and suffering on earth, but were unwilling to let her legacy die with her.  With some of Denver's last words to Deborah, he said, "I can understand how important it is to you that we keep on reachin out to the homeless. Now you done did all you could do.  And God has put it on my heart to tell you that if you lay down the torch, I'll pick it up and keep your ministry to the homeless goin. (Pg. 185)"  A few days later during her funeral, Denver delivered an outstanding message about Deborah and her mission,prompting a standing ovation from all the attenders.  In addition, due to Denver's oration, the Deborah Hall Memorial Chapel raised over $5 million dollars to continue Deborah's work.  In this way, Deborah's legacy continued through Denver and her family.

   
Ron speaks on Denver's part in the family during the time of cancer, Denver's the funeral speech, and the money raised because of it:

Watch "14:58-16:30"

 
Faithful to his word, Denver encourages people stop judging others and help them, in accordance with Miss Debbie's passion:

In addition, What Difference Do It Make?: Stories of Hope and Healing, a new book co-written by Denver and Ron, gives more examples of what we can learn from reaching out to people that are different from us.  Through this book, Denver continues to share on faith and friendship, racial reconciliation, community outreach, compassion, and healing, just as he promised to Miss Debbie.

http://www.amazon.com/What-Difference-Do-It-Make/dp/B004KAB3F2/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1332036385&sr=1-1

A Modern-Day Job

   Although there are many speculations about why God lets bad things happen to good people, as in the case with Job, no one really knows for sure.  In Deborah's case, she was very health conscious and had no family history of cancer.  However on one chat over coffee with Ron, Denver predicted that something terrible would happen to her.  While talking to Ron about his wife's essential ministry to the homeless, Denver solemnly pronounced, "The work Miss Debbie is doin at the mission is very important.  She is becomin precious to God.  When you is precious to God, you become important to Satan.  Watch your back, Mr. Ron.  Somethin bad gettin ready to happen to Miss Debbie.  The thief comes in the night."  Just three weeks later, doctors diagnosed Deborah with colon cancer.
   The life God calls us to is NOT easy.  The more actions we take to do God's will, the more Satan targets us.  Whether our calling is to serve the homeless or just live a righteous and blameless life like Job, our calling comes pros and cons.  Christians must make the choice: "Would I rather follow God at all cost or avoid Satan's increased focus by taking the easy life?  Do the pros outweigh the cons?"  The answer is YES! Romans 8:31-32 says, "What, then, shall we say in response to these things?  If God is for us, who can be against us?  He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?"  Even in the face of Satan's fury, God stands by all of his followers, not allowing more than each one can handle.  In the midst of trials, God still orchestrates something good.  In Job's case, God blessed Job with double of everything he possessed.  With Deborah, the non-religious homeless, with whom she had been serving, turned to God in prayer for Deborah.  Denver became immensely invaluable to the Halls by prayer and God's word through him.  Most of all, the cancer instigated a gratitude in the Halls for even the smallest blessing; simple things like "We woke up!"  gave them joy.  Their example calls us to live in the present,  to follow God's will for us day-by-day, and to leave all the consequences to Him.

Below is a video of a strong Christian diagnosed with colon cancer and who has found that God created something good come out of the bad:

Rocky Top

   Everyone needs a place to retreat when disastrous news, like cancer, suddenly smashes their world to pieces.  Even Jesus went to the garden of Gethsemane to pray and to beg God for a different course.  For the Hall family, their retreat was Rocky Top, a 350-acre ranch overlooking the Brazos River in Texas.  Here they began to "think and pray things through as a family."  For over a decade, the ranch had been their "geographical anchor" and it soon became a "war room" to fight the cancer.  Ron describes those times saying, "Conflicting emotions layered those days at Rocky Top.  Our optimism and confident prayers for healing were real.  But like rain falling from a sunny sky, Deborah and I sensed without discussing it aloud that her prospects for a long life were grim. (Pg. 134)"  During their time at Rocky Top, the Halls received good news and tried to find optimism through the bad.

