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!