Urban Ministry and My Mother In Law

My mother-in-law, Sandy, visited us here in Pittsburgh for the past week. I really like Sandy, so it's never a problem when she's in town. She just kind of immerses herself in whatever our family is doing. It makes me laugh, though, to think about what she immerses herself in when she jumps in with our family. We have a very strange lifestyle. Living out incarnational leadership in a complex, urban environment like Homewood can lead to a bizarre life. We love it, but it's very unpredictable. God could literally bring any person or any circumstance across my family's path at pretty much any given time.

I asked Sandy what she thought of her visit, and she described how "interesting" it is to spend time with us here in Pittsburgh. She really is quite a trooper, and she's learned to be open to anything. As I look back on the week, I reflect on the stream of humanity that made it's way into the McCabe house in Homewood for after school snacks, to jump on our trampoline, to share meals with us, or for impromptu counseling sessions on our front porch or in the back yard. One neighbor kid hit another neighbor kid in the face with a rock. There was blood and there was conflict, and the whole dramatic scenario of neighbors and relatives in conflict with one another somehow made its way to our home. We visited our neighbor's home to catch up with him and to play with his little pit bull puppies. Kyra read books to Kindergarten students at the elementary school next to us. I spent time in the school catching up with LAMP mentors and mentees. We took walks in the neighborhood. We are fully present in a place that most people try to avoid at all costs. It's where God has called our family to plant ourselves.

Our little piece of property has somehow turned into a community center. We love it. It's challenging, but we love it. Somehow we are able to live out the gospel of Jesus Christ in the midst of the chaos. But, we don't just live in Homewood and hang out with our neighbors. God gave me the opportunity to preach a sermon about the mission of Jesus in the heart of East Liberty at North Way East End. We were a part of launching student ministry for middle school and high school students throughout the East End. Julie had multiple Bible studies with women throughout the city. I got to connect with lots of different kinds of people through my work as a pastor, ranging from homeless people to business leaders and faith leaders and many different types of people. One of the best parts of being a pastor in an urban environment is that I am able to build relationships with such a diverse range of people. It's fun. Challenging, but fun.

Sandy is gaining an appreciation for the calling that the Lord has given our family, and the more she visits the more she participates in that calling. That's kind of the point of following Jesus, though, and she definitely understands that. When we follow Jesus, we must be open to radically and passionately participate in whatever Jesus might ask us to do to advance his kingdom at any given moment. We must embrace risk and unpredictability in order to fully experience the joy that Jesus has for us when we sell out to God's purposes in God's mission. It's hard sometimes, but this type of living presents amazing opportunities to experience profound purpose and meaning in life. It's messy. It doesn't make any rational sense. And it's right where God wants my family to be right now. I wouldn't want it any other way. 

Encountering God in the City

This coming Wednesday evening I'm excited to kick off a North Way study group called Encountering God in the City. We'll be gathering at the North Way Christian Community - East End campus in the heart of East Liberty (5941 1/2 Penn Avenue). Child care will be provided for families, and the time should go from 6:30-8:30pm. You can register for the course by emailing Dana Hunter at danah@northway.org.

The purpose of this course is to learn more about God's mission to redeem our increasingly urban world. In the first week we'll be developing a theology of the city. In the second week we'll examine the differences between compassion, justice, and advocacy. In the third week we'll focus on urban missions. In the fourth week we'll study incarnational ministry. We'll wrap things up in the fifth week with a closer look at city transformation.

Someone who registered for the class recently asked if this course was based on Dr. Randy White's book called Encounter God in the City. While I highly recommend that book to people, the content of this course is not based on the material in his book. Dr. White directed the doctoral program that I went through at Bakke Graduate University, and he has served as a mentor to me in ministry. However, I'll be covering many broad topics involving urban ministry.

Encountering God in the City is open to anybody in the Pittsburgh area. It is for anyone who is interested in learning more about how to reach our city with the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am especially hoping that we'll have a good turnout from all of the North Way multi-site locations throughout the greater Pittsburgh region.

A Visitor at My Door

The doorbell rings late on a Sunday evening. It's a 17 year old young man from my the next street over. He's one of reasons we moved into this urban neighborhood. He's a person whose story has intersected with my story. Our journeys through life are connected because God caused our stories to collide.

