Muddy Water: Stories from the Street
Ebook
A lifetime on Canada's streets results in vivid stories ranging from despair to humor to hope. Voices of street people are seldom found in print, yet homelessness, addiction, mental illness, poverty, and other factors are major issues today.
As a minister of the United Church of Canada, Rev. Al Tysick deals with the entire range of human experience in this unique volume that helps us to understand street life. Evocative drawings by artist Elfrida Schragen enhance and extend the informal style of the text, weaving art into the varied encounters on the street.
The long-detrimental effects of Canada's residential schools highlight why so many street people have Indigenous heritage. The often positive and powerful aspects of that heritage are featured in many stories. This book helps readers to understand why we must free ourselves from every vestige of colonialism, racism, sexism, and any other aspect of institutions that enable inequality, injustice, and poverty. We must move from living in the ego to living for all our citizens.
“This book gives testimony to the outreach and love given by Rev. Al Tysick over many years to his extended family: the street community of Victoria. Each vignette provides insight into the troubled lives of ‘lost souls’ we see daily on the streets of our cities. It also offers us a portrait of Christian dedication in the selfless service of one man to his community. This is a recommended read for anyone interested in one of the most pressing issues of our time.”
—Dennis M. Anholt, retired professor, University of Victoria
“Rev. Al has a way of seeing the essence of the divine in every human. This book is a testimony to his deeply spiritual connection to humanity in all our varied and not always pretty manifestations.”
—Harry Brechner, rabbi, Congregation Emanu-El
“Muddy Water is a must-read. The stories have substance; they challenge the church and all of us to better understand the men and women living on the streets, since their stories are intertwined with ours. As a First Nations leader, I thank Rev. Allen Tysick for bringing these stories to life.”
—George Jr. Hunt, Kwa-guilth artist and elder
“Informed by the author’s Christian faith, suffused with ecumenical compassion, and leavened with humor, this book is a testament to resilience, strength, wisdom and humanity in the face of suffering. An entertaining read, it is also a document of redemption.”
—Gabor Maté, author of The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness and Healing in a Toxic Culture
“Muddy Water takes us to the streets with Rev. Al as he walks beside those who live on the margins of our society. I loved this collection of modern-day parables. It is street scripture that will touch your heart and open your mind, as it pricks your conscience. This should be required reading for all politicians. It’s storytelling at its best!”
—Jo-Ann Roberts, author of Storm the Ballot Box: Starting a Voting Revolution before It’s Too Late
“You will want to reach in and embrace Rev. Al’s street family as your own. You can’t read this raw and honest portrayal of street ministry without being touched by the beauty and wisdom of individuals most of us ignore. At once funny, heartbreaking, and infuriating, you will run the gamut of human emotions as you turn each page. This book is a haunting eye-opener and should be required reading for everyone.”
—Silvia Fiorita Smith, author of Figs beneath the Snow: Unearthing the Poetry
“Rev. Al offers a unique window into the lives of people living on the street. For him, the homeless are people to love and embrace—not a problem to be solved. Prepare to be touched and transformed.”
—Lee Hanes, retired social worker
“Rev. Al, as he is fondly called, is a powerful storyteller! In this lifetime of street ministry, he has penetrated through muddy waters as though ‘through a glass darkly’ and peers into the heart and soul of the human person. Al reaches into the depths of human suffering endured by persons living on the street, inviting and challenging us to embrace their suffering as our own. Al leads us to see with the heart, to see with God’s eyes, and to humbly sit at the table and listen to wisdom from the street. At Rev. Al’s table, there is no us and them—there is only shared pain, joy, agony and hope.”
—Joyce Harris, SSA, canonical co-leader, Roman Catholic Sisters of St. Ann
“Muddy Water is a true testament to the love and compassion of its writer, Rev. Al Tysick. He earned the trust and respect of so many in our community and beyond, for the person he is and for the work he has done. During my twenty years as a Victoria city councilor, I learned from him. Every person has their own story if we only take the time to listen. Muddy Water is essential reading for anyone who wants to better understand the issue of homelessness.”
—Charlayne Thornton-Joe, retired Victoria city councilor
- Title: Muddy Water: Stories from the Street
- Authors: Al Tysick, Elfrida Schragen
- Publisher: Resource Publications
- Print Publication Date: 2024
- Logos Release Date: 2024
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9798385215034, 9798385215027, 9798385215010
- Resource ID: LLS:9798385215034
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-06-12T20:41:06Z
Al Tysick grew up on welfare with a violent alcoholic father, devout mother, and three younger sisters. He acquired BSc, BA, and BTh degrees and was ordained by the United Church of Canada, despite the struggle of dyslexia. His ministerial work always focused on the poor, initially in Ontario.His award-winning leadership in Victoria, British Columbia, offered unconditional love in a nonjudgmental way to all, via The Open Door, Our Place, and The Dandelion Society.