Baptist News Global
Sections
  • News
  • Analysis
  • Opinion
  • Curated
  • Storytelling
    • Faith & Justice >
      • Charleston: Metanoia with Bill Stanfield
      • Charlotte: QC Family Tree with Greg and Helms Jarrell
      • Little Rock: Judge Wendell Griffen
      • North Carolina: Conetoe
    • Welcoming the Stranger >
      • Lost Boys of Sudan: St. John’s Baptist Charlotte
      • Awakening to Immigrant Justice: Myers Park Baptist Church
      • Hospitality on the corner: Gaston Christian Center
    • Signature Ministries >
      • Jake Hall: Gospel Gothic, Music and Radio
    • Singing Our Faith >
      • Hymns for a Lifetime: Ken Wilson and Knollwood Baptist Church
      • Norfolk Street Choir
    • Resilient Rural America >
      • Alabama: Perry County
      • Texas: Hidalgo County
      • Arkansas Delta
      • Southeast Kentucky
  • More
    • Contact
    • About
    • Donate
    • Associated Baptist Press Foundation
    • Planned Giving
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Advertising
    • Ministry Jobs and More
    • Transitions
    • Subscribe
    • Submissions and Permissions
Donate Subscribe
Search Search this site

Can I give you a ride?

OpinionAngel Pittman  |  July 10, 2014

I like giving people rides.  As I live and work in the same neighborhood with a high concentration of poverty, I find the opportunity arises quite often. It’s a simple act of kindness that gives me joy while meeting an immediate need in a place where walking is often the main means of transportation for many.  In Miami with its tropical climate it’s usually either hot or rainy and sometimes both.  So nearly once a week or more I find myself giving a ride to someone.  It’s often a current or past teenager in our program, a parent of a child or teen in our program, a neighbor, or even sometimes strangers—although as a woman when it comes to other adults, I only give rides to other women just as wise precaution in my inner city neighborhood.

It’s fun to catch up with young people now in college who used to be in our youth program as we chat on our short rides.  I enjoyed the opportunity to encourage a young man who dropped out of our program to come back in as I did yesterday giving him a ride on his way to a friend’s house.  Over the years, I’ve given many rides to various teens seen frantically racing to school knowing that getting in before the bell rings can make or break their day’s success in school.  I give rides to neighbors in our complex as they are taking off to walk and was pleasantly surprised recently that the teen I’d inappropriately labeled as a “sullen” because of our limited interactions was actually a delightful, hardworking gal on her way to her steady job at a department store grateful for a ride to avoid a sweaty arrival.

The first thing I ask of course is, “Where are you headed?” and learned that even if the response is a bit out of my way I try to never let on it’s an inconvenience.  If they are going outside of the neighborhood, I don’t feel guilty not giving them a full ride and will drop them off at the closest bus stop or train station knowing that a few blocks can help them catch an earlier bus or train and still lead to some great times of sharing.

I know I’ve taken many people off guard as I roll down the window and ask, “Can I give you a ride?” Strangers sometimes say “No” I think just out shock and surprise that some crazy lady is offering them a ride.  I also gladly give second chances to folks who say no the first time and admit if I’m in a hurry I give a wave instead as I rush on my way.

I’ve found this practice of offering rides, is important to my spiritual walk and keeps me grounded in the present as I drive from work to home and errands in between.  If I’m on the lookout for faces I know or people escaping the rain, I become more aware of the needs around me in a community that often seems overwhelming with needs.  I’m reminded to pray for my community and as I hear updates on short drives I am able to pray more specifically.  Giving rides might be meeting just a simple, maybe even unimportant need in the scheme of things, but as we work towards justice in overcoming long-term needs for our community of escaping poverty and increasing educational opportunities I find that these brief interactions bring me needed joy.

This past school year with the entrance of my kids in a new school just a few blocks outside my neighborhood, I found myself taking a new route.  I’d seen a certain mom walk down 1st Avenue a few times before, but one day it was rainy so I pulled over.  To my surprise she answered, “Sure” and climbed in.  She was only going a few blocks to pick up her son from a different school so our conversation that day was short.  From that quick ride we developed a friendship as I regularly gave her rides over the course of several months and sometimes her son too as they traveled home from school pick up.  Our kids got to know one another in the back seat and I encouraged her in her schooling as we discussed her classes and her positive outlook always encouraged me as well.  We got to know where we each lived and some evenings she would shout out a “Hello” walking by as I sat on the porch.  Now that the school year has ended I haven’t seen her since May, but rest assured when the school year starts again I’ll be on the lookout for her and any others asking, “Can I give you a ride?”

