Taking Some Time Off

I have taken some time off this week from my official duties as a pastor of a church community that I love leading in the East End of the city of Pittsburgh. The rest has been wonderful, and I've had the opportunity to spend some great time with my family. We didn't go anywhere on vacation this Christmas, so we've been spending a lot of time at our house in Homewood.

Down time in Homewood is never really down time. My urban neighborhood actually becomes more accessible to me when I slow down the pace of my life. As always, I've experienced the negative emotions that come with gun shots and other crazy stuff that happens in my neighborhood. However, I've also experienced some amazing things that have brought much joy and meaning into my life. God was able to work through me to be a good neighbor to some of my neighbors who desperately needed some support this week.

God is transforming my heart as he allows me to enter into the lives of the some of the most resilient people living in this city. I am so thankful for the opportunity that God has given me to not just run a program in a distressed urban neighborhood, but to become a part of the fabric of the community and to lock arms with people who are navigating through extremely difficult life circumstances. God is showing me new things every day through the eyes of my neighbors.

A Christmas Gift

A few months ago, a sixteen year old girl who attends one of North Way's suburban locations decided to do something that was very generous. Instead of receiving gifts at her birthday party, she asked people to give her cash donations that she could give away to a good cause. She received over $300 in cash, and she gave it to the LAMP mentoring program at North Way. She wanted the money to go to LAMP, but she only asked that it go to "help somebody who really needed it."

I prayed through how God might want me to steward this gift, and nothing really came up over the past couple of months. Then, right before Christmas a single mom from Homewood who has five children in the LAMP program called me to ask for help. She didn't have any money to provide a Christmas dinner or any gifts for her children this year, and I felt like God was prompting me to use the special gift from months earlier to provide Christmas support for this family. My family went shopping and brought a full Christmas dinner and some small gifts over to her house in Homewood, thanks to the generosity of a sixteen year old girl who decided to do something special on her birthday. When I explained the story to the mom in Homewood, she was so moved. We all prayed together, and I got to see first hand how much the gift meant to her this Christmas.

Stories like this remind me that God's profound love transcends all manmade social boundaries... suburban and urban, racial, economic, generational, and cultural. God is on mission to redeem the world all of the time, and ordinary followers of Jesus play an important role in that mission. I was thankful to be an eyewitness to God answering a mom's prayer this Christmas.

A Rough Start to Christmas Morning

My Christmas Day probably started off differently than most people. I was jolted out of a deep sleep in the early morning hours by a gun battle going on right outside of my house. We hear gun shots relatively often in Homewood, but these shots fired were the closest they've ever come to our house. I've been talking to some neighbors this morning trying to sort out the details... the police came, but we still don't know who was shot in the pickup truck in the middle of our street or if that person survived. Thankfully, our daughters sleep with loud fans in their rooms and they didn't hear the gun shots. So, we woke up on Christmas morning and opened our gifts as we normally do, but my pastor's heart is heavy for the violence in my neighborhood. Working toward bringing God's shalom in my city comes with many challenges, and gun shots are just a reminder of the ups and downs that come with advancing the kingdom of God in a complex urban environment. Just a few hours before this shooting, God worked through me to lead several people into a relationship with Jesus Christ at our church's Christmas Eve worship service. In times like these, I must trust God for the protection of my family. That's a big part of urban incarnational ministry. On this Christmas Day in 2012, I am thankful that God provided a hedge of protection around my girls from the gunfire last night. And, I am all the more resilient in my calling to do something about the violence that is in my city and right on my doorstep. There may be evil in this world, but I know how things go for our enemy. God wins!

Ministry in the City

Every new day brings about a great sense of anticipation for pastors in the city. I never know what to expect. God could bring any new kind of person or any new kind of circumstance across my path at any given moment, and it's my job to engage each situation with the love of Jesus Christ. I love it when people ask me to pray with them, or to answer a question about God or the purpose of life. There are at least 100,000 people living and working within walking distance of the church I lead. If I engage my city at all levels, including powerful and powerless places, then God is able to work through me to impact lives. And I've seen many lives impacted over this last year that North Way East End has been around. This is urban ministry... taking risks, radically living out the incarnational message of Jesus Christ, embracing unpredictability, building authentic relationships, and engaging the city with the whole gospel.

Transformation in the East End

North Way East End is a church with an incredible worship experience on Sunday mornings. Our worship style is cross-cultural, the sermons are powerful and biblical, and we pray a lot expecting the Holy Spirit to impact people. We share the gospel of Jesus Christ on a weekly basis. Our church, however, is not limited to Sunday morning gatherings. We are dedicated to bringing about God's transformation in our personal lives and in our city every minute of every day of every week. We see ourselves as an integral part of God's mission to reach our entire city. Two of our church members, Tony and Jordan Deane, are just one example of how our church is involved in the transformation of the East End of the city of Pittsburgh.

Earlier this year, Tony and Jordan discerned that God was calling them to buy a small church in an East End neighborhood called Wilkinsburg. Wilkinsburg is an urban neighborhood right next to Homewood that experiences much of the pain of urban decay, including struggling schools, closed businesses, boarded up homes, drugs, violence, and other crime. There are, however, many assets in Wilkinsburg, as there are in any neighborhood, including resilient people, churches, and businesses. The Deanes ended up buying a church that had been abandoned, they spent much of their personal savings to fix it up, and they are now planning to steward it for Kingdom of God purposes. The building will host small group meetings and special events for churches and other organizations in the area, including people from North Way East End. Jordan now runs her successful interior design consignment business out of the building (moved over from where her location was in Squirrel Hill). Tony will be running his landscaping business out of a building that he is planning to build next to the church. They want to open the building to all kinds of community events. What was once a vacant building in a blighted urban neighborhood is now an asset in the community because a Christian family decided to make an investment in the city. Here are some photos:

I am so happy for Tony and Jordan, and I can't wait to see what God does through their obedience in the months and years to come. The East End of Pittsburgh is a better place because of these ordinary followers of Jesus becoming ordinary radicals. This young couple is passionate about racial and socioeconomic reconciliation, they are passionate about urban transformation, and they are passionate about Jesus. I am praying that God continues to work in the hearts of the people who worship at North Way East End to rise up as a church and make a profound difference in the lives of people living in our city.

A Tragedy

My heart is definitely breaking for the victims of the mass shooting at an elementary school in Connecticut earlier today. I am joining many others around the nation who are praying for the families and that community. As a former teacher and education administrator, this violent act hits close to home. As a pastor, I am praying that God will heal hearts in the midst of tremendous pain and suffering. I have dedicated much of the past seven years of my life to actually doing something about the violence in my own city, and events like what happened today remind me that I need to continue doing everything I can to advocate against violence in our world.

Embracing Diversity

Christians in America struggle with the issue of church diversity. Less than 7% of churches in the United States are multiracial as defined by at least one ethnic minority group making up at least 20% of the church's attendance. I am very passionate about seeing Christians leading the way in embracing people across cultures, so we're building relationships with many different kinds of people at North Way East End. Our goal is to be a church that fully embraces and reflects the diversity that is all around us in the city of Pittsburgh.

This weekend is just one example of how we are following the Holy Spirit's leading in the area of diversity. On Friday evening, our city Christmas concerts at the Kelly Strayhorn theater incorporated many different types of music genres including rock, gospel, country, hip hop, and soul. The stage was filled with people of various racial backgrounds, including African-American, Asian-American, and Caucasian. I'm looking forward to today's worship service at North Way East End where the worship experience will be led by two African-American singers, and the live preaching will be coming from my friend in leadership at the East End, Freedom Blackwell. Freedom is a strong African-American leader in the city of Pittsburgh, and he and I have a lot in common in leading a diverse church together. We both live in Homewood, a mostly African-American neighborhood in the East End of the city. We both have a passion for reaching people across socioeconomic barriers, not just racial barriers. And, we are both missional pastors who have a desire to mobilize the church to reach people who are marginalized in our city.

North Way East End has not "arrived" by any stretch of the imagination in terms of being a multiracial church, but we are well on our way in our first year because we are intentionally planning everything we do with the lens of diversity. God is bringing many different kinds of people to our church, racially, culturally, and socioeconomically. It's a beautiful thing to be a part of. I can't wait to see how God grows us in relationship with one another in the coming months and years.

Investing in Others

One of my former LAMP school-based mentees showed up at the North Way Christmas concert last night in East Liberty. He changed school districts when he entered high school, so I had not been able to serve as his school-based mentor any longer. Still, when I saw him we kind of picked up right where we had left off in our relationship two years ago. It's amazing how much of an impact we can make when we choose to invest in the lives of young people as they develop. The kids who I've had the privilege of mentoring, coaching, teaching, and pastoring over the past 15 years have brought tremendous joy and purpose into my life, and it's exciting to watch them develop into adults who take on the world. Every person is uniquely created by God, and it's been so much fun to walk through life with so many different people in different parts of Pittsburgh, Ohio, and California over the years. And it never gets old... I look forward each and every day to seeing which people God will bring across my path. Following Jesus, to me, is all about giving myself away to others through meaningful relationships.

