Creative Leadership

This weekend the American nation turns its attention to celebrating the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. One of the his greatest attributes was his creativity in response to complex social issues. He understood that passivity and violence were both ineffective responses to the deep rooted problems in our culture. He was always thinking about and implementing innovative responses within a population that mostly focused on simplistic responses to complex problems. In the struggle for civil rights, many people were either arming themselves and turning to violence or they were being passive by either letting people dominate them or standing idly on the sidelines and watching things play out. Sadly, many Christian leaders chose either violence or passivity during that struggle. Dr. King said, "A mere condemnation of violence is empty without understanding the daily violence that our society inflicts upon many of its members. The violence of poverty and humiliation hurts as intensely as the violence of the club. This is a situation that calls for statesmanship and creative leadership."

Dr. King is such an inspiration to me because God has called me to be a leader who stands up and does something about the violence in my city. I am thankful that there are other leaders who God is calling to do the same thing and join in the struggle to bring about God's shalom community in Pittsburgh and in cities around the world. The violence in my city is not a simple issue that can be broken down into right versus left, the law versus the criminals, or bad guys against good guys. Systemic brokenness in my city has contributed greatly to the violence of poverty and humiliation. In learning from Dr. King, I dedicate much of my time as a leader to thinking about and implementing creative solutions to complex urban and cultural problems. Responding to violence with violence is wrong, and responding to pain and brokenness passively by standing on the sidelines is wrong. My heart has broken for the violence in my city. I have great hopes for the transformation that God is bringing about through leading a church in the city, by leading a mentoring program involving some of Pittsburgh's most vulnerable youth population, and by mobilizing thousands of people at my church to begin to reconcile with one another across racial, socioeconomic, cultural, neighborhood, and religious boundaries. My hope is that God will continue to open up my eyes to creative leadership and grow me as a leader in a society that desperately needs innovative responses to complex issues.

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!

Guns in Pittsburgh

The National Rifle Association is in Pittsburgh, and they have a convention with hundreds of yards of guns and ammunition for the public to look at and/or purchase. Their presence in Pittsburgh has been greatly publicized. The Christian stance on the NRA's visit to Pittsburgh has been very divisive. Some Christian leaders, churches, and organizations are organizing to protest the NRA's presence in this city where hundreds of people die every year from gun violence. Other Christian leaders are openly supportive of the NRA's presence in Pittsburgh, rallying their efforts around the second ammendment and the right of Americans to bear arms. So, which view on guns is most representative of what it means to follow Christ?

To be honest, I am still working through where I stand on this issue of guns. It is complex to me. I have Christian friends who I admire and respect that own guns, and who I know will most likely visit this gun show in Pittsburgh to show their support. I also have Christian friends who I admire and respect who will be protesting outside of the gun show in order to keep more guns off the streets of Pittsburgh. Should I join the protest, or should I go purchase a gun (as many well-meaning people have strongly encouraged me to do since I moved my family to Homewood)? I hate the guns in my community. I hear gun shots sometimes, and people die violently in my neighborhood every year because of guns. I want those guns out of my community. I don't want more guns coming into Pittsburgh. On the other hand, the gun violence may just be a symptom of broader, systemic problems in society that lead one human being to point a gun at another human being and pull the trigger. Should Christians spend more time dealing with the causes to the violence instead of trying to treat the symptoms?

This issue hit home with me last night. One of my mentees called me. He had heard an advertisement on the news for the gun show in town, and he wanted to know if I could take him there to see the guns. He is 16 years old. He lives in a neighborhood that experiences a lot of gun violence. His own father, whom he has not had contact with, is spending his whole life in prison for killing someone with a gun. Last summer, my mentee's brother (three years older) was shot and killed. Also last summer, my mentee's uncle was murdered with a gun. Many of the young men in his neighborhood have access to guns. I know he could track down an illegal gun if he really wanted to. If anyone has experienced the tragic effects of guns that make their way into the streets, it's him. And, yet, he is still intrigued by guns and wants to go to the gun show. This goes beyond the ideological debate that Christians have with one another. Suddenly, this is something that I have to think through.

No, I am not taking my mentee to the gun show. Maybe that makes me a good Christian. Some would say it makes me a bad Christian. Next time I hang out with him, though, we are hopefully going to have a long talk about the subject. He is a follower of Christ, and I am a follower of Christ. We may spend some time talking about guns and the fact that many people are permitted to own them, but mostly I hope we'll spend some time talking about the root causes of gun violence in America. I hope to be able to talk with him about how he can avoid the fate of his father, brother, and uncle. We've talked about these things many times, and in a sense we'll just continue the dialogue because we have a close enough relationship to talk about the violence in our city. Our dialogue will go on because we are Christians in a relationship with one another. Will that ever be the stance of Christians on the gun issue? Will we build relationships with each other and have civil discussions, or will we distance ourselves from one another and become further polarized? I'll be watching to see what happens here in Pittsburgh this week.

