Week 1 of the two:fiftytwo After School Program is done and I'm excited to see in what ways God transforms these kids, their families, and us as well. As of right now, we have 11 kids, 5 from last year and 6 new kids. In case you are curious, the veteran kids are Diallo and Challah (brother, sister), Charity and Chassidy (sisters), and Alex. I feel that this year is going to be much more organized and on point (slang down here for on the right track or right on).
On Monday, I got to see the kids for the first time since last May. I was excited. I went with Marc to pick up 5 kids from Brentwood Elementary at 3. We pulled up to the pick-up area and Alex and Diallo yelled in excitement, "Mr. Andrew!" Huge smiles on their faces, they came in the big white van up to the passenger seat where I was and gave me a group hug. I missed those kids. It's these kids that I'm intentionally pouring my time and love into for this next school year. Since being back in Jacksonville, there has been more drive, more importance put on every situation, every encounter, every opportunity to speak, do, act, rest. It's hard to explain. It's like, if you think of the smell of oranges, you can imagine they smell good. Only when you actually smell an orange do your senses leap at the citrus scent.
A couple times a week, I walk to the basketball court in the morning and play a game called "31." It's a good exercise game when there's nobody else to play with at the court. I start the stopwatch and see how quickly I can make 10 layups, 10 free throws, 10 three-pointers, and 1 halfcourt shot. Sometimes I wonder what people walking by think of this white guy running with intent on the court, shooting with determination, all by himself. Yesterday, as I was walking back home (about 3-4 blocks away from the court), a nice white car playing loud music that sounded like it could have been on Soul Train drove past me, turned around, and put his window down. A little nervous about this guy approaching me in his car, I was asked, "You stay in that house right there?"
To my relief, wanting to be friendly, I replied, "That yellow house? Yep, I stay there."
"I saw you guys had mowed your lawn the other day with a push mower. Any time y'all want, you can borrow my lawn mower. It did a terrible job. I'm your neighbor Riley."
"Thanks man, I'm Andrew. Nice to meet you."
"Alright now, I'm your neighbor. Any time." He drove away and it felt good to hear someone from my block had our backs. When he reinforced that he was our neighbor, it was as if he was saying, "You don't need to struggle with a cheep mower when I'm two doors down and can share." That's one thing I love about the inner city culture. People are so much better at borrowing and sharing resources. I think many of us grow up in a culture where everyone needs their own car, their own computer, their own phone, their own rolling pin, their own whatever. It was cool to know that Riley was watching out for us "white folk" who are generally new to the neighborhood, or at least that street. It reminds me of living a life under our own strength, not relying on God as our soul/sole satisfaction. We got our own weak push-mowers and we struggle with them when God has the sufficient resources we need. Jesus once said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30).
This morning, the Young Adults Ministry at the church I go to was helping out 2nd Mile with some demolition on the building we hope to move into. We took out doorframes, metal cross bars, hanging electrical things, pipes, wires, glass windows, etc. We mostly worked on the second floor and I gotta tell ya, there's something satisfying about throwing a huge metal or wood piece with nails sticking out of it 20 feet down to the unexpecting ground below. I felt dangerous and helpful at the same time. Just a few more building blocks in the ministry's cathedral.
Just from the first week of school, I'm already getting to see some cool things with the new kids. Here's a list of them.
Mekhi and Ferrell (2nd grade boys)
Michaella and Tommieyah (3rd grade girls)
Laila (4th grade girl)
Kayla (5th grade girl)
I will hopefully in the coming weeks give you more details on who these kids are as I get to know them. They are pretty awesome.
One initiative we are trying to focus on more this year is building relationships with the entire families of these kids. Last year, we really only got to talk to parents when they picked their kids up from the program. This year, we are hoping once a month to plan some sort of get-together or something just to get to engage and have fun with the families.
Please pray:
-That relationships with the kids, the families, with our neighbors, with guys at the basketball courts would be built on the foundation of Christ's love for us and them rather than for only being friends.
-For Chassidy (3rd grade girl) who had a rough Thursday, had a difficult time handling herself. There's some deep hurting going on in that family, just not sure exactly what it is.
-That I'd be diligent with support raising as it has been difficult to do that due to wanting to go full-steam ahead into the school year and what I'm doing here.
Hope you are blessed by this song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iG2wUL1vTY
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Walls
"I'm amazed at what John gets away with. I guess that's one of the fruits that come with age: You can say what you want and not have to waste time sugarcoating the truth. You can hear in his voice the sassiness of the prophets but also the gentleness of a grandfather. This is part of his charm and the covert innocence that has allowed him to affect and infect so much of our society without getting killed (so far). Many times, with a glisten in his eyes and a smirk on his face, I've heard him say things such as, 'We've got the best politicians...that money can buy.' And I remember that same prophetic smile on his face as we went to jail together-not in the civil rights protests decades past, but only a year ago when we were singing those old spirituals and praying the Lord's prayer outside the Capitol to decry a nation budget that turned the Beatitudes upside down as it blessed the rich and sent the poor away empty.