North Way City Christmas Concerts

It's so amazing when God puts a vision on your heart, combines that vision with a passionate calling, and then orchestrates other followers of Jesus to bring it all together into reality. Last night was a dream come true for me because of the opening night of the North Way city campus Christmas concert. God has given us a clear calling to reach the East End of the city with all of it's diverse people. God gave us a strategy that was missional, cross-cultural, and contextualized to the urban environment. The city Christmas concerned most importantly gave glory to God, and it did so through musicians and artists from the North Way Oakland and East End churches combining to create a powerful worship experience. The music mixed in rock, gospel, hip hop, and classical arrangements. The experience also incorporated video, spoken word, and creative lighting. The performing artists on stage represented the diversity that is located throughout the city.

We still have two more nights of Christmas concerts at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater on Penn Avenue in East Liberty. I can't wait to see how God is going to work as we continue to advance his mission to reach the city in the name of Jesus Christ.

A Big Week

This is going to be a great week at North Way East End. We have the city campus Christmas concerts at the Kelly-Strayhorn Theater on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday evenings. Our team is preparing to reach people from all over the city of Pittsburgh with the powerful story of Christmas. Then, my good friend Pastor Freedom Blackwell will be preaching live at North Way East End on Sunday morning at 10am. I'm excited to hear what God puts on his heart to share with people. I'm sure he will have a meaningful message for the city.

Caught Being Good

I love when stories get back to me about people from North Way East End doing random acts of kindness for our neighbors in the city. Following Jesus causes us to do such wonderful things in order to demonstrate God's love in tangible ways. A local business in East Liberty did a turkey give away the Saturday before Thanksgiving. On Sunday morning, when we gather to worship in that area, a woman showed up with her daughter at that local business to get a turkey for their Thanksgiving meal because she couldn't afford one otherwise. She was disappointed when the store clerk informed her that the turkey give away had been held the day before, and that they didn't have any more turkeys. A North Way East End member happened to be standing nearby to welcome people into the church, and they noticed what was going on. They were moved with compassion for the mom and her daughter, so this person decided to buy a turkey for her so that she could have a Thanksgiving meal. I am writing "this person" because I know they won't want any credit for what they did and they wouldn't want me to write their name in this story. These little moments, when we think that nobody is watching, go such a long way in showing love for our neighbors. I am thankful that our church members don't only do these types of things on Sunday mornings... we try to show the love of Jesus in tangible ways throughout the week in all kinds of different places and circumstances. After all, that is what Jesus modeled for us. Sometimes Jesus used words, and sometimes Jesus used works to get his point across to his followers. Loving neighbors remains an important way of life for followers of Jesus.

Growing as a Leader

Even though I have graduate degrees in the field of leadership, I still love to learn about leadership. I'm committed to being a life long learner. Today I had the opportunity to learn and grow in my own leadership from some leaders who have a great deal of experience and expertise. I soaked in what they had to say, and I hope that tomorrow and in the days and months that follow I will be a better man and a better leader because of what I learned today. As a leader, I will never "arrive." I will always be involved in a process of personal transformation so that the people God calls me to lead will also experience transformation.

Here are some things I'm trying to commit to as a young leader:

• Listen well: Whenever I have the opportunity to spend time with other leaders, or with people that God has called me to lead, I think it is very important for me to engage and really hear the message that people are trying to communicate.
• Read: My goal is to read one book every day. I go through a lot of books on all kinds of different subjects and from all kinds of different perspectives. Sometimes I read very fast and even skim through books to catch the main points. If a book is interesting, I'll slow down and work my way through it over a period of weeks or months. Of course, I enjoy reading content that backs up what I believe, but I also like reading books that challenge what I think I may know about the world.
• Be real: There is nothing worse than a fake leader. That is a person who happens to have power, but they don't steward it well. Bad leaders accumulate power for themselves in order to advance their own personal interests. Authentic, or real, leaders accumulate influence and power in order to give it away. They spend themselves on behalf of others with little regard for their own advancement. My goal is to be the same in the streets of Homewood as I am on the executive team in Wexford.
• Take risks: I have litte interest in self preservation. I want to live my life radically sold out to anything that God might call me to do. I'm ready. Even if God asks me to do hard things, I'm ready to go. Leadership is not all about managing circumstances, and it certainly isn't about achieving some sort of balance. Leadership involves taking risks with my own life for the sake of advancing the kingdom of God.

Going "Out There"

I love leading a missional, cross-cultural, urban church because I never know what to expect from one day to the next. I meet all kinds of different people where I serve as a pastor. Every day I intentionally interact with followers of Jesus, and also with people who are not currently following Jesus. I have the opportunity to build relationships with people across races, cultures, classes and neighborhoods. The great thing about God is that the gospel message transcends all of those things. God's love transends manmade boundaries. And, what is most mysterious of all is that as I build relationships with people who are different than me, God is able to transform me in the process. Every interaction becomes a learning experience where I depend on the Holy Spirit for wisdom in all circumstances.

In Geography of Grace, authors Kris Rocke and Joel Van Dyke point out that "Traditionally, the Church approaches mission with the idea that there are many uncoverted people out there who need the good news of Jesus Christ; therefore, it is our responsibility to go to them for their benefit. This might be true, but what else might be happening as we go out there? We discover Jesus. This gives us invigorating freedom to greet Jesus in the name of Jesus and say, 'Hi, it's been so long since we talked. I had no idea you would look this way. Are you hungry? Are you thirsty?' Going outside allows us to see mission as the process of falling on our knees saying, 'Lord, where are you? We went outside the church so that those within the church could live and breathe.' There is no air in the church without this counter-intuitive geography of mission. There is no greater 'outside place' than between two theives on a little hill just outside of Jerusalem."

My prayer is that I will always be a follower of Jesus who is "out there." I love gathering together with my church family to grow in God with one another in authentic Christian community, but I also love mixing it up with people outside the walls of the church. It's where I often feel closest to Jesus.

The Impact of Street Violence

One of the tough things about my job is that I often help young people navigate through the pain of street violence. Yesterday, for instance, my day started out just like any other Sunday in terms of mentally preparing myself for the worship service at North Way East End. When I picked up one of my mentees for church early in the morning, he was really struggling having just heard the news that one of his good friends has just been shot and killed a few hours earlier. There is no pastoral handbook that comes will helping somebody navigate through the violent death of one of their friends. The initial human instinct seems to be to avoid the topic, and to stay as far away from the situation as possible. My calling as a pastor, though, involves engaging in these types of situations. After church, I accompanied my friend to the street where the murder happened so that he could grieve with his friends and talk things through. I spent time in the neighborhood even though police were all over the place... some even had their guns drawn pursuing some suspects. Then, I supported more young people through the pain that they were experiencing. Yesterday was definitely a difficult day, but I am glad that God was able to work through me to meet hurting people right where they are at. As I enter into people's pain, God is able to heal hearts and he is also able to transform my heart. I am praying for an end to the street violence in my neighborhood, but while it still exists I'm committed to doing everything that I can do to possibly make a difference. I believe that God is able to transform hearts and communities, and that God is close to us in the midst of our suffering.

Church Diversity

I've had the opportunity to spend time with Scott Williams this weekend. He is an author and a leader who consults with churches all over the world. He is a big advocate for diversity within the church, and his visit to North Way is timely considering that we have been really leaning into becoming a more diverse community over the past couple of years. As Williams points out in his book, Church Diversity, Sunday morning tends to be the most segregated time of the week for most Americans because churches are often divided along racial lines. Only 7% of American churches are considered to be racially diverse, as evidenced by at least 20% of a congregation being represented by a minority group. Many churches, however, are really starting to wake up to the reality that we need to engage people across racial, cultural, and socioeconomic boundaries in order to remain relevant. That is our goal at North Way East End. We seek to align our hearts with God in terms of bringing the transformational gospel message to all people in our diverse part of the city of Pittsburgh. We have intentionally established leadership teams and worship styles to engage the diverse groups of people in the urban neighborhoods in and around East Liberty. Our church is definitely still a work in progress, but we are making great strides. The vision of a diverse church is becoming a reality thanks to our following the lead of the Holy Spirit. I am excited to see what God is going to do across all North Way campuses as we continue to reach out to the many different kinds of people in Pittsburgh.

