Winter25_The_Eagle_DRAFT

CALLAWAY WOODS & LAKESIDE HOA

Volume 3 Issue 3

© Callaway Woods and Lakeside HOA

WINTER 2025

IN THIS ISSUE NOTICE OF 2026 CWHOA FEES DUE & Payment Options … 4 Message from President …5 Your CWHOA Leadership … 7

Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People … 10-12

by Al Barber

Financial Report …14,15

Bye-Bye, Benning; Hello Moore … 18,19

by Bud Paepcke

Understanding Poverty: Why Discernment Matters More Than Money … 20-21

by Al Barber

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CallawayWoodsHOA.org

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Ad BDS

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PAYMENT AND LATE FEE INFORMATION FOR 2026 HOA dues for 2026 are $600 for each household, as well as for each vacant lot.

HOA fees will are billed in a single payment of $600 due January 1st.

The following late fee changes were effected January 1, 2025: 

If the $600 is not paid in full within 60 days, (February 28th of the same year due) then a $100.00 late fee will be imposed. 

If the $600 +$100 late fee ($700,00) is not paid in full by April 30th of the same year due a lien may be filed on your property. 

In addition to our filing of the lien, you will also be responsible for legal and publishing fees of up to $500.

Methods for payment of your annual dues payment: 1. ACH – Contact your bank and set the payment up for an automatic transfer. The HOA will provide you with our Bank information that you will need to give to your bank.

2. Credit/Debit Card – Use your card to pay your dues via the website. Fill out the form online for a quick and easy payment. There will be a small fee added to your payment amount for this transaction.

3. Mail a check to:

Callaway Woods & Lakeside HOA PO Box 1163 Fortson, GA 31808 If for ANY reason you are unable to pay your HOA dues at the time of billing, please contact Al Barber, Burton Keller, or any board member. Do not wait until we must file a lien. We will find a way to work with you as long as you communicate with us.

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Happy New Year 2026 As we welcome the new year, I want to extend my warmest wishes to each of you and your families for a healthy, peaceful, and prosperous 2026. Callaway Woods & Lakeside is not just a neighborhood — it is a community of neighbors who support one another, overcome challenges together, and take pride in the place we call home.

Looking back on 2025, we accomplished a great deal as a community. We completed a new roof on the pavilion, installed new sod and bushes at one of our entrances to enhance curb appeal, and placed new sod in front of the pool and pavilion area to improve the look and experience of our shared spaces. These projects were important investments in both the beauty and long-term value of our neighborhood, and I’m grateful for the teamwork, patience, and support that made them possible.

Like many communities, we also faced our share of challenges this past year — and I am proud of the way our residents responded with resilience, cooperation, and a spirit of unity. Faith, communication, and a shared commitment to our neighborhood helped us move forward together.

As we look ahead to 2026, our goals include continuing to beautify and strengthen Callaway Woods & Lakeside. This year’s priorities include further enhancements to our entrances across all four communities and continued work along the fence lines to improve appearance, safety, and consistency throughout the neighborhood. These improvements help protect our property values and maintain the welcoming environment that makes our community special.

This is also a friendly reminder that 2026 HOA dues are now due. The annual dues are $600, and as of year-end, approximately 30% of homeowners have already paid — thank you for your prompt support. If you have not yet submitted your dues, please mail your payment to our HOA P.O. Box Callaway Woods & Lakeside HOA, PO Box 1163, Fortson, GA 31808 or pay online at callawaywoodshoa.org, by credit card at your convenience. Your participation and support make these community improvements possible, and they directly benefit every homeowner in Callaway Woods & Lakeside.

Thank you for your continued trust, involvement, and commitment to our neighborhood. I look forward to serving you in 2026 and working together to make this another strong year for Callaway Woods & Lakeside.