Pictures of Rocky Top:

"By December 21...we had our miracle.  "Cancer free!" exclaimed her surgeon. (Pg. 154)"

"Deborah had regained a few pounds  and a flush of color.  Had our guests not known her condition, they wouln't even have suspected she was ill. (Pg. 154)"

Brazos River- Rocky Top Lower 40
"[Deborah and I] watched the eagles feast on spawning sand bass and marveled at the savage midair battles they sometimes waged over a catch... the only sound for miles was the wind shimmering...(Pg. 156)"

"Ill, but determined to enjoy the season, Deborah watched expectantly for...the birth of our longhorn calves.  She named two of them Freckles and Bubbles, and I didn't roll my eyes. (Pg. 155)"

Cancer

    One day, Deborah, Ron's wife, suddenly felt something in her abdomen.  After an x-ray at the hospital, the doctors discovered that she had several tumors on her liver.  A colonoscopy the next day proved a cancer prognosis, even though Deborah was very highly health-conscious.  The doctors surmised that Deborah's future looked grim.  Their verdict shattered the Halls' world, as well as the lives of the homeless, who Deborah had so deeply touched.

   When my older brother, Jon, was ten years old, doctors diagnosed him with the fourth or fifth level of melanoma cancer.  They speculated that Jon only had a short time to live, just as the doctors predicted for Deborah.  The diagnosis shattered my family's life.  Normal activities halted.  Facing death, changed everything for my family.  My mom vividly remembers Jon divulging, "I don't want to die!"  Thankfully, not long after the diagnosis, the doctors discovered the first results were incorrect and that the cancer prognosis had been a mistake.  My family thanked God and rejoiced in Jon's life.

   Although, I was not yet alive when my brother was diagnosed with cancer, I can not imagine my life without Jon.  He is a huge part of my life, just as Deborah was a huge part of many other lives.  The thought of losing Deborah to cancer must have been inconceivable to the Halls.  Just as my family was willing to fight the melanoma in any way, so Deborah's and her family were ready to fight the colon cancer in any way possible.

   I, personally, know very little about colon cancer or even the method of using a colonoscopy to test  for health problems.  I researched these topics, putting the links to a few sites below.

Colonoscopy:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/18636-colonoscopy-show/

Liver cancer:
http://www.webmd.com/cancer/understanding-liver-cancer-basic-information
http://www.vetsurgerycentral.com/liver_tumors.htm

Picture of a cancerous liver full of tumors:

"Catch and Release"

   At first, Denver plays the "tough guy" out on the streets, who is feared by everyone.  However, this widespread fear doesn't stop Ron.  Ron pursues Denver and appears to be making little headway, when Denver finally opens up to Ron.  In one conversation over coffee, Denver responds to Ron's desire for friendship by stating, "If you is fishin for a friend you just gon' catch and release, then I ain't got no desire to be your friend...but if you is lookin for a real friend, then I'll be one.  Forever. (Pg. 107)"

   The "catch and release" mentality consumes today's culture.  People buy clothes, toys, gadgets, and other popular items, only to discard them soon afterwards.  Certain desires consume so many until they are fulfilled.  People feel that "if I only had the fastest/biggest/smartest....I would be happy."  However, they find that after the initial excitement wears off, there is little appeal; they come to want the next new thing.  Instead, our culture needs to foster the mentality of "catch and keep."  Our fellow citizens must look to focus on loyalty and commitment.  If loyalty and commitment are the focus, relationships and the all-around purpose for life significantly improve.  Instead of "showing off" a prize (only to discard the item soon afterward), this new focus would cultivate an ultimate "prize" lasting for an entire lifetime.  The wisdom in Denver's words are incredible.  His statements calls us to remember to treat fellow neighbors/friends/individuals around us with loyalty and commitment, not build a shallow facade of a relationship.  The relationships we put the most time and effort into are the most likely to succeed.  If you make loyalty and commitment a priority in your relationships, people will want to be your friend and will actually be willing to invest back into you.