He was a fourth grader who was falling through the cracks at his school when we first met seven years ago. He was in trouble all of the time, he missed a lot of school, and he was failing miserably academically. At that time, I was just a guy who had moved back to Pittsburgh to raise my family closer to my extended family. I was unemployed at that time, regretting ever leaving the good life I had in California. I had been searching for a job in education for over a year to no avail. I had showed up at this elementary school to volunteer to help my church get a mentoring program up and going. Little did I know that kids like this, in this little neighborhood, through a mentoring program that looked like a long shot, would actually change the path of my life forever.

On this particular evening, my young friend has no sense of urgency as to why he decided to stop by my family's house for a visit. There have been plenty of those "urgent" visits in the past, but on this evening I'm guessing that he has just stopped by because he wanted to visit with us. He always has an open invitation to stop by to visit us, or to eat dinner with us, or just to have a safe place to escape from these streets for a little while.

He is huge now, seven years after I initially met him at his elementary school. He has tattoos all over his body. His pants sag below his waist. He attends an alternative school for "bad kids." He has been locked up in the youth detention center four times. He has a probation officer because he has committed crimes in order to survive. He's probably the kind of kid that people go out of their way to avoid who lives on a street in a neighborhood that people go out of there way to avoid.

I don't see him that way, though. I don't see him as bad or dangerous or stupid or any of those things. To me, he is valuable. He is a chosen one. A follower of Jesus Christ, created in the image of God. He has a soft heart, even though he acts tough. He is an orphan. His dad abandoned him when he was four years old. He remembers his dad's last words to him on the way out the door were, "What are you crying about you little bitch." Then his dad went to jail and he didn't see him for a long time. His mom told her young son, "I'm your mom and your dad, now." This little guy would get his mom a card on Mother's Day and Father's Day because he honestly thought of her that way.

Then, on a seemingly ordinary day a couple years ago, his mother died unexpectedly in her son's arms. Confusion. Tears. Anger. Pain. In an instant, he became an orphan. He became one of the ones that Jesus values the most. I grieved with him. His mom was an amazing woman. She was the neighborhood mom on Hamilton Avenue. And, just like that, she was gone. He has bounced around between family members and friends since then. He's bounced around between schools. He's bounced around between being locked up and being free. He still follows Jesus passionately. I know. I was there when he gave his life to Christ. I gave him his first Bible. I discipled him. I walked with him through all of the ups and downs. I'm committed to walking through life with him.

My daughters think of him as their brother. He is overprotective of them like he actually is their older brother. My wife thinks of him as her son. He is not our son, obviously, but my wife thinks of him that way. He is an orphan. How can she not avoid having her maternal instinct kick in? He may not look like the orphans that we all see on TV from far off countries, but he is an orphan right here in our midst, right here in our country, in our city, in our neighborhood. He is becoming a part of our family. He is becoming a part of our story.

My friend's visit last night did have a purpose. It was a God-ordained purpose. He talked. I listened. I talked. He listened. He drank a soda. I sipped on some ice water. He ate ice cream with vanilla wafers (his favorite). We sat at my kitchen table. We talked about all kinds of things... school, girls, tattoos, guns, music, his brothers, getting robbed, fighting back, probation, culinary classes, pets, and all kinds of other things. We talked about God. God was interwoven throughout the conversation. God was with us the whole time, actually. Jesus has been there throughout the seven years that we've known each other. God has worked through people like my young friend to give me a passionate calling and a profound sense of purpose in life. God is doing a great work in the life of my friend. I can see it, even if nobody else can. I love watching God work in his life. I praise God for unexpected visitors at my door.

Cultivating Authentic Relationships through Incarnational Urban Ministry

Last night, three young people stopped by my house to visit. These are young adults who started out as children who happened to be in a mentoring program that I was coordinating in Homewood. They became my neighbors when I moved into Homewood four years ago. Over the years they've spent a lot of time with my family at our dinner table, in our living room, or in our back yard hanging out. They don't come over every day, but they stop by often enough for our lives to be interconnected. That's actually a really cool thing that God has done for us as we moved in the city to live in the same neighborhood where we had started a program to mentor kids. The program continues, but the program begins to fade into the background as real, authentic relationships develop as a result of our incarnational presence in the community. We are neighbors now. The lives of me, my wife, and my children are deeply connected with the lives of my neighbors in Homewood. We never really experienced that type of community in any of the previous neighborhoods that we lived before moving to Homewood. We don't do things for people, we share our lives with people.