Warm regards,

President, Callaway Woods HOA (706) 442- 8100

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alfredrbarber@gmail.com

r.burt@mchsi.com

burton@deltadatasoft.com

carolh1219@aol.com

askd57@gmail.com

jec1945@gmail.com

pdv@bellsouth.net

Reneebeenee@aol.com

janke02@bellsouth.net

markolivermd@gmail.com

captainjgsiii@gmail.com

sandi.mccann31820@gmail.com

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“The Eagle” is a Quarterly Report for CW Property Owners

“Where the Eagles Soar” is a Special Edition, published in the Fall of 2020, which contains the rich history of our community and is available on our website.

Publisher: Al Barber (Cutoff last week of ea. QTR)

Editor: Dr. Sandi McCann

Full Page ………………………. $ 250.00 Half Page………………………. $ 125.00 Quarter Page…………………... $ 75.00 Eighth of Page………………..... $ 50.00 Preparing Camera-Ready Ad…. $ 30.00

Graphic Artist: Matt Blaxton Contributing Writers: Bud Paepcke Al Barber

Call (706) 442-8100 to place an ad Callaway Woods and Lakeside HOA

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Talk to your favorite vendors about being added to our website for $100.00 initial listing fee. So long as no neighbors have any unresolved complaints against the vendor, they can renew annually for $50.00. *Purchasing an ad (half page min) in our publication, “The Eagle”, for (4) consecutive issues gets free advertising on the website for the first year.

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Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

By Al Barber

As we look toward a hopeful new year, none of us plan for hardship — yet seasons of adversity may still come a-knocking, reminding us that faith and hope must walk with us along the journey.

THE ANSWER WE NEED FIRST When tragedy strikes — when a child is diagnosed with cancer, when a faithful servant of God loses everything, when senseless violence takes an innocent life — we cry out the question that has echoed through every generation:

Why? If you're reading this in a moment of fresh grief, let me give you the heart of the answer before we explore the theology: You suffer not because God has abandoned you, but because we live in a world fractured by sin, rebellion, and death.

Your pain is real. Your questions are valid. And God has not turned His face from you. Scripture promises that He is near to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18), that He collects every one of your tears (Psalm 56:8), and that nothing — not death, not sorrow, not the deepest valley — can separate you from His love in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:35-39).

Suffering may visit your life, but God does not leave you there. The brokenness you feel today is not the end of your story.

Now let's walk through why this brokenness exists — and where hope is found.

THE REBELLION THAT BEGAN THE STORY OF SUFFERING Before we can fully wrestle with suffering in our own lives, we must look back to the earliest rebellion in God's creation. Lucifer — later called Satan — was created as a majestic being, "full of wisdom and perfect in beauty" (Ezekiel 28:12-13). He dwelt in God's very presence, adorned with beauty, endowed with wisdom, placed in honor among the heavenly host. He never knew pain, darkness, hunger, loneliness, or struggle. He had never experienced life apart from God's sustaining presence and glory.

In many ways, Satan possessed what our hearts yearn for — closeness to God, fullness of spiritual life, and glory beyond earthly comprehension. Yet Scripture tells us that pride rose in his heart, and he desired to exalt himself: "I will ascend… I will be like Callaway Woods and Lakeside HOA

the Most High" (Isaiah 14:12-14). In his rebellion, he led astray a portion of the heavenly host — symbolically described as "a third of the stars of heaven" (Revelation 12:4) — and was cast out of heaven and down to the earth (Revelation 12:7-9).

Here is the mystery that pierces to the heart of our question: Lucifer had everything we pray for, yet he still chose rebellion. He made this choice having never known what life without God would truly cost.

And in that tragic fall, the long shadow of brokenness began to touch our world.

FREE WILL: THE RISK OF REAL LOVE God could have created Lucifer — and later, humanity — as beings incapable of rebellion, programmed only for automatic obedience and forced devotion. But God does not desire puppet love. He does not create His children as machines.

Instead, He gives the sacred gift of free will — the ability to choose love, loyalty, and worship. In the same way we long to be loved by our family and friends freely — not coerced, not manufactured, but genuine — God desires relationship grounded in authentic love and trust. Love that is forced is not love at all. True love must be chosen.

God, in His infinite wisdom and foreknowledge, knew that Lucifer would choose rebellion — and yet His work of creation continued. He knew the tempter would come into the garden, that Eve would be deceived, and that humanity would fall into sin (Genesis 3:1-6) — yet God still chose to create us with free will, just as Lucifer had been created with the ability to choose.

