Assets in Pittsburgh

Over the past couple of weeks I've had the opportunity share with several different people about the many assets that are in East Liberty, Homewood, and other parts of the East End of the city of Pittsburgh. These assets include signs of hope in both people and places throughout my local urban environment.

I've shared about these assets with graduate students from different parts of the globe through the courses that I'm teaching at Bakke Graduate University. I've taken local leaders on walks through my neighborhood to see the assets first hand. I've shared positive stories of the process of urban transformation on social media. I've talked about all of the signs of spiritual transformation that I've been experiencing as a pastor in church staff meetings. Basically, whenever I get a chance I love to serve as an advocate for asset-based community development in the part of the city where God has called me to serve as a leader.

The Holy Spirit was at work in my city long before I arrived on the scene, and God's redemptive mission will carry on long after I am gone. I am simply participating in the good work that is going on in this particular place at this particular time. The kingdom of God is advancing in the East End of Pittsburgh in many creative ways. The city is a great place to live, work, and raise a family. The city has many assets. I am excited about what God is going to do next. 

Preferred Seating at the Lord's Table

The news has been filled this past week with controversies related to issues like immigration and racial tension in America. Political pundits passionately endorsed or railed against President Obama's new policy impacting undocumented residents in the United States. The whole country seems to be holding its collective breath in anticipation of the grand jury decision on the circumstances related to the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson.

Why is there so much debate and tension on these issues in our modern society? It seems that with all of the modern technology and information that we have, we should be able to get along better with one another. The problem is, though, that we still live in a present evil age. Jesus ushered in the kingdom of God, but our human existence is still infiltrated with sin and brokenness. As society advances, we can still hold hatred in our hearts. We still develop moral codes based on our own interpretations of how human beings should interact with one another. Often those moral codes end up separating people into "us" and "them." We tend to view people as "outsiders" and "insiders."

Life doesn't have to be lived that way, though. The kingdom of God is at hand. It is here. We have hope thanks to Jesus Christ. That is the transformational message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We can be reconciled to God, and we can be reconciled to one another. There does not need to be an "us" and a "them." There is just "we" thanks to the scandalous amounts of grace that God is readily willing to give us. We can enjoy redeemed, joyful relationships with one another. There is no rich or poor, slave or free, black or white, liberal or conservative, or anything else in the kingdom of God.

Street Psalms authors Kris Rocke and Scott Dewey point out that, "When Jesus gives preferred seating to the hungry at the Jesus meal he isn't relegating the well fed to the cheap seats. He invites them to exactly the same seats - which as it happens, the rich find most difficult to accept. There is only one kind of seating at the Lord's table - preferred seating. Judas sits next to John. Friends sit next to enemies. We simply can't make sense of this when using the moral operating system of this world. It doesn't compute, which is why Jesus insists that we are being given a whole new operating system by the one who authors and perfects it." - Meals From Below

That's it. God is for all of us, regardless of the social norms that we might depend on to separate ourselves from one another. We all have preferred seating at the Lord's table because of what Jesus Christ did for us. As a pastor, this gives me hope. We all have hope, even when there is tension in our society. Christians should be leading the way in our society when it comes to issues like immigration or racial tension. We have the hope of Christ in us. I lead a multi-ethnic church and I live in a a primarily African-American neighborhood because I believe so strongly in the transformational power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I write and speak about controversial topics because I believe that human beings can do better than our own flawed societal constructs. God's love wins out every time. 

The Excitement of New Mentoring Matches

I stopped by Faison School in Homewood today at lunch time, and I happened to arrive on a day when two new school-based mentees were being matched with mentors from North Way Christian Community. The L.A.M.P. program has been going strong in Homewood, now in its ninth year. Several hundred children have been matched with mentors from L.A.M.P. partner churches over the past nine years. However, I have to say that it never gets old watching new matches get going. Adults and kids kind of enter into the relationships with excitement and often apprehension, but after months and years together the fledgling mentoring matches often turn into life long friendships. The mentoring relationships are transformational.

