Chicago Peace Campaign Update...

Yesterday was the launch meeting for the Chicago Peace Campaign at the Chicago Embassy Church. I believe there was 100-120 people in attendance. We began with a time of worship and prayer. Then the pastor of Chicago Embassy and Chris Butler cast the vision for the Peace Campaign and exhorted us to collaborative action for peace. They also showed a tragic video, highlighting youth violence in our city, that set the tone for the urgency and importance of this campaign. We were reminded that this is not about convincing those who are doing violence to put their guns done, but rather this is about mobilizing people who are doing nothing towards creative and collaborative works of peace. In other words, the movement is seeking to create a culture of peace in Chicago that leaves no room for violence. In Biblical terms, darkness cannot overcome the light.

The web site for the Peace Campaign will be up in a matter of days. The next event is scheduled for Saturday May 23rd at Washington Park from 11:00am to 1pm. This will be the kick off rally.


Jeremiah 29:5-7
Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.

Global Stand By Me

Chicago Peace Campaign

In lieu of the challenge of violence in our city, a new movement has been started called the Chicago Peace Campaign. It is a comprehensive peace plan developed to mobilize churches, community organizations, and concerned neighbors towards collaborative actions that promote peace throughout the city. The movement is being spearheaded by Chris Butler (26 yrs old), who grew up in Chicago and is burdened to see Chicago's diverse communities unite around the cause of peace. He loves Christ and loves the city, and it is out of this heart for the Lord and for people that this vision has been birthed. I was privileged to be at the initial meeting for this movement, surrounded by urban ministry veterans, pastors, and community organizers. Each person at the initial meeting was then exhorted to recruit ten people to come to the launch meeting this Saturday. We are praying that 200 people will be in attendance at this initial launch meeting.

Here is a brief description of the mission of the Chicago Peace Campaign and its main pillars of action.

The Chicago Peace Campaign is a mobilization strategy to fill the city of Chicago with "the way of peace" through life giving words and action, leading to a measurable decline in the rate of violence in the city, especially among our young people.

Peacemakers Projects: Organize, coordinate and support service projects that will become deterrents to violence and monuments of peace.

Friday Night Lights: Night time outreach in rough areas. Light up dark corners with physical lights while lighting up dark souls with the light of the Gospel.

Beautiful Feet: Recruit a corps of street pastors to go house to house with message of peace and be a presence for peace in the streets.

Peaceful Speech: Communicate the message of peace through new media (website, facebook, text message etc.), traditional media (radio, television, newspapers) signs and events.

Pray for Peace: Cover the Chicago Peace Campaign and the city of Chicago with prayer.


I will write an update after this Saturday's meeting and as the various activities begin to unfold. The launch meeting is this Saturday, April 25th from 10am to 12pm at the Chicago Embassy Church 5848 S. Princeton.

Too Many Young People Are Dying

Last Friday morning I attended the funeral of 18 year old Tommie Williams. He was shot and killed the previous Thursday evening near 5pm on the corner of 61st and Cottage Grove. The church where the funeral was held was packed, primarily with young people. It was evident that he was a well-liked young man. His mother shared that the Lord was keeping her strong but that whoever shot her son didn't just shoot him, he shot their whole family (meaning it hurt all of them deeply). His father told those in attendance that he didn't want his son to be just another t-shirt. (In the inner city, when a young person dies, t-shirts are made that have his/her picture on it and usually say RIP.) Tommie had six sisters and four brothers.

On Thursday evening (of this past week) 14 year old Juan Cazares was playing basketball with his friends. At around 6:30pm two men walked out of an alley and began to shoot. Juan was shot, and eventually died from gun shot wounds early Friday morning. Juan was well liked and known for his sense of humor school officials said. Juan had two younger sisters and a younger brother. He lived with his mom and some of his cousins.

