Engage

This week I was asked to lead a discussion at Engage, which is a mentoring program for boys at Oak Park High School. The topic this week was "Waging Peace".
I invited my friend Michael to tell his story, and help me lead the discussion with the group of students and teachers. God has radically transformed Michael's life. He shared with the boys how at an early age he got influenced by older guys in his neighborhood here in Kansas City which resulted in him heading down the wrong path, going to jail, and getting shot. He talked openly about his mistakes and how now God is making him a new man through his relationship with Jesus.
As a result of his transparency the boys began to open up about how they navigate the hard times in their lives. We talked about the importance of community, and one of the teachers asked Micheal to share more about how his faith has impacted his decisions and how he deals with hard times.
Michael and I meet weekly to talk about being a follower of Jesus and how that applies to daily life. This week Stephanie and I had dinner with Michael, his wife Anna, and their kids. We are so excited to see how God is working in their family, and how our friendship is changing me.
 

On Mission?

This week I had the opportunity to join some church leaders in Kansas City in a training with Hugh Halter. Hugh is a leading voice in the Missional Movement and is the author of Sacrilege, AND , and Tangible Kingdom. I have always been interested in the missional conversation because it revolves around the idea of the Missio Dei (Mission of God). God is a missionary God. He sent Jesus into the world (Incarnation) to save us, the Apostles were sent to make disciples, and we are sent to continue that work. We gather on the Lord's day to remember his sacrifice then we scatter to be and bring Good News in our homes, communities and places of work. Mission is not only assigned to those who are called to foreign countries, though this is important. Every follower of Jesus is called to be on mission.

I love these times of training, and I have great respect for what guys like Hugh Halter have done to train leaders. I am left asking the question: Who are the people in Kansas City's poorest communities who are already doing this stuff? Who are those unknown missionaries who are not interested in writing books or teaching classes because they are busy doing the work? (I'm not saying that Hugh is not doing the work, he is doing great work!)
Who are those people who would be confused if you brought up the idea of being "On Mission" because as far as they are concerned to be a Christian is to be "On Mission"?

These are questions that I am constantly asking myself because I think the inner city has many people who would be considered to be on mission, but their stories are not being told. As I connect with more people in the city and prepare to plant a church, I will work on collecting the untold stories of the people who are on mission in the city and with their permission share them through this blog. God is at work everywhere, even in the places that seem hopeless. We have the opportunity to join him on His mission!

It's Not Political...

This month in Kansas City we have had too many shootings. Between Monday and Wednesday of this past week we have had 7 shootings. Like many other inner cities in America it is not uncommon to hear of gun violence, but this week I have been asking myself the question: "What is the church's role in the community, especially when it comes to the issue of gun violence?" I ask this question because these incidents happen in the community where we are looking to plant a church. For me, this is not a political issue, it's spiritual.


Other questions I ask:

• What difference will another church make in the community?
• How can the church help to prevent these shootings instead of reacting to the loss of a life?
• Shouldn't God's people have more influence in a community than the influence of gangs and drugs?
• What would happen if the pain of the city became all of our pain and more Christians moved into these communities to partner with the work that is already been done?

I don't have all the answers, and I'm not saying that nothing is being done by churches in the city, but I do think there is more that can be done. Fear has a grip on far too many of us. Whether you are in the suburbs or in the hood this is our problem. We can all be a part of the solution, because we are all one Church.