Finding Life By Giving Our Lives

Recently I have been reading a biography of a young pastor who lived in Germany during the 1930s and 1940s named Dietrich Bonhoeffer. His life has been very inspiring to me as a young pastor. He had an initimate relationship with Jesus Christ, and prophetically led others to live radically for the sake of advancing the kingdom of God. He lived during evil times, and he spoke out against the rise of the Nazis and great evil that was all around him in the world. With everything in him he worked to lead all Christians to authentically live out the gospel of Jesus Christ in a world that was breaking down all around them. Sadly, many of the "Christians" in Germany gave up the gospel in exchange for comforts and embracing the worldy values that were all around them. Bonhoeffer spoke out for justice and called for Christians to live radically in an evil world until he was martyred for his faith by the Nazis in 1945. His faith in Jesus cost him his life, but I can't even imagine what he gained for eternity in a life well-lived for the Lord.

I think that I am so interested in Bonhoeffer, and many others have become intrigued by his life since the biography by Eric Metaxas came out, because a life that is truly, radically lived for the cause of Christ sends out a profound statement to the world that is in desperate need of hope. In my heart of hearts, I am hoping to live a Christian life that is somehow like Bonhoeffer's life. I don't have a death wish, but I know that radically living out the gospel of Jesus Christ often comes with a great cost. My goal is to spend myself on behalf of Christ throughout the course of my short lifetime. There is profound evil in this world, and a radical response is needed by Christians in order to bring light into darkness. That kind of life is impossible to live if we also try to embrace the modern comforts of this world. I think it would be very hard for a person to claim a bunch of wealth and comforts for themselves and live out the radical gospel of Jesus Christ at the same time. I didn't see Jesus or the disciples model how to save up a bunch of money to retire on comfortably. I didn't see the early church moving to "safe" neighborhoods so that they could distance themselves from people in need. Just like Jesus, and just like the disciples, just like the early church who experienced tremendous persecution, just like Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and just like millions of Christians throughout the world today who experience suffering and persecution, the radical message of the gospel of Jesus Christ advances when we give up absolutely everything for the sake of God.

As I look back over the past six or seven years, I am thankful for everything that God has taken me through in a world that desperately needs to experience the love of Christ. God has given me the great privilege of spreading the gospel of Jesus with haves and have nots. I've had the opportunity to spend time with business leaders that God is working through in amazing ways to accomplish his purposes. I've had the amazing opportunity to minister to prostitutes, addicts, and homeless people in my own city and in cities around the world. God has given me the privilege to be able to share the gospel with murderers and gang members in Honduras, with a drug cartel in central America, with people living in the slums of Mexico City, and with people trying to navigate through the immense pain of loss following violence in my own urban neighborhood in Pittsburgh. God has often called me to enter into the pain of people's poverty... both physical and spiritual. That is a calling that I never take lightly.

This life on earth is short, whether I lose my life today or many years from now when I am an old man. I live in relative comfort compared to the majority of Christians in the world who experience the grinds of poverty on a daily basis, but I know that God has given me this life in this particular place for such a time as this. I hope that God gives me the strength to live the rest of my life out on the edge, going to dangerous places that he calls me to go, for the sake of advancing the kingdom of God. It would be a great privilege to live radically for the sake of Christ, to sacrifice all for the sake of gaining all through God. "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything." - 1 John 3:16-20

God is Moving Through the East End

I was definitely exhausted after last weekend, but I was greatly encouraged by everything that God is doing in the East End of the city. The art night in the church ministry center was incredible! The prayer time in the city on Saturday morning was powerful. The service project all day Saturday was amazing. Pastor Freedom delivered a profound message to thousands of people at all North Way campuses. The launch of student ministries in the East End ministry center was epic. I had the opportunity to hang out with nine LAMP kids at different points throughout the weekend. All in all, I was just blown away by how God is already working through North Way East End toward to transformation of the city... and we're only a few months old! I hope everyone is ready to go, because this adventure is shaping up to be quite a ride. God is so great, and his glory is shining through every part of my city!

Yet Another Big Weekend of Urban Ministry

I'm gearing up for another big weekend of urban ministry. It's going to be amazing! Tonight I'm picking up my mentees in Homewood, and we'll be going out to dinner in East Liberty with friends from church. Then we're going to North Way East End's ministry center for an art night where local artists from the community will be displaying and creating art. Then, tomorrow I'll be gathering for prayer at the ministry center at 7am, followed by a day of service projects at an amazing East End family's home. We are working to get their home in the suburbs ready to sell so that they can move to the city! Tomorrow night I'll be heading to the North Way Wexford campus to support my friend, Pastor Freedom Blackwell, as he brings God's Word to thousands of people across the city. Sunday will be great as we gather to worship in the East End, and then we launch student ministries at the East End campus at 4pm. I can't wait to see how God is going to reach the young people in the East End through this new ministry of North Way.