Juan became the 33rd Chicago Public School student that has been killed by violence this school year (2008-2009). A total of 508 Chicago school kids were shot (not all fatal) from September 2007 through December 2008, according to data compiled by the school system and released to the Chicago Sun-Times. Those CPS shooting statistics do not even include other school-age kids who have been shot. Adding those kids would double the 508 shootings of CPS students (according to Chicago Sun-Times March 9th article). That averages out to almost 32 children shot each month. Although (thankfully) not all of these shootings have been fatal, the damage is still severe.

“There is physical damage, which is awful enough. But the psychological damage can last much longer – both for the victim and their classmates. Many kids in the most violent neighborhoods of Chicago are paralyzed by fear, and it’s hard to blame them (Chicago Sun-Times March 9, 2009 article).”

I am still trying to get my mind around all of this. I have been praying and thinking about all of these shootings and all of these young lives that have been taken. It is sobering enough to hear the number and to hear the statistics, but when you start to personalize it and think about the families, the friends, and the classmates that are effected it becomes even more tragic. There is so much potential in the young people here in Chicago. I see it first-hand every day and every week. At the same time, many of these young people feel deep pain. There is a saying that I have been reminded of lately that says, "hurt people hurt people." Young people are hurting, and they are acting and reacting out of that hurt. The crisis of youth violence that our city is experiencing right now is a very complex issue. Unfortunately there is not a "quick fix." In the next few weeks I will continue to blog about this topic, thinking through preventative responses that the Church here in Chicago can engage in.

Please pray for our city. Pray for the young people and their families. Pray that peace would reign in the streets. Pray that the Church would rally and unite in acts of compassionate intervention.

I recently discovered a Chris Tomlin song entitled "God Of This City" that I have been singing as a prayer. The words are as follows...

You're the God of this City
You're the King of these people
You're the Lord of this nation
You are

You're the Light in this darkness
You're the Hope to the hopeless
You're the Peace to the restless
You are

There is no one like our God
There is no one like our God

For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
Greater thing have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City

Amen!

Thinking on the Cross

Today we watched the Passion of the Christ with a small group of our youth. At the very beginning of the movie the words of Isaiah 53 scroll across the screen. Isaiah 53:5 reads, "But He was wounded for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His stripes we are healed." It is such a powerful and sobering passage of Scripture. Throughout the day I have been listening to Shai Linne's atonement album, and one of the sermon snippets on his album especially stuck out to me today. The pastor explained that not only was the Cross an act done for us (ie John 3:16) but an act done by us (He was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities). He then added that it is not until we fully understand that it was done "by us" that we will fully understand the depth of His grace and love for us.

This video was done by the Christian hip hop group called Hazakim. You can check them out at www.myspace.com/hazakimcamp

That's My King

John 14:6
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Appreciative of Podcasts

I know I am late, but I just recently discovered and started subscribing to podcasts. The last few weeks especially I have been listening to messages - at the gym, on the weekend, before I go to bed at night, etc. It really has been a blessing to "tune in" to these different podcasts. Here are some of my favorites...

Epiphany Fellowship
Pastor Eric Mason is the primary teaching pastor at this Philadelphia church plant. William "the Ambassador" Branch and Shai Linne also do some of the teaching. I have appreciated messages on being a missional Christian, the need for community, suffering in the life of the believer, and Biblical manhood.
www.epiphanyfellowship.org

Cornerstone - Simi Valley
Most of the messages on this podcast are by Pastor Francis Chan. I love his heart for the poor and his emphasis on living out Acts 2 community. I hope to visit his church during my California visit this spring.
www.cornerstonesimi.com

Desiring GodThis is John Piper's podcast. I appreciate his passion for the glory of God, his teaching on missions and the "war time" lifestyle (countering the culture of materialism and comfortable living).
www.desiringgod.org

Heartcry Missionary Society
This is Paul Washer's podcast. Although I don't necessarily agree with with all of his statements, I really enjoy his emphasis on laboring with people in the gospel, the doctrine of regeneration, and his teaching on Biblical manhood.
www.hcmissions.org


Do you have any podcasts that you recommend??