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)

OPINION: Views expressed in Baptist News Global columns and commentaries are solely those of the authors.
Tags:Spiritual FormationMental HealthWomen in MinistryMissiologyInspirationHealth & WholenessMinistryMiamiMissionsActs of kindnessSocial IssuesSpiritual walkFaithful LivingHumor
More by
Angel Pittman
  • Get BNG headlines in your inbox

  • Featured

    • Transitions for the week of 3-17-23

      News

    • Troubling the water, a gospel for the ‘unmet’

      Opinion

    • Africa’s freelance prophets are breaking free of denominations

      News

    • 80,000 Jews have fled Russia since Putin invaded Ukraine

      News


    Curated

    • AR-15 lapel pins are more than political provocation — they’re symbols of the violence at the heart of white Christian nationalism

      AR-15 lapel pins are more than political provocation — they’re symbols of the violence at the heart of white Christian nationalism

    • US tribes get bison as they seek to restore bond with animal

      US tribes get bison as they seek to restore bond with animal

    • Tennessee’s drag ban rehashes old culture war narratives

      Tennessee’s drag ban rehashes old culture war narratives

    • US Hispanic Protestant churches are young, growing and largely new to the country

      US Hispanic Protestant churches are young, growing and largely new to the country

    Read Next:

    Less talked about: Clergy sexual abuse on the mission field

    NewsDegracias Kalimo

    More Articles

    • All
    • News
    • Opinion
    • Curated
    • How can we say thanks? Reflections on the influence of Andrae Crouch

      OpinionDoug Haney

    • Two days after filing suit against SBC, ‘Pastor Johnny’ was preaching in Georgia

      NewsMaina Mwaura

    • ‘Pastor Johnny’ sues the SBC and Guidepost

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Eating disorders in religious communities: The benefits, and consequences, of assigning moral value to food

      AnalysisMallory Challis

    • UMC agency asks to monitor bishop’s case as suspicion rises

      NewsCynthia Astle

    • Polling is shifting on conservatives’ attitudes on immigration

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • The SBC: ‘They are who we thought they were’

      OpinionKris Aaron

    • Denny Burk pushes back against Rick Warren’s new understanding of women in ministry

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Blowing the whistle on wedding fouls

      OpinionBrad Bull

    • Akin apologizes for tweet about slavery but is chastised by the SBC’s far-right

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • ‘Grandmas make the best banana bread’

      OpinionJustin Cox

    • 80,000 Jews have fled Russia since Putin invaded Ukraine

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Africa’s freelance prophets are breaking free of denominations

      NewsNyasha Bhobo

    • Troubling the water, a gospel for the ‘unmet’

      OpinionBill Leonard, Senior Columnist

    • Thirty years later, no one has reshaped the SBC more than Albert Mohler

      AnalysisMark Wingfield

    • Transitions for the week of 3-17-23

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • CeCe Winans believes it

      NewsMaina Mwaura

    • BSK seeks input on youth and children’s ministries

      NewsPat Cole

    • What has happened to suspended UMC Latina bishop?

      OpinionCynthia Astle

    • Alliance of Baptists and others urge Congress to divert military funds to social services

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • When we can’t hear our children’s cries

      OpinionSusan K. Smith

    • Less talked about: Clergy sexual abuse on the mission field

      NewsDegracias Kalimo

    • How I realized I had been shaped by patriarchal views of pastors

      OpinionTambi Brown Swiney

    • Stimpson pours lifetime of skill, compassion into Welcome House refugees

      NewsMarv Knox

    • Inflammatory language of Christian nationalism is a real threat, Hollman and Tyler say

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Two days after filing suit against SBC, ‘Pastor Johnny’ was preaching in Georgia

      NewsMaina Mwaura

    • ‘Pastor Johnny’ sues the SBC and Guidepost

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • UMC agency asks to monitor bishop’s case as suspicion rises

      NewsCynthia Astle

    • Polling is shifting on conservatives’ attitudes on immigration

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Denny Burk pushes back against Rick Warren’s new understanding of women in ministry

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Akin apologizes for tweet about slavery but is chastised by the SBC’s far-right

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • 80,000 Jews have fled Russia since Putin invaded Ukraine

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Africa’s freelance prophets are breaking free of denominations

      NewsNyasha Bhobo

    • Transitions for the week of 3-17-23

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • CeCe Winans believes it

      NewsMaina Mwaura

    • BSK seeks input on youth and children’s ministries

      NewsPat Cole

    • Alliance of Baptists and others urge Congress to divert military funds to social services

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Less talked about: Clergy sexual abuse on the mission field

      NewsDegracias Kalimo

    • Stimpson pours lifetime of skill, compassion into Welcome House refugees

      NewsMarv Knox

    • Inflammatory language of Christian nationalism is a real threat, Hollman and Tyler say

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Scripture changed his mind on women in ministry, Rick Warren tells Russell Moore

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Ministry jobs and more

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • Shiell resigns as Northern Seminary president

      NewsElizabeth Souder-Philyaw

    • Three hate groups drove spike in antisemitism and racist propaganda last year

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Jenna Ellis, lawyer to Trump and MacArthur, censured in Colorado, admits to lying about 2020 election