A Weekend Away

My life has changed a lot since I graduated from the doctoral program last June. I have much more margin in life, and I am so thankful for that! This weekend is just one example. Julie and I are spending a long weekend away together at Lake Chautauqua in New York at a lake house that some good friends of ours let us use. We dropped the kids off with the grandparents in Ohio and we headed to New York to enjoy some much needed rest and relaxation. We had the opportunity to travel to many different places while I was in the BGU program, but those trips were always centered around my learning experiences and urban immersion. This trip has a sole purpose of simply resting and enjoying spending time together. We're taking a lot of walks, having many discussions about the ministry that God has called us to in Pittsburgh, and we're reading a lot. I've read The Powers That Be, an interesting perspective from Walter Wink about how Christians can utilize nonviolent resistance to bring about personal and community transformation. We're also chipping away at reading Dr. Martin Luther King's autobiography, Love in a Fearful Land by Henri Nouwen, The Sacred Journey by Frederick Buechner, re-reading Geography of Grace by Kris Rocke and Joel Van Dyke, and I'm also working my way through The Journal of Jim Elliot. Good times! I love to just relax and read about things that inform my theology and worldview. It's been a wonderful time away so far.

A Vision Straight from the Streets

Today's guest blogger is Tyran, a seventeen year old from Homewood who I have had the privilege of mentoring for the past seven years. These words are from a school project where he was asked to describe how he sees his future:

"I have thought of what my future will be like beyond high school. My goals are to go to college, major in business and communications. The reason I would like to do this is to be able to start my own business. I would like to give back to my community and help those in need.

I have decided to open a program for young adults and children from the ages of ten to eighteen. I want this community center to be a place where kids can be safe and happy. They need to get involved in activities to keep them off the streets. I would hope to offer some of the following: tutoring, social skills, life skills, arts and crafts, sports, music and more. I realize that I need to do well in school and graduate. One of the first things I should do is get involved in my community in order to support my major. Going to a local child care in my community will help with the idea that I have proposed. It will allow me to see what these centers do and the best way to do this to volunteer or get a paying position within my own community. This way I know if this is the goal I want to pursue.

I have lived in the same community for seventeen years. I have seen friends and relatives struggle to feed their families. I have seen a lot of people I know and love die. They become victims to the street life. Some never had a role model in their life to guide them and to show them what a different life they could have when someone cares. This center would offer that to them. I have witnessed the selling of drugs in my neighborhood and have seen many of my friends getting into trouble with the law to make money. This is not a way to live. Getting your education means you can go as far as you want and change your life.

As you can see, my community is in need of the type of center I would like to open. I want this idea to become a reality."

God Is Doing Something Amazing in the East End

As a pastor, God has given me a calling to a city. God has also called me to advance his mission with people in powerful and powerless places. My calling is to marginalized people and influential people. I build relationships with people across racial, economic, and neighborhood boundaries, and I am always amazed at how God is able to work in those sometimes difficult places. When I was first involved in launching North Way East End last January, God gave me the vision that the church would reflect my calling. North Way East End would reach people in a complex urban environment representative of all of the diversity in our city. We are definitely a work in progress, but God is leading us through an incredible season of impact in the lives of many people in the East End of Pittsburgh. Our little body of believers is growing in relationship with Jesus and also with one another in community.

Just this past Sunday, God did something miraculous with one of the people who happens to attend our church. He was homeless when I first met him last February, and God has taken him on an incredible process of transformation as our church has welcomed him into our community. He rededicated his life to Christ, we walked with him to empower him to get off the streets, and this past Sunday morning he shared with me all about his powerful journey from the streets of East Liberty to being empowered to live a life that serves Christ and serves others. He is in a very good spot in life right now, and it is only through the grace of Jesus Christ and his transforming power. This man of God went from receiving support from Christians when he most desperately needed it to now living a powerful life on fire for Jesus. We will continue to walk with him in authentic Christian community because just as Christ is transforming his life, Christ is also transforming my life and the lives of our entire church community.

I am excited to share that God is moving in profound ways in the lives of people at the church. God's mission to the city of Pittsburgh is also making a tangible difference in the community. God is working through many churches and Christians to impact lives for the kingdom of God. This is all transcending the differences that usually separate us across cultures. God deserves all of the glory for what is going on!

Looking Back on Christian History

I've spent several hours this week preparing for one of my breakout sessions at the upcoming OrphanCare Expo at North Way entitled "A Global Christian History of Orphan Care." My preparation has allowed me to review the books and classes that I took on Christian history. Christian history is filled with tragic examples of how people did damage to others through violently imposing belief systems on others, and it is filled with many inspiring examples of people who lived like Jesus and selflessly gave themselves away to others for the sake of lovingly sharing the profound hope that is found in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

It is important for me to remind myself about the negative parts of Christian history so that I can avoid making those same types of mistakes in my context. Also, it is important for me to learn from the heroes of the faith who went before me so that I might be a more effective follower of Jesus in this short life that I've been given. Yes, I am prepared to share some important things that God has put on my heart for the OrphanCare Expo on Saturday. But, more than that, I am being reminded that I want to be a sold out follower of Jesus Christ who serves others in the midst of very difficult life circumstances. The people throughout human history who seemed to have the most impact in terms of advancing the kingdom of God also had very little regard for safety or the comforts that this world has to offer. I am inspired to live like them. I will go anywhere, at any time, for the sake of Christ, no matter the cost. I don't care about the comforts that America has to offer. I don't care about my safety, or my house, or my car, or any of those things. I just care about Christ and being obedient to the meaningful and sometimes dangerous call that he has placed on my life. I don't even care about receiving any of the credit for that calling... Christ deserves all glory and honor.

Celebrating Reconciliation

I had a good conversation this week with a fellow pastor in the city who is also leading a cross-cultural church. We discussed the challenges of being reconcilers across cultures (racially, socioeconomically, etc.), and we also celebrated the break throughs that God has been able to accomplish. The Harvest Party and House of Manna last night definitely represent reasons to celebrate how God's profound reconciling love is bringing people in Pittsburgh together. People from many different neighborhoods converged in Homewood to spend time together at multiple events. It was incredible because Christians were leading the way in organizing these environments. Often, Christians drag our feet when it comes to reconciling across cultures. Instead, we should be leading the way in engaging people from all different walks of life. We should be excellent relationship builders across cultural boundaries because that is what God requires of us. It's as simple as that, yet it is a challenging process. I am encouraged to see what God is going to do in Pittsburgh over the months and years to come as we continue to build on the solid foundation that is being built.

Depending on God

Lately, I have been experiencing the full weight of being a pastor and a leader in the city. I love these things... being a pastor and a leader. However, I find myself too often taking things upon myself or depending upon my own strength to get things done. This seems to be because there are so many signs of hope and signs of need constantly going on all around me. In the city, problems and break throughs are magnified. I love that there is always action going on around me, and yet it requires a great deal of self control and dependance upon the Lord to determine when and where to lend my influence. When I depend on myself to determine my actions, I wear myself thin with pouring into others. When I depend on the Lord's discretion, I am able to be a true participant in the work that the Holy Spirit is doing in people's lives. I cannot possibly meet every need, or counsel every person, or plan every detail of every worship service, or speak at every event, or meet every person where they are at. But God... He can do all things. So, I am determined to depend on the Lord's strength in all matters. I need to hear from God, and often, in order to be an effective pastor. My prayer today is that I would be able to discern God's purposes on a consistent basis, and to put all of the weight that comes with leadership on God's mighty shoulders.

Food, Fun, and Advancing the Kingdom of God in the City

I survived all of the intensity of the past couple of days! It was tiring, but God accomplished a lot this weekend. Encountering God in the City on Saturday morning opened doors for racial, socioeconomic, and cultural reconciliation. Many people at North Way are grasping the vision for reaching the city with the love of Christ through compassion, development, and justice. We enjoyed hosting a missional team of students from Maryland in our home on Saturday evening for the block party.  A whole bunch of our neighbors stopped by to participate in the fun, which of course included Salvatore's pizza (the best pizza in Pittsburgh), street chalk, nerf dart tag, stained glass mosaic crafts, Wii Sports games, and ice cream. All of these things are essential parts of a good block party in Homewood. Worship was powerful on Sunday morning, and I could tell that our church is grasping North Way's vision to reach the city. People shared many stories of life change with me. Since I'm relatively new at leading a church, it's exciting for me to see how people living passionately for Christ can make such a difference in each other's lives. I loved meeting with all of North Way's interns in the afternoon, and my mentees joined me for the chili cook off on Sunday afternoon. We had a beautiful day. People tossed footballs and baseballs around. Kids played in the park. All of us powerhoused through a bunch of yummy chili. People walking by our picnic grove stopped in to join us for the food and fun. All in all, it was just an incredible weekend. God is doing amazing things in Pittsburgh. I'm so thankful for the amazing calling that God has given me.

Saturday and Sunday... Bring it on!