Pray for Kenya!

My last semester at Moody I had a brother named Paul in one of my urban ministry classes who had come from Kenya to attend Moody. I stayed in touch with him after graduation, and a couple of years after graduating he invited me to a celebration at his church - a Kenyan church plant on Chicago's northwest side. During the meal I met three young sisters from Kenya who were studying at Chicago State. All three of them are from the Maasai tribe in Kenya, and all three of them finished at Chicago State and are pursuing graduate studies here in Chicago with a vision to return to Kenya. Over the years, I have stayed in touch with the three of them via email. This morning, one of the sisters named Sitatian, sent me an email asking me (and others) to be praying for the people of Kenya. Here is what she sent...

Hello Friends and Well wishers:
I hope this finds you well. I am well. I am still living in Chicago. I am currently working for a few months after which I will go back to school for graduate studies. I have just been accepted at the University of Illinois School of public health to pursue a masters degree in Epidemiology with a concentration in Maternal Child Health. I am really excited about this opportunity and cannot wait to complete and go back to Kenya to help elevate the conditions of child health.

I am writing to ask for your prayer and support for the people of my community and family in Kenya who are suffering the effects of the severe famine that is facing Kenya and the bad economy world wide. Kenya and the Maasai community generally, depend on rains to sustain their animals and to grow crops. But during the last year, the rains were shorter than usual and this adversely affected the yield of crops which has led to the food shortage that is being experienced at the moment. Grass lands are very dry and cannot sustain the animals. Additionally, most streams have dried out and humans and animals have to walk more than 10 kilometers every other day to obtain water for drinking and house hold use.

I have just been informed that local schools at my village are closing because children are not attending school. The parents cannot afford to pay their school fees and in some house holds the children do not have food to eat so they are not allowed to go away from home. This is a very unfortunate situation that will affect the now and the future of these children. I know what they are feeling because I have lived it! I missed school so many days for lack of school fees and have gone hungry for a countless number of days. I am not there to share in their suffering but, I am hurting with them because I totally understand what it means for a young kid to go for a whole day or all night without food and actually not knowing whether they would get any on their next meal.

We are hoping that it rains in April as it usually does, but I am afraid that no animals will survive it till then. I hope the people do. Please remember them in prayer and any support will highly be appreciated. I am hopeful and wishing that one day they can get a borehole at the village that will, at least, provide drinking water.

PS: I have attached pictures of cattle that were recently sent to me. Notice how the grass land is dry! Just recently, some people received relief food from well wishers here in the USA but ,unfortunately it was not much to sustain them for long. The crowds you see on the pictures are women and children receiving the relief food.
Sincerely,

Sitatian Kaelo- for the Maasai community.
You may contact me at any time for ways that you could help.
Sitatian@gmail.com

Sitatian along with three nursing students(now registered nurses) came together to form a non for profit organisation(Emayian) in the Maasai land to help educate the people on nutrition and basic preventive measures. Its through this organisation that the people of her community are receiving some help in the form of relief as you have seen on the pictures.

The conditions are very bad right now and she is trying to create awareness through churches/organisations and individuals. So feel free to share this need and opportunity with people who may want to get involved and support the Maasai. You can freely do so through EMAYIAN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT.

Musical Opportunity

Recently a good friend of mine, Asher Harris aka Point Ash, told me that he wanted me to be on his album (he is soon releasing a Christian hip hop album). He explained that he wanted me to do a "Dave Clark voicemail style" album intro. I like to be creative with the voicemail messages on my phone, so I am changing it every few months or so with silly songs and catchy little "ditties." I was a little nervous about it at first. When I create a voicemail song no one has to like it, and it's just supposed to be silly. However, since this was for his album I felt the pressure to come up with something unique. I took one of my voicemail tunes and changed the lyrics to reflect his album title. I just tried to be corny and silly and creative and I think it worked (at least Ash was pleased with it). It was really cool to be in the studio with him and to see how much work goes into each song. It was intense work they were doing, but at the same time we laughed till our faces hurt.


