Chuck Norris' encounter with a homeless man

Chuck Norris recently wrote a column for Townhall.com about his family's encounter with a homeless man while on vacation in Santa Cruz this summer. No, Norris did not arrest the man or give him the karate chop. . .

His kids drew pictures for the homeless man and bought him iced tea. But the experience had some very unique coincidences that Norris reveals in his column.

Reflecting about the encounter, Norris writes:

God spoke to us that summer day. Heaven sent a big sign through what might seem like a relatively small encounter. And it can serve as a reminder to us all -- one that's also in the Good Book: 'Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.'

Norris' story is an excellent reminder that we should be courteous to the homeless.

An Oprah-Mother Teresa-Energizer Bunny woman helps the Dallas homeless

The Dallas Morning News describes Susie Jennings, a nurse at Baylor University Medical Center, as "Oprah, Mother Teresa and the Energizer Bunny all fused into one."

And that's what she is to the Dallas-area homeless. Four years ago, Jennings started an event called Operation Care Dallas. The event, held at the Dallas Convention Center, attracts thousands of the city's poorest. At Operation Care Dallas, the homeless receive a hot meal plus much, much more -- they also get haircuts, makeovers, medical and dental checkups, legal help and job assistance.

According to The Dallas Morning News, her devotion to helping the homeless stems from God:

Last month, Ms. Jennings elevated her connection with the homeless by disguising herself and spending an entire night in a shelter at the First Presbyterian Church of Dallas.

She was driven to do so, she said, because God spoke to her. Her calling revealed hardships foreign to most: sleeping on cold concrete, scrounging for cardboard, being propositioned for sex, relying on the church for every meal.

It takes 2,000 volunteers, an estimated $100,000, and a very dedicated Susie Jennings to ensure that Operation Care Dallas takes place.

A duet with Jon Bon Jovi

"Mighty" Sam McClain has duetted with Jon Bon Jovi. He's shared the stage at the Apollo Theater with Gladys Knight and Jackie Wilson. But McClain's life hasn't always been so glamorous: he was homeless off and on for years, he told The Boston Globe:

At one point, living on Nashville's streets and driven to despair, he considered killing himself.

'Nobody cared about me, and I didn't see one face that I could call, not one person who wanted to hear me say, 'I'm hungry, I need some help,'' McClain recalls. 'That was one of the loneliest times I've ever felt. I was ready to walk into the river and say, 'I don't want to live like this,' and God spoke up and said, 'No, you got me' . . . It didn't make no sense to me, but God said, 'I died for you, so what you're going through ain't nothing. So get up and let's go.''

McClain's duet with Jon Bon Jovi, "Show Me the Way," appears on a new album called "Give US Your Poor." Benefits from the sale of the album go to UMass-Boston's Give US Your Poor Campaign to End Homelessness organization.