Today I am taking a day of rest to get ready for an intense weekend of ministry in the city. It is going to be great... I can't wait! On Saturday morning I'll be leading a discussion with over 50 people through Encountering God in the City at North Way East End. We'll be discussing how Christians can be effective at serving others in the city, a topic that I'm very passionate about. In fact, I dedicate most of my time to building relationships with my neighbors in Pittsburgh while also mobilizing others to do so. Then, on Saturday afternoon Julie and I will be hosting a CRU mission team of eight high school students plus chaperones at our house in Homewood for an outreach event. We'll be throwing a block party for kids and families in our neighborhood. I have no idea who's going to show up, but it's going to be fun to see what God does through the new relationships that will be built. On Sunday, I'll have the opportunity to worship with over 200 people at North Way East End. I'll be sharing about the big vision that God has put on my heart for our church community. On Sunday after church the East End will host all of the interns at the North Way campuses. Then, I'll pick up my mentees in Homewood and take them over to the Chili Cook Off that North Way East End is hosting in Highland Park. I'm looking forward to a fun event, and my stomach will be stuffed since I'm one of the judges for the chili contest. It's a tough job, but somebody's gotta do it.

Teaching, facilitating, learning, outreach, worship, training, mentoring, leading, and eating. These are all things I love to do, and I'm blessed to be able to do things that I'm so passionate about in a city I love. It's going to be a great weekend!

Walking and Talking

Each week, one of my favorite "meetings" that I look forward to is the time spent with my friend in ministry, Pastor Freedom Blackwell. To be honest, I don't like meetings. I don't know many people who really do. I know that it is important to get together with people for planning purposes, though. And, so, Pastor Freedom and I, both pastors who love being out in the community and being relational, have settled on the streets of the city for our weekly meeting space. We walk together in the streets of East Liberty and the surrounding communities reflecting on everything that God has done and dreaming about the vision that God has in store for us in the future. We talk about a lot of different things, and there is much to discuss when it comes to leading a cross-cultural, missional, multisite church in such a dynamic part of the city. Urban ministry doesn't happen in sterile office environments. It happens best when we roll up our sleeves and jump right into the heart of the city to mix it up.

Encountering God in the City - October 13th

I'm excited to lead an event called Encountering God in the City at North Way East End on Saturday, October 13th from 9am to noon. Many Christians are stepping up to serve marginalized people in their communities. With so many people serving, it's important to examine whether or not we are being effective at service that leads to a process of transformation for ourselves and the people impacted by these efforts. I'll be facilitating a discussion on the following topics:

• How can Christians help people in need without causing harm?
• The basics of urban ministry and Christian community development
• Understanding cross-cultural ministry
• The differences between compassion and justice
• Onramps to personal and community transformation
• Effectively advocating for orphans, widows, and other people marginalized by society

To sign up for this event, please email Jacque Speed at jacques@northway.org. The North Way East End ministry center is located at 5947 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15206. I am looking forward to learning and growing together.

Living and Leading with Integrity

My friend, Pastor Freedom Blackwell, preached at North Way this weekend on the subject of integrity. The issue of integrity is huge for followers of Jesus Christ. Many people claiming to be Christians in America behave very hypocritically, and we lose our credibility with people when our actions fail to line up with our words. Integrity is an important issue for pastors. I cannot lead people to go where I am unwilling to go. As a leader, my actions need to line up with my words. I need to be the same person in the streets as I am in the pulpit on Sunday mornings. If God calls me to lead people in an intimate, transformational relationship with Jesus, then I had better be living in an intimate, transformational relationship with Jesus myself. When I ask people to build relationships with people across cultures, racially and socioeconomically, then I had better be pursuing those types of relationships as an example to others. If God asks me to minister with people in powerful places and in marginalized places, then I had better be found spending a lot of time with people in both. Pastors and leaders set ourselves up for failure when our lifestyles do not align with the radical, countercultural message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. So, before I challenge the congregation with anything, I need to be challenging myself to be a better follower of Jesus. My family is watching, my friends are watching, my neighbors are watching, and my enemies are watching. Will I be a man of integrity before the Lord? That is indeed my challenge each and every day that God chooses to give me life. I cannot do it on my own strength... only through Christ.

God's Inescapable Love

One of my favorite things about being a pastor is watching people experience transformation through being in a relationship with Christ. In the city, these signs of transformation are magnified because so many different kinds of people live in the city. Many of these different kinds of people attend the church I happen to lead, so I get to see first hand how God is able to change hearts and move throughout all kinds of unique life situations. Our church has been reaching out to many people in our urban neighborhood, and although transformation is a process, the hearts of both the people serving and the people who are receiving kindness are being slowly changed by the love of Christ. Marriages are being restored. Sinful habits and addictions are being given over to the healing that can only come through the Lord. The people who are attending church in the East End on Sunday mornings are really giving themselves away to community with each other and to neighbors throughout the course of the week. Honestly, it is so amazing the watch God work across cultures and through all kinds of different life stages. God will stop at nothing to pursue the billions of people that he has wonderfully created, including me. As God pursues others, God also pursues me with his inescapable love. My heart is constantly being transformed by the relationship that I have with Jesus. It is truly remarkable.

A Great Start to the Week

This week is off to a great start. Over 200 adults and 30 children gathered for worship at North Way East End on Sunday. More than statistics, these followers of Jesus are growing in relationship with Jesus, in relationship with one another in community, and in relationships with people outside the walls of the church throughout the East End of the city. As a pastor, it is so exciting to be a part of something incredible that God is doing. We are a part of God's mission to reach the city, and God deserves all of the glory for the life changing ministry that is taking place. We are reaching the city. The word is getting out that we are a group of followers of Jesus Christ that are serious about living out God's mission across cultural, racial, socioeconomic, and neighborhood boundaries. God is calling us forth into his profound plans to tranform hearts and minds for the sake of advancing the kingdom of God. God is doing an amazing work in the East End of Pittsburgh.

A Good Start to the Fall Ministry Season

This fall season of ministry is off to an incredible start. We had a great Sunday worship service at North Way East End this past weekend where people are experiencing life change, they're connecting in meaningful community with one another, and they're making a difference in the city through service and prayer. Many new LAMP mentors are starting relationships with young people in Homewood, and the school is very excited to receive the support, especially in light of the results of the PSSA test scores that came out recently. We are fortunate as a church to be able to partner with the local public schools. God has been opening up doors for me and my family to minister with all kinds of people throughout the East End. I am just so excited about everything that God is doing. God deserves ALL of the credit and ALL of the glory for every part of the ministry in the city. I am looking forward to what's next!

About God, or About Me?

For a long time now, God has been breaking my heart for the things that break his heart in this world. For some reason, God seems to open my eyes to injustices around me and he often calls me to act and speak up prophetically. Sometimes I do a decent job of maintaining self control and grace in communicating what God puts on my heart, and sometimes my passion gets the best of me. It's as if I must speak up, and I must take risks and go all in when God calls me to do something... regardless of how the outcome might impact me. In my calling as a pastor in the city, I experience many of lifes ups and downs. God oftens asks me to do difficult things and say difficult words even if these things come with a cost. Often the cost seems to be personal, with me spending myself on behalf of others. Often, the cost impacts my family, my friendships, or my relationships with people at the church or in my neighborhood.

What God has been showing me recently is that sometimes I get it right, and I speak the prophetic words that God puts on my heart at just the right time. Or, I go into a dangerous situation at just the right time, and God is glorified. All of my words and actions should glorify God. However, sometimes I get it wrong. I say the wrong things at the wrong times. I do the wrong things at the wrong times. I make the ministry about me and my agenda instead of about God and God's agenda to redeem the world. I sin. And this is life on the front lines that God has called me to. Tremendous break throughs and tremendous pain. Giving God the glory, and then turning around and mistakenly giving myself the glory. Obedience and disobedience. Self control and sin. Passion unleashed, and pride unleashed.

Thankfully, God is quick to forgive me because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross for me. And, thankfully, the people I live with, develop friendships with, and serve God with are very forgiving and understanding of the intensity of the calling that God has given me. My prayer is that God would continue to refine me as an urban ministry practitioner, and that I would become better and better at dying to my self so that God might me glorified. I pray that God would give me discernment to know when to advocate passionately against the profound injustices that happen in my own city, right in my own neighborhood. I pray that God would continue to transform me into a better man, a better husband, a better father, a better friend, a better pastor, and a better leader. I hope I get better at loving and giving grace, and that I become more bold in speaking prophetically on behalf of people who are oppressed and marginalized in this world. I pray most of all that I can be a better follower of Jesus.

An Intense Week of Urban Ministry

Being a pastor in the city and living in the city definitely make for an interesting life. Every day when I wake up, I never know what to expect. Relationships are important to me, so life is unpredictable because relationships are unpredictable. Also, the city is unpredictable. The injustices of this world are always right in front of me, and the joys of this world are always right in front of me. By choosing to live in the area where I work and lead, I enter fully into the pain of brokenness and the full enjoyment of experiencing the light of God overcoming darkness. Each new day in the city is thick with anticipation. It is not a comfortable calling, or a safe calling, or a "normal" lifestyle by any stretch of the imagination. But is a good calling, filled with the profound purpose of joining God's mission to go into hard places to reach the lost and redeem every part of the city.

