The Killing Fields

After an incredible weekend of urban ministry, I had the opportunity to take a couple of days off. On Tuesday I went for a walk in Homewood with my wife, and we strolled past this scene:

The city of Pittsburgh is finally tearing down a block of abandoned row homes in my neighborhood that at some point in time gained the reputation "the killing fields" because so much crime and violence happened in that area. It has taken four years since those buildings were first condemned to finally tear them down because the owners lived out of the neighborhood, mostly out of the state and even out of the country. The owners had no interest in taking care of the abandoned properties because they made a lot of money off of them by writing them off as losses. The slum lords were finally held accountable by the city, and one day they will be held accountable before the Lord for the damage they have done to my neighborhood. In the mean time, local leaders are thinking through what will replace the killing fields in Homewood... parks, new housing, gardens, etc. Whatever goes into the space once the abandoned buildings are torn down, I know that this community and those blocks have been covered in prayer. As we stood in wonder at the destruction we saw on our walk, Julie looked at me and said, "Let's walk down this alley and pray for this street." We prayer walked the killing fields. We prayed for the families who once lived there. We prayed for the victims of the violence that once ruled there. And we prayed for God to move in a mighty way to restore shalom to the neighborhood. Some day soon, Homewood will be known less for violence and more for assets because of the great work that God is doing. Prayer works, and God is working through his people to accomplish his purposes in Homewood.