So, hats off to the new mentors who are spending several hours of every week with some of Pittsburgh's shining starts, the children who are living and attending schools in Homewood. Mentoring is an adventure. It truly is a journey. But, the outcomes are incredible. I can't wait to see what happens with the mentoring matches that were made today. Individual lives will be better, the public school system will be better, the neighborhood will be better, families will be better, and the city of Pittsburgh will be better... all because of the impact that L.A.M.P. mentors are able to make. 

A Walk Through East Liberty

I recently hired a couple new staff members at North Way East End, and this week I had the chance to take a walk around the neighborhood of East Liberty with them. As we walked, we talked about the history of the neighborhood, the present realities, and the future vision for the area. We reflected on those things, and we also dreamed about how our church might participate in God's redemptive mission in our little part of the city.

As we walked, we passed many signs of need in our urban environment. However, we also noticed many signs of hope. We saw boarded up vacant buildings, and we saw buildings thriving with healthy businesses and residents. We crossed paths with some of my homeless friends that I've been able to build relationships with over the past few years, and we interacted with church members who work in powerful places in our part of the city. The city is filled with many different types of people and places, and it is our responsibility as followers of Jesus to discern where the Holy Spirit is at work and join that work.

God was at work in East Liberty long before North Way East End arrived on the scene, God is currently doing an amazing work in the neighborhood that we get to join, and God will be at work in East Liberty long after I've taken my last breath on this planet. If we have eyes for the signs of the Kingdom of Heaven, then we see the amazing things that God is up to. And, we discover the purposes that God has for us in this unique place at this particular time in human history. So, it wasn't just a neighborhood walk that we were up to yesterday. We were orienting ourselves in God's epic adventure. We were finding our place in God's Story. And there's quite a story going on in East Liberty right now.

God's Transforming Power in Pittsburgh

In every urban neighborhood there are signs of need and signs of hope. It is important for followers of Jesus Christ to participate in God's redemptive mission by focusing on the signs of hope and building up assets in communities. By choosing to focus on what's right in people and in our neighborhoods, we are a part of a process of transformation.

The following photo, which appeared on the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review website, was taken at the Prayer for Peace March in Homewood that I participated in a couple weeks ago:

The photo was connected to an article on the website that described in detail an act of violence that had occurred the morning of the prayer walk in Homewood less than a mile away from where we had gathered to start the march. Instead of just writing an article about a positive event that happened in our city... people praying for our city... the writer of the article chose to focus on a murder that had happened in a church parking lot that morning and the irony of a prayer march for peace happening on the same morning. Reporters simply report the news, so I'm not upset that they chose to tie the events together. A murder happened. It was tragic. It was violent. A prayer march happened. It was powerful. It was encouraging.

My heart breaks when violence happens in the city of Pittsburgh, whether it happens where I live in Homewood or where I lead a church congregation in East Liberty. By choosing to focus on signs of hope in my city, I'm not choosing to pretend like bad things don't happen. We live in a present evil age. However, Jesus ushered in the Kingdom of God into this present evil age. Christians have profound hope that no matter how bad things are, God is always on a mission to redeem every person and every place. The church has an integral role in participating in that redemptive mission. God works through us to bring about shalom with marginalized people in vulnerable neighborhoods.

What does that look like, practically speaking? In the photo taken at the prayer march in Homewood, I can point out four different examples. The photographer captured one moment in time, but the people in the photo represent participants in God's redemptive mission in our city. I am pictured in the center of the photograph with a child on my shoulders. Eight years ago, God broke my heart for what breaks his heart in my city. God has allowed me to participate in his redemptive mission by launching a mentoring program in Homewood that has impacted the lives of several hundred children and just as many adults who have served as mentors. God has allowed me to plant a new church that is filled with people who are passionate about positively impacting our city. I've seen hundreds of people serve countless hours in our city, many people have been drawn closer to the Lord and in authentic Christian community since the church opened. We are reaching people across socioeconomic, racial, and neighborhood barriers. It's been amazing! And, my family is now a part of the fabric of the Homewood community. We live in Homewood, and I've seen God do amazing things through my wife and daughters.