THE FALL OF HUMANITY AND OUR PRESENT CONDITION In the beginning, Adam and Eve wanted for nothing.

They lived in innocence, in fellowship with God, without sickness, shame, hardship, or sin (Genesis 2:8-10, 25). Yet like Lucifer, they were free to choose obedience… or disobedience. And they chose disobedience.

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says humanity was made "a little lower than the angels" (Psalm 8:4-5; Hebrews 2:6-7). Not lower in God's love — for His love toward us is immeasurable — but lower in realm and condition. We were placed into a world where we experience weakness, limitation, temptation, and mortality. In this earthly state, we learn what Lucifer only came to understand after his fall: what separation from God truly costs.

For now, we live in bodies that age, weaken, sicken, and eventually return to dust (Genesis 3:19). We face trials Satan never knew in his pre-fall state. And through this brokenness, we learn dependence on God. We learn faith. We learn to cry out for a Savior — and to long for the restoration that is coming.

WHAT CONTRAST TEACHES US Though we never needed suffering to love God, living in a fallen world reveals truths we couldn't grasp otherwise. Having known darkness, we treasure His light (1 John 1:5). Having faced evil, we cling to good (Romans 12:9). Having experienced mortal frailty, we long for immortal glory (1 Corinthians 15:42-44).

God's Kingdom has no darkness, no evil, no death — for these were never part of His design (Revelation 21:3-4, 23). But in this broken age, the contrast between what is and what will be teaches us to yearn for restoration. Our aging bodies point us toward the imperishable body to come (Philippians 3:20-21). Our tears teach us to long for the day when God wipes every tear away.

We don't suffer to learn lessons — we suffer because we live in a fallen world. But God wastes nothing. Even in brokenness, He draws us closer to Himself and deeper into hope.

WHY THE RIGHTEOUS — AND EVEN THE INNOCENT — SUFFER If God is good… If God is loving… If God is powerful… Then why do hardship, tragedy, sickness, and loss still touch the lives of faithful people — and even children?

Scripture shows us that suffering is not always the result of personal sin or failure. We suffer because we live in a fallen world — a world fractured

by Adam's rebellion, scarred by spiritual warfare, and groaning under the weight of death itself (Romans 5:12; Romans 8:20-22). Children suffer. The innocent suffer. The faithful suffer. The righteous suffer. Not because God has abandoned them, but because we still walk through a world that is not yet restored.

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Job — a righteous man who lost everything — never received a complete explanation for his suffering.

God's response to Job was not a theology lesson but a revelation of His sovereignty, wisdom, and presence (Job 38-42). Sometimes we, like Job, must trust God's character even when we cannot understand His purposes.

THE MANY SOURCES OF SUFFERING Suffering enters our lives through multiple doorways: Our own choices — Sometimes tragedy comes because we ignored wise counsel, took unnecessary risks, or entangled ourselves in destructive influences. Our decisions matter, and poor choices can bring painful consequences (Galatians 6:7-8).

The brokenness of this fallen world — Sickness, natural disasters, accidents, and aging are all part of living in a world under the curse of sin. Creation itself groans, waiting for redemption (Romans 8:22).

Spiritual warfare — Scripture speaks clearly of unseen forces of darkness working against God's purposes in human lives (Ephesians 6:12; 2 Corinthians 10:3-4). We have a real enemy who seeks to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10).

God's refining hand — There are seasons when God allows us to walk through trial not to destroy us, but to strengthen, mature, and purify our faith (1 Peter 1:6-7; James 1:2-4). This is perhaps the hardest truth to accept when we're in the fire, yet Scripture repeatedly affirms it.

Often we cannot discern which of these is at work in any given moment. The sources may overlap. The reasons may remain hidden until eternity. But even when we cannot see the source, we know Who to trust: God is our refuge, our strength, and our faithful comfort in every season (Psalm 46:1; Proverbs 3:5-6).