Russell Madden describes the importance of loyalty in friendship:
http://home.earthlink.net/~rdmadden/webdocs/Friendship_and_Loyalty.html

A New Perspective

   When Ron and Deborah first began to volunteer at Union Gospel Mission, one particularly disgruntled man expressed his opinion of them.  He said, "I don't know who you folks are, but you think you're doin' us some kind of big favor.  Well, tonight when you and your pretty little wife are home thinkin you're better than us, just think about this: You miss a coupla paychecks and your wife leaves you and you'll be homeless-just like us! (Pg 87)"  

   

   This statement speaks volumes to all of us.  Often times, when we volunteer or do a "good deed" for the homeless, we believe we just did them a huge favor.  We have temporarily “improved” their living condition, so these individuals should be forever indebted to us.  Although we may truly have compassion for those in need, we help…and leave.  To distance ourselves from their problems, we spend a few hours serving them, then we quickly return to our comfortable lives.  We automatically assume that the individuals in these positions are drug dealers, prostitutes, gangsters, or beggars and somehow deserve to be in their lowly state.  However, I believe the statement above drives us to the conclusion that just because someone is homeless, doesn’t mean that they aren’t human like us.  Something beyond our control could occur and we would wind up right beside them.  

   Instead of believing that we are changing someone else’s life by our “good deed,” I believe we should instead realize that they are changing ours.  By serving the homeless, we find ourselves more grateful and with more compassion towards others.  These desires bring us closer to the heart of God as we pursue “God’s people” as Deborah dubs them.

Wayne Teasdale's "A Different View of the Homeless: A Light in the Street":
http://www.grandtimes.com/A_Different_View.html

Union Gospel Mission

    After over 20 odd years of living on the streets, Denver had straggled into Union Gospel Mission.  Denver said, "I put my blankets on the concrete next to a old empty building across from the mission.  Mr. Shisler the manager of the mission, told me over and over  I didn't need to be sleepin outside in the weather.  After some years went by, I let him give me a bed.  He let me clean up around the mission for my keep. (Pg. 80)"  Eventually, Denver encountered Ron and Deborah Hall at the mission.

   At first, Ron, was skeptical of the idea of volunteering at the mission.  He construed, "The mission, on East Lancaster Street, was tucked  deep in a nasty part of town....I was sure that anyone still doing any murdering probably lived right around there. (Pg. 75)"  However, Ron's wife, Deborah, persuaded him to volunteer with her at the Mission, where Deborah believed God was calling her to serve the homeless.

   God works in mysterious ways.  He ordains for the journey of each person to intersect with those around them.  A dream directed Deborah to befriend Denver, a lonely man who walled off his heart after years of suffering at the hands of others.  Through her friendship with Denver, God, in turn, blessed Deborah during her time of need.  In the same way, each individual we encounter could possibly be another Denver or Deborah.  Even if we are skeptical or prejudice of others like Ron, God can still work on our hearts through the loved ones surrounding us.  No matter which of the three we are most like, God has appointed specific individuals to immensely impact our lives.  In accordance, we must show Christ's love to everyone we meet, because we never know who God will use in our lives.

   God brought Denver and the Halls together through Union Gospel Mission.  Union Gospel Mission has also served thousands of the other homeless populace in Fort Worth, Texas.  The mission follows this main foundation, "A local united Christian organization and ministry dedicated to providing love, hope, respect, and a new beginning to the homeless."

Some quick facts on UGM:
Every day, 570 to 675 people come to the Mission in need of food, shelter, and new beginnings…
In 2010 UGM-TC, through the financial support of caring friends, provided:

• 203,470 hot meals for men, women, and children who might otherwise have gone hungry.
• 25,200 sack lunches for those going to work or life-changing classes.
• 43,608 nights of shelter for women and children, keeping them safe from the dangerous streets.
• 62,890 nights of shelter for men battling addiction, poverty, and other life crises.
• 140,239 total chapel services attended by 3,571 individuals!