John cries out with the prophets, 'Let justice roll down,' and yet he will surprise you with his grace. I remember hearing one fellow share how he told John about his racist mother and, after listening intently, John said, 'Does your mother like blueberries? Let's go visit her.' And they did, fully armed with a bowl of berries. It is that sort of childlike love that our world is starving for. There is no doubt that we need justice to roll down like water; those words of the prophets drip from Perkin's tongue. And yet justice without grace still leaves us thirsty. Justice without reconciliation falls short of the gospel of Jesus. Love fills in the gaps of justice. John has lived for us what it looks like when justice and reconciliation kiss. After all, he did not just call for an end to the hate crimes of the Klu Klux Klan, but he became friends with a reborn Klansman."
I had the privilege of hearing John Perkins speak at a CCDA (a conference about Christian Community Development Association). When he speaks, no matter how mumbled or quiet, everyone listening hangs on to every word as inspired wisdom. I didn't know much about this 82 year old man from Mississippi, but his story must be powerful, seeing as he founded this association. I began reading his autobiography called When Justice Rolls Down and it has captivated me. Each chapter is a deeper look into his life, growing up on a plantation as a sharecropper, living with extended family, moving to California when he was 17. There's something very real about diving into someone's life, seeing life as they see it. I bet if any of the white plantation owners during that time could see life through a black man's eyes, seeing their own sin and how it affected the self-image of generations of African Americans, they'd wonder, "What in the world are we doing here with slavery? We and our ancestors made a terrible mistake that we're not addressing."
Last night, I watched The Lorax, a movie based on a Dr. Seuss book where a little fury orange creature with a mustache (The Lorax) speaks for the trees and tries to stop the Once-ler from cutting down all the trees to make thneeds (don't ask). Anyway, the movie begins in the future in Thneedville, an enclosed town with no real trees, few even remember what real trees are. A generation is functioning in a place that they think is great, not knowing that a great deforested land surrounds their isolated town of happiness. Near the end of the movie, a large construction vehicle knocked down one of the walls so that the towns people could see dark and dead stumps, scars from a past they didn't know. This realization brought fire to the town's desire to plant and plant and plant trees and trees and trees.
Are you familiar with the slave ships from centuries past where people from Africa were taken from their homes, loaded on a ship, and forced to work as slaves in America? Was that pleasing to God? Doubt it. Did we in 2012 have anything to do with those decisions? No. Are many of you living in your own isolated town of happiness, free of any knowledge of past mistakes that few were around to remember? I don't know. But it's a question too important to ignore. Are you?
John Perkins remembers his childhood on Mr. Bush's plantation, "Mr. Fred Bush. I remember that name well, because that name was just about the first words I ahd to learn--my first introduction to a segregated society. You see, who I was in those days was described only in terms of a dependent relationship to a white man.
Back then, if a black child was walking along the road or was in town on a Saturday, and he met an older white person, the white's first words would be, 'What place you on, boy?'
I had to know the answer. Because I wasn't anybody all by myself, or even by who my family was. I wasn't important in their eyes; only the person I was connected to. And it meant that my own name, John Perkins, had no significance; only the name of the man on whose land I lived. So right from the beginning, I learned the proper reply, 'Mr. Bush's place,' whenever someone asked me where I belonged."
This past week, I've been typing in the titles of so many childrens books, trying to find the reading levels so the kids in our program will more accurately be able to quickly find books that are at their skill level. We've also been pretty busy decorated the room, rearranging tables, chairs, and making posters for the walls. Here's a picture of current progress.
John cries out with the prophets, 'Let justice roll down,' and yet he will surprise you with his grace. I remember hearing one fellow share how he told John about his racist mother and, after listening intently, John said, 'Does your mother like blueberries? Let's go visit her.' And they did, fully armed with a bowl of berries. It is that sort of childlike love that our world is starving for. There is no doubt that we need justice to roll down like water; those words of the prophets drip from Perkin's tongue. And yet justice without grace still leaves us thirsty. Justice without reconciliation falls short of the gospel of Jesus. Love fills in the gaps of justice. John has lived for us what it looks like when justice and reconciliation kiss. After all, he did not just call for an end to the hate crimes of the Klu Klux Klan, but he became friends with a reborn Klansman."
I had the privilege of hearing John Perkins speak at a CCDA (a conference about Christian Community Development Association). When he speaks, no matter how mumbled or quiet, everyone listening hangs on to every word as inspired wisdom. I didn't know much about this 82 year old man from Mississippi, but his story must be powerful, seeing as he founded this association. I began reading his autobiography called When Justice Rolls Down and it has captivated me. Each chapter is a deeper look into his life, growing up on a plantation as a sharecropper, living with extended family, moving to California when he was 17. There's something very real about diving into someone's life, seeing life as they see it. I bet if any of the white plantation owners during that time could see life through a black man's eyes, seeing their own sin and how it affected the self-image of generations of African Americans, they'd wonder, "What in the world are we doing here with slavery? We and our ancestors made a terrible mistake that we're not addressing."
