The Legacy Conference

The 2009 Legacy Disciple Making Conference will be Thursday July 30 through Saturday August 31st. This year's conference will take place on the campus of Chicago's Moody Bible Institute. There is a ONE DAY ONLY registration special coming up on February 2nd. If you register on the web site on that day you can register for the full conference for only $35 and for the evenings only package for $20. The web address is www.legacy-conference.org

The Legacy of Dr. King

I think I was in jr. high when I was first introduced to Martin Luther King Jr. I may have learned about him in elementary school (I can't remember), but it was as a teenager that I understood the impact of his life and what he stood for. He has been a role model of mine ever since. Listening to his speeches never gets old to me and his words are still relevant and powerful to us today.

On November 4 of 1956, he delivered a message entitled "Paul's Letter To American Christians." to the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. (This is one of a collection of sermons contained within the book entitled "A Knock At Midnight"). Dr. King wrote a modern day (1956) epistle to the American church, borrowing from Paul's various letters to the early churches, and contextualizing the message to the American context of his day. Although, this message (and the others within this book) were preached in the 1950s, so much of their content is relevant to us today in 2009. Here are a few excerpts...

"You can do so many things in your day that I could not do in the Greco-Roman world of my day....You have made tremendous strides in the area of scientific and technological development. But America, as I look at you from afar, I wonder whether your moral and spiritual progress has been commensurate with your scientific progress. It seems to me that your moral progress lags behind your scientific progress....Through your scientific genius you have made of the world a neighborhood, but through your moral and spiritual genius you have failed to make it a brotherhood."

"You have become the richest nation in the world, and you have built up the greatest system of production that history has every known. All of this is marvelous. But Americans, there is danger that you will misuse your capitalism....You are prone to judge the success of your profession by the index of your salary and the size of your wheelbase on your automobile, rather than the quality of your service to humanity....They tell me that one tenth of one percent of the population controls more than forty percent of the wealth....God never intended for one group of people to live in superfluous inordinate wealth, while others live in abject deadening poverty. God intends for all of His children to ahve the basic necessities of life, and he has left in this universe 'enough to spare' for that purpose. So I call upon you to bridge the gulf between the abject poverty and the superfluous wealth."

"There is another thing that disturbs me to no end about the American church. You have a white church and you have a Negro church. You have allowed segregation to creep into the doors of the church. How can such division exist in the Body of Christ? You must face the tragic fact that when you stand at eleven o'clock on Sunday morning to sing "All Hail The Power of Jesus' Name" and "Dear Lord and Father of All Mankind," you stand in the most segregated hour of Christian America. They tell me that there is more integration in the entertaining world and other secular agencies than there is in the Christian church. How appalling that is."

"I still believe that standing up for the truth of God is the greatest thing in the world. This is the end of life. The end of life is not to be happy. The end of life is not to achieve pleasure and avoid pain. The end of life is to do the will of God, come what may."

A Life Changing Year In Africa

What would a year in Africa look like?
Do you want to discover the face of Jesus in the world's marginalized and poor? If so, consider committing a year of your life to serving in Southern Africa. Come explore what the Gospel lived out in intentional community and service can look like. Pour yourself into something that really matters, by building God's Kingdom through the local church. Come and learn, ask and see what God is doing. Be a part of God's redemption in Africa by reflecting His love.

Who?
Applicants are men and women, married and single, aged 19 and older with a passion to learn and serve.

Where?
Currently we are sending teams to South Africa and Swaziland.

Doing What?
For 6 days of the week interns will spend time in their community serving, building relationships and living out the Gospel. They will be using their gifts and talents on a daily basis through their church and will also report to other ministry service sites in the community where they can apply practical skills to assist and equip local residents. (Hospice Care, Computer Skills Training, Tutoring, Coaching, etc.)

