Youth, Family Life, and Education

Stephanie and I were invited to join the Youth, Family Life,and Education committee in the Ivanhoe neighborhood. This is a community that is still working to recover from years of neglect and abandonment, but the members of the community association are very optimistic. Last week we went to our first meeting and were so encouraged by our time with our new friends. This is a community of people who are trusting God to make things happen, and bring the right people to make this a thriving community for families.

During the meeting we discussed how we could inform the families about the programs that are available for the youth, and decided that as a group we needed to get out and meet all the youth in the area. So in our next meeting we will be planning a neighborhood canvassing, then we will be going door to door to meet families.

The Ivanhoe community is in the center of the city, and is made up of 400 square blocks. Because of a number of reasons people have moved out of the community so there are only 6,000 people currently living in the area. We have also learnt that all of the schools in Ivanhoe have been closed. This means that within the 400 blocks that make up Ivanhoe there aren't a lot of options for kids. So we are excited to be on a team that will engage the youth and build relationships with them. We can't wait to see what the Spring and Summer will bring in Ivanhoe.

I am Ruined - A thought from Stephanie

"You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the twelve. Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God." (John 6:67-69)

These words have been in my heart and mind for the last week. Peter's words have resonated deeply within me.  Jesus had just given one of his hardest and weirdest teachings where he told people that basically to have life they had to eat his flesh and drink his blood.  Talk about vampires and crazy stuff...this is a little out there and creepy right?  As a result of him saying this, most of the people that had been following him left. They said "this is a hard teaching...who can accept this?" And then they turned back and no longer followed him. To that, Jesus' asks his questions to the twelve apostles: "Are you gonna leave too?"

When I hear Peter's response, I don't hear it in a bold, take on the world, save the day type of tone. I hear a gentle, humble and even scared reply of "where would we go?" Yeah, what you just said is confusing and weird and a little scary, but where else are we going to go? What would we do? We've already left everything, we've already seen and experienced too much of you to go back to just doing what we used to.

I guess in a way, that is what I feel like.  Over the last year or so I have seen and experienced God doing some crazy things in my life. I have gotten to be a part of things that are bigger than myself. I have found a sense of identity and freedom in trying to do the best I can to seek first His Kingdom and leave the things of the world behind. I am learning to leave behind the things other people tell me I should care about and instead, I am trying to pursue the things and people that God cares about.

I have experienced the humbling feeling of having no idea how things would get taken care of financially, only to have friends and family "randomly" provide for us. We have always been taken care of.  God continually uses his people to take care of us and it is always in perfect timing.  I have also seen doors open for relationships that I could have never planned on my own. I have experienced freedom.

There is freedom in not feeling pressure to uphold an image that the world says we should have.  There is freedom in not feeling like I have to do something really cool in order to have value. There is freedom in knowing that my identity is in who I am in Christ and in trying to live life like Jesus did - loving God and loving people.

So, like Peter, I too have been ruined. I have been ruined by the experiences I have had in the few moments when I do get it right and pursue the things that God cares about.  In those moments I experience him and get a glimpse of what life can be like if I do put His Kingdom first. And when I see that, there is no way I can go back to settling with how things used to be.  The things of this world are no longer satisfying. I cannot settle to go back to make more money, or have more stuff, or to be more absorbed in myself or to try to define myself by the "good things" that I do.  I am ruined.

Now, do I know exactly what the future holds for us? Nope. Am I scared sometimes? Yes. Do I get things right every time? Absolutely not.  However, I share in Peter's reply - "Lord, to whom shall I go? You have the words of eternal life. I believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.

So what about you? Have you been ruined?

Rest and Reconciliation

On Sunday I had the opportunity to speak at Restore Community Church. I had a great time doing a little rap (you can find that on my Facebook page) and speaking on the word "Back". This word is taken from our mission at Restore which is "Helping People Find Their Way Back To God". This has been our teaching series for the past 5 weeks, and I was happy to be given the opportunity to share what God has been teaching me about this word "Back".
I'm really passionate about the idea of looking back because it forces us to look at a story that is bigger than our own individual one. It helps us to answer the questions "Why are things in the world so broken?" and "Is this the way things are supposed to be?" We only find the answers to these question when we look back to the Fall, when we were separated from God as a result of disobedience in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3). The good news is that God refuses to leave us separated from him. He sends his son, Jesus to remove that separation by paying a price that we could never pay. His own sinless life.  This is how we are brought "back" to God, this is the Gospel.
As a result God sends us out to join him on his mission to bring people back to him. Paul says in 2 Corinthians that we are given the "Ministry of Reconciliation".  This is our mission as God's people but we are easily distracted, we are fearful, and sometimes we just don't think its our job or "calling" so we settle for living a mediocre life instead of being a part of something greater than ourselves.
We often overlook the other side to this same coin of reconciliation.  God has also removed the separation that divides us as people. Our ministry of reconciliation crosses racial, economic, cultural, and yes, even political lines for people of all backgrounds to be brought back to God and one another. So what I'm saying is, get to know someone that doesn't look like you or invite someone of a different economic background over for dinner. Get out of your social bubble! Because as long as you "stick with your own" you will be missing out on what other people who bear the image of God have to offer. Reconciliation should result in a mutual friendship from both parties. This can be messy at times, but is worth the risk.

So, after having an amazing Sunday with my Restore family Stephanie and I flew out to Virginia Beach to spend a few days with some more family. Scott and Brittany (Stephanie's brother and his fiance) live in Philadelphia so Stephanie's parents, Stephanie, and I  flew out to Virginia. We had a great time relaxing and getting refreshed as we ate good food, enjoyed each others company and watched some good movies. Did I say we ate good food?!
It was awesome!

A thought about trusting people to be the Church

Stephanie and I have both made a decision that we will do a leadership residency at Restore Community Church with the hope of planting a healthy church in Kansas City, Missouri. We have both turned down ministry opportunities here in Kansas City and in Chicago because we believe that God is leading us to start something new. As part of my training I am learning the art of fund raising. I can say that this is the hardest part of the residency for me for a number of reasons, but mainly because I am very independent and at first did not understand the real reason behind fund raising. I have learnt that fundraising is more than a check to pay the bills, but it is an invitation for people to be a part of something that is way bigger than ourselves. By fundraising I am inviting people to join the mission of planting the Gospel in the heart of our city.

I had a friend challenge me on my independence and how that leads to me worrying about money. As we were talking on the phone one day he said "You need to allow God's people to be the Church!"
This struck me, and helped me to understand the opportunity I have to help people to grow in generosity. I learnt that God wants to work in his people to bless Stephanie and I. And this has definitely been the case. We know God has moved his people because we seem to get exactly what we need at just the right time. In fact, just this week we received a gift from our friend who challenged me to "allow God's people to be the Church" and it was just as were about to begin worrying.

I have a long way to go on this journey of fund raising thing, but I can definitely see how God is leading his people to partner with us in this mission and be the Church.