The gift of authentic relationships in my community is something that God gave me as a result of moving into the same neighborhood where I lead. I am a big advocate for leaders living in the same neighborhoods where they lead. The community element helps leaders transcend the boundaries of a "job" in order to be able to more fully live out a "vocation" or a passionate "calling." Pastors and nonprofit leaders should live in the same neighborhoods where they lead. School principals and teachers should live in the same neighborhoods where they lead. I think the power of incarnational leadership, or the leadership of presence, is crucial for just about any vocation or calling. It's very difficult to lead effectively from a safe distance. I am experiencing this first hand by living in the same urban neighborhood where I serve as a pastor and as a leader of a mentoring program. Yes, my lifestyle comes with its share of challenges, but I wouldn't trade the relationships that God has brought into my life for anything that a lifestyle more disconnected from my vocation might have to offer.

The Joy of Living Incarnationally in the City

When I moved to Homewood four years ago, I wasn't sure what to expect. I trusted God completely even though he had called my family to live in an urban environment for the first time to build cross-cultural relationships. Sure, I had read a lot of books on incarnational urban ministry and I had talked with some other people who had made similar types of moves. Still, I really had no idea what to expect. I just knew that God would equip me on a daily basis to embrace the new adventure.

Looking back on the past four years, I am so thankful that God opened the door for us to live in Homewood. Not much has changed about the crime or violence that shows up on the evening news so often, but there is still progress being made in those areas. I don't experience much of the pain of brokenness in my community, though. I experience the joy of being in meaningful relationships with my neighbors and friends in Homewood. When I lived in the suburbs, I very rarely had people stop by my house just to visit. Now, I have friends stop by to visit all of the time. It's just regular. I expect that every day God is going to bring some unexpected person across my path. My family's life has intersected with the lives of our neighbors and friends in Homewood, and it's a wonderful way to do life. We often have guests who share meals with us, hang out with us, and who do life with us.

It's simple, really. We just live life, and we share our lives with others. God leads us on a process of transformation through relationships just as he leads our friends on a process of transformation. God has worked through me to plant seeds in the lives of others, and I have had the tremendous joy of seeing those seeds grow over time. I get a closer look at what God is up to when I choose to live in the same neighborhood where I minister and lead. That is why I am such a big advocate for incarnational leadership. I think that any person who feels called by God to lead ministries with people in the inner city ought to also choose to live with the people they are serving. It's hard to experience the richness and joy of seeing lives transformed from a safe distance. Full immersion in the lives of others in the city certainly leads to increased effectiveness with people who benefit from ministry efforts, but these meaningful relationships and life experiences end up leading to greater transformation in the lives of the leaders.

Why Move to Homewood?

Often when I meet people for the first time and we ask each other easy questions to get to know one another, I am asked where I live.  When I say "Homewood" to a person from Pittsburgh, they usually get a funny look on their face and begin a series of curious follow up questions about what it's like to live in Homewood and why I would choose to raise my family there.  This line of questioning happened to me several times this week.  Admittedly, when we first moved to Homewood I was not prepared to answer those questions.  I tried to awkwardly explain leadership and urban ministry theories that I had heard about and was trying to implement.  I had a hard time trying to explain my calling.  But now, having lived in Homewood for a couple years, I am much more prepared to discuss our reasons for moving here.  It's much easier to explain now because what God put on my heart two years ago has much more clarity in hindsight.  We have seen amazing things happen since we moved to Homewood, and I have all kinds of stories and experiences that I can share with people to back up the leadership and urban ministry theories that I studied prior to our move.

The biggest reason we moved to Homewood was because it was something God clearly called us to do as a family, and we decided to be obedient to God's call on our lives.  God often requires Christians to give up the smaller stories of control, comfort, and safety that we try to engineer for ourselves in order to live in God's Story which often involves risk, downward mobility, and perhaps most importantly, love... love of God and love for our neighbors and love for our enemies, not just love for ourselves and our nuclear families.  God's mission to humankind is much, much bigger than the American Dream.  As a Christian, my biggest goal is to live in God's Story.  God is moving in Homewood, and I'm simply joining his work there.