How Long?
Team members must make a commitment to live and serve in Southern Africa for 1 year, from September 1st to July 31st. (Technically 11 months)

How Much?
Team members raise all their expenses for 1 year. The total cost is approximately $12,000 for the year. This includes travel to, from, and within Africa.

Want To Know More?
Visit our website at www.africarevolution.org

Questions....Send Me!

Blessed By My Church

Last night I attended the New Year's Eve service (watch night service) at my church, Christ Bible Church. None of the previous churches that I have attended have done New Year's Eve services, so this was a first time experience for me. I'm not gonna front, I was a little pessimistic about the service. I even told a friend that I wanted to "check it out" and that if I didn't care for it, I wouldn't go next year. I usually like to say pretty low-key on New Year's Eve. I like to bring it in with a few friends, maybe some games, definitely some food, etc. I don't feel like I "have" to be in church on New Year's Eve. However, what I experienced last night silenced my pessimism and cynicism.

I arrived at the church at around 9 with my roommate Paul. Nine o'clock was the start time for the men vs. women Bible competition, moderated by Pastor Ford. I was really curious - going in - as to how this competition would go down. Again, it exceeded my expectation. There were probably 80-90 women and 50-60 men. It got competitive, as the women established a lead. It was really humorous as well. I was amazed at some of the men and women's Bible knowledge as some of the questions were really tough. I'll admit, if I had to go head to head with some of them, I would get crushed :)

The worship service started at 10pm. It really was a time of celebration - "When the Spirit of the Lord," "Lord You Are Good," "Worthy Is The Lamb," etc. After our time of worship, we spent time together praying in small groups around the sanctuary. We then had a time of testimony. Men and women, from age 8 to 80, stood and testified of how God had (& has) been at work in their life during the past year. It was a beautiful picture of a "multi-generational" body, and the blessing that comes from young and old sharpening and encouraging and learning from one another. Pastor Ford then shared a message coming out of John 21:1-19 entitled, "Jesus gives us a new start...even when we're not looking for one." I could write an entire blog entry on the message, as it was rich. He could have preached till one in the morning, and I would have been cool.

After the message, with just a few minutes until midnight, Pastor Ford had all of the women move into the middle section of the church and all of the men stand up and encircle the women. He reminded the men that we are to be the head of households, to be spiritual leaders and protectors. Our prayer circle around the women was symbolic of this. A teenager, a young pastor, and one of our "more mature" elders prayed. It was a fitting ending to a beautiful service.

Now I still don't feel like I "have" to go to church on New Year's Eve. However, as long as the Lord has me in Chicago at Christ Bible Church, I want to be in church on New Year's Eve.

Needy in the New Year

Today I spent some time reflecting, journaling, and praying through 2008. I have much to be thankful for, and much to give God praise for. It is humbling to see His faithfulness over the course of the year. I made note of different opportunities that He gave me in ministry, relational blessings, financial provisions, and ways in which He has stretched me and grown me.

However, at the same time I have come into the end of this year feeling tired, anxious, and struggling to trust Him in areas of uncertainty. I am thankful in some ways for this odd tension of a mindfulness of His faithfulness and power, and at the same time a wrestling in my spirit to fully trust and follow. It has put me on my knees, literally. I have not been one to pray on my knees, but have been intentional in assuming this posture lately. This has been both a blessing and a challenge (I highly recommend it, if you don't). As my good friend Aaron recently wrote (paraphrasing) as prayer becomes more habitual and more intentional, there is a "weightyness" that comes with it.

So I head into 2009 needy, needy to depend much on Him, needy to stay on my knees.

Learning to follow...

