By thy mercy, Oh deliver us

I know it's been a while, and I apologize if you have been kept waiting. There's been tons going on recently, and so I decided I should let you all in on what been going on.

Today, for the third time in about 10 days, our house was broken into and burglarized. The first time, I was in the house and managed to prevent them from getting much, though they stole a laptop and my cell phone. There were three kids, around the age of 15. I chased them out the back, but let them get away. That happened to be the second time where I was the only one in the house during a burglary. Anyways, figuring that wouldn't be the last time we saw them, we kept the house locked, and our dog in the yard. Unfortunately that didn't deter a second robbery while we were all gone, during which time they made out with six laptops, and two game systems among other things (although 3 laptops and the xbox were broken, so the joke is partly on them). That was two days ago. Today I walked in to find the TV gone along with several other items, and our sense of safety and 'home-ness' trampled on once again. Obviously, these events have spurred innumerable emotions, among which are anger, fear, morbid curiosity, and certainly the need to protect what's "ours." These reactions, you may have noticed, do not include love, forgiveness, compassion, and prayer for the young men who have thrice sinned against us. 

And there is where I've been convicted. All throughout the scriptures we find references to loving those who seem unlovable. Matthew five is packed with convicting verses, such as "love your enemy" or "when someone takes something from you, don't demand it back" or "pray for those who sin against you." I think the reason that we feel so violated is because we have an attachment to our things. And while to an extent this is normal, I've been reminded of Matthew 6:19: "Don't store up treasures on earth.. where thieves break in and steal." In my incredibly limited knowledge, I've realized several things: our stuff really isn't ours; our identity is in Christ our foundation, not our possessions; thieves DO actually break in and steal; often I value a PS3 more than young men made in the imago dei. 

But another challenge that I've been wondering about his: where does justice play a role in this situation? We want to be people that love mercy, but we also act justly, and doesn't this situation deserve justice? How does doing nothing uphold justice? I am turned to Romans 12:19: "Don't take revenge, but leave room for the wrath of God." Honestly, I think that God can exact better, and more just revenge than I can. 

What about forgiveness? I mean lets be honest, how many times should we forgive these kids? The first time, it's like ok, we're in ministry, stuff happens, I forgive you for stealing from me because you didn't really get much and no one got hurt. The second time? Alright, this is really stretching it- you got several thousand dollars worth of stuff and trampled our sense of security, but I tell people that they gotta love the unlovable, so I forgive you. But don't do it again, or else. The third time? Three strikes and you're out, right? I mean you can really ask us to forgive them again, seriously? 

Right about there is where Matthew 18:21 steps in, with Peter asking this exact question. Jesus' answer is mindblowing: he essentially says QUIT COUNTING.  

But how is this even possible? Really, we've been robbed 3 times and we're supposed to forgive them, AGAIN?

I recently watched a video of the story of how a Christian hip-hop artist/pastor and his wife overcame an affair, and one thing that his wife said has been impressed into my memory. She said "I can forgive him because he has not done more to me than I did to my Savior." 

Wow. Deep.

I think that is exactly the heart of what Jesus was saying in Matthew 18; and subsequently is the reason that I need to forgive these kids; they have not done more to me than I have to my Savior. 

Partly, this is me digesting what's going on, and partly it's me wanting you to be connected to this crazy summer. I would love to hear your thoughts on this post. I'll try to post with more regularity, but forgive me if I don't! 

I think it would be easy to ask you to pray for justice, but I'm going to ask you to pray for mercy for these young men. Pray that God's will would be done; pray that they would learn what it means to walk humbly with God. 

#Micah6:8on'em

Soli Deo Gloria

How great is our God!

In the midst of the nitty gritty, it is easy to lose sight of how great our God truly is. Who else can change people’s hearts in a mere week? In the middle of schedules, organization, and efficiency we must continue to remind ourselves and each other to look to the Cross which is the source of our joy and sustenance. Undoubtedly during a week such as the week we throw at our students, there is a level of spiritual warfare going on, and this certainly affects us. We can get bogged down or find ourselves struggling to maintain our well-being. It is important to restore our vision; or rather to have it restored by Christ. And in the midst of all of this, we must search to see the glory of God in all things. From the staff at sunshine, it is most prominently seen each week by the students who join us in ministry here for the week. It is put on display by all of the children that we work with, and the kids running around the neighborhood. It is displayed through our attempt to restore Shalom in our community. This isn’t to say we are perfect; far from it. However we must be reminded why we do what we do, and who we do it for. Christ is our sustainer, our joy and our hope, and without him we cannot do what we do. It is wonderful to see stereotypes broken, presuppositions undone, and lives opened to what the gospel has to say about the poor, justice and mercy. Our goal is to see people who act justly, love mercy and walk humbly and through the grace of God we weekly see students take up the challenge: How great is our God!