Another big reason we moved to Homewood was the relationships we had with kids and their families in Homewood.  If people knew the kids in Homewood like Julie and I do, then I think a lot more people would start moving to Homewood.  Most people in Pittsburgh choose to intentionally avoid going to Homewood at all costs, so they never have the opportunity to meet people in Homewood.  They are missing out!  A lot of kids in Homewood have many needs, but they also have tremendous courage, resilience, desire, humor, and many, many other assets that can be built upon.  I could talk about how to run effective programs all day, but programs don't make a person want to move to Homewood.  I could share the reasoning behind why all leaders in Homewood should move into the neighborhood, but leadership principles don't compel a person to want to move to Homewood.  I could explain God's heart for reaching vulnerable people in cities, but urban ministry strategies don't cause a person to want to move to Homewood.  Deep, meaningful, authentic, long term relationships with people are what make a person want to move to Homewood.  Our move to Homewood is all about relationships... with God and with our neighbors.

A Disappointed Eight Year Old

Yesterday evening Julie and I loaded the girls and their bikes in our car to go have some family fun and get some exercise on a gorgeous fall day in Pittsburgh.  We drove about twenty feet on our journey when we saw an eight year old boy from our neighborhood walking briskly toward our house with a joyful look on his face.  He saw us slowly driving away from the house, a look of horror and disappointment came over him, he threw his arms up in the air, sunk his head and shoulders down, turned around, and started dragging his feet while walking away in the other direction.  On the drive back to our house about an hour later, we saw our young friend with several other boys throwing rocks at vacant row homes and playing in an overgrown lot next to a crack house.

I wish we could be at our house all of the time to welcome every child who stops by to visit us... but we can't (obviously).  Our home often provides a safe place for kids to hang out, especially during after school hours when children tend to get in trouble the most.  We continue to hope and pray that the Holy Spirit will work on more people's hearts to want to move to Homewood to invest in the children of this neighborhood.  It is my hope that the children would have many options of safe homes to go to on any given evening of the week.  That is not some "pie in the sky" dream.  As seen in the story I shared to open this post, many children in Homewood are just looking for people to invest in them.  They are often not even looking for programs.  They just search for places to belong and people to fill in some of the gaps they may have.

I can understand that most Christians in the Pittsburgh area do not want to move to Homewood.  That type of thinking and living is dangerous.  It goes against the American Dream and the values of upward mobility.  Plus, our society is set up to embrace safety, reason, and the pursuit of comfort and our own personal happiness.  Besides, Christians are called to many different types of things.  Some are called to live in the suburbs, while others may be called to live in the city.  So I am not saying that every Christian is called to move to Homewood.  Still... I will continue to pray that more people would move to Homewood to live and invest in this community.  We are waiting for more help.  And the kids are waiting for more people to hang out with.  Maybe some day I won't have to watch the reaction of a disappointed eight year old moping as he walked away from our house, but instead his next thought would be "That's OK.  I'll go and see what the '_____s' are up to!"  There are other families doing just that in Homewood, but not nearly enough to meet the needs of all the kids.

When we as Christians intentionally distance ourselves from the poor with our lifestyles, then we intentionally neglect God's call to be available to and build relationships with the vulnerable people of this world that have great importance in the Kingdom of God.  God blesses us when we are obedient to his call to care for the poor, orphans, widows, aliens, and others.  By distancing ourselves from them, we may be ignoring a significant portion of the gospel message of Jesus Christ.  When we choose to live alongside the marginalized people of this world, I can say from first hand experience that God blesses us in profound ways.  Besides... street chalk, bubbles, dart tag and pick up football games are too much fun to pass up.  The city can be a great place to raise a family.  When families move to minister to people in the inner city amidst broken systems and with marginalized people, then suddenly the values of the gospel become real on a daily basis.  The parents model for their children in an authentic, real-life way how God can use us at all times to demonstrate the love of Christ to hurting people.  Again... I am not saying that this can't be done in the suburbs, or affluent parts of urban areas, or rural areas.  There are hurting people there that need to have families share the profound love of Jesus Christ with them, and I know several Christian friends and families that have clearly been called to do that.  I am saying, though, that there are many benefits to raising a family in a neighborhood like Homewood that may not be obvious by worldy standards but that are important to God's heart for reaching vulnerable people.  I know few will be called, but there's no harm in praying that God would bring more people to invest in the children in Homewood.