GOD HAS NOT LEFT US ALONE Even in a fallen world, God has not abandoned His children. He has given His angels charge over us, appointing them as ministering spirits to watch over and serve those who belong to Him (Hebrews 1:14; Psalm 91:11-12). This doesn't mean we'll never face danger or grief — even the faithful walk through valleys — but we do not face those valleys unguarded or unseen.

More than that, God sent His own Son into this broken world. Jesus did not exempt Himself from suffering — He entered fully into it. He was "a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief" (Isaiah 53:3). He wept at the tomb of His friend Lazarus (John 11:35).

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He sweat drops of blood in the garden, crying out to His Father (Luke 22:44). And He died a brutal, unjust death on a Roman cross.

God did not answer the problem of suffering with an explanation. He answered it with His presence. He stepped into our pain, carried it to the cross, defeated death through resurrection, and promised that one day He will wipe away every tear from our eyes. There will be no more death, no more mourning, no more crying, no more pain — for the old order of things will pass away (Revelation 21:3-4).

WHAT DO WE DO NOW? If you're in the midst of suffering today, here are truths to hold onto and steps to take:

1. Bring your raw emotions to God

6. Seek professional help when needed There is no shame in seeing a counselor or doctor for grief, trauma, depression, or anxiety. God uses medical and mental health professionals as instruments of His healing.

A CLOSING PRAYER Father, I come to You with questions I cannot answer and pain I cannot bear alone. I don't understand why this has happened, and my heart is broken. But I choose to trust that You are good, that You are near, and that You have not abandoned me in this valley.

Strengthen my faith when it falters. Comfort me when sorrow overwhelms. Remind me that this suffering is not forever, and that You are preparing a place where tears will be no more.

Don't sanitize your prayers. The Psalms are filled with gut-wrenching honesty — anger, confusion, despair, accusation. God can handle your questions and your tears (Psalm 13; Psalm 22; Psalm 88).

Help me to hold onto hope — not because I understand Your ways, but because I know Your heart. Thank You for walking into this broken world, for carrying my grief to the cross, and for promising that one day You will make all things new.

2. Don't walk through this alone

Until that day, be my refuge. Be my strength. Be my peace.

God designed us for community. Reach out to your church family, a trusted friend, a pastor, or a Christian counselor. Isolation intensifies suffering; fellowship brings the tangible presence of Christ (Hebrews 10:24-25; Galatians 6:2).

In Jesus' name, Amen.

Remember: Suffering may visit your life, but God does not leave you there. Hold fast to Him — even when everything else seems to be slipping away. He is faithful, and He will carry you through.

3. Hold onto what you know, even when you can't see In dark seasons, faith is not about feeling God's presence — it's about trusting His character when everything in you wants to doubt. He has proven faithful before. He will prove faithful again (Lamentations 3:22-23).

4. Remember this is not the end of your story Our present suffering is temporary, but our future glory is eternal. This body will be raised imperishable. This broken world will be made new.

What we endure now does not compare to what awaits us (2 Corinthians 4:16-18; 1 Corinthians 15:42-44).

5. Look for God's presence in the valley He may not remove the trial, but He promises to walk through it with you. Look for His comfort in Scripture, in worship, in the kindness of others, in unexpected moments of peace. He is near (Psalm 23:4).

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By Carl “Bud” Paepcke

I

was personally disappointed when Fort Benning, Georgia officially became Fort Moore, Georgia in 2023. In saying that, I certainly mean no disrespect to Army Lieutenant General Harold G. "Hal" Moore and his wife, who were honored with the congressional name-change. General Moore is unquestionably a highly decorated, Vietnam War hero who certainly deserves special recognition for his military accomplishments. If you've read Hal's book, We Were Soldiers Once...And Young, or if you have seen Mel Gibson's movie by the same name, then you would agree that Hal Moore is indeed worthy of having a military installation named after him. Hal Moore was born in 1922 in Bardstown, Kentucky, which is world-renowned for its Bourbon whiskey. After retirement from the Army, Moore resided in nearby Auburn, Alabama until his death in 2017 and was buried in the military cemetery at Fort Benning. Just before his death, my Marine daughter met him in Columbus and got him to graciously autograph a book for me, for we are both Vietnam veterans.