I am reading through the Cost of Discipleship right now by Deitrich Bonhoeffer. It is a great read, and a very challenging read. I also just read through the gospel of Matthew (it too is a great and challenging read). I have been reminded of Jesus' frequent invitations to "follow." You see it repeatedly in the gospels:
Matthew 4:19, 8:22, 9:9, 10:38, 16:24, 19:21
Mark 1:17, 2:14, 8:34, 10:21
Luke 5:27, 9:23, 9:59, 9:61, 14:27, 18:22
John 1:43, 10:27, 12:26, 21:19, 21:22
This adds up to 21 times throughout Jesus' recorded ministry in which he invited people to "follow." I think sometimes in Evangelical, "Bible believing" churches we are guilty of reducing the gospel to "easy beliefism." It becomes all about articulating the "right stuff." So we ask people to repeat prayers or to answer "is this what you believe" questions and then declare people as saved. In the midst of all of this I think we must be careful not to miss Jesus' words of "follow me."

To follow, no doubt, requires faith. You cannot follow Christ without faith in Christ. Jesus repeatedly said, "your faith has..." However, to follow Christ is deeper and "messier" than reciting back a ten point doctrinal statement. To follow is to "put feet" to what we say we believe. Following is where our orthodoxy flows into orthopraxy. It is hard. Bonhoeffer's book (mentioned above) walks through the sermon on the mount that Jesus preached. Bonhoeffer seems to imply, "what if Jesus meant what He said to His followers?". I think the tendency is to seek to "hermeneutically soften" Jesus words using other Scriptures. I'm not sure if we can do that as we live out Luke 9:23 where Jesus said,"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." "Followship" is impossible apart from the grace of God, and the power of the Holy Spirit.

My thinking on this is in process, so I won't ramble any further. I like Shane Claiborne's thoughts from his book "The Irresistable Revolution." He shares...
"But then you start to think there must be more to Christianity, more than just laying your life and sins at the foot of the cross. I came to realize that preachers were telling me to lay my life at the foot of the cross and weren't giving me anything to pick up. A lot of us were hearing, "don't smoke, don't drink, don't sleep around" and naturally started asking, "Okay, well, that was pretty much my life, so what do I do now?" Where were the do's? And nobody seemed to have much to offer us. Handing out tracts at the mall just didn't seem like the fulness of Christian discipleship...I was just another believer. I believed all the right stuff - that Jesus is the Son of God, died and rose again. I had become a "believer," but I had no idea what it means to be a follower. People had taught me what Christians believe, but no one had told me how Christians live."

I want to be a follower. I need to learn from Him (Matthew 11:28-30).

Pastor Ford reminded us on Sunday that, "Christmas is the BUT GOD of history!"

I like how "the Message" translates John 1:14, "The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood..."

What if?...

Heart Check

This time of year is a time of much activity - good activity. Ministries like ours are abuzz with various activities before the holiday break. In the midst of much activity I have been reminded both through Pastor Ford's messages out of Revelation 2 and through personal devotional time that we must be careful that in our work for the Lord we don't forget about the Lord of the work. In other words, our duties must flow out of our devotion. It is the Mary/Martha tension of being vs. doing. This has been an ongoing lesson and challenge for me in my 7 1/2 years here in Chicago as I like to pride myself on "staying busy." I wanted to share a devotional that spoke directly to this the other day and caused me to do a heart check in the midst of a busy month. Here it is...

"A Heart That Loves God" - taken out of Experiencing God by Henry & Richard Blackaby

No amount of activity for God will ever take the place of a heart that is right with Him. Through the ages God's people have been persuaded that they could please Him through their service and their offerings, regardless of their heart condition. King Saul offered generous sacrifices, hoping God would overlook his disobedience (1 Sam 15:22-23). David may have assumed that after all he had done on God's behalf, God would overlook his sin (2 Sam 12:7-15). Ananias and Sapphira thought that their generous gift to the church would compensate for their deceitfulness (Acts 5:1-11). Paul was certainly one who had thought his zealousness would please God. After his conversion, however, he concluded that even if he had faith to remove mountains, gave all he had to feed the poor, and offered his body to be burned for the sake of God, and yet had a heart that was not right, it would all be for nothing (1 Cor 13:1-3)

We are susceptible to the same misunderstanding as all of these people were. We can be deceived into assuming God is more interested in our activity for Him than He is in the condition of our heart. God has consistently made it clear that He will not be pacified by even the most generous offerings and zealous service if our hearts are not right with him (Micah 6:6-8). No matter how much we do in God's service, regardless of how active we are in our church, not matter how honorable our reputation in the Christian community, He will not overlook a sinful heart. His desire is that we devote ourselves to knowing Him and loving Him with all our hearts.