This past week is a good example of life as a pastor in the city. My family served lunch to the staff at the local elementary school in order to kick off another year of school-based mentoring. We've had a whole bunch of neighborhood kids from Homewood in and out of our house. Some joined us for dinner. Some went to a local waterpark with us. Many kids stopped by to see us for an after school snack. We found out that one of the teenager's we've been working with for several years was arrested and placed in the juvenile detention center. Another teenager we know stopped by to visit us right after he was released from placement, and he accidentally fried my wife's macbook by spilling lemonade all over it. I spent most of yesterday with one of my mentees who was supposed to be in school, but instead the school district messed up his paperwork and they couldn't figure out which high school he was supposed to be attending. He is at risk to drop out of school now, so I'm advocating for him against the injustices of the educational system. A couple days ago I confronted a motorcycle rider who was causing problems in the parking lot next to our house. At 4am last night I confronted an Allied Waste truck driver who was illegally collecting trash in the middle of the night (I'm sure he was intimidated by me in my PJs with my bed head). This week I also went to several meetings involving the church, including a marketing meeting, a budget meeting, and performance appraisals. I preached a sermon. I rode go karts with a bunch of mentees. I played Nerf dart tag in the ministry center. I met with the church elders. I walked the streets of the inner city where I interacted with all kinds of different people. I prayed a lot. I helped a single mom with finding a car. I spent a lot of time with my wife and daughters. It was an intense week, but it was worth every second.

The kingdom of God is advancing in the East End of the city of Pittsburgh. The urban, cross-cultural church that God has called me to lead is growing. The LAMP mentoring program is going strong, and the lives of some of the most high risk youth in Homewood are being dramatically impacted and transformed. My family is enjoying being a part of an urban adventure where we join God's mission to transform the city. We build relationships. We love our neighbors. We fight against injustices. This is life in the inner city. Bring on another week!

Living in God's Story

This past Sunday I had the opportunity to preach live at North Way East End. I shared what God put on my heart about how parents can empower their children to become spiritual champions, even in a modern American culture where research has shown that nearly 9 out of 10 children who are raised in a Christian home will leave the faith within one year of leaving the home. I challenged parents to orient their children in God's Story, live radically in covenant with God, and leave an eternal legacy. We were all challenged to live this out in the unique context of the East End of the city of Pittsburgh.

I was very thankful for the opportunity to share with the congregation, and I knew that I would experience some significant spiritual warfare this week after speaking about such a challenging topic. I am not afraid of spiritual attacks, though. I know that the power of God's love is much bigger than the enemy of my soul. My life is all about honoring God and living radically as I follow Jesus Christ, no matter the consequences. I say that because I have complete faith that God will always reign victorious even in the midst of difficult circumstances that I might face in this life. Today is just another day to wake up and join right into God's profound mission to redeem every single part of this world. It truly is an epic adventure, this journey of life. I'm thankful for this day!

Live Preaching on Sunday

I am really looking forward to preaching live at North Way East End this Sunday, August 26th at 10am. God has given me a lot to share with the community. God has a message for the city, and I can't wait to see what God has in store for us next in the East End. So, come on out to worship in East Liberty this Sunday. The address is 5941 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15206.

A Good Day

This morning I was a part of a great LAMP cultural training at Faison School in Homewood. We had a group of 15 new potential LAMP mentors participate, and I can say it was one of the best groups we've ever had at a LAMP training. They were all very engaged with learning more about the neighborhood, the school, the community, and how they can be a part of the transformation that is going on through faith-based mentoring. We had some honest discussions about race and culture. We dreamed about how we could each make a difference in the life of a child. All around, it was a good time together with followers of Jesus who are stepping out of their comfort zones.

After the training I sat out on my front porch in Homewood and lots of kids in the LAMP program stopped by to visit on their way to and from a community event at Faison that was hosted by the Homewood Children's Village. One of the things I enjoy about Homewood is that people are always walking around the neighborhood and stopping and talking to people. It's a sense of community that I didn't really get when I was living in the suburbs. It's fun to catch up on people's lives and here about everything that's going on in the community.

Now, I'm planning to head over to the house of a family from North Way East End who are moving to live in the city. Tonight is going to be their first night sleeping in the house they recently bought. The whole scenario is giving me flashbacks to my first night of living in Homewood. I think I heard every sound in the city that night... trains, sirens, engines, bass systems, voices, and all kinds of random noises. I am used to those sounds now, but my friends will be experiencing the sounds of living in the city for the first time. I am so excited for their urban adventure, and I know God is going to do big things through their family.

Expecting Big Things

I had a great time attending the Willow Creek Association Global Leadership Summit simulcast this week. Over the course of two days our staff and interns at the North Way city campuses had the opportunity to hear from some amazing leaders. We caught a tremendous glimpse of what God is doing globally with regard to leadership and advancing the kingdom of God. I look forward to the event every year because it serves a reset of sorts for me in terms of how to be a more effective leader. I'll be debriefing with my team during our staff meeting on Monday, and I can't wait to learn more from each other about where God may be taking North Way East End in this coming ministry season. God has given us a powerful vision to reach the entire East End of the city of Pittsburgh with the love of Christ, and we live out that mission through missional, cross-cultural community, solid biblical teaching, passionate worship, meaningful relationships, and by empowering the next generation of leaders in the church. God has been moving in miraculous ways at North Way East End, and I know that God is going to do BIG things this fall. Let's go!!!

Taking Up a Cross

This past Sunday at North Way Christian Community, Pastor Scott Stevens strongly encouraged our congregation to get out of our comfortable tents and pick up our cross for the sake of Jesus Christ. If you happened to miss his powerful message from the Word of God, you can check it out at www.northway.org. It was truly an exceptional message to our church about embracing the challenges of following Christ in our modern American culture. It was a great reminder to me that I need to continually walk away from the comforts of this life in exchange for the radical adventure that is involved in a relationship with Jesus. The relationship with God is costly, but it is life changing and meaningful in many ways. I'm focusing on my relationship with Jesus today!

A Few Days Away

I'm heading to my extended family's cottage on Pelee Island, the southernmost point in Canada, for a few days of rest and relaxation. Over the years, Pelee has been an incredible place of relaxation. This summer I've really been able to get my feet back under me after launching a new church and completing the doctorate program. I am enjoying learning about the rhythms of being a pastor in the city, and I know rest is a big part of maintaining myself. I'm sure people sometimes think I have an urban bias because I love the city so much, but I do also really enjoy getting out of the city sometimes to experience a break from everything. I love to enjoy nature as much as anybody else, and for me the only way to catch a brief break is to actually leave the city. Otherwise, people just stop by my house to hang out all of the time. I love that people feel comfortable doing that, but it does present a challenge when trying to clear my head from the intensity of urban ministry. So... it should be a great couple of days off!

Congrats to the Himmlers!

I am so excited about some very good friends of mine who are moving to East Liberty, an urban neighborhood in the East End of Pittsburgh, this weekend. They have an amazing story! I met Chad and Kristin at the North Way Wexford church location in the northern suburbs of Pittsburgh probably four or five years ago. We first met at church, and we had a lot in common raising young children. We eventually ended up in a small group together, and they have been good friends with our family ever since. They have four children, recently adopting their youngest son from Ethiopa in a huge leap of faith. They each also serve as LAMP mentors to children in Homewood, and they serve in many different ways at the North Way East End campus as a part of the launch team. I have been so grateful for their friendship over the years... they were very big supporters of our move to Homewood at a time when many of our friends and peers thought we were crazy for leaving the comforts of the suburbs to move into the inner city. Chad started reading a lot of the same books I was reading, and he started asking a lot of the questions I was asking about God's potential calling to raise a family in the city. Julie and I were thrilled when Chad and Kristin made the decision to sell their home in the suburbs north of Pittsburgh and move their family into the inner city. We walked with them through the many ups and downs of selling their house and praying through where they would live and how they would educate their children once they moved to the city. I am happy to say that they are fully embracing incarnational urban ministry in its fullest form. They are taking a huge risk to move into unfamiliar, uncomfortable territory in order to be able to be obedient to the calling that God is giving their family. I know that God is going to be glorified in many ways by their obedience, and this is only the beginning of the urban adventure that God has in store for them!

So why would a family abandon the upwardly mobile, safe and comfortable lifestyle to move into a marginalized and transitional urban neighborhood? That kind of a calling only comes from God, but I can speak first hand that it is an incredible calling. The world is rapidly becoming more and more urban, and Christians who choose to move into cities to be used by God to advance his purposes are actually positioning themselves in great position to reach many people for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Chad and Kristin will have the opportunity to serve amongst the poor instead of distancing themselves from the poor. They'll also have the opportunity to have diverse neighbors from many different socioeconomic and racial backgrounds. They'll actually have the opportunity to live in a neighborhood that is much more reflective of the diversity that is in the modern world. They are giving their four children a huge gift by raising them in the city, because the world where their children will live when they become adults is going to be defined by the urban reality. They are giving their children a great gift by raising them around other children who represent the socioeconomic and cultural differences that reflect what the world is really like. They are giving their children a tremendous gift by modeling for them how to fully live out the downward mobility of following Jesus Christ in a worldly culture that overemphasizes upward mobility, comfort, and safety. This family will experience the joy of living in God's mission all of the time. Many modern Christians take short term mission trips to third world countries to experience what it's like to live in God's mission to marginalized people, when they could be experiencing the joys of living in God's mission to the poor all of the time right in their own cities. Most importantly, this family will experience the joy that comes with being obedient to God's unique calling on their lives. I'm so happy for them! Congrats Chad and Kristin!