The child on my shoulders was adopted from Ethiopia by the Himmler family. They are very good friends of ours... like family to us, really. The Himmlers were a big part of launching North Way East End. They moved from the suburbs to East Liberty right about the time we planted the church. They've attended the Encountering God in the City classes that I've taught at the church. My friend, Chad, has prayer walked through just about every neighborhood in the East End of Pittsburgh with me. Chad and Kristen both serve as mentors to children living in Homewood. They are leaders in the orphan care movement at our church. I happened to scoop up their son during the prayer march because he was tired of walking, and the photographer captured the moment. The Himmlers are amazing participants in God's redemptive mission. God is doing amazing things through their family. They are assets in our city. They know what is wrong in our city. They see the needs. But, they're not focused on what's wrong in our city. They're focused on what's right. They're focused on what God is doing.

The young man to the left of me in the photo is a young man who is a part of our church's mentoring program in Homewood. He was talking to me in the picture, explaining how the relationship was going with his mentor. He was telling me that his mentor was making a big difference in his life. He also told me about his hopes and dreams. He has big goals in his life. He has a plan for his future thanks to adults who are speaking positive things into his life. Our church isn't trying to rescue him or fix something that's wrong with him. We are building up assets in him. We see great things in him. His story is similar to the hundreds of other children that have been mentored over the past eight years. Some mentees have gone on to graduate from high school and go on to college or right into their vocations. Other mentees have struggled while navigating through difficult circumstances and choices in life. Either way, our mentors and mentees have been transformed by participating in the mentoring relationships. Each of the mentoring matches are assets in our city.

The man to my right in the photo who is walking behind me is my friend, Oliver Dent. Oliver has a passion for Christian community development. He participates in God's redemptive mission through organizing prayer  walks and by mobilizing Christians and churches to transform neighborhoods through real estate development. Christians who steward real estate as part of God's redemptive mission are powerful participants in God's shalom community. Oliver is realistic about the struggles in our city, but he is choosing to focus on being a part of the solution by stewarding his unique gifts for God's glory. He empowers the powerless and networks with the powerful. He is a great gift to our city. I don't know if his story has ever been told in the newspaper, but it couldn't be captured in one random photo at a prayer for peace march. Violent acts make the headlines in our newspapers, while people like Oliver are quietly working behind the scenes away from the spotlight by building up the good things in our city.

I know it's just one picture. It's one snapshot in time. But, this is a powerful picture. It's a picture that captures just a tiny fragment of God's transformational power. Still, God is in control in our city and God is working through many people to accomplish his purposes. My heart still breaks for the many signs of need in my city, but I choose to focus on how I can continue to participate in building up the people in the places where God has called me to be. I am thankful for the many people who are with me in the journey. We have much pain to reflect on, but we also have much to celebrate. There were many other people present at the prayer for peach march... politicians, activists, many Homewood community members, friends from churches and neighboring communities, pastors, bikers, suburban people, urban people, and people from across to socioeconomic and racial spectrum. The consistent, unifying theme for all of us was prayer. Prayer is powerful. Prayer builds people up. Prayer focuses on assets. Prayer advances the Kingdom of God in our city. 

Common Grace in the City

Last week I had the opportunity to have lunch with one of my best friends from growing up. We both grew up in the northern suburbs of Pittsburgh, and now we both live as adults in the East End of urban Pittsburgh. I serve as a pastor, and he works as a social worker with a vulnerable population of people in the Pittsburgh region.

We have a lot in common... a lot more than we thought we had in common, actually. Besides living in relatively close proximity, we both have a passion for serving people living on the margins of our city. God has called me to do that as a pastor, and God has called my friend to do that while serving as a social worker at a large organization in our region. We are both working toward transformation in our city. We are both working toward increasing levels of shalom.

It's important for urban pastors to identify individuals and institutions in cities who are actively involved in the process of transformation. This is common grace. We need to network with stakeholders, build partnerships, develop friendships, and interact knowledgeably with others who are working toward the same goals. As a pastor I am more free to share about the gospel of Jesus Christ with words and works, but that doesn't mean that my vocation is any more significant in God's eyes than my friend who is serving people through his vocation. We are both advancing the kingdom of God through the unique callings that God has given us.

Baptizing Tyrone

Tonight I have the opportunity to baptize one of my good friends at the All Campus Worship Night at North Way Wexford. It's happening because North Way has an incredible "go" strategy... we're opening up North Way locations all around the city of Pittsburgh in both suburban and urban areas. I lead the East End location in the urban environment of East Liberty, and that's where I first met Tyrone. He was homeless when I first met him, and he happened to find our church. We welcomed him into our church family, and he has been on a dramatic process of transformation since we first met. He has dedicated his life to God. He is so passionate about Jesus, and he invites a constant stream of his friends to our church.