Every Eye

Yesterday at church Sister Betts did a children's message (You know the scene: all the children to the front of the church for a short sermonette as all the parents look on.) on Advent. She explained that the word "advent" means coming. She reminded us that with Christmas coming we are not only reminded of the coming of Christ at His birth but that we are also reminded of the promise of Christ's return.

Pastor Ford then preached a message on Submitting to the Sovereign Savior out of Revelation chapter one. I hung out this morning in that same chapter during my quiet time. I was reminded of one of the amazing facets of the second coming - "Every eye will see Him,". Verse seven states, "Look He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him." That is hard to even get your mind around. As one preacher stated, "We are going to marvel at Him!"



Revelation 1:3 = Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.

Event Vs. Lifestyle...

I have been thinking lately about "events" in ministry. I think these thoughts are coming from my recent experience with the Boxes of Love outreach event. I also took note, as I drove through the neighborhood over the last few days, of all of the lines outside of various churches. This will continue through the month of December, at least until the 25th. This is not unique to my community. Every church and ministry during this season of the year does some type of compassionate outreach event to the poor or "less fortunate." Fast forward a few months, and during the Easter season you will see advertisements and fliers for outreach events and passion plays at various churches. The Easter holiday is another season during which "events" are popular.

Now my intent in writing this post is not to say that we should scrap all events, or to take a shot at churches who are "big" on events. I think God uses events. Plenty of brothers and sisters in the Lord can testify that God made the move on them at an event - either drawing them to Himself for the first time or strengthening their faltering faith during a tough period.

However, if we are not careful ministry events can become a crutch that we lean on in order to avoid more relational, ongoing types of service and ministry. Seasonal outreach events can become the only time that we "participate in ministry." I think they become crutches because they are more comfortable for us. Let me explain what I mean...

It is relatively comfortable to serve a dinner to the "less fortunate" in your community. It is a bit more uncomfortable and stretching to actually build a relationship with one of the men or women or families that shows up at the event. What if God actually asked us to invite this man or woman or family over for dinner in "our" home? What if instead of serving a meal at a church or community center we invited those whom we served to our family get-together? And what if this relationship lasted way beyond a holiday meal? What if we actually began to "do life" together? What if we learned that we have much to learn from those with less materially? What if we learned that our faith isn't as strong as we thought? What if those whom we "reach out" to begin to discover that we have issues too? What if Christ was then shared out of an authentic, reciprocal, relationship?

It is relatively comfortable to invite neighbors, co-workers, family members, and even people on a busy street corner to an Easter event at our churches. It is a bit more stretching to develop a lifestyle of intentionality with those whom we invited as we pray for, build with, grieve with, and rejoice with those same people. If they receive Christ, will we rally around them as a family of believers to disciple them individually and as a community? Will we be transparent, and vulnerable, and authentic, and sacrificial with them? And if they don't receive Christ will we still surround them with love even if they never receive Him (as I believe God would have us to do)? Or will we quickly move on to find "another ministry project?"

Events, if we are not careful, will keep us at arm's length from people and keep people at arm's length from us. Events also sometimes foster a perspective in which we view people as "objects of ministry" rather than "fellow subjects of the Kingdom or as those created in the image of God." (Shout out to Joel Hamernick for that quote http://www.joelhamernick.blogspot.com/). Maybe we should emphasize events less, but rather emphasize the relationship building that could and should happen following all ministry events.

