A Busy Week... and a Week of Rest

Last week was a busy week.  Last Sunday night we hosted a small group from North Way at our little house in Homewood.  I facilitated the discussion time with 17 adults while everyone's kids played in our basement.  Last Monday I did a LAMP mentoring training for new mentors during the day, I had lunch in the afternoon with my three school-based mentees at the Faison Intermediate School, then 30+ kids from our neighborhood came over to our house for dinner and fun that night.  When the kids left the house, I broke up a dispute on the streets between two of the kids before making my way over to the Faison Primary School in Homewood for a LAMP cultural training.  On Tuesday I had a Bible study in the morning and a full day of meetings.  That night I helped my friends launch a new basketball program for kids in Homewood at the local YMCA.  Over 30 kids showed up for that, and I had a great time introducing my friends to the kids that I have spent the past five years building relationships with.  On Wednesday I had meetings all day once again, and another LAMP mentoring training at North Way Oakland that night.  On Thursday I took two of my mentees to work with me since they were off school that day.  They shadowed me the whole day (OK it wasn't all work... we played arena football in the Worship Cafe section of the church and we played basketball in the kids space).  The boys wore me out during the day, but I still managed to take my daughters on dates that night.  On Friday I worked on my dissertation all day and that night I attended the Family Guidance annual dinner fundraiser with one of my mentees who shared his story with a few hundred people at the Omni William Penn hotel downtown (my wife and my mentee's girlfriend also attended).  On Saturday, I facilitated two mentoring workshops at the OrphanCare Expo in Wexford.  By the time Saturday afternoon hit I was so tired!  Thankfully, Sunday was a great family day and I was able to invest in Julie and the girls.  I took Kyra and Sierra on dates, I studied a little last night, and then I watched the Steeler game with my dad.  Sunday was a great day!

Reflection is extremely important for transformational leaders.  As I reflect on last week, my first thought is that there is no way I can keep up that pace.  And I don't plan to.  I will burn out, and fast, if I have too many weeks like that.  I was not really able to have any time to take care of myself, or invest in my marriage, or get quality time with my daughters.  This past week was a week where I gave a lot away to others, but I did not do much to sustain myself.  I was able to deeply invest in six boys that I am mentoring, and I also relationally impacted probably 40 or 50 other kids in Homewood.  I helped to launch a new basketball program in Homewood.  Through mentoring trainings, seminars, and the fundraising dinner I was able to share about the powerful message of mentoring at-risk youth to hundreds of people in several different areas of Pittsburgh.  However, in times of tremendous outputs of energy on behalf of great causes, leaders must also rest and withdraw in order to connect with God and find joy and replenishment in the midst of helping others.  That's why I'm going to New York City this week.  I'm taking a rest from everything.  Many people like to find peace and quiet in wilderness when they get away, but I often like to go to other cities.  I love to explore cities, and I seem to be able to connect with God and find rest there.

I cannot focus on the grind of urban ministry all of the time.  Reaching tough kids in Homewood is difficult work.  Mobilizing Christians to become mentors is difficult work.  Quality time away from this work is important.  So what am I hoping for in my time away this week?  I think I'm looking for what Howard Thurman referred to as God's "penetrating beauty and meaning."  Thurman said, "There must be always remaining in every man's life some place for the singing of angels, some place for that which in itself is breathlessly beautiful and, by inherent prerogative, throws all the rest of life into a new and creative relatedness, something that gathers up in itself all the freshets of experience from drab and commonplace areas of living and glows in one bright white light of penetrating beauty and meaning - then passes.  The commonplace is shot through with new glory; old burdens become lighter; deep and ancient wounds lose much of their old, old hurting.  A crown is placed over our heads that for the rest of our lives we are trying to grow tall enough to wear.  Despite all the crassness of life, despite all the hardness of life, despite all the harsh discords of life, life is saved by the singing of angels." - Deep is the Hunger