Last night, I watched The Lorax, a movie based on a Dr. Seuss book where a little fury orange creature with a mustache (The Lorax) speaks for the trees and tries to stop the Once-ler from cutting down all the trees to make thneeds (don't ask). Anyway, the movie begins in the future in Thneedville, an enclosed town with no real trees, few even remember what real trees are. A generation is functioning in a place that they think is great, not knowing that a great deforested land surrounds their isolated town of happiness. Near the end of the movie, a large construction vehicle knocked down one of the walls so that the towns people could see dark and dead stumps, scars from a past they didn't know. This realization brought fire to the town's desire to plant and plant and plant trees and trees and trees.
Are you familiar with the slave ships from centuries past where people from Africa were taken from their homes, loaded on a ship, and forced to work as slaves in America? Was that pleasing to God? Doubt it. Did we in 2012 have anything to do with those decisions? No. Are many of you living in your own isolated town of happiness, free of any knowledge of past mistakes that few were around to remember? I don't know. But it's a question too important to ignore. Are you?
John Perkins remembers his childhood on Mr. Bush's plantation, "Mr. Fred Bush. I remember that name well, because that name was just about the first words I ahd to learn--my first introduction to a segregated society. You see, who I was in those days was described only in terms of a dependent relationship to a white man.
Back then, if a black child was walking along the road or was in town on a Saturday, and he met an older white person, the white's first words would be, 'What place you on, boy?'
I had to know the answer. Because I wasn't anybody all by myself, or even by who my family was. I wasn't important in their eyes; only the person I was connected to. And it meant that my own name, John Perkins, had no significance; only the name of the man on whose land I lived. So right from the beginning, I learned the proper reply, 'Mr. Bush's place,' whenever someone asked me where I belonged."
This past week, I've been typing in the titles of so many childrens books, trying to find the reading levels so the kids in our program will more accurately be able to quickly find books that are at their skill level. We've also been pretty busy decorated the room, rearranging tables, chairs, and making posters for the walls. Here's a picture of current progress.
Please pray:
-This week at the after school program goes well and that we look to God for strength and patience.
-Our staff team and volunteers are able to connect and work together as a unit.
-For God to reveal the things that might be outside of your comfort zone, your walls that you may have set up.
Thank you for your prayers and support.
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Back in J'Ville
In the movie Avatar, the main character in the movie is a paraplegic Marine named Jake Sully who is recruited to live among the native people of the planet in order to learn about a power source that the humans hope to take control of. To be disguised in an Avatar body, Jake Sully lays down in a chamber that puts him to sleep and activate a tall blue body. While Jake's human and handicapped body goes to sleep, his Avatar body wakes up and is able to move and run in ways that Jake could only dream of. Among the other Avatars, Jake begins to learn about this strange people and their ways of living. When it becomes time for the Avatars to sleep, Jake's Avatar sleeps but then his human body wakes up. As Jake learns more and more about the Avatars, he begins to love it and desires less to complete his mission to help destroy these people. He begins to believe that his human life feels like the dream instead of his reality.
My Responsibilities
A year ago, my jobs consisted of planning rec time (games every day), being at the program every day, and teaching the Bible lessons. This year, my tasks include planning rec time again, coordinating the Fun Friday activities (science experiments, field trips, cultures, dance, music, art, special guests, etc.), and constructing a better system for all the books for reading time. It's a lot of work but I'm actually super pumped to plan and do busy work (weird that these things have become fun for me).
Mission Statement
This summer, the staff members spent hours in brainstorming, meetings, and prayer to come up with a clearer and excitement new mission statement. We are seeking to see the gospel renew lives and communitites so they are transformed in every way. In every way. Not just helping the kids get better grades, but building relationships with all people and organizations, seeking to be a blessing and share the gospel of Jesus Christ.
I feel as though I hit the ground running since Sunday. Had three straight days of meetings and planning. Spent most of the day today walking up and down flights of stairs with a bunch of boxes possibly more heavy than my body should handle. No more Green House. I think the bank is going to buy it out. Memories are still there but life's momentum is still rolling. In this new world, I'm ready to be an active part of it.
I've lived in Wisconsin for most of my life. How I was raised, who I've made friends, what I've learned, all Wisconsin. When I came to Jacksonville in the summer of 2010, it felt like a dream. Who are these people? What can I learn from them? Wisconsin, my family, and my friends I'm familiar with. When I began learning about poverty in downtown Milwaukee, this new world I never knew before, I began a journey of transitioning my heart to this place of underprivilege and neglect.
Last Sunday, I arrived in Jacksonville to begin my staff job with 2nd Mile Ministries. I had a whole 45 minutes to put my bag in my room, take a 30 minute nap, then rushed to my first ministry meeting of the year. Although it was already a long and tiring day, I was revved up for all that was said. 2nd Mile has been busy this summer with planning and loving on the Brentwood neighborhood. I apologize if the rest of the blog kind of spills out and makes a mess but I wanted to at least keep you updated on progress.
Church
2nd Mile Ministries has been praying and seeking to plant a church in the Brentwood community. Last year, they secured a pastor who is willing to lead this new church with his wife along side him. We don't have a building for the church yet, but that's okay "the church" is a group of people, not a building. Starting on Aug. 28th, there will be weekly Bible studies at Marc's house (where I'm living this year) for anyone that'd like to come. Diallo and Challah's mom (two kids in our two:fiftytwo After School Program) heard about the Bible study and quickly stated, "Y'all are inviting me. I need me some Jesus in my life. What color is the pastor?" She is a character. Definitely never boring around her. In case you'd like to know, the pastor is black.