Soli Deo Gloria

You could say I'm fresh to death; I'm eternally clean!

Throughout my extensive travels, I've found that transportation can be the most entertaining portion of the entire trip!

Whoever invented the megabus certainly held this philosophy. Cram a whole bunch of tired, angry people into a small space and you have a recipe for entertainment. I happen to be a frequent traveler on such vehicles of exploration, and I decided to share a few of my stories with you all.

It was one dreary morning, and the tension was high. In fact it was so thick you could cut it like butter. Angry mothers, slap-happy children, and one apathetic bus driver combined for numerous linguistically colorful outbursts. After finally getting checked into the bus, next comes the most awkward 45 seconds known to man; find a seat next to the least creepy-looking stranger. If you are one of the lucky few that manages to find a seat all to yourself, count yourself lucky. This awkward musical musical chairs goes on for about 25 minutes as each disgruntled passenger finds their seats.

If you can manage to not fall asleep, you will undoubtedly find a story or two in the midst of the madness. As any good public transportation student would do, I plugged in my headphones and began pretending like I was shutting out the world. After about 20 minutes, out of the corner of my eye I notice an older woman take off her hat.. No big deal right? My first thought, however, was "wait a second, she wasn't wearing a hat." I take a second look and realize that she has just pulled off a wig, leaving her completely bald. The wig itself looked like a WW2 replica Soviet bearskin cap. Perhaps the most entertaining encounter I've had, ever. 

On the same trip, there happened to be a very large, thugged out gentleman in front of me. His equally thugged out woman friend was sitting next to him and about 30 minutes into the trip, went berserk. Why you ask? The large, 50-cent like gentleman was snoring. I mean he was cutting trees. With a hedge trimmer. It was the single most spectacular example of snoring I have ever heard. Imagine a car engine that simply won't turn over coming out of a pimped out Fat Albert.  Several people in the back began to laugh, and that set off the "I love New York" impersonator. Who needs cable when you have the megabus?

I hope to have brightened your day slightly by sharing some of my more humorous interactions...

If not, Jesus still loves you. 

Soli Deo Gloria

I wonder...

Before I jump into this post, BEWARE. I'm gonna ruffle some feathers. In fact, this is probably going to make some people angry. If you don't want your feathers ruffled, exit your browser. If you don't mind, know that I'm not trying to upset you, but that could very well be a by-product. (I'm about to pull a Rob Bell and destroy my question mark key.)

Last chance... ;)


In recent days, weeks, and months, I've seen one 'issue,' one topic take the forefront of our attention as a nation. That being the issue of homosexuality. In today's society where most people would say that we are freer than ever; in a society where most people would say that we have eliminated, or at least have nearly eliminated oppression in America; it seems that there is one group of people who have not experienced such freedom. Recently I saw a PSA by several Phoenix Suns players whose message was essentially "It's not ok to use the word 'gay' to mean stupid, dumb, weak etc..." I was watching with a friend who after the ad says to me, "well that was just gay." He wasn't joking.

In Dan Kimball's book "unChristian" he says that to the non-believer, one of the chief descriptions of the church is anti-homosexual. OUCH. It is easy to be defensive to this claim, but for a moment, let down your defenses and just let that idea sink in. Christians, who serve a God whose chief characteristic is love, are often seen by the culture as anti-homosexual. We are seen as unloving- further still- hateful toward an entire portion of society. How has this happened? Is not the bible rife with exhortations to love those who are different? To protect the oppressed? To love the neighbor as the self? The honest question must be asked then, how did we get to this point?

I am certainly not an expert and do not claim to be; however, I wonder if the idea 'hate the sin love the sinner' has so permeated our thinking that we do not see how it has blinded us. Is it really possible for us fallen human beings to dissect one from the other? Especially if we think that a person is defined by their sin? It is important for us to realize that every human being is created in the image of God, loved by him dearly, and desperately in need of him. I believe that it is inevitable for us to merge the two, and lose track of loving the person in the midst of hating what they do, and (to us) who they are.

I wonder if in 50 or a 100 years the church will look back at us, much the way we look back at the pro-slavery church and mourn that we ignored scripture in the pursuit of doing what we think scripture says. Certainly there are aspects of homosexuality that as Christians we cannot condone, but does that exempt us from loving the homosexual? To take it a step further, should we discard everything from the homosexual culture? Why are we willing to looking for glory in certain communities and not others?

Perhaps you wonder if I'm blowing this out of proportion, asking yourself if this is really THAT big of a deal? I think the answer is yes. How can we effectively show love to someone while simultaneously attempting to suppress their civil liberties? Ought we, who live in a society where freedom is our cornerstone attempt to deny rights to those who we don't believe deserve them? In a country where we declare "all men are created equal, endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, among whom are the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" can we selectively decide who this does and does not apply to?