As we move towards this type of missional, Christ-exalting lifestyle, regardless of our context, it gets messy. It gets hard. It gets uncomfortable. I think though that as we look at Christ in the gospels, as we look at the early church in the book of Acts, and as we examine the charge of the prophets in the OT, this is the type of lifestyle they point us towards. As we push towards this, we will ever be in need of God's grace and we will ever be reminded of the interdependence of the body of Christ.

In my next post I will highlight churches in various contexts who I believe by God's grace are moving towards this type of Kingdom lifestyle...

Everyday

Below is a prayer written by Michael Easley from his prayer book entitled "Interludes." It really resonated with me this morning as we head into Thanksgiving.

Everyday

Great Provider and only Creator,

Help us every day to know that You

Gave to us in our sleep

Renewed our weary frames in the night

Presented us with a new start - every morning

Help us every day to remember You

Provide a roof

Supply us with nourishment

Protect us with clothing

All of which - to our shame - we take for granted

Remind us when we forget that You

Heal us when we are sick

Nourish us when we (greedily) consume

Supply us when we freely spend

Use us - even though we sin - for Your glory

Forgive us every day when we

Hurry into busyness

Disregard appointments with You

Rush past You with self-importance

Think our lives are more important than You

Help us have a constant awareness

That Jesus has covered all our sins

That as unlovely as we may feel, Jesus loves us

That forgiveness cost immeasurably

That our lives can be more about Jesus and less about us

That our lives can be ongoing "Thank You" for

Your grace, righteousness, mercy, and love.

Boxes of Love

Pete and I arrived at the Agape Center just after 8 on Saturday morning. (The Agape Center is the Chicago site of Here's Life Inner City, the urban ministry arm of Campus Crusade for Christ.) Vince had beaten us there and was ready to begin loading trucks. The Agape Center was ready to distribute over 2,100 Boxes of Love, which would then be distributed to 2,100 households through Chicago and the south suburbs. The gym was packed with volunteers from various churches in an assembly line formation. Some packed turkeys, some folded boxes, some loaded stuffing and vegetables, some put a Bible in every box, and finally some put the finishing touch on by sealing the box with packing tape. In one of the classrooms evangelism training was offered and volunteers rotated from the training to the packing line. Outside roughly 15-30 men worked together loading various amounts of boxes into church vans, moving trucks, vans, cars, etc. As I surveyed the men loading trucks, and also the over one hundred volunteers working inside the gym I was reminded how beautiful it is when the body of Christ works together. There were men and women, young and old, Black and white, urban and suburban, some who voted for Obama and some who voted for McCain. There were Baptist churches, Lutheran churches, Pentecostal churches, Bible churches, Independent churches, Storefront churches, and Para-churches. Everyone was working together. Everyone was serving one another. We all were collectively preparing to go out and BE the church.

Pete, Vince, and I loaded vehicles from roughly 8 to 12. We then took a short lunch break at our respective homes (I enjoyed a Deliano's frozen pizza - always good!), before regrouping at Sunshine to prepare to make home visits and drop off the boxes. We spent some time in prayer, discussed our plan of delivery, and then headed out. At each home we determined whether to send 2 or 3 of us in depending on how well we knew the family. By the end of the day we had made 11 stops. At some stops we walked through the gospel with them, in others we discovered that they were believers and asked for how we could better encourage them. We shared, we listened we prayed. After each stop we debriefed the visit thinking through questions we could have asked, ways to follow up, etc. This conversation has continued today. Although no one necessarily prayed to receive Christ, I am confident that seeds were planted, and that families were encouraged.

I know the 3 of us were blessed through the experience. Many shared that the timing of our visit was truly a blessing. One mother shared how God had delivered her from an addiction to crack, another how God was giving her strength to raise her niece (young enough to be her granddaughter) who is now living with her due to difficult family situations. Several shared that they would definitely be interested in an adult Bible study at the center. Please pray for 2 mothers in particular who after hearing the message of the gospel shared that they just weren't ready.