Staff
As you might've heard from my mouth this summer, I will be on staff along with two other full-time staff members. Something I found out at our meeting last Sunday is that there will also be two part-time staff members joining this year! Dani, a former intern who does alot of work with designing our website, editing videos, and so so much more. Deirdree, a substitute teacher in the Brentwood neighborhood who was a huge help last year volunteering and helping us inexperienced teachers know better ways to teach and discipline kids.
Kids
We had 10 students last year at our program and I'm pumped to get to see them again. I've been told a few of our kids may not be back this year because they've either moved or switched schools. Please pray that they would be safe and continue to grow in wisdom, in stature, and in favor with God and man. (Luke 2:52) Also, pray that God would lead us to the right students and families to recruit new students for the program.
Building
The church where our after school program is held owns a two-story building next door that since spring break has had a lot of work done on it. I took this picture today as Marc, Ernest (friend from the neighborhood), and I moved so many boxes and furniture out of the Green House and into this building and the church office for storage. You can see that when it rains, the roof leaks, electric things are hanging from the ceiling, pipes are coming up from the ground. It still has a lot of work to do but it sure has come a long way. If you want to see more pictures of it's progress this summer, check out http://www.2ndmile-jax.com/photos/building-progress-walls-coming-down/.
My Responsibilities
A year ago, my jobs consisted of planning rec time (games every day), being at the program every day, and teaching the Bible lessons. This year, my tasks include planning rec time again, coordinating the Fun Friday activities (science experiments, field trips, cultures, dance, music, art, special guests, etc.), and constructing a better system for all the books for reading time. It's a lot of work but I'm actually super pumped to plan and do busy work (weird that these things have become fun for me).
Mission Statement
This summer, the staff members spent hours in brainstorming, meetings, and prayer to come up with a clearer and excitement new mission statement. We are seeking to see the gospel renew lives and communitites so they are transformed in every way. In every way. Not just helping the kids get better grades, but building relationships with all people and organizations, seeking to be a blessing and share the gospel of Jesus Christ.
I feel as though I hit the ground running since Sunday. Had three straight days of meetings and planning. Spent most of the day today walking up and down flights of stairs with a bunch of boxes possibly more heavy than my body should handle. No more Green House. I think the bank is going to buy it out. Memories are still there but life's momentum is still rolling. In this new world, I'm ready to be an active part of it.
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Dream
Last night I had a strange dream. One of my favorite movies is Inception because I think it was such a creative idea to delve into the world of dreams and dreams within dreams. In the movie, it's possible to even share other people's dreams. If you're like me, you have a difficult time remembering your dreams. For a time, if I had a very vivid dream, I'd wake up and write down everything I could remember about it--people, setting, plot (if there was one). When I'm in my dream, everything seems to make sense, despite all the complexities and constant scene changes. Objects and people seem to morph into new ones before my eyes and my brain just morphs to make perfect sense of it. I must admit, sometimes after writing down my dreams, I'd try to make sense of it again. Is there any hidden meaning? Can I learn anything about myself? Sometimes I feel I do learn things about my fears, my desires, based on occurrences in my dreams. Other times, they just make no sense.
Two nights ago, I remember being in a war (in my dream) and we had one last battle to fight, it was going to be dangerous. Afraid that this would be the last time I got to see life, I was scared but was willing to do whatever I was commanded. To my surprise, it seemed clear that I was to hide from the enemy, not as a surprise attack tactic, but just to not be seen, not get hurt or messy. In the dream, I was relieved because I probably wasn't going to die in that battle. An assignment to hide? Pshh, I could do that. Now that I reflect back on this dream, what was I thinking, wishing that I wouldn't be involved in the battle because I might get hurt or die? Would I get a badge of honor for fulfilling my duties of not dying? In real life, do I err on the side of caution? Yep. Of comfort? Yep. I don't tend to take too many risks if it's out of my comfort zone.
Last night's dream. If you read the last blog from June 30th, you may remember a video I included with pastor Francis Chan talking about a Christ-like love. I'm very thankful to God for the things he's taught me through this pastor over the past three years. (Shout-out to those on the '09 Milwaukee Summer Project who got me his book Crazy Love which took me on a really cool journey to greater admiration for God). Anyway, the year after I graduated college, I worked at a Christian bookstore. I haven't worked there for about a year and last July, the store actually closed down. Basically it's been awhile since I worked there. So, when Francis Chan is the manager of this bookstore and gives you your job back for the summer, you'd get a little weirded out right? Not me. It made perfect sense in my dream. It made perfect sense that he was in Madison, that I was working again, that I was working alongside him. Really weird. I was thinking about telling him about Jacksonville and 2nd Mile Ministries when suddenly, I get transported to the Green House in Brentwood where I lived last year in a conversation with some friends, as if the previous had never happened. Man, how awesome it would be to observe one of your dreams through conscious eyes!
