City Walks

As a part of the research I have been doing for my most recent BGU project, I have gone on several city walks through Homewood. The basic concept is known as exegeting a city. One biblical model for this is in Acts 17 when Paul is in Athens for the first time. He walked around the city, observing and reflecting on a new urban context. Then, he was able to "translate" the good news into Greek culture using various symbols and characterizations (such as the unknown god).

Cities are often very different at night than they are during the day, so I made sure to take city walks in Homewood at both day and night. To be completely honest, I felt very comfortable during the day and very uneasy at night. I don't think I'll ever feel comfortable walking around my neighborhood at night, but I know as a Christian I can do my best to have God equip me to be a part of the process of transformation that may one day lead to safer streets. Walking the streets helps me to understand the context of Homewood, and what good news might look like to the people who live here.

Have you taken the time to get to know your neighborhood? Do you know your neighbors? What cultural clues, symbols, and characteristics are important to your context? What signs of hope do you notice? What signs of need do you notice? What would good news look like to your neighborhood?

From Principles to Lifestyle

Since our move to Homewood, many people through conversations have asked us about our rationale for the move. I must admit that my initial responses involved "applying incarnational leadership principles" or "the theory that shared experiences yield more effective urban ministry results" and so on. I have felt that I need to justify myself for what may be perceived to be irresponsible behavior. Julie often asks me for "the right kind of language" to describe our countercultural life.

Now that we are settling in, we have noticed that lately we have stopped attempting to deliver on theoretical language based on principles and philosophies. We are now describing our move in terms of our lifestyle. We want to live closer to the people in Homewood. We want to be good neighbors. We enrolled Kyra in Faison because we believe we can contribute to the improvement of that school. We believe in the staff at Faison. When something bad happens in our neighborhood, we feel it. When something good happens in our neighborhood, we feel it. We just want to be available to people. We want to demonstrate Christ's love to the community. We want to be present.

This type of mindset has been freeing to Julie and I, because this transition has definitely had some challenges. We have been under a great deal of spiritual attack lately... enough for us to know that it is not coincidence. Thankfully, God has been coming through for us (as always). It's such an amazing feeling to take risks for God and step out onto a ledge that seems crazy to the world, only to have God show up and rescue us. God is a rescuer. He believes we have what it takes. God strengthens and equips us for this battle. And... God can definitely take care of the "language" that is needed to explain our move to Homewood.

Soggy Ice Cream and Sloppy Joes

A couple weeks ago we had a boys overnighter for LAMP mentors and mentees at the LAMP Post. I picked up four of the boys in Homewood and East Hills on the way to our first event, which happened to be the Back to School JAM at Ebeneezer Baptist Church in the Hill District. We made a pit stop at my house before leaving for the event, and while we were there I told the boys they could help themselves to freezie pops (alluded to in a previous post) in our freezer. We left in such a hurry that I did not discover the fact that they had accidentally left the freezer door open. Julie had gone to visit her parents in Ohio with the girls, and I spent the night at the LAMP Post, so the problem was not discovered until late the next day. By that time, everything in the freezer had melted. The frozen sloppy joes were ruined, among many other things. Sadly, we lost five gallons of ice cream that had leaked down the front of the fridge and all over the kitchen floor.

Julie had a bit of a "melt down" when she saw the mess, followed by giving me "the look" (most husbands know this look very well... we're instinctively trained to make up a response as soon as possible in order to redirect the negative attention onto something else). As Julie was burning a hole through me with her eyes, for some reason I blurted out, "Julie, just think of it this way. Because we reached out to these boys this weekend, there's always a chance that we may have played a small part in helping them to experience God and be with us forever in eternity. Julie, will your sloppy joes and ice cream be with us in eternity? I don't think so. Think about it."

I know... I still can't believe I said that. But in a way, it's a simple theological truth. The things of this earth will all eventually fade away (or melt away as the case may be), but God has designed all of us for eternity. We should all be living with an eternal mindset, and holding on loosely to our stuff. My response did get a chuckle out of Julie, successfully changing her anger into laughter. And yes, I did clean up the mess. But the point is... do you have an eternal perspective? Also, mentoring LAMP kids can be messy (literally). We need to be willing to put up with messiness in order to advance the kingdom.