At the end of the day we were all tired, but it was a good tired. It was a great way to spend a Saturday. It was a meaningful experience to share with 2 of my closest brothers in the Lord.

We have 9 more boxes to deliver between now and Thursday. Please pray for these remaining home visits, and for the follow up conversations that will be had as the result of our initial visits.

A Tale of Two Cities, Two Elections, Two Churches, One Lord

In the fall of 2000, I was living in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Technically, I lived in Wyoming, Michigan just off of 44th St. This area has many churches, Christian bookstores, Christian publishers, and Christian colleges. Grand Rapids is definitely a white evangelical hub (though the city as a whole continues to grow racially and culturally diverse.) The area of the city that I lived in was predominately white. As the presidential election drew near that fall, there was definitely an excitement in the air. People were excited for a new candidate. Christians were engaged in the political process. They encouraged and exhorted one another to get out to vote. Their candidate was elected that fall. Although I can't remember hearing it that fall, there was definitely a sense of "we won" after the election. It was even stated that God had given "us" the victory in the election.

Fast forward the tape...

It is the fall of 2008. I live in Chicago, Illinois. I live on the south side of the city in a neighborhood called Woodlawn. The south side is saturated with churches (Woodlawn is no exception). Chicago as a whole is very racially and culturally diverse, however where I live it is predominately African-American. As the presidential election drew near this fall, there was definitely an excitement in the air. People were excited for a new candidate. Christians were engaged in the political process. They encouraged and exhorted one another to get out to vote. Their candidate was elected. The day after the election, people were excited and there was a sense that "we won" the election. It has even been stated that God has given "us" the victory in the election.

Although I don't know this for fact, but I am willing to bet that the people in Woodlawn were not all that thrilled with the 2000 election result. Again, althougth I don't know this for fact, but I am willing to bet that the people of Wyoming (MI) were not all that thrilled with the 2008 election result. I am even willing to bet that this past Sunday morning, the churches in Wyoming mentioned that God is sovereign over elections, while the churches in Woodlawn celebrated the election.

The body of Christ is racially, culturally, and even politically diverse. However, the most disturbing thing to me during election season is our lack of humility and grace with one another regarding our diverse political perspectives. We stay in either our "red" or "blue" huddles and only interact with the "other side" through nasty email forwards or self-righteous blog comments. It is great that we are passionate about issues. We should be. However, I just wish we made more of an effort to understand one another. We could actually learn from one another and even sharpen one another.

I get the sense that we are as divided as ever as a church - racially, politically, etc. Maybe I am wrong (I hope I am). I am praying for grace, humility, and a desire to learn from one another. Let's hang out. Let's build with one another. Our testimony to a watching world is at stake.

A powerful quote...

A guest pastor at church on Sunday made the statement that as followers of Christ as we look towards the future, that "we head into the unknown with the Known One!" That is a powerful thought.

This Fall on the Gridiron

This fall...

The Detroit Lions are 0 and 6. They could possibly go winless this year, honestly.

The Michigan Wolverines are 2 and 5 and could potentially lose out.

However, the Paw Paw Redskins are 7 and 1, playoff bound, and heading into a Wolverine Conference showdown against the Dowagiac Chieftans. I haven't really followed Paw Paw football in years, but this fall they are the only glimmer of hope right now on the gridiron. You can check them out at

http://pawpawredskins.net/

Beautiful Feet

I hate feet. If I'm honest, I think they are disgusting. I don't like looking at or seeing other people's feet. I don't care if you just had a pedicure or just polished and painted your toes. I don't care to see them. For this reason, I don't wear sandals - never have.

However, recently I have been reminded of Scriptures that speak to the significance, importance, and even beauty of feet.

Consider these...

Isaiah 52:7 (NIV) = How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!"

Romans 10:14-15 (NIV) = How then can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"

Ephesians 6:15 (KJV) = And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace...