What do you live for? What is your absolute goal in life? Is your every day activity in congruence with that goal? Read Colossians 3:1-2 carefully and think about your own life. "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." What does this mean? I've been reading through a devotional and scripture this summer and something has been happening with me. I'm actually learning about the reality that the gospel message, that Jesus Christ died for sinners so that through our faith in him and his forgiveness of our sins that we may spend eternity with him as his adopted children, is not just a decision I made once in my life or something think about on Sundays, or even something I meditate on during quiet times. It is an every moment of every day lifestyle. Seeking God, pursuing his will has been growing in my heart this past week. What in my life is counterfeit, making me believe it is worthy of my time and money, excuse me, God's time and provision? What are we living for? Do you have your mind set on eternal things or is the world and all of its voices yelling through your ears, hoping to grab a hold of your heart, and distract you from God's instructions. This life is a war full of many battles that we must face every moment of every day. You may be afraid of losing your life (maybe not physically), losing the things you cling to for your comfort. I don't intend to try and make you feel guilty about your life. My intention is to draw your attention to a God that wants your whole heart, your whole soul, your whole mind, your whole strength. Can you give him your heart when it desires other things first? Your whole mind when it is full of lustful/angry/worried thoughts? Your whole strength when it's just easier to sit there and not move and just think about what'd be like to be close to God? Imagine what your life would look like if every word, thought, and deed was surrendered for God to use in whatever way He wanted. I'd love to share that dream with you.
Please pray for me that I would learn more and more what it means to surrender my thoughts and actions to the will of the almighty God.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Pray
Sorry I haven't been as committed to writing in this blog this summer. It's hard to give Jacksonville updates when I'm not there myself. I can tell you that the first week of the Summer Day Camp is complete and three more are on their way. At camp, about 70 kids from Brentwood ages 5-12 get to learn more about God and partake in some really fun activities which include Challenge Circle (relay race game), dance, crafts, etc. If you are on facebook, you can check out "2nd Mile Ministries" and get better updates throughout the summer.
Throughout my life, I've been blessed with not getting injured or hurt badly enough to go to a hospital. Yesterday while playing basketball with some older guys at church, I landed on the side of my foot and possibly sprained it. It did hurt but I played a couple more games on it since it wasn't so bad. To make a long story short, I used crutches for the first time in my life (well, other times were just for fun), and now I have a boot on it so that I can walk. I'm okay and even though I can't move as quickly and I can't play basketball or go frolfing with people for a while, my spirit is surprisingly not damaged.
Earlier yesterday, I watched a 6 minute video of a pastor talking about what it would look like to love people as Jesus loves us. It kind of hit me hard, in a good way, and I wanted to share it with you, whoever may be reading this. I hope it is convicting and that it moves you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6TUnxm6DSc&feature=related
It's been a while since I've included prayer requests in my blogs and that's something I definitely don't want to forget. In my recent devotion times, God has made it clearer to me at how important it is to pray. Mark 1:35 says, "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed." Isn't that crazy? Jesus, the Son of God, perfectly righteous, without sin, found it necessary and important to get some alone time with the Father. Matthew 6:1-15 talks about prayer. Please read it. Just type it into google, it's right there a couple clicks and types away. Go ahead, I can wait. See you in a few minutes.
I've learned that almost all of my prayer is about asking God for something or to do something. If prayer is my communication with God, what good is that doing? Isaiah 55:8 says that my thoughts and ways are not God's thoughts and ways. In fact, as high as the heavens are above the earth, that's how much higher his ways are than mine. If I have a relationship with God, or anyone for that matter, what good would that relationship be if I just made requests all the time. I encourage you that as you pray and read through scripture, that listening would become part of your prayer life. That's something I'm weak at. Don't get me wrong, the Bible tells us, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7)
My prayer for you, whoever you may be, is Philippians 4:6-7, that your prayer life and relationship with God would grow to conform to His ways for your life rather than your own. As far as my prayer requests go, you could be in prayer for:
-those in Jacksonville now working at the Summer Day Camp to have patience and the love of God for the kids as well as the families they come into contact with.
-me to not get discouraged about my ankle and to rely on God to provide for my next year in Florida.
-those that live near all the flooding in Florida as well as those directly effected by the Colorado fires. Even though you might not know anyone personally, let's lift them up to God in prayer.
Throughout my life, I've been blessed with not getting injured or hurt badly enough to go to a hospital. Yesterday while playing basketball with some older guys at church, I landed on the side of my foot and possibly sprained it. It did hurt but I played a couple more games on it since it wasn't so bad. To make a long story short, I used crutches for the first time in my life (well, other times were just for fun), and now I have a boot on it so that I can walk. I'm okay and even though I can't move as quickly and I can't play basketball or go frolfing with people for a while, my spirit is surprisingly not damaged.
Earlier yesterday, I watched a 6 minute video of a pastor talking about what it would look like to love people as Jesus loves us. It kind of hit me hard, in a good way, and I wanted to share it with you, whoever may be reading this. I hope it is convicting and that it moves you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6TUnxm6DSc&feature=related
It's been a while since I've included prayer requests in my blogs and that's something I definitely don't want to forget. In my recent devotion times, God has made it clearer to me at how important it is to pray. Mark 1:35 says, "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed." Isn't that crazy? Jesus, the Son of God, perfectly righteous, without sin, found it necessary and important to get some alone time with the Father. Matthew 6:1-15 talks about prayer. Please read it. Just type it into google, it's right there a couple clicks and types away. Go ahead, I can wait. See you in a few minutes.