Looking Back on the Week

As a pastor in the city, I have many different conversations with many different kinds of people throughout the course of the week. The city presents such an interesting calling. Just this past week I talked with doctors and successful businessmen, and we talked about how to steward the resources that God has given them for kingdom of God purposes. I shared a meal with a homeless man, and I listened for a while as he shared his story with me. I met with my church colleagues to plan for this Sunday's worship services and to do strategic planning for the fall at North Way East End. I talked to a gas company employee in my neighborhood who was walking around checking meters, and he expressed his frustration because he had been approached by at least five different women who offered sex in exchange for money to buy crack. We talked for a while about my neighborhood, and the work that we're doing to bring God's shalom to the streets instead of streets characterized by crime and addiction. Transformation is a process, though. I met with a young man this week who is passionately following Jesus Christ despite a background of tremendous abuse and pain that he has had to endure. I spoke with a woman who God healed of tremendous physical pain just this week! I spent most of a day earlier this week at the city/county building downtown with a woman who has experienced an injustice, and we were able to take some big steps to empower her to gain justice in the situation. It took time, but the time and energy was worth it for a single mom who struggles with poverty. I had a great meeting with a pastor this week, talking about theology and calling and what God is doing in cities all over the world.

God is a God of the powerful and the powerless. God is present in high places and low places. God is present in relationships and conversations. God cares about how affluent people steward the resources he gives them, and God cares about bringing justice to people who have been opressed. Jesus wants to work through all followers, including me, to accomplish his purposes on a daily basis. That is why it is impossible to be effective at urban ministry while sitting in a comfortable office. There is no effective ministry that takes place in sterile conditions. Urban ministry practitioners get out into the community and mix it up with people in many different situations. It's a big challenge, but I'm loving every minute of it. That's because my calling in the city has nothing to do with me, and everything to do with God. God will be glorified in all situations, and that is especially true in the city. The redemptive God is always on mission to redeem every part of the East End.

A Full Day in the East End

Sundays are becoming interesting days for me as a pastor in the city. Yesterday we had a worship service at North Way East End where people connected with God through powerful music, a strong, biblical teaching message, and communion. We are building community with one another even though the church is relatively young, and we are building relationships with people outside the walls of our church on a consistent basis. I spent most of yesterday afternoon after church with three seventeen year old kids from the inner city. We visited the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix where we walked and talked while watching races and looking at all of the sports cars. We went to a movie, we listened to music on the car ride, and we talked while we were riding in my car. We talked about what it means to be a man. We talked about dating relationships and marriage. We talked about money and how God wants us to steward it. We talked a lot about life while we enjoyed the activities together. Then, after I dropped all of them off at their homes, I drove through Homewood and saw a bunch of teenagers sitting on the front porch of their row home. They were sitting outside because it was such a hot day. Honestly, this is the kind of scene where people would just drive by them as fast as they could in order to get out of the neighborhood. They're coming over to my house for dinner tonight. Mrs. McCabe is making stromboli. We'll talk about life while we're eating, I'm sure. The dinner table is one of the best places to have deep discussions about life, and we love having our neighbors over for dinner.

Spending time with Christians. Spending time with nonChristians. Spending time with neighbors. Gathering with friends in a performing arts theater to worship God together. Gathering with friends at an auto race in the community where I serve as a pastor. Hanging out with doctors and entrepreneurs. Hanging out with at-risk youth. All of these things represent the kingdom of God advancing in my city. The gospel takes hold because of the Holy Spirit and through the relationships that we build with one another. We live in a world with great evil, but we live in a world with a God who sacrificed all through his Son so that we can live victoriously and joyfully through his grace. We live in the now, but not yet. God is on mission to redeem my city, and to redeem the world. North Way East End is a part of that mission. It is a wonderful calling that brings tremendous purpose to every day of the week... not just Sundays. It's a new day today. I can't wait to see what God does today!

Reflecting on Life with my Wife

Last night I had the opportunity to sit on my back porch with my wife and reflect on a full day of urban ministry. Yesterday was a reminder of the full ups and downs of advancing the kingdom of God in the city. The city is a magnifier of both brokenness and triumph. The city is full of pain and joy. As such, urban ministry leaders need to learn how to lead sensitively through all of the ups and downs that come on a seemingly daily basis. Much reflection is required in order to be effective as a pastor in the city, and I am thankful for the opportunities that I have to navigate through the complexities of life with my incredible wife. We are on quite an adventure together as a family, and I am so thankful that God has given me such an amazing advocate and life long friend in Julie.

Normal is now Weird

The last couple of days have been relatively "normal" around the McCabe household. By that, I mean that things have been relatively calm by urban ministry standards. We didn't have any unexpected visitors to our house. There were no crisises that needed immediate pastoral attention. Nothing out of the ordinary really happened, and that in itself is out of the ordinary. We've come to expect that just about anything can happen at any time when doing life in the inner city. God always has our family on stand by, and we love that style of living. Instead of distancing ourselves from anything messy in life, we have thrown ourselves fully into the fray... God's mission to redeem the city. So, a little bit of peace of quiet is nice, but I know God could change that at any given moment. I'm looking forward to the adventure that comes with the calling that God has given our family.

The Importance of Relationships

As a pastor and a leader, I am very passionate about emphasizing relationships. Programs are important, but they are only tools that can be utilized to build more effective relationships. It's easy to say that relationships are important, but, at the end of the day, relationships can be messy and inconvenient. Sometimes it seems like it would be much more convenient to sit in an air conditioned office and do email than to roll up my sleeves and dig in relationally with people. As an urban ministry leader, though, the value of placing the emphasis on people is so important. People in the city want to know if you are authentic, and they want to spend time with you to find out. They can tell if you're faking it relationally as well. When it comes to advancing the Kingdom of God, time and relationships are crucial. Emails and programs can wait, although they do have their place in effective ministry. Also, relationship building is not just important with other Christians. Relationships with other Christians and our family and friends have their important places in life, but we should also be involved in intentional, meaningful relationships with people who are not Christians and even with people who are our enemies. That is how we effectively fulfill our purpose to be a part of advancing God's mission on a daily basis. All of these issues are very real to me as an urban church pastor, and the city is my parish... a training ground that tests my relational capacity on a daily basis.

The Sounds of the City

After a long weekend of urban ministry, Julie and I sat on our porch last night and reflected. We realized that we had just officially celebrated three years of living in Homewood. As I had that realization, I noticed the same sounds of the city that struck me as shocking when we first moved to the city. I noticed the same sounds of sirens, trains, busses, and fireworks that we noticed during the summer three years ago. I noticed the sounds of children playing in the streets. My daughters created street chalk drawings on our sidewalk as we listened to the sounds of the city. A whole bunch of neighborhood kids stopped by our house to see if we had any freezie pops to share with them. We did. As the kids rode away from our house on their bikes, freezie pops in hand and big smiles on their faces, I thanked God for the ministry that he has given our family in the city. God has blessed us with good relationships with our neighbors, a unique mentoring program, and a new church to lead. We are in the midst of quite an adventure, and I am so thankful for how good God is.

Cultural Diversity at Kidz Gig

Both city campuses at North Way Christian Community have teamed up for an amazing week of Kidz Gig. As I was standing with a whole bunch of kids worshipping God this morning, I was struck by the diversity of the people in the room. I noticed strong representation from African-Americans, Asian-Americans, and Caucasians. We had Christians and nonChristians in the room, and people from many different socioeconomic backgrounds and various neighborhoods.

The cultural diversity at North Way is not an accident. Too often, churches in America represent some of the most segregated social institutions. As a pastor in the city, I am committed to leading a church that represents the racial and socioeconomic diversity that is so prevelant in our neighborhoods. I am committed to moving beyond paying lip service to the issue and just hoping that it happens. At North Way East End, we are working hard to develop cross-cultural leaders and cross-cultural styles of worship. We are working to build meaningful, authentic relationships with each other while trying to learn from each other. After all, our eternal destiny, the kingdom of God, is going to be extremely diverse. Modern Christians should be setting the tone for what the kingdom of God looks like now. That's why we are so intentional about engaging people across cultures. We have a long way to go in this area at North Way! Still, this week of Kidz Gig has been greatly encouraging to me. We are starting to make progress.

Back in Action

I had a great time of relaxation while I was on vacation at the beach with my family. Every time I get away like that I am reminded of the power of rest and reflection. I love my time serving the Lord in Pittsburgh, but getting away from everything helps me to gain perspective. Urban ministry is intense, and it definitely requires periodic rest. So... I'm rested and ready to jump back into the amazing calling that God has given me! I've only been back for one day, but it feels great to be doing something that I am so passionate about with my life.