Serving. Innovating new ministries. Building community in the city. Mentoring at-risk youth. These are the types of expressions of the church that I love being a part of. This is urban ministry at its best. I am so blessed to be able to serve the people of the East End of Pittsburgh as a pastor. What an amazing calling!

Learning About God's Mission in the East End

Yesterday I had the opportunity to visit several organizations in Pittsburgh that are doing tremendous work in urban transformation. These organizations are reaching some of the most vulnerable people in Pittsburgh with the love of Christ in very tangible ways. I am excited about the ways that North Way East End may be able to partner with these folks.

In launching a new church in the city, it is important to remember that we are not bringing God to the city. The Holy Spirit was working through many Christians in the East End before North Way East End arrived, and the Holy Spirit will be working through many different kinds of people in many different ways for years to come. North Way is simply entering into a stream of God's mission that will continue to bring people closer to the Lord. Every day I learn more and more about the East End as I spend time out in the city neighborhoods, and I am encouraged to be a part of what God is doing.

Signs of Hope in a Turn of the Weather

The high temperature in the city today was in the 70s. I love when the weather turns warm in my neighborhood. I sat outside this evening and listened to the sounds of the city. I could hear the sounds of bass systems in cars as they cruised around the neighborhood searching for people to stop and talk to. People poured out of their houses to hang out on the corners with their neighbors. I heard voices echoing through the streets amidst the different sirens that could be heard for miles. I heard buses and trains. I looked up at the stars and wondered about the plans that God has in store for my life. I thanked God for my calling in the city, and I am thankful for the city sounds and the warm breeze. My city comes alive with the spring. Every day is an adventure. I can't wait to meet all of the people that God will bring across my family's path this year. I can't wait to see how God is going to continue the ongoing process of transformation that is happening in my neighborhood. Each year I hear less gun shots, and more children laughing and playing in the streets. I see kids riding their bikes, and adults sitting on their front porches enjoying the sunshine. I see more workers paving streets and fixing power lines, and less drug dealers and prostitutes working the corners. I hear more of the quiet sounds of night and less of the sounds of violence. Yes, I have big hopes for my neighborhood and for the city this year. God is redeeming every person and every place, and my urban family plays just one small part in God's grand narrative. This is the slow process of transformation in urban ministry, and I can feel it more and more with each passing year. Relationships grow, and pain still exists, but God is right here in the midst of all of it.

Peace in the City

Yesterday our excellent student ministry team at North Way East End threw a block party at the ministry center. The smell of grilled hot dogs filled the streets of the city, and street chalk invited young people into the church for an evening of fun. I drove through Homewood to round up some kids for the event, and while I was waiting for two kids that I knew to get ready to go I was approached by several other kids on the block to see if they could go to the block party, too. I only had room in my car for five kids, and there were probably twenty kids who were interested in going. I knew I needed to choose wisely in terms of who could go. I think God gave me a sudden burst of discretion, because one of the young men on the corner walked right up to me, looked me in the eye, smiled at me, and asked, "Can I go?" I had never seen him before. "Who are you?", I asked. He told me his name, and he said, "I want to go with you, but we need to ask my mom first. She's really overprotective since my older brother was killed a couple years ago." I asked a few probing questions, and he went on to tell me how his brother had been murdered in Homewood. I knew it was a top priority for me to be able to take this kid to the block party at church, so I went up three sets of stairs with him at his house to meet his mom. I introduced myself to her as a pastor in the community, I explained where I would be taking her son, I gave her my cell phone in case she wanted to talk to him while he was gone, and she agreed to let her son go with me to the block party at church. Let me just say this... he had the time of his life at church! I think he'll definitely be coming back to North Way again. I know God is going to do amazing things in his life!