His album is really going to be nice. You can check out his music at www.pointash.com or www.myspace.com/pointash He is a good brother in the Lord. He is real authentic, desires to grow, and loves to encourage and build with other brothers.

I wanted to somehow link the audio of the intro to this site, but I am still trying to figure out how to do that. I really feel like this intro could open up other doors for me:) I want to give a shout out to my mom for the gift of writing silly poems and songs...What up Colin?!! (love you mom)

What's in a name?

I can't remember when the first time was that someone, after I had introduced myself as Dave Clark, responded with a question and/or a joke about the Dave Clark 5 (rock group from the 60s). I know at some point my parents explained to me what they (older adults) were referring to. I still get it to this day. Most recently, I was at a youth event in the suburbs as a guest judge for a speech competition. When I introduced myself to the woman coordinating the event, she smiled did a little "shimmy" and asked me about the band. I usually smile and say something like, "we retired" or "I'm not doing music anymore."

Here is a tribute clip to the Dave Clark 5. Consider it a "fun pass" for the weekend. I dare you to try and watch this video and not smile.

The Fab 5 Influence

Nuff said.

The Fab 5

I watched some more tournament games tonight. After this weekend the field will be down to 8. I spoke with my brother on the phone today and we were reminiscing about previous tournaments and Michigan players. I am convinced there will never be another Fab 5. They left their mark on college basketball, time out or not time out. As freshman and sophomores on the Paw Paw High School freshman and jv basketball team, we shaved our heads and wore black socks. The baggier shorts were hard to come by.

From Bondage To Liberation

Galatians 1:10
An I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.

I read this verse a few times last week, and it really got me thinking. I am a bridge-builder/peacemaker type (in many ways we are all called to be this in Christ). God has made me this way, I believe for His good. I don't like to see conflict. I like to see people getting along, living harmoniously. I am disturbed by divisions in the church - across racial lines, economic/class lines, political lines, etc. This type of division and conflict and strife erks me (my Holy Discontent - probably another blog forthcoming). In many ways this is a great trait. I know that God can use this (and has by His grace). However, on the flip slide there can be some weaknesses in being a bridge builder/peacemaker type. It can lead to people pleasing. It can lead to not rocking the boat, even though the boat needs to be rocked. It can also lead to a type of bondage. People pleasing can be an exhausting game of futility. Pleasing everyone is just not possible (nor should it be desired). The danger in this is that the farther I have gone in ministry the more people I have built relationships with(supporters, churches, co-workers, peers, students, teachers, etc.) - and the more people to potentially "please." If the Lord gives me a family someday, I realize I will never be able to please everyone.

Paul says, "If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ." He seems to be stating that you can't be a "man pleaser" and be a servant of Christ. The two don't mesh. Although that might seem almost too challenging, there is great hope in those words. Serving Christ and seeking to please Him can provide liberation from the bondage of people pleasing. By God's grace He has grown me in this area in my life, and I trust that He will continue to grow me (to liberate me).

I was reminded of Jason Eskridge's song "Liberator." It is a powerful song. Here are some of the lyrics.

Your hand of freedom
Reached into my situation
Breaking my binding chains and granting me liberation
I once was bound to myself, the worst of penalties
Couldn't escape from my sin, until You rescued me
But now...

(Chorus)
You are my liberator
Your love set me free
You are my emancipator
With Your blood You bought me
Now I am free

Not going back to that place again
Where my mind and my body are enslaved to sin
Through Your life and Your death and Your life again
Taking this dead man and making me breathe again

(Chorus)

I'm set free, I'm set free



Does anybody else struggle with this? Chime in.