Lately, I have felt an ever increasing burden to have "beautiful feet." I have felt a renewed sense of urgency, and have been praying that God would increase my burden for the lost. I want evangelism to become more of a lyfestyle for me, not just an event.

In John 13, Jesus gives us a model of what it means to truly serve one another through the washing of feet. We must remind ourselves that in the cultural and historical context in which Jesus washed feet, they wore sandals everywhere on some dusty roads. In other words, their feet would have been "a mess." And yet we see the King of kings and Lord of lords wrap a towel around his waist, get down on the ground, and wash his disciples feet! I have heard this referred to as "the ministry of the towel." In graduate school we were exhorted to have this ministry. In the passage in John 13, after Jesus has washed His disciples feet He states in verse 14 and 15, "Now that I, your Lord and Teacher have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you." He even adds in verse 17 that we "will be blessed" if we do it! There is blessing in washing feet. There is a blessing in serving others. There is a blessing in wrapping a towel around our waist, and humbling ourselves...washing feet.

As I look at these two examples of the significance of feet within Scripture I see that they point to both the Portrayal and the Proclamation of the Gospel. They are the Audio and the Visual of the Gospel. There must always be both. When we separate the two our witness is ineffective and Biblically incomplete. However, when both are present (Portrayal and Proclamation) our witness is credible, it is Biblically wholistic. They must always be intertwined ie Evangelism & Social Justice, Compassion/Mercy/Justice & Evangelism.

A Tough Week/God At Work

It has been a tough week in the neighborhood! God has been at work this week in the neighborhood! These statements may seem like they contradict each other, but let me explain. In order for you to understand how these statements fit together I have to tell you “the whole story.”

First the tough part…
Early last week I began getting emails of alarm and concern from some of my neighbors about the frequent shootings (thank God no one was getting hit) that were occurring on the block that I live on. The thing that made these emails particularly unique was that these shootings were not happening at night, they were happening during the afternoon.

Then Saturday night there was a shoot-out between two rival gangs on 61st St (a few blocks west of where I live), just off the corner from where the Sunshine building sits. Two bullets went through the windows of our tech center. Seven bullets went into the metal window shades in the salon across the street. Within minutes the police arrived on the scene and a shoot-out occurred between one of the gangs and the police.

The next evening (Sunday), a 25 year old young man was shot and killed on 62nd and Vernon. His name was Rodney. Please pray for the family that has been affected by this tragic death (and others that occurred around the city during the past weekend). These young men were somebody's sons, brothers, uncles, grandsons, friends, possibly fathers, etc.

God at work…
Monday morning we gathered as a staff to discuss the events of the previous week and weekend. Our discussion led us into a time of prayer. Our time of prayer led us into a “what are we gonna do about it?” - brainstorming session. We prayerfully and thoughtfully came up with the following action points:
1. Host a community leader meeting (which includes block club leaders, teachers, alderman, local beat police, and pastors)
2. Upped physical presence in the community by our staff - walking around, talking to people
3. Request prayer support from friends, family, & supporters
4. Contact well-known role models who may be willing to come speak with young men in the community.
5. Address the physical safety of the youth in our programs which means building a wood barrier in the classroom of our Community Technology Center, providing snacks so that students won't trek to the store during class breaks, and providing rides home in the evening.