I've learned that almost all of my prayer is about asking God for something or to do something. If prayer is my communication with God, what good is that doing? Isaiah 55:8 says that my thoughts and ways are not God's thoughts and ways. In fact, as high as the heavens are above the earth, that's how much higher his ways are than mine. If I have a relationship with God, or anyone for that matter, what good would that relationship be if I just made requests all the time. I encourage you that as you pray and read through scripture, that listening would become part of your prayer life. That's something I'm weak at. Don't get me wrong, the Bible tells us, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7)
My prayer for you, whoever you may be, is Philippians 4:6-7, that your prayer life and relationship with God would grow to conform to His ways for your life rather than your own. As far as my prayer requests go, you could be in prayer for:
-those in Jacksonville now working at the Summer Day Camp to have patience and the love of God for the kids as well as the families they come into contact with.
-me to not get discouraged about my ankle and to rely on God to provide for my next year in Florida.
-those that live near all the flooding in Florida as well as those directly effected by the Colorado fires. Even though you might not know anyone personally, let's lift them up to God in prayer.
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Home
Where I consider home has never really changed in my life. I was born in West Allis, Wisconsin, grew up in West Allis, lived in the same house, etc. If someone asked me, "Where's home for you?" Without any hesitation I'd say West Allis. This past week, I spent four days in Madison where I lived for five years catching up with friends and setting up support meetings. As I walked down familiar streets and into familiar buildings and houses, it felt as if I'd never left. Recognizable sights and smells (unfortunately) filled my senses. What is it about visiting a memory that makes our reality clearer, forces time into existence? College students looked like little children to me, walking to classes like robots programmed to pursue the American Dream without a second thought. This part of my life has past away and I left that graveyard of broken dreams with bittersweet feelings. I would not be who or where I am today if I hadn't gone to UW-Madison and met the people I met. For that, I praise God!
While in Madison, I met with a friend who brought up a new idea of the word "home." He told me that he wants to live life as if his "home" is one where he is walking closely with Jesus, whether that's in prayer or reading the Bible, this home is not one built by bricks and wood, but rather by his relationship with Christ. I really liked his idea of what home was to him. If that were my definition of where my home is, it wouldn't be limited to where I was geographically but rather where my heart was spiritually.
While I was spending some time at the MOB (mansion of brothers, the house I lived in for 3 years in Madison), I found a book called The Treasure Principle written by Randy Alcorn. As I had some time in between meetings, I started reading the first chapter. It described the parable in Matthew 13:44. A man is traveling on a journey, sandals are the only comfort for his tired and scraped feet, hot sun is beating down on his sweaty face, he walks through a strangers field on a worn path to cut the distance like other travelers before him, his staff in hand is the only support for his every step. As he takes another step, his big stick hits something metal. He looks down, wipes the dirt off the shiny surface, and digs it up. His weak body is fueled with excitement and he lifts up a golden chest, probably buried by a king who is hundreds of years dead and left no notice about this treasure. The traveler opens it up and there shines golden coins, jewels of all kinds, worth more than he can even imagine. Filled with excitement, he reburies the chest and instead of hobbling down the path, there is now a skip in his step. He must do anything he can to buy this field. He goes home and sells everything he owns and in the world's eyes, makes a foolish investment. Alcorn is not condoning greed or the deceitfulness towards the original field owner, but he wanted to portray how Jesus and the kingdom of heaven ought to be our objects of treasure where we are filled with such anticipation to be with him in heaven that everything else that our heart possesses ought to be thrown off, sold, eliminated, of lesser value than the beautiful gift of salvation and grace that Jesus offers.
Have you ever watched someone die? A few days ago, Nik Wallenda (a stunt man from a long line of daredevil relatives) walked along a tightrope across the Niagara Falls. As I watched a short special on his life, they showed his grandfather Karl's last ever tightrope walk. The line wobbled, his balancing pole aid was tilting, and he fell to his death. Probably the most intense feeling I had was the few seconds before he fell. I was told he was going to fall and die in the next few seconds. Life would quickly turn to death. I was reminded of the same feeling I had when I saw an olympic luger at the Vancouver games get thrown from his sled into a pillar, dying. When in 8th grade, I saw people jump to their deaths off of the Twin Towers on September 11th. There's something haunting about death, knowing someone is going to die. I don't want to be presumptuous but sometimes I feel that watching movies and shows with killing and death in them helps us to numb and desensitize the pain of thinking of our own deaths. Thinking of our own death makes people question life. Why is it? What is it? Walking around thinking of death all the time might not seem like the best idea, but man, think of how many things we consider important would change into what they actually are, stupid and pointless.