Prayer in Work

Contemplation and reflection through prayer are important aspects of incarnational living and leading in Homewood. By this I mean that when I am involved in "actions," I am doing my best to remain in a mindset of prayer in order to connect with Jesus. This does not mean that I go into some kind of spiritual trance, or that when I'm interacting with people I suddenly drop to my knees, fold my hands, and close my eyes. I just try to go through the work involved in my days with a mindset of being close to God in the midst of the complexities of urban ministry.

For instance, almost every time I drive through Homewood I pray for different people and places that I see. When kids are in my living room, I am praying for them and I am praying that God would work through me. When I'm on the streets trying to deescalate tense situations, I am definitely praying. When I'm having conversations with single moms who are overwhelmed by the day to day struggles of life, I am praying as much as I can. Whenever I interact with a drug addict or a prostitute or a homeless person, I always pray for them while I'm talking to them (and I sometimes ask if I can pray with them). I love to pray with people who are hurting in the midst of broken-down places that most people try to stay away from. To me, places of extreme brokenness represent holy ground. The Holy Spirit works in those vulnerable places with vulnerable people.

The great thing about prayer is that everyone can practice integrating prayer with their work no matter where they live or where they work. Here's Mother Theresa's take on the subject: We must join our prayer with work. We try to bring this across to our sisters by inviting them to make their work a prayer. How is it possible to change one's work into a prayer? Work cannot substitute for prayer. Nevertheless, we can learn to make work a prayer. How can we do this? By doing our work with Jesus and for Jesus. That is the way to make our work a prayer. It is possible that I may not be able to keep my attention fully on God while I work, but God doesn't demand that I do so. Yet I can fully desire and intend that my work be done with Jesus and for Jesus. This is beautiful and that is what God wants. He wants our will and our desire to be for him, for our family, for our children, for our brethren, and for the poor.

Questions About Life in Homewood

I met with a friend yesterday who is strongly considering moving to Homewood with his wife. They are coming to crunch time on their decision, and he had some good questions to ask us. We did our best to answer his questions from our limited experience (we've only been living here fourteen months). I did tell him that they are definitely needed here... I think just about every kid in Homewood dropped in to visit us yesterday. We need help! My conversation with my friend, and the great need for other people to move to Homewood to join arms with us, made me think that maybe I should post my thoughts for others who might be considering a move to Homewood (or living incarnationally in any city in this big world of ours). Here's some next steps for you to consider if you are wrestling with the ramifications of a move to the inner city:

1. Read a book about it. This was the first step I took when the thought first crossed my mind. Many people have written about their experiences of living incarnationally in the city, and we all get to benefit from the risks they took to put their thoughts on paper for others to wrestle with. I would recommend The Urban Christian by Ray Bakke, Journey to the Center of the City by Randy White, or Sub-Merge by John Hayes.

2. Ask lots of questions. This is a tough one. Before we moved to Homewood, I remember thinking that I had lots of questions but I didn't know who to ask. I could not just take my questions to the average upwardly mobile American Christian, because they would probably tell me I was crazy! The world does not like it when you step off the path of the American Dream (the epitome of upward mobility), and many well-meaning Christians in America have put all their eggs in that basket (choosing to live in that smaller story instead of living in God's Story). I was fortunate in my case that I knew both Randy White and Ray Bakke through my DMin program at BGU, so I drilled them both with tons of questions whenever I had the opportunity. In Pittsburgh, I set up some time with Saleem Ghubril. Don't overthink this step, though. The point is to take the step to ask lots of questions of people who have actually done it (not just speculated or studied about it).

3. Is it safe? No, it is not safe. And that's why you should do it. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is foolishness to the world, and people will not understand why you would put you and your family at risk. "But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things - and the things that are not - to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him" 1 Corinthians 1:27-29. Everybody asks this question, "Is it safe?" It is not safe. It's utter foolishness. But God says that when we risk everything for him, that is the place where we will find life. I am not advocating for irresponsibility or for people to be blindly naive to the dangers of the city. Julie and I take precautions for our family. I am simply saying that, in my opinion, the route of safety and comfort provides more danger to my family than our choice to live out God's call for us in Homewood.