About two months ago, Tyrone nearly died. His kidneys failed while he was staying the night at a local shelter, and he had to be rushed to a local hospital. The doctors saved his life that night, and he has been on a slow process of care and recovery since then. Tyrone desperately needs a kidney transplant, so his fellow brothers and sisters in Christ have been encouraging him and helping him navigate through the process of dialysis and obtaining insurance so that he doesn't slip through the cracks of our society. He is hoping to be able to return to work soon, to be able to rent an apartment by Christmas, and he hopes to be able to help out more at the church.

I've grown to love Tyrone as a brother in Christ. He looks much different than me... he's African-American, he has tattoos all over his body and his face that are the obvious signs of a tough life. He has persevered through a difficult life of gangs, drugs, and eventually homelessness. He's looked death in the face, and he has come out on the other side with a new outlook on life where he wants to share Jesus with as many people as possible in the short time that he has on this earth. He currently reaches many people with the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ that I would ordinarily have a difficult time reaching.

Tyrone has spent his life on the margins of mainstream society in America, and God is now working through him to reach other marginalized people. He is giving so many people hope. He gives me hope. My life has been changed forever because of my friendship with Tyrone. God is indeed close to the brokenhearted. God's grace is found in its most abundant forms in people like Tyrone. I can't believe I have the privilege of baptizing him tonight. God is so good!

Compassion, Justice, and Advocacy

Tomorrow evening at Encountering God in the City I'll be teaching on the topics of compassion, justice, and advocacy. Followers of Jesus often feel prompted to build relationships with people on the margins of society because Jesus spent so much of his time building those types of relationships. Jesus had compassion on people, so we should have compassion on people.

Compassion is good for Christians, but it is the simplest level of involvement with vulnerable people. We should not spend all of our time being compassionate because we also need to be working toward empowerment. Also, relationships should be done with people, not to or for people. We can cause more harm than good in our relationships when we go about things the wrong way.

None of this is really easy. Relationships can be messy. When we feel called to help people, we may sometimes do harm that is unintentional. We can learn and grow from our mistakes. However, I'll be teaching on these things tomorrow, from a biblical perspective, so that we can feel empowered to make a difference in the lives of others through meaningful, transformational relationships.

Encountering God in the City goes from 6:30-8:30pm on Wednesday, October 30th at the North Way Christian Community - East End campus that is located in the heart of East Liberty at 5941 1/2 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15206. Street parking is free after 6pm in East Liberty. We'll have some snacks on hand if you're planning to come straight from work. There is no cost to the course, and it is open to anyone. I hope to see you there!

A Safe House in Homewood

Jesus modeled the type of incarnational living where we give ourselves away to others. We find out where marginalized or vulnerable people are in our world, we go to them, we spend time with them, and God takes everyone on a process of transformation as we build relationships with one another. The concept seems simple enough, right?

The problem is that mainstream society, especially in America, does not hold to those types of values. The American Dream actually causes us to distance ourselves from the most marginalized and vulnerable people in our society. Upward mobility, at its very core, involves making our lives more comfortable so that we don't have to deal with as much messiness or discomfort.

To be a follower of Jesus, we should be downwardly mobile. We should be spending time with people in the places where God asks us to go, the very places where he promises us that we will find life if we will only give up control of our lives. We find the Holy Spirit at work in surprising places in our world, the Almighty God giving scandalous amounts of grace away to those who need it most... both the comfortable and those of need find God's grace in the margins.

My friends in Homewood, Pastor Freedom Blackwell and his wife, Freed, live out incarnational ministry like Jesus on a daily basis. This week they led a housing blitz in Homewood where an abandoned home was converted into a safe house for children in the middle of the neighborhood. It will be a place of refuge for kids to get off the streets for a little while. It was rebuilt by residents of Homewood for residents of Homewood.

I am excited to see what God does through the safe house in Homewood. Many of the children who have spent countless hours playing at my house or eating dinner at my dinner table will now have another place to go. The young people who are some of the brightest assets in the community now have a place to go that is an asset in the community.