On Monday evening 10-12 neighborhood residents (representing 5 different blocks and block clubs) along with three of us Sunshine staff gathered to share concerns and to come up with collective solutions. Joel (our executive director) wrote the following summary of our time together…
“We came up with an overall strategy to respond to what his happening in our neighborhood and I learned a lot like the importance of getting people to leave their front porch lights on, make sure their garage has the house number on it, and make lots of phone calls for every incident to the police. So when the city orders its resources to react, they don’t just look at actual incidents but they look at PHONE CALLS." (Drug deals, buildings broken into, domestic violence, and even shootings are currently getting far too few phone calls made to report them.) "So we discussed how part of our overall process has to create an atmosphere in which (a) lots of people make phone calls (think prayer chain on the phone to 911!!) and (b) they make calls about EVERYTHING and (C ) they they know what to say when they call. We also ended up talking about all the vacant buildings (like 10 on just one block!) that have been foreclosed on. They are routinely broken into and vandalized and used as dumps for garbage (attracting rats) and drug dealers and users. One elderly neighbor described waking up every night multiple times in fear that the drug users in the abandoned building physically attached to hers might burn down the entire block while doing drugs. Another spoke about having at least 3 kids shot and killed right in front of her house over the years. Yet you couldn't miss the resolve, the strength, the faith in the room. After dealing with this sort of thing for 20 years or more they were willing to believe again and try again! Wow!!! I was also really encouraged by the presence of several young professionals — one of whom described hitting the dirt in front of his condo when bullets fly. . . But undeterred to invest in the community. There was also a very real spiritual openness if not outright presence. I suggested we open in prayer to which everyone immediately said “YESS!!” and proceeded to hold hands in a circle. We also closed in prayer. . . . They were sure to ask that we do!" We all agreed that this "block club collaborative" would not be just a one time meeting. We will continue to meet together, pray together, work together, and reach out to one another as neighbors. Everyone agreed that we need to meet again soon.

This evening we had a community block club meeting on the 6100 block of Rhodes (1 block from Sunshine). We met together outside on the street. Local police came to show support. Young and old from the neighborhood gathered on the street together. We ate hot dogs and nachos together. We got to know one another better. Then Mrs. Clark, the block club president and long term neighborhood resident, gathered everyone into a circle. Everyone held a lit candle. She thanked everyone for coming, and encouraged everyone by saying, “things are rough right now, but they are going to get better.” Then she asked Joel to pray. In prayer Joel reminded us that God cares about each and everyone of us. God is concerned about what is going on in the neighborhood. He prayed for peace. He prayed for safety. He prayed for the young men that are acting out of desperation. He prayed that we would work well together and help meet each other’s needs as neighbors.

Things are tough right now, BUT God is at work! I am concerned for the kids and their families. I am concerned for my elderly neighbors. I am especially concerned for the teenage young men that I work with. In the midst of these challenging days, it is evident that God is on the move.

My Turning Point

Over the last few days, I have been reflecting and thinking on when God got a hold of my life - aka my "turning point" as J'Son refers to this on his song entitled "Turning Point." This morning as I listened to that song and thought about when God made the move on me and how much He has transformed my life I began to "well up." (I need to do this more.) In the song, J'Son tells his story - which is very different than mine (in terms of the details) - but with the result being the same, a transformed (and still being transformed) life for Christ. In the fall of 1996 I headed to Albion College. I had aspirations to play two sports, talk to girls, and "experience" college life. None of that happened. God had other plans for me. I'm reminded that God is always the initiator - He makes the move on us. Gideon in the OT and Paul in the NT are two of my favorite examples of God as the initiator. Athletics had become an idol in my life. I was overly self-conscious and self-focused. Where I found my identity was out of whack. I was committed to please people, but not focused on pleasing Christ. Then through a series of events as J'Son says, I "found that the King was better." God humbled me, got my attention, reminded me of the Gospel that I had heard about in church growing up, and radically altered my life focus, purpose, and pursuits. As Shane Claiborne says, when I encountered Christ, "He messed my life up" and I am still "recovering" from my conversion experience.

Yesterday, I was reading through 1 Peter and a Scripture leaped off the page at me. 1 Peter 2:9 states, "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." I am His now. He drafted me. As the Ambassador once preached, we were "unlikely choices, unmerited choices, undeserving choices," - but God in His grace and mercy made the move on us, redeemed us, "called us out of darkness into His marvelous light." I love the response in this verse - "that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who...." We get to proclaim the excellencies of Him!

I am humbled this morning. I am messed up. And I am grateful.

When was your turning point? How did God make the move on you?