Though I am a Marine and was never stationed at Fort Benning, I was personally acquainted with the post, having had a federal law enforcement relationship there for 20 years. Also, in 1964, I remember entertaining troops at the post as a college thespian. At the time of its name-change, Fort Benning was 105 years old and was the site for the training of thousands of our soldiers who fought for our nation in every war from WWI to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. This military post was first opened as the US Army's Camp Benning near Columbus in 1918. It was then moved south of the city in 1922 and given the higher status of being a fort. Columbus city leaders had campaigned to get the post established there, and when their efforts

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were successful, they were given the privilege of naming it after one of their own...Henry L. Benning. Benning, a lawyer who had served with distinction as a Confederate brigadier general and known as "Old Rock" in the Civil War at Antietam and Gettysburg, returned home a war hero to be popularly elected as a member of the Georgia Supreme Court.

Fort Benning was one of ten Army bases in the south that were originally named for Confederate military leaders. In the twenty-first century, many now believe that was wrong, but It is my opinion that such naming was done to help bring together a nation whose people were still somewhat divided after the Civil War ended, just 53 years before. Fort Benning became a melting pot for American men of all races and creeds to be transformed into our finest soldiers to defend our unique republic. It is my hope that most of the soldiers who were trained here have proudly remembered the name that was associated with that training. Like General Moore, General Benning, who died in 1875, never asked that his name be given to the Army post. It was his fellow citizens who chose to honor him.

A few years back, my wife, Judy, and I were in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and were walking the grounds of President Dwight Eisenhower's farm there, which is adjacent to the National Historic Military Park. A park ranger asked me where we lived. I told him we were from the Columbus area and lived near Fort Benning. The ranger immediately explained that General Benning had actually led Confederate troops across the Eisenhower farm on his way to his fight and wounding at Devil's Den and his men's failed assault of Little Round Top. General Eisenhower was one of

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the soldiers who served at Benning. As a young Army captain, Eisenhower also served as a host for the stillliving Union and Confederate veterans who gathered at Gettysburg for a reunion of that battle in 1913. You see, Henry L. Benning is part of our American history and should not be forgotten just because we now believe 100 years later that he chose the wrong side at the time of the Civil War. Political correctness should never attempt to change history. General Benning's name has been positively associated with the training of our Army's finest infantrymen, cavalrymen and tankers. I personally choose to know and remember both Henry Benning and Hal Moore.

One final note: In 2025, our nearby Army post had another name change. It is once again officially named FORT BENNING, now in honor of Army Corporal Fred G. Benning (a native of Nebraska), who was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross in WWI. Long live Fort Benning!

Henry L. Benning

Harold G. "Hal" Moore

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Understanding Poverty: Why Discernment Matters More Than Money

By Al Barber

P

overty is not a single-cause condition, nor is it a uniform experience shared equally across all who suffer from it. Throughout Scripture and human history, we see that poverty emerges from many different sources — including injustice, misfortune, addiction, idleness, mental illness, family breakdown, oppression, economic displacement, and even willful rebellion.

To treat all poverty as the same problem is to misunderstand it — and when government or charitable institutions respond without discernment, they often make the problem worse, not better.

Many modern programs approach poverty with a single blunt tool: more money, more aid, and more redistribution — as if material need alone defines human struggle. But money placed into the hands of someone unprepared to steward it can, in some cases, act not as relief… but as fuel poured onto a fire.

This is not a rejection of compassion — it is a call to wisdom.

Biblical Context: Poverty Does Not Come From a Single Source Scripture repeatedly shows that people fall into poverty for very different reasons — and that God responds to those reasons differently.

Some are poor because of injustice or oppression: “Do not exploit the poor because they are poor…” (Proverbs 22:22) Others fall into hardship due to calamity or tragedy.

Some experience poverty because of destructive choices or neglect of responsibility: “A little sleep, a little slumber… and poverty will come upon you like a robber.” (Proverbs 24:33–34) Others suffer because of bondage, addiction, or generational strongholds.