I know that we will still welcome people into our home in Homewood, Pastor Freedom and Free will, and there are several other people living out incarnational ministry in Homewood who will continue to do so. Still, it is great to have another place for kids to go when we are unable to be there for the kids. I am praying that God raises up many more people in Homewood to live like Jesus in many more houses that are restored by the residents of Homewood in partnership with volunteers located throughout the city of Pittsburgh. God is truly doing an amazing redemptive work in Homewood, and I am privileged to experience that work up close.

The Next Generation of Mentors is Here

This morning I had the opportunity to train a new group of LAMP mentors. It was a great group of potential mentors all around, and included in the group was a young man that I had the privilege of mentoring through LAMP when he was in middle school. Now, that young man is 20 years old and he has decided to become a school-based mentor at the same school where he went to elementary school in Homewood. He still lives in Homewood, and he wants to invest in the people in his neighborhood.

My goal in leading LAMP has always been to work myself out of a job. I would love to see the next generation of LAMP mentors consist largely of this group of young people in Homewood who are currently being mentored by people who generally live outside the community. Several hundred children have benefited from mentoring relationships through LAMP, and it would be incredible if those several hundred children who are becoming several hundred young adults would be able to pay it forward by mentoring the next generation of children in Homewood.

Faith-based mentoring is a transformational force for good in the lives of both mentors and mentees. When mentees experience transformation, they develop a vision for their future and they envision themselves making a positive difference in their own community where they have grown up. This is why it is so important to have a long term, relational approach to urban renewal. These things take time to develop, but when it happens... it's an incredible process to behold. I thank God for the privilege of being able to watch the next generation of leaders in Homewood rise up to participate in God's mission to redeem their community.

Signs of Hope in Pitcairn

I had the opportunity to spend some time in the neighborhood of Pitcairn last night at the home of Gary and Carol Agate. The Agates have an amazing incarnational ministry. They moved to Pitcairn to be able to reach out to the kids and families there, and they are mobilizing volunteers from local churches to get involved in the work. Last night I got to be a part of the community meal that they share with a bunch of kids in their neighborhood. The kids powerhoused slopply joes and homemade french fries while the adults built relationships with the kids. We spent about 30 minutes with the kids on a little Bible lesson and some "real talk" about life. Then after the kids left I hung around for a while to talk to the adults about the challenges of incarnational urban ministry and how to build transformational mentoring relationships with kids over time. The entire evening was so much fun.

God is doing a great work in Pitcairn, and he is doing that great work through followers of Jesus Christ who are simply being obedient to the calling that God has given them. The ministry is built on relationships, not necessarily programs. The ministry points the young people toward a relationship with Jesus Christ. The ministry is being contextualized to the neighborhood. The leaders are truly trying to find out where the Holy Spirit is working, and they are joining that work. If more people like the Agates would reach into other Pittsburgh-area neighborhoods, we would see God literally transform this region. I was thankful to get a small snapshot of what God is doing in our city last night. I am encouraged to pray that God will continue to raise up more leaders in Pittsburgh to participate in transformational leadership in urban neighborhoods.

God's Timing

God has been teaching me so much lately about how He is in control and I am not. As a pastor involved in urban ministry, I experience many highs and lows on a seemingly daily basis. When I see an injustice, I want to do something about it immediately in order to see things made right. When I'm building a relationship with somebody who is experiencing pain, I want them to be relieved of their pain. When I see signs of brokenness in my neighborhood, I long to see things made right. All of these things, though, have more to do with my intentions and outcomes than on God's intentions and outcomes. His timing is perfect, and his healing, transformational love moves in its own divine ways. Transformation is a process, not a destination. This is why it is so important for Christians involved in justice and serving others to be patient and stay for a while in a particular place while waiting on the Lord to move according to his will, not ours.

Finding God in the Margins

There are several organizations in East Liberty that reach out to people who are struggling with homelessness. The church that I lead, North Way East End, is located right in the heart of East Liberty. As an urban pastor, I spend a considerable amount of time walking around the city where God has called me to lead. In my walks through East Liberty I often cross paths with people who are navigating through homelessness. These people are becoming my friends. I spend time with them during the week. They attend my church on Sunday mornings. I have become caught up in their stories, and they have become caught up in my story.