My heart has broken for the violence that happens in the city where I live, and God has given me a passion to do something about it. I just can't sleep at night knowing that children are suffering from broken hearts, and that young people are dying violent deaths in my own city. I can do little on my own to make a dent in the amount of violence that happens in the city of Pittsburgh, but God can work through me to make a big difference. God desires peace in my city, and he wants to work through his church to achieve his mission to bring about peace in this world. God is on mission to redeem every part of this world all of the time. God loves the people in the inner city of Pittsburgh, and he is bringing about his peace and transformation. I love that God gives me the opportunity to live and minister in a neighborhood that is often characterized by violence and death. I don't see violence and needs when I spend time with people in my neighborhood... I see God's grace and many assets in resilient people who are desperately searching for the love of Christ. My interaction with the young man and his mother yesterday was just one example of how God is working through me and many other people to bring about peace in the midst of difficult circumstances. I really don't care what happens to my life, in terms of safety or achieving the American Dream, as long as God is able to work through me for his purposes every day. That's the best feeling in the world!

I believe with all my heart that God wants to work through modern Christians to bring about his peace in many differen kinds of situations, and that the process of transformation leads us to step out of our safe comfort zones in order to embrace risk for the sake of advancing the Kingdom of God. Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, "There is no way to peace along the way of safety. For peace must be dared, it is itself the great venture and can never be safe. Peace is the opposite of security. To demand guarantees is to want to protect oneself. Peace means giving oneself completely to God's commandment, wanting no security, but in faith and obedience laying the destiny of the nations in the hand of Almighty God, not trying to direct it for selfish purposes. Battles are won, not with weapons, but with God. They are won when the way leads to the cross." American Christians can do something about the violence in our cities, and it starts with us sacrificing our own personal comfort and safety in order to be able to reach people with the love of Christ. Ironically, when we give our lives away to others we find life in Christ.

Looking Forward to an Amazing Weekend

Today is my day off, and I'm bracing myself for an intense weekend of urban ministry. I honestly can't wait to see what God has in store. Early tomorrow morning I'm going to join with the North Way East End elders as we hit the streets of the city to prayer walk. As leaders of a church in a complex urban environment, we are committed to humbling ourselves in prayer before the Lord for direction, and we are committed to doing that in the streets instead of from a distant, comfortable environment. After the prayer time, I'll head back to Homewood for a LAMP cultural training with ten new mentors from various North Way church campuses. These followers of Jesus have seen that there are children struggling in their own city, and they are stepping up with their time and resources to dramatically impact the life of a child through a long term, transformational relationship. It's relatively easy to be passionate from a comfortable distance after watching a 30 minute video about children suffering in Africa, and then completely ignore the violence and suffering associated with poverty that happens right down the street from us in our own city where God has placed us. These mentors are fully engaging with at-risk children in their own city. I'll be helping to train them on building relationships across cultures... racially, socioeconomically, and often across suburban and urban lines. I believe strongly that Christians should be leading the way in our world when it comes to reconciliation and building relationships across cultures, and the cultural training of new mentors allows me to put my money where my mouth is. Tomorrow night Pastor Freedom and I will have the opportunity to spend time with a national church multisite consultant who will be helping us to shape what God is already doing at North Way East End... a new church location that is intentionally cross-cultural, missional, and urban. We are looking forward to that time together.

On Sunday, we will gather to worship in the East End and I know that God is going to move in many ways. God is always on mission to redeem every part of the East End of Pittsburgh, and our church is living right smack in the midst of that mission. I'm leading our church to sell out to the radical message of the gospel of Jesus Christ... that's an amazing privilege for me as a pastor. After the worship service our North Way city staff will spend more time with the multisite consultant, Jim Tomberlin, as we shape the common vision between the Oakland and East End campuses. After that time, I'll go get to do one of my favorite things... hit the streets of the inner city to round up kids to go to a block party at the ministry center. The block party from 4-6pm will involve opening up the ministry center to the community, and our excellent student ministry leaders have prepared an amazing outreach event for kids in the city. We haven't even officially launched student ministries yet, and God has already brought together 35 servant leaders. I wouldn't be surprised if God works through North Way East End to impact hundreds, if not thousands, of lives of children over the years to come in the East End of Pittsburgh. It all starts Sunday evening!

In between all of these events this weekend, I'll get to spend time with Julie and the girls. I'm looking forward to engaging with them as a husband and father. Also, my family is a huge part of this adventure that God has us on in the East End. Every day we don't know what to expect... God could bring people from the commnity to our house to share a meal. People we know and love may have tremendous break throughs in life, or we may have to help them navigate through tremendous pain. This is ministry in the city... stark contrasts with a high density of people living in such close proximity to one another. I can't think of a better place to be than right in the midst of all the craziness. I know one thing for sure... God will be glorified in the city this weekend through North Way Christian Community!

The Challenge of Authenticity

Being a pastor in the city is so interesting. Every single day of my life is different, and I really never know what to expect. One of the things I'm working very hard on is authenticity. Strategy and programs are important, but a good foundation in ministry starts when people can look at my life and see that I am trying to actually live out what I am challenging others to do.