Source:
http://www.ugm-tc.org/about/facts 

Other parts of UGM's history:
http://www.ugm-tc.org/about/history

Sharecropping

Denver Moore in the Cotton Fields

    In the book, Denver Moore is called a modern-day slave.  One reason why Denver claims to be a modern-day slave is due to his life as a sharecropper for nearly thirty years.  In one description of his earlier life, he said, "I didn't even know  what a paycheck was (Pg 64)." In the beginning of the book, Denver shares his experiences growing up with his various relatives that were all sharecroppers.  "The Man" operated the plantations, at which his relatives sharecropped.  Denver describes him like this, "The Man  wound up bein your massa 'cause seemed like no matter how many bales a' cotton you turn, you always end up in the hole...didn't get no money, didn't get nothing but the privilege of stayin on for the next season to pay off what we owed.  I was just a little fella, but I still couldn't understand how we could work so hard ever year, and ever year end up in the hole. (Pg. 29)" For many people in Louisiana, sharecropping was the only occupation available in order to survive.  Most of the individuals profiting from sharecroppers had inherited the land from previous plantation owners.  Both black and white people attempted to sharecrop, but neither ever made much profit.  I found a website that explains how sharecropping evolved as well as the hardships faced every year by these farmers.  

Sharecropping website:

http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/a_f/brown/sharecropping.htm

Here is a short documentary by Jonathon Shepherd focusing on the struggles of sharecropping:

  Source:

http://thesharecroppers.blogspot.com/

Rags to Riches

Ron Hall

   Although Ron grew up in the lower class of society, he soon rose to prominence through dealing art.  Ron said, "As I mentioned, I did not start out rich.  I was raised in a lower-middle class section of Fort Worth called Haltom City. (Pg. 18)"  At first, Ron was just your average citizen working hard for even meager wages, earning $450 a month by selling Campbell's soup.  However after Ron discovered his artistic eye and bargaining skills, his life as an art dealer flourished.   He said, "It didn't take long for the zeros to begin piling up in the bank accounts of Ron and Debbie Hall. (Pg. 8)"  Elite clientele invited the Halls to travel to their prime vacation spots.  At first, Ron's life ambition was art dealing and making money.  After researching the job of an art dealer, I discovered that for the most part it is not a glorious job.  I believe, though,  that God blessed Ron's job and allowed him to succeed.  Without God's hand working throughout Ron's life as an art dealer, Ron would have been double-crossed by Barney Goldberg at the beginning of his art career.  In God's sovereignty, he fashioned the "rags to riches" tale into Ron Hall's life.
Art Dealing:
http://www.vault.com/wps/portal/usa/professions/profile/Art-Dealer?search_result_id=678&PROFESSION_NAME=Art-Dealer&POPULAR_TRACKING=true&assignid=678&page_type=professions&rankingId1=678

A couple works of art dealt:

The Signal by Charles Russell
 Ron: "At first, I dabbled in art sales while keeping my investment-banking day job.  But in 1975, when I cleared $10,000 on a Charles Russell painting I sold to a man in Beverly Hills who wore gold-tipped white-python cowboy boots and a diamond-studded belt buckle size of a dinner plate.  After that, I quit banking and ventured out to walk the art-world tightwire without a net. (Pg. 8)

The Eagle by Alexander Calder
Ron: "Even so, in the fall of 1998, I received the kind of call of which art dealers' fantasies are made...the deal included "Eagle," a forty-foot sculpture by the twentieth-century master Alexander Calder, one of only sixteen monumental stabile sculptures the artist executed in his lifetime. (Pg. 123)"

Summary of the book....

  A Same Kind of Different as Me is a true story written by Ron Hall & Denver Moore with Lynn Vincent, which became one of New York Times Bestsellers in 2009.  The story tells of a modern-day slave, an international art dealer, and the unlikely woman who bound them together.
   We study history in order to learn about past mistakes or successful decisions, to prevent the same failures from reoccurring, and to make decisions proven to lead down a successful path.  Through critically reading Same Kind of Different As Me, I believe several important and applicable lessons are  presented.  In addition, the synopsis has hooked my attention, and I am genuinely eager to begin reading such an inspiring book. 

A brief synopsis by Squidoo:

Same Kind of Different As Me is about two men -- Ron and Denver -- and their friendship that teaches them both more than they would have ever expected or bargained for.

A poor, black man who is bitter and penniless ends up graciously loving those who hate him and closing a few high-level art deals, while a self-absorbed aristocrat ends up serving at a local homeless shelter and inviting the poor into his home.

This simple story of friendship calls you to evaluate your life in light of the greatest love and compassion.

Source:
http://www.squidoo.com/samekindofdifferentasme

A book trailer:
http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=K7DW7NNX