The Power of Unconditional Love: A Synopsis of Same Kind of Different As Me
ALYSSA GLASGOW
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The Purpose of the Book
In Same Kind of Different As Me, Ron Hall, a wealthy art dealer, and Denver Moore, a modern-day slave and homeless vagabond, share their stories of their past and how God brought them into deep friendship. While very different, both chronicle the journey from brokenness to restoration. The beautiful journey of their friendship proves the power and necessity of bridging social gaps because every human is made in the image of God, needs redemption, and has value to contribute.
The Perspective
The story begins with Denver, a black man who grew up on a 1950s Louisiana cotton plantation riddled with racial injustice and prejudice–so much so that he never attended school. Its oppressive sharecropping system kept the poor, poor, and the rich, very rich.
Tragedy after tragedy took its toll and finally led him to hop a train out of Louisiana with less than $20 in his pocket. Eventually, he settled in Fort Worth. With limited resources and no opportunity for education or to learn a trade, he turned to a life on the streets, sometimes making poor choices. Denver’s journey illustrates that poverty is often complex. It can result from foolish actions, systemic injustice, or a mixture of both.
Ron also had humble beginnings. His father was an alcoholic, so for all intents and purposes, his mother raised him. Most summers, he picked cotton on his granddaddy’s farm until he left for college at Texas Christian University (TCU). While there, he met and married his wife, Deborah and upon graduation, began a career in investment banking. In his spare time, he bought and sold paintings, a side hustle that became an extremely lucrative career. After making twice as much selling art as an investment banker, he set out on his own as a full-time art dealer.
Ron and Deborah came to know the Lord early in their marriage. Filled with zeal and passion for living a life worthy of the Lord, she volunteered at a homeless mission in Fort Worth, dragging her begrudging husband along for the ride. They met Denver, who by that time was homeless with a rough exterior and a heart hardened by years of grief. Neither man was open to a friendship at the start. But through love, persistence, and encouragement, they developed a relationship that has lasted a lifetime. Their unlikely friendship was nothing short of a divine miracle.
The Key Points
Same Kind of Different As Me paints the ultimate picture of how you can’t judge a book by its cover. In other words, there is hurt and brokenness in everyone’s story. Often, it’s displayed in appearance and behavior –which tempts others to draw conclusions that may not be accurate. Denver struggled with making snap judgments about the rich; in the same way, Ron wrestled with prejudice towards homeless people.
Building a genuine relationship is the only way to avoid that mistake. That means looking past the way they look or act to understand them. That’s how Deborah saw Denver. She quickly learned, “There was so much more below the surface image: dysfunction and addiction, yes. But also gifts–like love, faith, and wisdom- that lay hidden like pearls waiting only to be discovered, polished, and set.” She kept encouraging Ron to see those things in Denver–and eventually, he did.
Denver was indeed a hidden pearl. Although materially poor, he had vast wisdom and experienced life in a way Ron never could. As the two men grew to know each other, Ron learned that poverty runs deeper than a lack of possessions or resources. Ultimate poverty is separation from our Creator because of sin.
By this definition, even the materially wealthy can be spiritually impoverished. Ron says, “I have learned that even with my $500 European-designer bifocals, I cannot see into a person’s heart to know his spiritual condition. All I can do is tell the jagged tale of my own spiritual journey and declare that my life has been the better for having followed Christ.” In other words, while our stories may look very different, we all start with a jagged tale. And while many of us will never be wealthy, our lives can be rich through God’s grace.
Denver and Ron’s relationship is living evidence we all have more in common than we think– and every person has something to teach–and learn. As Denver writes, “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.”
Details We Love
This true story is proof that a flourishing life means more than meeting physical needs. It takes deep personal connections that inspire and equip others to live the life God intended. As Ron shares at the end of the book, “Denver told me that faith-based organizations, government programs, and well-meaning individuals fed him and kept him alive for all those years on the streets, but it was the love of Miss Debbie that caused him to make a change in his life.”
We also love how Ron and Denver’s friendship illustrates reciprocity; modeling accountability and trust by both men. Denver was empowered to live a productive life off the streets, ministering to the homeless because Ron and Deborah reached into his life “with courage and faced me when I was dangerous…” He told them, “You loved me for who I was on the inside, the person God meant for me to be, the one that had gotten lost for a while on some ugly roads in life.”
The flip side is Denver used the courage he gained to help face “some ugly roads in [his] life.” In the end, he helped rescue Ron from a life of hopeless grief.
Considerations
Readers should be prepared for some coarse language and hard topics such as racism, prejudice, alcoholism, and abuse.
Who Should Read This?
Same Kind of Different As Me contains a convicting message that compassionately examines those on the outskirts of society, helping the reader see them as individuals with purpose. While this story will bring hope and challenge every member of the Church, it is especially ideal for those on the frontlines of poverty alleviation ministry.