I learn so much from my friends who are dealing with the pain of homelessness. These relationships are often not transactional (giving things or offering advice). Our interactions are transformational. God works through every part of these relationships. I listen to my friends a lot. They listen to me. We laugh together. We hurt together. God allows my heart to break by entering into the pain of others. I celebrate break throughs in life with my friends, and we talk about and pray through pain. God takes each of us on a process of transformation.

Understanding God's mission is an important part of discerning how God wants me to lead in complex urban environments. God's grace is like water, flowing down and pooling in low places. I spend plenty of time as a pastor with people in powerful places, but I also find great joy in participating in God's mission in powerless places. I experience God's grace in abundance when I spend time with people who are marginalized by mainstream society. I often feel closest to God when I'm spending time with people who are close to God's heart... those who are most vulnerable. This is why it is such a great privilege to be a pastor in a city. I interact with so many different kinds of people on a daily basis, and God works through others to enhance my own growth in life.

Prayer For Peace March

Tomorrow morning at 10am people from all over the Pittsburgh region will gather to walk and pray for peace in my neighborhood, Homewood. The prayers will unite people from many different walks of life... urban and suburban, rich and poor, and black and white. We will gather together to humble ourselves before God, and this is important because peace in Homewood is important for the entire Pittsburgh region. Especially for Christians, we should be greatly disturbed and compelled to action when there is violence in our own city. Some Christians will decide to stay away from Homewood tomorrow because of fear, and some will choose to stay away because of complacency or lack of concern for the pain and brokenness in Homewood. Still, some Christians will be obedient to God's call to bring about shalom in the city. A strong group of followers of Jesus will rise up to fulfill God's mission. Transformation is not easy, but transformation in Pittsburgh will take another big step forward tomorrow. I am blessed to be playing a small part in God's mission to bring about peace in my neighborhood.

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.

Empowering Young People

One of the most amazing things about having the privilege of mentoring at-risk youth over the past six years has been the gift of watching the mentees develop into empowered young people who are ready to succeed in life. God has opened the door to be able to mentor kids living in urban poverty, kids who are homeless, kids who are angry, kids who are desperate... the kids who would have normally fallen through the cracks of society. It has been heartbreaking to watch kids struggle through many ups and downs, but it has been remarkable to watch these resilient kids go through a profound process of transformation. Yes, many of the young people I work with face many challenges. However, they are becoming empowered to take on those challenges and overcome them. This is the work of the church in urban environments. Roberth Linthicum writes, "When the church builds networks between the poor and people of power which result in the observable improvement of the life of the poor, the gospel gains a credibility all the preaching by the church cannot provide. When self-confidence and self-respect of the poor are raised by networking to solve their own problems, the gospel gains a new hearing. It is a hearing based upon the respect the church has shown the poor. They are not objects to be ministered to, but people capable of taking charge of their own lives." I know God has big plans in store for the young people that I've had the joy of spending time with in Homewood.

A Walk in Homewood

Friday is usually my day off, and one of my favorite things to do on my day off is go on walks with my wife. We are able to do that much more often now that our daughters are back in school. One of the best things about walking in Homewood is that we get to meet new people, catch up with friends and neighbors, and learn about what's really going on at the street level in our neighborhood. On our walk today, we met an 87 year old woman who has lived in the same house in Homewood for the past 57 years. She was out working on her garden when we met her, and she shared a lot of her story with us. One of the unique aspects of incarnational ministry is how our stories cross paths with other people's stories. Our neighbor told us about some of the history of our neighborhood, and she shared with us about some of her hopes and dreams. While we were walking, a man on is bike stopped and talked to us for a while. He grew up in Homewood, and still goes to church at a little Baptist church in Homewood even though he now lives on the other side of the busway in Point Breeze. He still spends a lot of time in Homewood, and he told us about how he and some people at his church have been working to combat the crime in the neighborhood by taking pictures of people selling drugs and stealing copper pipes from the many abandoned houses in our area. He calls the police when he sees bad things go down. He even pointed out a house to us that is one of the four or five drug houses within a couple blocks of where we live. The house he pointed out is selling alcohol to teenagers... a good thing to know if you happen to be a pastor in the community who works with youth.