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Facing financial investigation, embattled Fort Lauderdale pastor exits

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Untold numbers of churches have unclaimed funds sitting in state treasuries

      NewsElizabeth Souder-Philyaw

    • Griffen and Ravitch warn Floridians of dangers of DeSantis’ attack on public education

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Concern for the poor should encompass many forms of deprivation, scholar says at BSK

      NewsPat Cole

    • Why it’s so hard to leave The United Methodist Church

      NewsCynthia Astle

    • How can we say thanks? Reflections on the influence of Andrae Crouch

      OpinionDoug Haney

    • The SBC: ‘They are who we thought they were’

      OpinionKris Aaron

    • Blowing the whistle on wedding fouls

      OpinionBrad Bull

    • ‘Grandmas make the best banana bread’

      OpinionJustin Cox

    • Troubling the water, a gospel for the ‘unmet’

      OpinionBill Leonard, Senior Columnist

    • What has happened to suspended UMC Latina bishop?

      OpinionCynthia Astle

    • When we can’t hear our children’s cries

      OpinionSusan K. Smith

    • How I realized I had been shaped by patriarchal views of pastors

      OpinionTambi Brown Swiney

    • My home state is no longer safe for my family

      OpinionLucas Land

    • Saying the quiet part out loud

      OpinionLindsay Bergstrom

    • Tennessee representative who proposed execution by ‘hanging by a tree’ needs a history lesson

      OpinionRodney Kennedy

    • Letter to the Editor: Call out leaders’ bad behavior

      OpinionLetters to the Editor

    • Three years ago today, our world changed

      OpinionMolly Brummett Wudel

    • Sometimes it’s not a good idea to quote the Bible

      OpinionMark Wingfield

    • Shelter from the storm: The Asbury revival as Woodstock 2.0

      OpinionAlan Bean

    • Lessons from a Hindu wedding: What if the point of evangelism is friendship?

      OpinionSusan M. Shaw, Senior Columnist

    • Paved A Way: Why we need to relearn the history of infrastructure

      OpinionCollin Yarbrough

    • The one thing that unites the world’s religions

      OpinionRobert P. Sellers

    • The rest we must have

      OpinionLaura Stephens-Reed

    • Living before it’s too late

      OpinionBrett Younger

    • Better to have fasted and failed than never to have fasted at all

      OpinionJakob Topper

    • Dear church people, work toward church vitality

      OpinionMark Tidsworth

    • Bless your heart for producing professionals and satisfied saints when radical prophets are needed

      OpinionJustin Cox

    • Jesus Revolution helps us remember and calls us to hope again

      OpinionPatrick Wilson

    • The great breakup in the American church and the political uses of religion

      OpinionH. Stephen Shoemaker

    • AR-15 lapel pins are more than political provocation — they’re symbols of the violence at the heart of white Christian nationalism

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • US tribes get bison as they seek to restore bond with animal

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Tennessee’s drag ban rehashes old culture war narratives

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • US Hispanic Protestant churches are young, growing and largely new to the country

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Pope Francis’ Decade of Division

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • For American Zionist LGBTQ group, Israel’s right-wing government has created an urgent crisis

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Bizarre Tweet About Girls’ Bathrooms Backfires On Oklahoma Education Czar

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • How A Faithful Catholic In Congress Turned Into A Heretic

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Trump vs. DeSantis: Florida pastors mull conservative issues

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Far-right Israeli minister urges loyalty as his US visit draws protests, boycotts and arrests

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • I went to CPAC to take MAGA supporters’ pulse – China and transgender people are among the top ‘demons’ they say are ruining the country

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • With Her Newsworthy ‘Firsts,’ Don’t Ignore Religion Angles In Nikki Haley Vs. Donald Trump

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Arizona Christian University sues school district for religious discrimination

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • French church abuse victims get reparations, and recognition

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Pope Francis discusses revising priestly celibacy in new interview

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Raquel Welch Found Some Personal Peace In A Church Pew

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Reform rabbis will not stop working to build the Israel of our hopes and aspirations

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Francis is the first Jesuit pope – here’s how that has shaped his 10-year papacy

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • West Virginia GOP governor signs ‘religious freedom’ bill

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Don’t sleep on Trump’s CPAC speech calling for ‘the final battle’: this was southern strategy as apocalyptic promise

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • John Paul abuse claims trigger angry reactions in Poland

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • When it comes to 2024, do evangelical Christians matter?

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Israel’s Judicial Overhaul Plan Ignites Debate Among American Jews

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Bill To Ban Child Marriage In West Virginia Defeated By Republicans

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Pope says equal opportunities for women are key to a better world

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    Conversations that Matter.

    © 2023 Baptist News Global. All rights reserved.

    Want to share a story? We hope you will! Read our republishing, terms of use and privacy policies here.

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • RSS