Vacation

I'm headed to Florida for a vacation with the family this week. I'm looking forward to resting and reconnecting with my girls. It's been a while since I've taken a trip without having to worry about reading or writing anything for a doctoral deadline. I may get to do some writing for fun on some topics that I've been waiting to write on for a while. It's going to be a great week!

Reflecting on Three Years of Living in Homewood

About three years ago my family made a big move from an affluent neighborhood in the suburbs to a neighborhood in the inner city where the average family income is $18,000 per year. At the time of the move, my wife and I had never lived in a city before let alone a place where the average daily experience of my neighbors seemed to be defined by the struggles of poverty. My family walked away from the traditional comforts of the upwardly mobile American Dream in order to pursue to calling that God gave our family to become downwardly mobile. We have experienced more joy in life and closeness to God over the past few years than ever before. As I reflect on the past three years, I have learned that it is important to share about my family's journey because many people are curious about our lifestyle. The American Dream seems promising with all of its promises of comfort, safety, and security, but, as with all narratives that the world offers up, the American Dream ends up leading to struggles and emptiness. That is because I believe that most aspects of the American Dream are unbiblical and far removed from what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Don't get me wrong... I love America and I love being an American. I am thankful to be living in a country where I am free, and I know that freedom has come with a great cost. As as pastor, however, I spend a lot of time helping people unpack what goes wrong when the full embrace of the American Dream narrative leads to destruction. Americans are more depressed than any other people group in the world. We have, by far, the highest incarceration rate of any country. More importantly, the pillars of the American Dream actually keep us from possibly living out the lifestyle that Jesus set forth for us. The following are some examples of the staples of the American Dream that I believe keep many American Christians from experiencing the full joys of following Jesus:

Bigger homes: Three years ago I bought a home in Homewood where the average home value is $22,000. My wife and I joyfully invested our life savings into a neighborhood that may never experience any property value growth during our lifetime. It was a scandalous investment. It made no sense by any upwardly mobile standards. Yet, it was the best investment we've ever made because it was a kingdom of God investment. It was an eternal investment with our life savings. We are blessed to be living in Homewood. We have neighbors who stop by our house all the time. Our home has become a refuge for some of the most vulnerable people in our city. We've welcomed homeless people into our home to feed them and offer them shelter. The goal of the American Dream is to start out by buying a starter home, and then over the course of our lifetimes continue to buy bigger and bigger houses in more affluent neighborhoods so that we can be sitting on a bunch of home equity when we're older. One major flaw with that philosophy is that living in big homes in affluent neighborhoods separates us from the poor. When we intentionally distance ourselves from the poor, we miss out on the joys of being in relationships with people in need as a natural part of our lives. Also, us humans are always trying to get back to the garden of Eden. We try to build paradise for ourselves during our short lifetimes, but I don't think that God wants us to build paradise with our homes. A huge home in an affluent neighborhood may seem like a good goal, but in the end that goal may actually distance us from the mission that God has for all of us Christians to advance the kingdom of God and eternal purposes.

Financial Security:  The goal of the American Dream seems to be to save up as much money for ourselves as we can, but only after we've bought as much as we possibly can to make ourselves look better, feel better, and be safer. Americans seem to be obsessed with safety, security, and comfort. The gospel of Jesus Christ runs counter to the concepts of spending a bunch of money on ourselves or saving up a bunch of money for ourselves. The gospel of Jesus Christ is scandalous. Jesus was crucified. Ten of his closest followers, his disciples, lived in poverty and died violently simply for following the downwardly mobile ways of Jesus. Followers of Jesus during the first few centuries after Jesus' life experienced extreme persecution and many were martyred, yet Christianity grew faster than at any other time since then. When we put our focus on ourselves and our comforts, then we lose sight of what life is all about... God's mission to redeem the world. God wants to work through us, and that means that we sacrifice all. We should give time and money away to other Christians and to our neighbors freely, whenever God prompts us to do so. The gospel of Jesus runs counter to the world. I am constantly wrestling through this concept with Julie. Our goal is to give away more money to God's mission. Even the concept of retirement, or saving up a bunch of money to live on later in life, is unbiblical. The goal of life is not to live a comfortable lifestyle. The goal is to be obedient to Christ, and Christ may call us to give everything away... even our lives if we are called to do so. My goal in life is not to leave a bunch of money for my children to spend after I die and after I have lived comfortably in my golden years. For the rest of my life, no matter how old I am, I hope to be right out on the front lines advancing the gospel of Jesus Christ in dangerous places. I experience profound community and meaning in life when I live and minister in places of poverty. Modeling for my children about how to really live out the gospel in a world that desperately needs Christians to be authentic and credible is much, much more important to me than leaving money to my children when I die. This is all about making an eternal investment, not an earthly investment. I think God is big enough to figure out how to take care of my family members after I die, so there's no sense in me losing any sleep over something like that.

Prosperity Christianity:  Prosperity doctrine is heresy. The self help gospel is heresy. These movements have no place in the church. American Christians are desperately trying to integrate the gospel message of Jesus Christ with affluence and power, and that is simply not possible. God often calls me to enter into other people's pain and suffering in order to bring about his purposes. Sometimes God calls me to go pray with people after a shooting happens in my neighborhood. That is holy ground. Sometimes God calls me to sit with homeless people or struggling, single moms in order to share the good news of Christ. Just like everyone else I could lose my life at any time, so I don't want to waste any time trying to get rich or trying to make myself feel better about myself. I am confident enough in who I am through Christ. I don't need marketers of the American Dream to tell me who I am. I don't need a self help guru to tell me who I am. I am a son of the Most High God, a co-heir of the kingdom of God because of what Jesus did for me. As a result, I've given up trying to be prosperous in this short life in exchange for being obedient to God's ways. I have experienced profound joy through being made uncomfortable in my calling from God.

The great mystery here is that tremendous joy is found in the downward mobility of the cross of Jesus Christ. Around the world, Christianity is experiencing explosive growth amongst people groups living in poverty. Christianity is rapidly declining in areas of the world like Europe and America where well-intentioned people are trying to integrate Christianity with health, wealth, and success. 100 years ago 80 percent of the world's Christians lived in the West. Today, we represent only 20 percent of the world's Christians even though the percentage of overall Christians in the world has stayed about the same (around 34 percent). I believe that God can bring about revival in America, and that we can once again experience a profound movement of God throughout the country. For that to happen, I really believe that we will need to let go of the comforts of this world being offered up by the American Dream in order to embrace the radical, countercultural, and downwardly mobile lifestyle of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

From Presentation to Reality

Tomorrow morning I'm giving a presentation at a university on how society can reach social orphans living in complex urban environments. Ironically, as I was about to sit down tonight to go over my presentation, a "social orphan" from my neighborhood called me because he was in crisis and he was suddenly homeless and in need of a place to stay. I am thankful in moments like this that I chose to move to Homewood because he was just able to walk over to my house and tonight he's spending the night with our family. He'll be with us for a few days until we can help to stabilize his situation. God's timing is so amazing. God often teaches me that theory and academic presentations have their place, but implementation and actually living out what I challenge other people to do is very important. The streets of the inner city are a classroom for life, and I get an education every single day.

Transformation in Pittsburgh

It's hard to believe that I'm all done with higher education. People have been asking me what I plan to do next, and I have been answering that God has already given me an amazing calling in Pittsburgh. I'm looking forward to serving the East End of the city as a pastor, and I'm looking forward to being a good mentor to the at-risk youth that God has brought into my life. I'm looking forward to being a better husband and father.

The biggest thing I'm looking forward to is continuing to grow as a radical follower of Jesus Christ. God continues to call me to serve him by serving others. With the rest of my life I am planning to give myself away to others for the sake of advancing the kingdom of God. Every day I hope to die to myself in order to gain Christ. The more I do that, the less I care about making my life more comfortable or somehow trying to live out the American Dream.

God continues to lead me into complex urban environments, and I am dedicated to sensing the Spirit's leading in these environments in order to live in the stream of God's mission to redeem every part of my city. The goal is transformation... for myself, for the people attending North Way East End, for the many people living throughout the East End who do not know God, and for the entire city in general. God is doing big things in Pittsburgh.

Time to Celebrate

For those who have been following along in my doctoral journey... this is the big weekend! I arrived in Seattle yesterday for graduation from Bakke Graduate University. The main ceremony is Saturday at 3pm. Today Julie and I will explore the city of Seattle with my parents and our good friends, Aaron and Mandy Feleay, who flew up to Seattle from California. I am really looking forward to this time of celebration. This program was a lot of hard work! The adventure was all worth it, though. It's always good to celebrate at the end of an epic adventure!