Violence at a Youth Football Game

In my first official day back from vacation, many people have made comments to me about the violence that occured in Homewood while I was away. Homewood has been in the news because three people were shot on Sunday afternoon near a youth football game, a community event that usually attracts large crowds. The police have been pressing the community, through use of the media and other methods, to help identify the shooters. This particular violent act has drawn much attention because it happened so close to the children who were playing football, and it happened in broad daylight on a Sunday afternoon in a crowded public area.

Some folks have threatened to shut down the youth football league in Homewood because of concerns over the safety near that area in Homewood. That is a terrible idea. The kids in Homewood, and the community in general, need the youth football program. It gives everyone something positive to look forward to. Surely the city can work with the youth football coaches, several of whom are my friends, to work out a solution to keep the program going while ensuring the safety of the community. Also, several people from North Way who were potential mentors have suddenly dropped out of the process due to concerns over the violence in Homewood. This concerns me greatly, because mentors are needed now more than ever in Homewood. I understand the fear factor, but things will not improve in Homewood unless people continue to engage and get involved in dealing with the problems head on. That especially includes Christians, the body of Christ that Jesus calls to bring light into places of pain.

I do not want to challenge anyone's courage. I do have a hope, though. I hope that some day, when violence increases in Homewood, that the Christian community in Pittsburgh would contact me to engage instead of avoiding me or pulling away out of fear. My hope is that the Christians in Pittsburgh would willingly and lovingly enter into the pain of struggling communities instead of withdrawing or distancing themselves from people who are hurting. I am excited that there are many Christians in Pittsburgh who are modeling this calling well. There is a great foundation to build on, even in Homewood where many people are doing great work to make a difference. Although there are signs of need in Homewood, there are also many signs of hope. Right now is the perfect time to get involved in mentoring a child in Homewood.

Does Anyone Care?

On Sunday night at 10:30pm a young man was murdered by gun shots on the street next to my house. He was killed right in front of his girlfriend, who was driving the car, and two children that were in the back seat. He was shot in the back while they were driving, and in one instant all of their lives were changed forever. The next day, some predictable things happened. The TV news trucks showed up to bring other people's pain into the comfortable living rooms of 2.5 million people living in the Pittsburgh region. The TV cameras are gone now. A newspaper reporter got the scoop from the victim's mother, and the next day an article about the pain of gun violence from a mother's perspective hit the news shelves around the city. The newspaper reporters are gone now. The local government and police officials pledged their support for the community while speaking out against this type of behavior. The politicians and police are gone now.

The powerful people are gone. Who remains? The victim's girlfriend and her children remain, living with the pain of their tragic loss and also living with the knowledge that in my neighborhood violence could break out at any time and in any place. Does anyone care? The residents of Homewood who have chosen to stay even though the neighborhood has broken down remain, hoping against hope that things will somehow improve some day. Does anyone care? The children in the neighborhood remain, doing their best to fill the gaps in their lives with whatever resources they can manage. Does anyone care? The gangs remain, ready to unleash violence on one another at a moment's notice. Does anyone care? The drug dealers remain on the corners, symbols of the underground economy that has settled into my neighborhood to fill the void left by the departure over the years of legitimate businesses and jobs. The drug addicts remain, focused in on their next high and what story they will have to come up with this time to make that happen. The prostitutes remain, moving discreatly out onto their corners each night to make enough money to feed their kids or feed their habit or fill a hole that may have been ripped open in their hearts a long time ago. The homeless remain. The widows remain. The orphans remain. The poor remain. The hurting remain. Does anyone care?

God remains. God cares. God has not abandoned Homewood, even though most Christians in Pittsburgh have. There are some Christians who have not abandoned Homewood. LAMP mentors can be found navigating the streets of Homewood every day of the week, day and night, in order to be an extension of Christ's love for those in need in this world. There are some local Christians who are committed to staying here. I am one of them. I am committed to reaching the young men in Homewood before they reach the point where they join gangs or deal drugs or drop out of school or get caught up in the streets. Julie is one of them. She is committed to reaching the young women in Homewood before they make short term choices at a young age that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. She loves to sit out on our front porch and chat with our neighbors and the people who walk by. She has ministered to prostitutes. She has ministered to single moms. My wife is an amazing woman. My seven year-old daughter, Kyra, is one of them. She builds incredible relationships with the kids in our neighborhood. They stop by our house to spend time with her all the time. God has given her an amazing heart for reaching others. My five year-old daughter, Sierra, is one of them. She's a little comedian who makes all of the kids from our neighborhood laugh. She loves to draw pictures of those kids with street chalk on the sidewalk in front of our house. Last week, she asked one of the five year-old boys from our neighborhood to marry her. God gave Sierra an abundance of affection for other people, especially for her friends in Homewood.

Still, there are many needs in Homewood and not enough Christians engaging to fill them. There are hundreds of thousands of Christians in the Pittsburgh region. What will they do about the stories of violence in Homewood that they hear on the evening news, or read about in the newspaper, or the calls from the politicians and police for everyone in Pittsburgh to get involved? Will they choose to seek out the least and the lost in their own city, or will they harden their hearts and turn their backs? People are dying. People are suffering. The time to act is now.