Each of us has a countdown to our death, each second of your life disappears and in a sense, dies. Clock is ticking. If you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, he offers you forgiveness (1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."), and also salvation (John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."). We are guaranteed to be with Jesus and go to our eventual home in heaven when we die (not because of what we do, but because Jesus died for us). This treasure that we have, despite not visibly seeing it now, should completely take over every thought and word and action in our lives, much like the weary traveler in Matthew 13. Where is your final destination? The thing you are working towards? What are you striving for? What defines whether or not you have a good day? These are things I, too, need to ask myself and take before the Lord.
While in Madison, I met with a friend who brought up a new idea of the word "home." He told me that he wants to live life as if his "home" is one where he is walking closely with Jesus, whether that's in prayer or reading the Bible, this home is not one built by bricks and wood, but rather by his relationship with Christ. I really liked his idea of what home was to him. If that were my definition of where my home is, it wouldn't be limited to where I was geographically but rather where my heart was spiritually.
While I was spending some time at the MOB (mansion of brothers, the house I lived in for 3 years in Madison), I found a book called The Treasure Principle written by Randy Alcorn. As I had some time in between meetings, I started reading the first chapter. It described the parable in Matthew 13:44. A man is traveling on a journey, sandals are the only comfort for his tired and scraped feet, hot sun is beating down on his sweaty face, he walks through a strangers field on a worn path to cut the distance like other travelers before him, his staff in hand is the only support for his every step. As he takes another step, his big stick hits something metal. He looks down, wipes the dirt off the shiny surface, and digs it up. His weak body is fueled with excitement and he lifts up a golden chest, probably buried by a king who is hundreds of years dead and left no notice about this treasure. The traveler opens it up and there shines golden coins, jewels of all kinds, worth more than he can even imagine. Filled with excitement, he reburies the chest and instead of hobbling down the path, there is now a skip in his step. He must do anything he can to buy this field. He goes home and sells everything he owns and in the world's eyes, makes a foolish investment. Alcorn is not condoning greed or the deceitfulness towards the original field owner, but he wanted to portray how Jesus and the kingdom of heaven ought to be our objects of treasure where we are filled with such anticipation to be with him in heaven that everything else that our heart possesses ought to be thrown off, sold, eliminated, of lesser value than the beautiful gift of salvation and grace that Jesus offers.
Have you ever watched someone die? A few days ago, Nik Wallenda (a stunt man from a long line of daredevil relatives) walked along a tightrope across the Niagara Falls. As I watched a short special on his life, they showed his grandfather Karl's last ever tightrope walk. The line wobbled, his balancing pole aid was tilting, and he fell to his death. Probably the most intense feeling I had was the few seconds before he fell. I was told he was going to fall and die in the next few seconds. Life would quickly turn to death. I was reminded of the same feeling I had when I saw an olympic luger at the Vancouver games get thrown from his sled into a pillar, dying. When in 8th grade, I saw people jump to their deaths off of the Twin Towers on September 11th. There's something haunting about death, knowing someone is going to die. I don't want to be presumptuous but sometimes I feel that watching movies and shows with killing and death in them helps us to numb and desensitize the pain of thinking of our own deaths. Thinking of our own death makes people question life. Why is it? What is it? Walking around thinking of death all the time might not seem like the best idea, but man, think of how many things we consider important would change into what they actually are, stupid and pointless.
Each of us has a countdown to our death, each second of your life disappears and in a sense, dies. Clock is ticking. If you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, he offers you forgiveness (1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."), and also salvation (John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."). We are guaranteed to be with Jesus and go to our eventual home in heaven when we die (not because of what we do, but because Jesus died for us). This treasure that we have, despite not visibly seeing it now, should completely take over every thought and word and action in our lives, much like the weary traveler in Matthew 13. Where is your final destination? The thing you are working towards? What are you striving for? What defines whether or not you have a good day? These are things I, too, need to ask myself and take before the Lord.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Toxic Charity
For the summer, I'm hoping to complete a book I just started called Toxic Charity. The subtitle is chilling, How Churches and Charities Hurt Those They Help. I've only read the first chapter so far and it reminds me a lot of When Helping Hurts. These authors have worked in ministering to the poor for decades and have seen what works, what hurts in terms of helping the poor. Let me start off by just showing you the first paragraph of the book, (the first chapter entitled "The Scandal") and you'll get the author's point very quickly.
"In the United States, there's a growing scandal that we both refuse to see and actively perpetuate. What Americans avoid facing is that while we are very generous in charitable giving, much of that money is either wasted or actually harms the people it is targeted to help."
With that being said, I can either refuse to believe what he says as true, or I can continue reading, already knowing that the author has quite a bit of knowledge and experience in this. I kept reading.
"We mean well, our motives are good, but we have neglected to conduct care-full due diligence t odetermine emotional, economic, and cultural outcomes on the receiving end of our charity. Why do we miss this crucial aspect in evaluating our charitable work? because, as compassionate people, we have been evaluating our charity by the rewards we receive through service, rather than the benefits received by the served."
Wow. That kind of hurts. Sometimes I'm at a fast food place and I might be asked to donate a dollar to go to "whatever" fund and I sometimes might say yes. I feel good. Did a good deed. It's small but it helps, right? I'd say I'm more focused on the fact that I feel good rather than on those that the money goes to. I have no idea what organizations I've given to, if the money was used with integrity, or if any positive results came from it. I have no lasting relationship or memory of these "needs."