4. What about my children? Moving to the inner city to live incarnationally among the poor people of this world amidst broken systems is the best thing you could ever do for your children. I realize this is a controversial statement, so I'm sure I'll get some comments for my opinion on this. There are many advantages to raising children in the city. I believe that God is rapidly urbanizing the world, and parents who raise their kids in the city are modeling for their children how to navigate complex urban environments and systems. Also, 60% of the world lives on less than $2 a day and the huge gap between rich and poor continues to grow exponentially. God has a huge heart for the poor and marginalized people of this world. Parents who raise their kids among the poor are equipping them in profound ways to be used by God to make a difference with their lives as adults. White, middle class or affluent Americans make up less than 2% of the world's population. Cities are filled will many different ethnicities, types of socioeconomic status, and lifestyles. Kids should not be sheltered from those things, they should be exposed to them as a normal part of their growing up because that is what the world is like. Parents who raise their kids in the city give their kids a global worldview. The twenty-first century will be defined by a mass, global migration to cities, the profound needs of the world's poor, and the rapid expansion of Christianity in third-world countries outside of the US (80% of the world's Christians now live outside of the US, Canada, and Europe). Christian parents are responsible for equipping their kids to thrive in that type of world, and the best place to teach kids about reality is by living in the heart of the inner city.

5. What is God's will for your life? The secret to our ministry in Homewood is that we are being obedient to God's call for our family. God calls people to many different places and functions within the body of Christ. Some people will be called to minister to people in rural or suburban places, with a wide range of needs and cultures around the globe. Nobody should move their family to the inner city apart from God's will for their lives. Seek the face of God. Pray. Seek wise counsel. Work it all out within the context of the body of believers in Christ. But, above all... be obedient to the call of God and the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Find out where God is moving and the Holy Spirit is at work, and go join him there. Globally, God is clearly moving in cities and among the poor who represent the majority of people on this planet. I think it would be a good idea for anyone to live where God is moving.

Join the Movement... Move to Homewood

Julie and I got some great news this evening! A few months ago we invited a young couple who were interested in moving to Homewood over to our house for dinner. We really enjoyed our time with them, and we tried our best to answer their questions about living in Homewood without trying to influence them in one way or another. They have some incredible ideas on how to impact the community by living here, though. We have been praying and hoping that they would move here. Tonight, they stopped by our house to let us know that they have decided to move to Homewood within the next couple of weeks!

For us, this is a huge answer to prayer. My goal is to see many families move to Homewood to raise families, buy homes, start businesses, open bank accounts, volunteer in their kids' schools, advocate for government accountability, and demonstrate the love of Christ to their neighbors on a daily basis. I had been hoping that our move to Homewood might inspire other people to want to move here, but to be honest there has actually been very little interest. Almost an awkward amount of disinterest. I sometimes think people don't like to talk to me about our life in Homewood because it makes them feel uncomfortable. From one perspective, that's fine with us because we are doing something countercultural that many people have a hard time understanding. From another perspective, it's disheartening because I have much to share with people about how God is moving in this neighborhood. I have written much on this blog about how God continues to work through us to impact Homewood in unique ways. It is an amazing feeling to be in the center of God's will.

If you are reading this and you live in a large metropolitan area like Pittsburgh, I would strongly encourage you to move to a marginalized neighborhood like Homewood. If you have questions about it... just ask me! People all over America and in cities around the world are moving back into cities because of the many benefits that urban centers have to offer. Yes, there are risks involved in living in the city. But there are also risks involved in living in the suburbs or rural areas. God is moving in cities at a tremendous rate in cities all over the world... I think you should join his work there. If you're in Pittsburgh, I'd love to talk to you about living in Homewood. One final note: There were roughly 11,000 residents living in Homewood before my family moved here, many of whom are amazing people who care deeply about their community. Many organizations and churches have been working in Homewood for years, long before LAMP or North Way got here. My family, and the LAMP mentors from North Way, are simply seeking to join the Holy Spirit in the work that is going on in Homewood. Another couple just jumped in. I'd love to see hundreds of new families move into Homewood. Care to join us?

Last Night in Pittsburgh

Late last night I completed a DMin project that I have been working hard on for five months. After submitting it to my professor, I collapsed on the couch with my wife and we started into a nice conversation about how nice it will be to have my schedule freed up from the demands of this latest class. All I wanted to do was relax. But... sometimes God chooses to work through us in the moments when we least expect it. In my particular case last night, that moment came with the ring of our doorbell while I was relaxing on my couch.