Be Careful Of Turning Aside

I recently read through the book of Judges. It is definitely an interesting book. There is some crazy stuff in the book of Judges. One of the more familiar stories from this book is the story of Samson. This is a story that is told in many Sunday school classrooms and is even preached from occasionally. Some things jumped out at me this time, that hadn't jumped out at me before. Let me share some of my observations. First of all, Samson had made a Nazirite vow. In a nutshell, Samson was set apart (or his life was set apart) for the Lord and His purposes. However, Samson had some character weaknesses that were exposed. It begins in chapter 14 where Samson "turns aside" to look at a lion's carcass. He scooped some honey out of the carcass because it looked sweet. He discovered that it tasted sweet too. However, this "secret" act was a violation of the laws that he was to live according to. This initial "turning aside," I believe opened him up to further "slippage." In chapter 16 it says that "he saw" a prostitute and then went after her and got with her. Three verses later he meets and "falls in love" with Delilah. Most of us know the rest of the story...destruction for Samson.

I see a connectedness between these acts in the life of Samson. Samson's life was set apart for the purposes of God until a simple act of "turning aside" for something that looked and tasted sweet led him down a slippery slope of destruction. He became easily distracted from the things of God, and from God's purpose for his life. As my roommate Paul's grandmother used to tell him growing up, "Sin always takes you further than you want to go."

I was reminded of times in my life when an "innocent" turning aside led to additional turning asides. I also asked God to reveal any areas where I might currently be turning aside. Psalm 139:23-24. We are all in need of God's grace to keep us following after Him, and looking to Him and not elsewhere.

March Madness

The first NCAA tournament that I remember watching was in 1987. I was nine years old at the time, and I remember the final game in which Indiana beat Syracuse on a clutch shot by Keith Smart. The following year I remember watching Danny Manning and the Kansas Jayhawks defeat Stacey King and Mookie Blaylock and the Oklahoma Sooners. 1989 was probably my favorite year, as the Michigan Wolverines led by Glen Rice and Rumeal Robinson beat the Seton Hall Pirates (featuring Ramon Ramos and Andrew Gaze) in the final game (I have been a Michigan basketball fan ever since).

Each year I looked forward to selection Sunday. My brother John and I sometimes would even map out the bracket onto a large poster board. We would fill it in as we watched the selection show, and then post it prominently on the wall next to the television. Then the first weekend of the NCAA tournament (this weekend) all we would to is watch the games, eat, and possibly head outside to our basketball court (no matter how cold it was) for some inspired shooting.

I haven't been able to follow college basketball like I used to (I don't have cable at my house.), but I still love March Madness. I have attached a video of the "One Shining Moment" song and highlight video that they play each year after the conclusion. I look forward to watching it every year.

What is your favorite tournament moment? Which games do you remember? Players?

The Impact of A Life of Service

Last night, one of my supporters, Paul Merrill, went home to be with the Lord. He had been battling various health issues for the past two years or so. My memory of Mr. Merrill goes back a long ways. He was one of my "children's church" teachers when I was in my early elementary years. I remember him teaching us Bible stories and using his various magic tricks as illustrations. As I got a little bit older, I remember he and his wife Judy working with me at AWANA club to memorize verses (many of which I still remember today). When I graduated high school I remember them writing a note to me in my graduation card, encouraging me in the Lord, even though at the time I wasn't walking with the Lord. When I first raised support to do a summer internship with Sunshine during the summer of 2002, Paul & Judy were some of my first financial supporters. They were crucial supporters during my early years with Sunshine because not only did they give financially, and not only were they faithful in prayer, but I always knew they believed in me and in the work that God had called me to. During the last several months, Paul's health difficulties have kept him away from church at Lawton EMC. However, when I preached there on Sunday February 8th, he was there with Judy. He looked very frail, and was in a wheel chair, but it was great to see him as I canned the faces in the sanctuary as I preached.