All cities have many signs of need and many signs of hope. This is true in Homewood. As we walked today, we passed abandoned houses, drug houses, prostitution houses, trash, graffiti, and many other signs of urban blight. We also passed a relatively new school, policemen patrolling the neighborhood, a community garden from which we picked and ate raspberries, a couple businesses that employ people in the community, a busway that transports people to downtown Pittsburgh in about ten minutes, and new homes that have replaced apartment buildings that were once overrun with drugs and prostitution. The biggest signs of hope remain the people that we meet... the ones who are working so hard in small ways behind the scenes toward the transformation of Homewood. Small signs of transformation pop up everywhere as our neighbors reclaim our streets one small act at a time. I am so happy that God has allowed me and my family to be a part of the transformation that he is leading in Homewood. Change is happening one life at a time, one home at a time, one street at a time, and one block at a time. Who knows what this neighborhood will be like five or ten years from now? No matter the outcomes, I am enjoying the process with my neighbors. Walks are a big part of the urban adventure.

Signs of Transformation

It's important in urban ministry to celebrate break throughs in people's lives. Any signs of progress are cause for celebration. This weekend I experienced many seemingly small victories. One of the boys in my neighborhood was released from a long stint in a youth detention center / boys home and he was reunited with his family on his mother's birthday. He came right over to our house to visit with us, and my wife, Julie, helped him and his brothers to bake a cake and make home made birthday cards for their mom. I went with the boys to deliver the birthday cake to her, and her face lit up when she saw how thoughtful they were. It's been a hard year for this struggling family in Homewood, but on that evening everyone was happy to be reunited with one another. The next day one of the boys in that family came over to share about a difficult situation in their life that they are trying to navigate through. He was very angry, and instead of acting out violently he decided to come over to my house to talk to me and cool off. That was a huge break through for him! In the past he has shown up at my front door all banged up from street fights where his anger had escalated. This time I listened to him, helped him pray through his anger and emotions, and I was even able to give him his first Bible and help him find out what God has to say about anger and conflict. I love to have the amazing privilege of giving a person their first Bible! It's the best feeling in the world! Then, this evening one of my mentees called me to tell me that he is going to be serving as a volunteer for a week at a Vacation Bible School at a big church in Pittsburgh. He is a relatively new Christian, and we have talked in the past about serving but this is one of the first tangible steps that he has taken to serve Christ. I am so proud and excited for him! I know God is going to show up and meet my mente right where he is at in his faith.

The things I'm describing might seem small, but they are huge to the young people involved. Transformation in cities is a process... an often difficult process. Yet, as author Jack Dennison points out, the process of urban transformation gives us hope. "The hope of city transformation is invigorating. None of us wakes up in the morning and says, 'If I live in a run-down, mediocre place, that's OK by me.' We all want to live in neighborhoods that are safe and free of discrimination. We want our schools to be places where real learning takes place. We want our justice system to serve everyone fairly. We want economic opportunity to be available - really available - to citizens of every class, kind and condition. And most of all, we want people to hear and respond to a call to radical discipleship - one that fills our cities with people through whom Jesus lives. Reports coming in from all over the world tell us that this is possible. But to get there requires transformation of individuals, of congregations and of the Church of the city. Then as our churches work together as one Body, the evidence is compelling that God can and will bring transformation to the cities of America and the world." - City Reaching 

Transforming the Lives of At-risk Youth

This morning I had the opportunity to spend a couple hours with a relatively new friend of mine who leads an organization that impacts at-risk youth in several countries in Latin America.  His organization is currently in the process of implementing LAMP in their context, and I am planning on visiting Honduras this Spring to help them out.  I'm curious to research (as a chapter of my dissertation) how LAMP works in a global context, and he is interested in taking the work that his organization is doing to the next level.  Hopefully our relationship will continue to have real positive outcomes for the youth that we work with.  Today I was able to steward what I have been learning at BGU on behalf of the kids who are being reached by his organization in Latin America.  Here are a few themes from our conversation:

• Christians should be intentional about the transformation of the lives of the at-risk youth we work with.  Too many Christians settle for compassion, which is the low-hanging fruit of ministry to kids who are struggling in urban environments.  We give out coats and toys, and we may help with other physical needs.  We may focus on evangelism with words, but we fail to help the kids connect their relationship with Christ to their physical needs.  Christian leaders who work with at-risk youth in America and around the world should be working toward the holistic transformation of the kids through both compassion and justice.
• Youth development models and missions models matter.  Anybody who chooses to work with at-risk youth should be experts in the theory behind what they do... viewing themselves as practitioners of work with youth.  Leadership matters when it comes to working with at-risk youth, and organizations and institutions involved in that noble task should be resourcing and equipping leaders to implement some of the great strategies that are out there with the young people they work with in their context.
• We live in a complex, globalizing, urbanizing, pluralistic world.  Christians should not be naive about those things. We must be empowered and equipped to make a difference in that type of world.  Too often Christians try to search for quick fixes or easy answers to the complex problems in this world.  To put it simply, that perspective that is rampant throughout modern Christendom is completely unacceptable and ineffective.  Christians should be seeking to understand culture and the complexities in our modern world so that we can be leaders on the forefront of impacting the world in the 21st century.  We should be out in front, not dragging our feet or lagging behind or creating little Christian bubbles for ourselves.  We must engage culture and be equipped to do so in order to transform the world as followers of Christ.

My friend and I discussed other topics as well, but my point in sharing all of this is that I am trying to demonstrate how important it is for Christians in the world today to engage culture and get involved in transforming the lives of at-risk youth.  The Church is the most profound change agent in the world that God has ever established.  Right now is our time to shine.  We should not be living in fear about the uncertainty in the world, or withdrawing from society, or be intimidated about the complexities of problems facing modern at-risk youth.  LAMP in Pittsburgh, and my friend's organization in Latin America, have been called to the front lines.  And we should prepare ourselves as Christians that way.  God has called all of us to make a difference in the transformation of this world for God's purposes.

A Drive Through My Neighborhood

A short drive in my neighborhood can tell quite a story. I invited one of my mentees to church tonight, and he only lives three blocks from my house. On my way to pick him up I first noticed a red plastic cup lying in the middle of the street. We had given that cup to one of the kids who stopped by to visit us, and he hadn't made it twenty feet from our doorstep before he chucked it on the street. It was one small piece in a sea of litter in the streets around my house. I kept driving, right past a crack house. Traffic creeps up to that house at all hours of the day and night... people driving to my neighborhood to buy drugs. I turned right, and drove past a cleared lot with new straw in the place of what used to be a house of prostitution. That building was torn down a couple weeks ago. The prostitutes just moved down to the next block. I kept driving past junkees and dealers as I made my way to the next block. I drove past a few abandoned houses and abandoned businesses. Weeds have overtaken the sidewalks. I arrived at my mentee's house, and I got out of my car to talk to his mom who was smoking a cigarette on her front porch. As I talked to her, about six police cars pulled up and blocked off the street. The dealers and addicts scurried away from their corners. I kept my eyes focused on my mentee's mom, and I kept the conversation going. She became concerned, but she still sent her son out to my car to go to church with me. With mentee in tow, I maneuvered my car past the cop cars and we headed to church. Just another day in Homewood...

Litter. Drug addiction. Prostitution. Abandoned buildings. Vacant lots. All of these things are indicative of the brokenness that has seemingly overtaken my neighborhood. But those things are just the outward signs of brokenness. They don't tell the whole story. Behind those things are people... real human beings who Jesus created and loves so much that he gave his life for them. Jesus didn't focus on outward signs of brokenness during his ministry. He focused on the condition of the hearts of the people who experienced brokenness. That's why Julie and I have been intentional about looking past the physical signs of brokenness in our neighborhood in order to build relationships with people. We are good friends with people who litter. We have friends who are crack addicts. We have friends who are prostitutes. We know people who call abandoned buildings "home." We have friends who use vacant lots as playgrounds. What the enemy desires for evil, God is able to transform. God loves the people in my neighborhood, so we love the people in our neighborhood. God's profound love and grace for the people in my neighborhood are the real story of what goes on here. That is why Christians need to be obedient to God's call to enter into the brokenness of the world... God desires to work through us in order to transform people and places.