"I wonder who that could be?" We ask ourselves that question a lot because our doorbell gets used a lot by people in our neighborhood. We have a pretty steady stream of visitors on any given day. But it is still unusual for us to have visitors late at night. I could see a face peaking in the window beside our front door, and I opened the door to find a fourteen year old LAMP boy who was distraught and hurt. He had just been jumped and robbed by a group of about ten other boys, and for some reason he decided to come to our house for help. He was badly bruised and his clothes were all torn, so we got him cleaned up, gave him some clothes to wear, offered him something to eat and drink, and then started the process of asking him to open up about what had just happened to him. It turns out that I know the leader of the group who jumped him... ironically, also one of our LAMP kids from a different part of Homewood. Once the situation was stabilized, I decided to drive him home. He lives on one of the most dangerous streets in Pittsburgh, so I wanted to make sure he made it home safely. As I walked him to his front door, his mother and brothers were on the front porch and we all had a chance to discuss the situation. I got to stay for a while to minister to the family.

This story is an example of the importance of incarnational leadership. Ministry does not always happen at convenient times or in sterile environments. Many Christians want to help people who are hurting, but they are not willing to risk going into messy environments at inconvenient hours. This is not surprising. We have been taught to think that real ministry happens in clean environments (the church building) at convenient times (Sunday mornings). Many people on staff at churches or parachurch organizations believe that ministry happens on weekdays between the hours of 9am and 5pm. My philosophy is that a broken down row home on one of the most dangerous streets in Pittsburgh during the middle of the night in the aftermath of a street fight is holy ground. That is the type of situation where Jesus wants to work through us to enter into the pain of the world. It's where the best ministry happens... with hurting people in their territory and on their time table. The Holy Spirit was at work in my neighborhood before my family and I got here, and the Spirit will be at work here long after we are gone. But for right now my calling is to find out where the Spirit is working and minister to people in that context.

A lot happened last night in Pittsburgh. Last night, hundreds of thousands of people who are "just too busy to mentor a kid right now" sat down in front of their TV screens to watch the local news stations describe in vivid, dramatic details the violence being committed by inner city youths. Penguin fans anxiously awaited the start of the free agency signing period to begin at midnight. Discouraged Pirate fans celebrated a rare victory over the Chicago Cubs. Maybe somebody went out to a movie, or took in a play, or went to a concert, or went out to eat, or surfed the internet, or played video games for hours, or balanced their budgets to make sure enough money is going into their retirement accounts. A college student got drunk at a bar. A lonely businessman got high in his hotel room after buying drugs in my neighborhood. A kid went to bed hungry. A homeless man looked for a place to sleep. A prostitute found her spot on the corner, settling anxiously into her own personal hell. Last night, a boy who is slipping through the cracks in society got beat up in a neighborhood that most people ignore or intentionally stay away from. I know exactly where Jesus wanted me to be last night. How about you?

From Rocks to Bubbles

Julie and the girls and I spent a fun evening in the city tonight, and when we arrived home we noticed two boys playing right across the street from our house. They were throwing rocks at one another. As we got out of the car and entered the house, I mentioned to Julie that "somebody should tell them to stop throwing rocks." Julie stepped up to tell the boys that throwing rocks at one another probably wasn't the best thing to do, and they gave her some perplexed looks before continuing on with their rock-throwing fun.

The vacant lots across the street from us are troublesome. The organization or company who owns them does not take care of them, so as can be seen from the picture above, weeds become overgrown and tons of debris has been illegally dumped there over the past several months. The debris piles make for perfect fortresses for young rock throwers. Anyway, Julie decided to take matters into her own hands. She set our daughters up with street chalk to keep them occupied on our front steps, she grabbed a nerf football from our collection of sporting goods, and she walked across the street to give the boys something else to throw other than rocks. Incarnational living requires creativity, and Julie was on her game today. Before I knew it, the boys had totally forgotten about the rocks and they were completely engaged with my wife in a game of catch with the football.

