Same Kind of Different as Me: A Modern-Day Slave, an International Art Dealer, and the Unlikely Woman Who Bound Them Together - Ron Hall, Denver Moore

Rating: 4 horses out of 5

Pages: 244

Challenges: New Author, 20 in 2009

Synopsis (from BN.com as is picture)

Meet Denver, a man raised under plantation-style slavery in Louisiana in the 1960s; a man who escaped, hopping a train to wander, homeless, for eighteen years on the streets of Dallas, Texas. No longer a slave, Denver's life was still hopeless-until God moved. First came a godly woman who prayed, listened, and obeyed. And then came her husband, Ron, an international arts dealer at home in a world of Armani-suited millionaires. And then they all came together.

But slavery takes many forms. Deborah discovers that she has cancer. In the face of possible death, she charges her husband to rescue Denver. Who will be saved, and who will be lost? What is the future for these unlikely three? What is God doing?
Same Kind of Different As Me is the emotional tale of their story: a telling of pain and laughter, doubt and tears, dug out between the bondages of this earth and the free possibility of heaven. No reader or listener will ever forget it.

Review

Wow! This was a great inspirational book. The insight Denver had into God just amazes me...all of this from someone who had a difficult life and was homeless most of his adult life. I would recommend reading this book. Here are some of my favorite quotes from Denver:

Page 113 - Denver talking about material things: “Are you sure you own them, or does they own you?” Ron thinks: “That wisdom stuck to my brain like duct tape. The more I thought about it, the more I became convinced we’d enjoy life a whole lot more if we owed a whole lot less. In some ways, Denver became the professor and I the student as he shared his particular brand of spiritual insight and plain old country wisdom.”

126- Denver: “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.”

169 – “There is something I learned when I was homeless: Our limitation is God’s opportunity. When you gt all the way to the end of your rope and there ain’t nothing you can do, that’s when God takes over. I remember one time I was hunkered down n the hobo jungle with some folks. We was talking ‘bout life, and this fella was talking, said, ‘People think they are in control, but thye ain’t. The truth is, that which must befall thee must befall thee. And that which must pass thee by must past thee by.”

170 - “God calls good ones like Miss Debbie home so He can accomplish His purpose down here on earth.”
“He sometimes needs to call the good ones home to bring glory to His name.”

179 – “God gives each person on earth a sent of keys, keys to live this life down here on the earth. Now in this set, there is one key you can use to unlock prison doors and set captives free.”…Miss Debbie opened Denver’s prison

193 – “Ever man should have the courage to stand up and face the enemy.” I [Denver] said, “cause every person that looks like an enemy on the oustside ain’t necessarily one on the inside. We all has more in common than we think. You stood up with courage and faced me when I was dangerous, and it changed my life. You loved me for who I was on the inside, the person God meant for me to be, the one that had just gotten lost for awhile on some ugly roads in life.” (said to Debbie in her grave)

235- “Then after I met Miss Debbie and Mr. Ron, I worried that I was so different from them that we wadn’t ever gon’ have no kid a’ future. 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 something in between, this earth ain’t no final restin place. So in a way, we is all homeless – just workin our way toward home.”

242 – Denver – “You never know whose eyes God is watchin’ you through. It probably aint’ gonna be your preacher and it just might be someone who was liven like I used to.”

I learned a lot about God from Denver. I especially like the last quote. Whose eyes is God watching you from? Changes your perspective on how you are treating others.