Yes, in some circumstances, giving material things is not only good but it's absolutely necessary in order to keep people from dying. Food, water, clothes, shelter. We'll call this relief. In natural disasters, economic structures and resources can be wiped out. Disaster strikes. Compassionate people start food drives, clothing drives, etc. to ship to these places. This relief is good because it's quick and sustains life for a while. However, there comes a point where relief must transition to development and in a timely manner, otherwise, prolonged relief becomes toxic, despite good intentions and compassionate hearts. It destroys personal initiative.
This reminds me of the after school program and helping the kids with their homework. I can see a kid's poor grades and feel really moved to help them get better grades, so I could start giving them the answers to their homework assignments. This could be called relief. However, I feel in educational circumstances, development is really the only option in order to help the kids grow and learn things for themselves. I can act as a guide, but as soon as they become dependent on me giving them the answers, I've knocked them back in the wrong direction. They are worse off then before, despite my heart to help.
To finish up Chapter 1, Robert D. Lupton (the author) provides The Oath for Compassionate Service. Basically, six musts when looking to serve the poor.
"-Never do for the poor what they have (or could have) the capacity to do for themselves.
-Limit one-way giving to emergency situations.
-Strive to empower the poor through employment, lending, and investing, using grants sparingly to reinforce achievements.
-Subordinate self-interests to the needs of those being served.
-Listen closely to those you seek to help, especially to what is not being said--unspoken feelings may contain essential clues to effective service.
-Above all, do no harm."
For those of you who I haven't told yet, 2nd Mile Ministries is a Christian Community Development Organization, looking to empower those in the community through relationships to lead their community forward. These long-term goals have to be carried out carefully as to not make things worse. I hope this information either challenged you, made you think, or encouraged you. It's definitely worth the read. Both Toxic Charity and When Helping Hurts are very similar in content, yet are told from different view points and include different experiences so reading one or the other would probably suffice. Kind of like watching Sleepless in Seattle and You've Got Mail (so I'm told). Same story, different circumstances.
"In the United States, there's a growing scandal that we both refuse to see and actively perpetuate. What Americans avoid facing is that while we are very generous in charitable giving, much of that money is either wasted or actually harms the people it is targeted to help."
With that being said, I can either refuse to believe what he says as true, or I can continue reading, already knowing that the author has quite a bit of knowledge and experience in this. I kept reading.
"We mean well, our motives are good, but we have neglected to conduct care-full due diligence t odetermine emotional, economic, and cultural outcomes on the receiving end of our charity. Why do we miss this crucial aspect in evaluating our charitable work? because, as compassionate people, we have been evaluating our charity by the rewards we receive through service, rather than the benefits received by the served."
Wow. That kind of hurts. Sometimes I'm at a fast food place and I might be asked to donate a dollar to go to "whatever" fund and I sometimes might say yes. I feel good. Did a good deed. It's small but it helps, right? I'd say I'm more focused on the fact that I feel good rather than on those that the money goes to. I have no idea what organizations I've given to, if the money was used with integrity, or if any positive results came from it. I have no lasting relationship or memory of these "needs."
Yes, in some circumstances, giving material things is not only good but it's absolutely necessary in order to keep people from dying. Food, water, clothes, shelter. We'll call this relief. In natural disasters, economic structures and resources can be wiped out. Disaster strikes. Compassionate people start food drives, clothing drives, etc. to ship to these places. This relief is good because it's quick and sustains life for a while. However, there comes a point where relief must transition to development and in a timely manner, otherwise, prolonged relief becomes toxic, despite good intentions and compassionate hearts. It destroys personal initiative.
This reminds me of the after school program and helping the kids with their homework. I can see a kid's poor grades and feel really moved to help them get better grades, so I could start giving them the answers to their homework assignments. This could be called relief. However, I feel in educational circumstances, development is really the only option in order to help the kids grow and learn things for themselves. I can act as a guide, but as soon as they become dependent on me giving them the answers, I've knocked them back in the wrong direction. They are worse off then before, despite my heart to help.
To finish up Chapter 1, Robert D. Lupton (the author) provides The Oath for Compassionate Service. Basically, six musts when looking to serve the poor.
"-Never do for the poor what they have (or could have) the capacity to do for themselves.
-Limit one-way giving to emergency situations.
-Strive to empower the poor through employment, lending, and investing, using grants sparingly to reinforce achievements.
-Subordinate self-interests to the needs of those being served.
-Listen closely to those you seek to help, especially to what is not being said--unspoken feelings may contain essential clues to effective service.
-Above all, do no harm."
For those of you who I haven't told yet, 2nd Mile Ministries is a Christian Community Development Organization, looking to empower those in the community through relationships to lead their community forward. These long-term goals have to be carried out carefully as to not make things worse. I hope this information either challenged you, made you think, or encouraged you. It's definitely worth the read. Both Toxic Charity and When Helping Hurts are very similar in content, yet are told from different view points and include different experiences so reading one or the other would probably suffice. Kind of like watching Sleepless in Seattle and You've Got Mail (so I'm told). Same story, different circumstances.
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