I brought some bubbles and ice cream out to offer the boys to seal the deal, and before long the rock throwing was a distant memory. There was now an unofficial party at the McCabe house between the street chalk and bubbles and ice cream. What more could any kid want? At one point, Julie looked over at me and said, "I can see the wheels in your head turning. You're going to be blogging about this, aren't you?" I said, "Oh yeah!" How could I pass up on this opportunity? Reflective leadership is a big part of transformational leadership. I can't help myself. I think one key to our move to Homewood is that Julie is on board with it, and she brings her own unique skill set to the table on a daily basis. Also, both of us are open to whoever or whatever God may bring across our paths on a daily basis. Incarnational leadership requires giving up control and comfort, and embracing creativity and risk. Good thing Jesus modeled that for us pretty well.

Monday Night Madness

You've all heard of March Madness. You've all heard of Monday Night Football. Well, every Monday evening at the McCabe house we have Monday Night Madness. The name suits because it is characterized by an ever growing tension about just how everything is going to turn out, and football is almost always involved in one way or another. On these evenings Julie and I have told the kids in our community that they're welcome to come by and hang out. We open up the house to them, feed them, I plan different activities each week, and it is always fun and unpredictable. We never know who is going to drop by. We do have a few regulars who now think that they "live here," but we also have new kids who show up each week.

Today my afternoon started with me shopping at K-Mart for about twenty squirt guns. I love how every Monday afternoon, at some random shopping center on the east end of the city, you'll generally find me, a grown man, standing in line waiting to purchase whatever I can possibly think of that might hold the attention of the kids in my neighborhood (think nerf dart tag, or water balloons, or rockets... you get the picture).

The kids showed up early today, and Julie prepared an amazing meal. One of our favorite things to do is to have everyone sit down together for a healthy meal (unfortunately for the kids, Julie is constantly pushing fruits and vegetables on them... that's a small price to pay to gain admittance to Monday Night Madness at the McCabe's house). It's a chore to get everyone quiet for the blessing, but we all pray together (almost always, one of the kids from the neighborhood volunteers to pray). I think that dinner time should be a special time for everyone, and our time together with the kids in our neighborhood is special.

After dinner tonight we played the Wii, mixed some beats on the keyboard, talked about how the day went at school for everyone, played nerf basketball in my living room, and then we all headed outside for a game of football at the Faison Primary field. Although emotions ran high and there was plenty of trash talk, there were also several teachable moments and opportunities for all of us to learn self control and sportsmanship. Sports teaches us many lessons about life. One of my favorite things about living in Homewood is that I can easily attract a pick up game of football at just about any given moment of the day. Word spreads quickly around here.

We were all hot after the football game, so it was definitely time for a squirt gun battle. The boys (and Kyra) entertained themselves for a good 45 minutes with the water battle in my back yard. Everyone munched on dessert and went home, although not without stuffing some corn cobs and broccoli and carrot pieces in their pockets as ammo for the ensuing food fight that took place on their walk home along Richland and Tioga streets. I guess the draw to food fighting is universal. As I watched from a distance as vegetables flew through the air, I thought, "What have I done?"

Just as I sat down to rest and reflect on another night of Monday Night Madness, there was a knock at the door. One of my LAMP mentees stopped by to tell me that he had eighth grade graduation tomorrow morning, and no nice clothes to wear. Although he is only in eighth grade, he happens to be over six feet tall and 225 pounds. I gave him a few nice outfits to try on, and about thirty minutes later a pair of my black slacks and my only white dress shirt had been donated to a worthy cause. We offered him some dessert.

As he ate at my kitchen counter, I got a phone call telling me that a former mentee that I had lost touch with had been found. He was in foster care very close to where I live, and his foster parent was very open to a visit from me. After the phone call I praised God because of the opportunity I had been given to reconnect with a young man who truly benefits from LAMP. Then, I turned my attention to the young person still chowing down on dessert at my kitchen table, and he informed me that the brother of one of my former LAMP mentees had just been killed on the North Side. My heart sank. How could something like this happen? I went from joy to grieving in a single minute.

This is life in the city. This is incarnational leadership. I experience community. I experience the joy of tremendous break throughs, and I experience the pain of brokenness. I embrace unpredictability. I know that somehow, God is in charge of all of this. It is simply my job to be obedient. I will never be able to fully thank God for the joys he has given me in this life, nor will I ever be fully able to understand the pain that this community experiences on a daily basis. I do know, though, that that is exactly where God wants me. With one hand outstretched to the pain of the world, and with one hand outstretched to Christ. Welcome to Monday nights in Homewood. There's no place I'd rather be.