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Jesus also warned that not every person is ready to receive what is precious or sacred: “Do not cast your pearls before swine…” (Matthew 7:6) This passage is not a condemnation of the poor — it is a warning that compassion must be accompanied by discernment.

Compassion without discernment is not mercy — it is carelessness.

Real-World Evidence: When Assistance Without Discernment Deepens Harm

The following true-to-life experiences illustrate how material aid, when given without understanding a person’s condition or readiness, can unintentionally magnify harm rather than relieve it.

Case Study 1 — The Elderly Couple in Prattville, Alabama

In the late 1990s, a pastor in Prattville, Alabama asked if help could be provided to an elderly couple in his congregation. They were in their seventies and faithfully walked two miles each way to attend church.

Based on his recommendation and their apparent commitment, a used vehicle in good running condition was gifted to them so they would no longer have to walk.

Within two weeks, the wife called in distress.

After receiving the car, her husband’s behavior changed dramatically. He began driving recklessly through town, drinking heavily, writing bad checks, bootlegging whiskey, and selling stolen cigarettes. The vehicle — intended as a blessing — had instead granted mobility, opportunity, and access to destructive behavior that had previously been limited by circumstance.

It was a painful but critical lesson: Good intentions are not enough. Without understanding a person’s history,

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temptations, or readiness, a material gift can expand the reach of brokenness instead of healing it.

Case Study 2 — The Widowed Woman in Prattville In another instance, groceries were purchased and delivered to an elderly widow living in a trailer park.

Her cabinets were empty, and the groceries were left with the belief that a compassionate need had been met.

Moments later, a neighbor approached and explained that the woman was deeply addicted to crack cocaine — and that every donation that entered her home was immediately sold or traded to her dealer for a small drug hit. Several other people had already dropped off food that same day.

A system designed to provide nourishment had instead become a marketplace of exploitation and addiction.

Once again, provision without accountability had become a pathway to harm.

What These Stories Reveal Across each of these situations, a consistent truth emerges: help was given with genuine compassion — but without complete understanding of circumstance — and the new resources amplified dysfunction rather than relieving it.

In these cases, money and material aid did not restore dignity. They accelerated destruction.

True mercy does not simply ask, “What can I give?” It also asks, “Will this help — or will this harm?”

The issue was not hunger. The issue was addiction.

Well-meaning acts of charity were not rescuing her — they were subsidizing her bondage.

This was not an absence of compassion… it was an absence of discernment.

Case Study 3 — The Homeless Pavilion Community in Columbus, Georgia

Years later, a pastor in Columbus asked for help finding employment for a homeless man he had occasionally allowed to stay in his home. During an interview along the Riverwalk, the man eventually admitted that the long gap in his work history was due to incarceration for sexual assault — information he had never disclosed to the pastor, even though the pastor had a teenage daughter in the home.

While the interview was underway, a car pulled into the nearby parking lot. A dozen individuals from the pavilion immediately walked toward it. The applicant explained that the driver served as an informal “EBT exchange agent,” paying cash at pennies on the dollar for food-stamp cards and converting them into cash through local grocery partners.

Those selling their benefits later relied on missions and shelters for food — using the exchanged cash for drugs, tobacco, or gambling.

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Why Government Programs Often Miss This Reality Government relief systems — by design — treat all poverty as a single category and cannot distinguish between addiction and misfortune, irresponsibility and injustice, tragedy and self‑destruction. Resources are often distributed impersonally and uniformly, which means funding may unintentionally flow toward addiction, exploitation networks, and generational dependency rather than toward healing and restoration.

A Better Way: Compassion With Wisdom This is not a call to abandon the poor — it is a call to help wisely, walk relationally, support accountability, and encourage transformation. Real compassion is not measured by how much we give — but by whether what we give leads to life, freedom, and restoration.

Sometimes the most loving gift is support, mentoring, structure, or rehabilitation before financial assistance — so that when provision does come, it strengthens rather than destroys.

True compassion requires both a tender heart and a discerning spirit.

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