This approach to life plays itself out in many different ways. When I challenge people to pop the Christian bubble and intentionally spend time with people who are not Christians, then I had better back that up with the choices I make on how and where I spend my time. I send my kids to the local public schools in the city because it helps our family to spend a lot of time with people who may not be Christians. I try to spend a lot of time out in the streets of my city meeting new people because that's what Jesus modeled. As a pastor, I hope to eventually spend at least 50 percent of my time with people outside the church. I am also called to be a pastor to the followers of Jesus who attend the church where God has placed me in leadership. When I challenge our church to disciple new believers, I need to be intentionally discipling newer believers myself. That's why the LAMP mentoring is still such a big part of what I do each week. It's life on life, it costs me time and resources, and it is deep discipleship with people who really need it. When I challenge people to live out the biblical mandate to care for the poor, I had better be spending a lot of my time caring for the poor. When I challenge business men and women to live out of their hearts, passionately, in their vocational callings, I had better be spending a lot of time visiting them and spending time with them where they work. When I challenge our church to do something about the violence in our city, I had better go out into my community to have God work through me to minister to people when I hear gun shots. I need to be the same person in the streets as I am standing talking from the platform to hundreds of people on Sunday morning. When I challenge people to reject materialism and cultural Christianity, then my own lifestyle had better reflect that. If I challenge men to stand up and be the husbands and fathers that he has called us to be, then I had better be loving my wife and children as God intends.

I am a work in progress, and I still have a lot of transformation that God needs to take me through over the years that God may give me. I mess up every day. If I am open to God guiding me every day, then I will know that I am fully equipped to take on whatever may come my way as an urban pastor on any given day. My goal is to die to my self every single day so that God can use me however he wants to use me to advance his mission to reach people in this world who are desperate for good news. I could lose my life tonight, or I might have many more decades to live. That's all up to God, and I trust him completely. My prayer is that God would help me to be able to authentically, relationally, and passionately live out his purposes on a daily basis. I'm finding that to be a huge challenge!

Thankful For My Wife

I usually don't write mushy stuff about my family on this blog, but I couldn't resist today. My wife, Julie, and I have spent most of our weekend at an elders retreat at our church. This marks the one time each year where all elders and wives from all campuses gather together. We were greatly encouraged by the time together with everyone... there are some amazing leaders at North Way!

Several people commented to me that they really appreciated Julie for her leadership. My wife is a gifted leader, and she is a wonderful support for me and the girls. I knew from the first time that I met Julie that she was a special person who God was going to use for amazing purposes in her life. God just does beautiful things through her on a daily basis.

After thirteen years of marriage, I can say that every new day with my wife is a blessing and an adventure. We are true partners in God's mission to reach the world. My goal as her husband is to serve her, to love her sacrificially, for every single day that God gives me with her. I have a long way to go in that department. Still, I love it when other people experience how powerful it is to see her living in her incredible calling. Thank you, Julie, for loving me so well!

Living in God's Adventure

One of mentees from Homewood texted me a little while ago with a simple "What's up?" I know he was just checking in, as most of my mentees do each week, to see if we could get together. There is always a deeper question behind the "What's up?" The deeper question is, "What does God have in store for my life if we spend time together today?" Following Jesus is an amazing adventure, and over the past six years I've introduced all of my mentees to the adventure. When they spend time with me, they never know what to expect one from week to the next. I am passionate about God, and I am passionate about life. When I follow Jesus with reckless abondon, completely sold out to the radical, countercultural gospel message, then my mentees see God's light in me and they want to experience that light from God too. They are drawn to God, as all of us are, even though they may not know that is what they are expriencing. I don't know what my mentees and I will experience next time we hang out, but we all have great expectations for what life will bring.

This is how I want to live life every day. All of us were designed to find amazing adventure and purpose in God's grand adventure of life. We were made to take risks and live in God's transcendent purposes. When I live that way, as if every day is all about an unpredictable adventure with the Lord, then my wife is drawn into the adventure, my children are drawn into the adventure, the church I lead is drawn into the adventure, my mentees are drawn into the adventure, my friends and nieghbors are drawn into the adventure, and even my enemies can be drawn into the adventure. Every day requires me to reject safety, comfort, and materialism in order to embrace the radical message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. God's great adventure is experienced through downward mobility, not the upward mobility that the world has so carefully crafted for Americans. We find life when we die to our selves and fully embrace God's grand narrative. Yep, this is shaping up to be a good day.