Passionate Followers of Jesus Christ

After the worship service in the East End this past Sunday I had the opportunity to meet with members of the church who are actively involved in serving each other and serving our urban neighbors in many different tangible ways. God is moving in profound ways at North Way East End as we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit to be the body of Christ and to love our neighbors. It is such a joy for me as a pastor to see followers of Jesus passionately doing life together and actively seeking out the marginalized people in our city in order to demonstrate the love of God. I love being a part of a church that is sold out to the Lord, and I love seeing people dying to themselves in order for Christ to be seen in them. Our church exists to be a force in advancing the kingdom of God throughout the city of Pittsburgh, and with the empowerment of the Holy Spirit we are a force that cannot be denied. God is being glorified in the East End. North Way East End is becoming a passionate, radical group of followers of Jesus Christ who are willing to go anywhere and do anything for the sake of the gospel.

Serving at House of Manna

Tomorrow night (Friday) people from all North Way campuses will be serving together at the House of Manna in Homewood. It all starts at about 7pm, and I know those that are coming to my neighborhood to serve food and build relationships with the residents of Homewood will be blessed by the time spent there. Being a follower of Jesus makes much more sense when we serve people in need because much of God's grace is found in the places that are ignored by mainstream society. Jesus modeled during his life how to seek out hurting people and spend time with them showing the profound love of God through our words and deeds. That's exactly how we should be living now in our modern era... just as Jesus did. Christians should not be afraid of blighted urban environments... we should be running head first into the arms of the struggling people in our city.

What Does it Mean to Love our Neighbors?

Last night we invited a couple from church over to our house for dinner. We had a great time getting to know them. It was a perfect, warm night so we decided to eat outside on the back patio. We shared our life stories together, and it was fun getting to know them better. Part way through the meal our doorbell rang as it often does, and we invited five teenagers into the house to eat and hang out. I hadn't really warned our guests that this type of thing happens all the time. We had some good conversations about the calling that God has given us in Pittsburgh, and we got to talk about the kids who were hanging out in our house on a Friday night. I didn't really go into too many details, though, of the kids in our living room who have become a part of our family. Three of the five kids are brothers who happen to each have different fathers. Their mother, a woman who we had developed a friendship with through outreach in the community, died last year, and the boys are social orphans who are in and out of the foster care system. They often come to our house for refuge and peace from the streets. One is already a convicted felon and a gang member. All of the kids that visited us last night are loosely affiliated with the local gangs since they need protection from the violence that hapens right on their street.

Our biggest goal in living incarnationally in Pittsburgh is to be able to show the love of Christ conistently and relationally to people. God has called us strategically to a neighborhood with high crime and poverty, and we love living there because we feel close to Jesus when we get to share the love of Christ with people that mainstream society ignores. We experience God's grace in low places with the powerless. When we share our house with hungry people that God brings across our path, we experience God's love in greater proportions than when we used to live as though we were separating ourselves from people in need.

Loving our neighbors and serving the poor are basical foundational aspects of following Jesus. Our faith will not make sense if we fail to do these things. James 1:27 says, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." For us, this means finding the orphans and widows in our own city where God has placed us and intentionally giving our lives away to them through service in order to show the profound love of Jesus Christ. It also means that we "keep ourselves from being polluted by the world" by walking away from the American Dream. The American Dream is essentially based on idolatry... bigger houses, bigger jobs, more power, worshipping our bodies and celebrities, and upward mobility. The way of the cross of Jesus Christ is downward mobility and rejection of the comforts of this world, and all of that so that we can experience the life-changing love of God by giving ourselves away to others. In Matthew 16:24-26, Jesus says, "If anyone would come after me, he must take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?"

What Comes Next?

A lot of people have been asking me what I plan to do with all of my extra time now that I'm no longer working on the doctorate degree. The biggest thing I've been doing is spending time with my family and friends. I take my time telling stories to my daughters. I sit and talk with my wife more in the evenings. I've been doing some recreational things like raquetball with friends... things that I've put off for a long time.

I also know that I'm really looking forward to just being a pastor without having to focus on always hitting writing or editing deadlines. I want to focus on spending time with people and exploring the East End of Pittsburgh on a daily basis. God has already opened the door for me to be able to lead our East End church staff in an urban ministry exercise. I've been able to minister to homeless people, families, at-risk youth, businessmen, a family in crisis, and many other people in different situations.

Earning a doctorate degree and writing a dissertation was an important stage of life for me. However, I have much to look forward to in the months and years to come. There is much work to be done in my city, and the church I lead is primed to make a huge difference in the city. My wife has sacrificed a great deal for me over the past four years, and I am looking forward to serving her sacrificially now. I am looking forward to serving the Lord with my whole heart in my city, and giving myself away to people. God has me on quite an adventure and I can't wait to see what is in store next.

A Successful Oral Review

My oral review went very well today, and I officially earned the doctor of ministry degree from Bakke Graduate University. It has been quite a journey working through nearly four years of classes and writing a dissertation, but it was all worth it. My goal now is to pour myself into the work that God has called me to in Pittsburgh. As Julie and the girls and I ate dinner on our back patio this evening, we were discussing what God had in store for our family next when we heard around nine or ten gun shots followed by police sirens. It was a chilling reminder that the work in Homewood and the East End is not done. God is on mission to redeem every person and place in the city of Pittsburgh, and he has given our family a calling to be a part of bringing about transformation in the city. I know God has many big plans for North Way East End and the LAMP mentoring program. I can't wait to give my full attention to this work.

Graduation Party

I'm only weeks away from officially becoming Dr. Bryan McCabe, and I'm celebrating with a graduation party at the North Way East End ministry center on Saturday, June 9th at 7pm. It's going to be a lot of fun, and anyone is welcome to stop by for desserts. The address is 5947 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15208. After four years of hard work, I'm excited to celebrate and move forward into the next stage of life!

Taking Time to Rest

Today is my day off, and I'm enjoying spending the day with Julie. Rest is so important to people involved in urban ministry because there is always so much going on all the time, and the hours are very nontraditional. I'm trying to be very intentional about taking a sabbath, and that's difficult when people still stop by the house to visit or contact me with pressing needs. I know that burn out is a big issue with people in urban ministry, so days like today are very important. I'm enjoying rest, and that's a good thing.

Cleaning Up the Streets

Today volunteers from all North Way campuses... Wexford, Sewickley Valley, Oakland, and East End, showed up in Homewood and East Liberty to pick up trash in the streets. It was great to have everyone together working toward the shalom of the inner city of Pittsburgh. A healthy city center is important to the entire region, so it was wonderful to see suburban Christians serving alongside urban Christians. We had volunteers from Rapha Ministries in Homewood serving alongside the volunteers from North Way. At North Way East End, we gather to worship on Sunday morning so that we can go out into the world on the the other days of the week in order to live like Jesus and love our neighbors in our neighborhoods, at our jobs, and in the streets. As I picked up trash today, I had the opportunity to build relationships with other Christians and with random people living in the Homewood and East Liberty communities. Events like the clean up remind me that the church isn't a social club. The church is the means God has chosen to be the most transformative agent for good in society. We don't have nice little Christians at North Way. We have Christians who allow God to work through us to accomplish his mission to redeem every single part of this world. Together we are making a dent in the universe every time we demonstrate the love of Christ in our city. 

Finding Purpose in Urban Ministry

Over the past several weeks I have been experiencing the full ups and downs of urban ministry. Every day is different, so I never know what to expect from one day to the next. On some days I have meetings where I sit in an office or a conference room for a little while. Most days I am meeting with people in the community. I love to be with people. I love to be in the streets. I love block parties and worshipping God. However, budget spreadsheets and strategic planning are still important to the vision of the church. I enjoy interacting with homeless people and kids who are at risk for street gangs, and I enjoy spending time with business executives and grad school students who are navigating through the pressures of higher education. I like investing in young families as much as I enjoy supporting empty nesters and retirees in their plans to honor God with the later stages of their lives.

I admit that the dynamics of urban ministry can be very challenging, but I am thankful that God has prepared me for this calling. I am learning a lot every day, and I must depend on God to come through every day. My goal in my life is to give myself away to God's purposes every day. I love being a part of God's mission. People's hearts are being transformed by God. Our city is being transformed by God. I can't think of anything else that I'd rather being doing with my life right now, and my goal is to help everyone else that I come into contact with to experience the profound joy that is found in living in God's mission every day.

Dissertation Oral Review Date Set

For those who have been following along with my doctoral journey... I have scheduled the oral review of my dissertation on Friday, May 11th at noon.  I would greatly appreciate your prayers as I prepare for that big step in my journey.  If the oral review goes well, then I will be all set to graduate in Seattle on June 2nd with a Doctor of Ministry degree in transformational leadership.  My oral review committee includes Dr. Randy White (Bakke Graduate University representative), Dr. Eric Swanson (my dissertation supervisor), Dr. John Stahl-Wert (my second reader), and members of my Personal Learning Community.  It's hard to believe that four years of hard work will all culminate in this one big event.  I'm looking forward to it!