Yesterday morning I had a meeting with a colleague of mine focusing on leadership development curriculum. We spoke about how crucial it is for elementary/grade school students to have role model figures in their lives, who encourage them and cast vision for them and believe in them. As I reflected on that in my own life, I have been blessed to have several people who have come alongside me at different stages growing up and been that person for me. Mr. Merrill was one of "those people" for me when I was a very shy and timid elementary school student. On Saturday we will celebrate his life. He faithfully served in children's ministry for many years. Even as his health began to fail in his latter years, he served faithfully in his ministry of interceding for others. As her persevered through various procedures and treatments, and through much discomfort, he faithfully served the Lord till the end.

Sufficient for Today

Proverbs 30:7-9
Two things I ask of you O Lord
Do not refuse me before I die
Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
Give me neither poverty nor riches
but give me only my daily bread
Otherwise I may have too much and disown You and say, "who is the LORD?"
Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.


Matthew 6:9-11
This then is how you should pray
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your Name
Your Kingdom come, Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven
Give us today our daily bread

Pressing In

I'm in a weird place right now so to speak. I am doing a lot of self-reflection and self examination. I am reflecting on where I'm at in life, where I'm at in ministry, where I'm at in my walk with the Lord. In some ways this is a scary and uncomfortable process. At the same time it is a purifying and good process.

I remember when my good friend Aaron told me that a pastor in Chattanooga TN told him that when things are cloudy or when things seem uncertain to "press in" meaning to press into the Lord, to cling to Him, to trust Him. That is what I am seeking the grace to do right now. I recently memorized Psalm 139:23-24 which says, "Search me O God and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."

In this process, I am asking God for the grace to more fully trust Him.

Celebrating God At Work

First of all, thanks to Kevin Gwin www.kevingwin.blogspot.com for putting me on to this video.

As I have spoke with people about how God is using the art form of Christian hip hop, especially when speaking to those who don't have "an ear for it," I have told them how much theological depth and content can be placed in each song. The format of the music allows for this. It is also ideal for testimonial type songs, again because of the format of the music.

This video is a perfect example of that. This is Dwayne Tryumf, a rapper from the UK, who I saw for the first time at the Legacy Conference last year. God is doing amazing things within the sub-culture of hip hop! Whether we have "an ear" for hip hop or not, and whether or not we appreciate the art form or not, we need to celebrate the way God is using it to reveal Himself and to strengthen His followers.

The Impact Of A Humble Servant

During my time at the Moody Graduate School I learned about a minister of the gospel who has profoundly impacted my life and philosophy of ministry. His name is John Perkins. We read two of his books in my urban ministry classes at Moody. We also took trips to the CCDA conference each year (Pasadena 2002, New Orleans 2003, Atlanta 2004). John Perkins is known as the father or founder of the Christian Community Development Association. He has founded and served at ministries in under-resourced communities in Mendenhall MS, Pasadena CA, and Jackson MS. He is now in his late 70s and is based in Jackson MS. He still travels and speaks and teaches and trains and loves on people. He is still passionate about the gospel, passionate about God's heart for the poor, and passionate for racial reconciliation. He exudes the love of Christ in a grandfatherly way.

He grew up in Mississippi during the era of sharecropping. His older brother was killed by a racist sheriff. During the civil rights years he was nearly beaten to death in a jail cell for his participation in the movement. However, the power of the gospel transformed his bitterness into love and forgiveness. He has faithfully lived out the gospel in under-resourced communities for the last 4-5 decades. He has passionately pursued reconciliation in racialized contexts. He has prophetically challenged the Church to move into places where most people try to move out of. He has challenged people with what it means to truly love your neighbor.

I have never met John Perkins personally. However, I have read his books, I have heard him speak, and I have observed his interactions with others. He is one of my heroes of the faith. In the book of Acts, it says that when the people saw Peter and John (who were ordinary, uneducated men) - it was evident that they had been with Jesus. John Perkins is one of those people who after hearing him or observing him, it is evident that he has been with Jesus.

I would encourage you to read one of his books...
Let Justice Roll Down (his biography)
Beyond Charity
A Quiet Revolution
With Justice For All
Restoring At Risk Communities (the CCDA handbook)