The Trap of Busyness and Distraction

Fourteen more people signed up to become LAMP mentors during the small group connect event at North Way Wexford this past weekend. LAMP is in a period of intense recruitment at North Way, with a goal of 70 new mentor matches by Thanksgiving. This will need to be a movement of God, and I can sense that He is leading the way and touching people's lives. Many people who are signing up tell us that they have been interested in mentoring for a long time, but they have never followed through due to fear or busyness or any number of distractions.

As a leader, I must admit that I am also impacted by busyness and distractions. Lately, God has been speaking into my life in the specific area of busyness and multitasking. A lot of activity with LAMP may look like work is being accomplished, but often what the kids really need is more one to one mentoring relationships. They need my time and attention, and that of many more adults at North Way. The LAMP kids seem to have plenty to keep them occupied between school, friends, and home life. Often they lack a consistent, caring relationship that can guide them through all of the busyness and distractions.

So, the question is: How can I in good conscience ask a child to avoid busyiness and distraction n their own lives when I am unable to do that myself? Maintaining an intimate relationship with God is nearly impossible in the midst of chaos and busyiness. This morning, I spent some great time alone with the Lord. It's amazing how He meets me when I quiet myself and humble myself in front of Him. I feel much more equipped now to be able to lead the young people that God brings into my path today. Thank you Lord!

Freezy Pops and City Sounds

Living in Homewood is so great! We are enjoying living in the city because it has been so nice to be able to build authentic relationships with the young people in LAMP. Tonight one of the boys I'm mentoring stopped over after football practice, and we had just enough dinner for him. We had an awesome discussion about life over dessert (freezy pops). It's incredible how God has blessed us in this move, and school has not even started yet. People in this community depend on each other in a way that I have never experienced before.

I'm writing this in my office which happens to be the stuffiest room in the house. The window is open, and I can hear the urban chorus in the background... sirens, crickets, busses, trains, cars, and random voices. I'm surprised at how comforting these sounds are now... the familiar sounds of home. This city has a pulse. It has a life of its own, and tonight I feel small. The city is humbling. But I don't feel unsafe. I feel protected by God... by the Creator of the universe and the major cities of this world in all of their complexity. God has a plan for my life, and for the people of Homewood.

Back from vacation

I just returned from a week of vacation with my extended family at Pelee Island. I enjoyed connecting with the family, and it was also a very relaxing time away. It's amazing how different this vacation experience was from my new urban life in Homewood. I've written previously about my experiences in finding God in both rural and urban places, and the different lenses that Christians use in terms of connecting with God.

I did manage to finish reading the book "A Violent Evangelism" while I was away. I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in history, and it is a must read for any Christian who has a vested interest in the immigration policy debate in America. I have become extremely interested in the life of a man named Bartoleme de las Casas. He spoke up for the rights of indigenous people in Latin America during the sixteenth century, and he left a legacy of activism that is inspiring even to this day. If you have some free time, it would be well worth it to do some research into the life of this amazing man.

BGU Journal 7/22/09

This course is not educational tourism. As DMin students, our reflection leads to action. How does the story that I am being exposed to impact my life? It is dangerous to acquire knowledge without action.

Sometimes the most powerful people in society are the most resitant to change. There is just too much embedded power, and God tends to work in places that are weak. Some models that apply a top-down approach to ministry have a difficult time giving away power. This model prescribes what the needs of the people are, and then it delivers those services. Instead, should we listen to the leaders in a community and equip them to meet the needs of the community. That may be considered a more bottom-up philosophy. This philosophy tends to be more tilted toward liberation theology.

Over the past 80 years in the United States, many American conservative Christians have distanced themselves from what they call the social gospel. Many Christians stopped caring about the world or its systems. Evangelicals missed the boat in capturing the arts, symbols, and rituals that bring meaning to what is seen or felt. Protestants believe in the oral demonstration of the gospel. It diminishes thought and communication because the guy who is preaching determines the cultural niche that he is preaching to. It is very anti-polycultural. Catholics, who bring in all the senses, tend to promote a wide variety of meanings where people can conclude meaning on their own. Evangelicals inprison the gospel in our own socieoeconomical languages so that Christians become believers in a narrow gospel.