Maybe you wonder if I'm making this up. Does this really happen? Christians aren't anti-homosexual, are they? Yes. It does. And often, Yes we are. Our churches have isolated the (supposed) sin of homosexuality and put it at the pinnacle of 'sin-ranking.' Christian schools have put by-laws in place making it permissible to dismiss students who "come out of the closet." Christians lead the assault against homosexual rights, including marriage, adoption, school clubs/rights for various reasons. How can we be an effective witness to those we condemn from the pulpit? When our pastors use incendiary rhetoric against homosexuality, and those in a homosexual lifestyle, what does that do to their (and our) credibility in claiming to love the neighbor?

Jesus came and hung out with those who society deemed 'unclean,' prostitutes, and tax collectors. When did we decide that we can isolate ourselves from those who are different, a 'threat' to our way of life, and an opponent to our belief systems? Are we losing our saltiness and dimming our light if we stand against, not for our neighbor?


For a great book on this subject check out Christopher Yuan's book "Out of a far country."

Soli Deo Gloria

Round One

A lot of times during the build up to a week of Bridge Builders it can seem like a spiritual boxing match is going on. People get sick, cars break, staff quarrel or get distracted over pointless things, all the while distracting from the week that is coming up. This week was no exception when everything seemed to hit at once from poison ivy in the eyes to five cars breaking down to lots of pointless distractions. It also seems that when the going gets tough the results of the week are the best! I am really excited to see what God is going to do in and through these 50 Bridge Builder participants!

We are hosting two groups; Wooddale Community Church from Minneapolis MN, and Hixson Presbyterian from Chattanooga TN! We are really excited to see what's going to happen!

Last night was our big welcome and orientation night, and today they are dispersing to their various work projects which range from a community gardening initiative to working with youth camps to doing light maintenance. They will also visit Pacific Garden Mission, which is the largest homeless shelter in the US.

There are few things which totally surprise me and are firsts during a week of BB, though last night was an exception. Bob the bus driver from Minnesota turned our porch into a stage for all 50+ of us and played his accordion and  sung a song he had written. Needless to say it was a VERY cross-cultural, cross-generational moment!

Please be praying for our students and staff as we continue to move forward this week!

Soli Deo Gloria

Turn the other cheek?

So for those who are curious here is my story of the day:
Today as I was biking home from a long day of work that happened to include an extra two hours of carrying wood to the back upstairs porch at Sunshine. Anyways, I was cruising down the sidewalk when a couple of guys decided it would be funny to try and jump me. One guy had rather long stick he swung at me, and the other just tried to hit me. Using my puma-like reflexes I ducked the stick and swerved toward the street, effectively evading my "friends." All this to say the only damage done was a slipped chain on the bike which I fixed about a block later (I don't really know how I was able to make that entire block without peddling.) When I looked up after fixing the bike (while hearing the guys and their entourage yell that they broke my bike and other not-Jesus-friendly things) There were two guys who were apparently the parking security at the church across the street, I said hey and just kept on moving (I think they were the reason the guys decided not to come and take the bike and my stuff. I think there's a touched-by-an-angel reference somewhere in here.)

In the last hour or so since it happened, I've had time to think and reflect on what happened. My first thought was to simply pray and thank God for gifting me with such lightning-fast reflexes, or at least that the guy had bad aim, or that he (God) simply protect me (if not some combination.) As I was thinking about it, I realized that this is the first (semi)serious incident in the last seven years of living here in what many would consider a 'dangerous' community. I consider it home. The reason I decided to share this is not for shock value, nor is it for sympathy or worry, rather it is intended to let you in on the glory of God and his sovereignty in this situation.

A passage of scripture quickly came to mind after I had been pondering it all school year; Matthew 5:38-44. In this passage Jesus essentially says if someone attacks you, don't attack back. Technically is says to turn the other cheek. Technically I ducked so I don't think I'll get in trouble for that one- I'm calling it "premature turning." Regardless, I hope that you will pray for the gentlemen whose actions belied their upbringing. I also would hope that you would pray for my many neighbors who have to deal with these kind of situations far more frequently than I, and who often times don't manage to evade unscathed.

In all things,

Soli Deo Gloria

BandWagon

Yep.
I jumped on it.

Much like Ohio jumped on the Mavs recent success, I jumped onto the blogging bandwagon.

While the NBA roller-coaster is over for a while, my own blogging journey is just about to begin. There are, I suppose, a few reasons that I decided to pull a Sir Mix-a-lot and  "jump, jump, jump on it." The first reason is to try and keep in touch with people that I don't necessarily get to, whether during the summer or during the school-year. Second (obligatory shout-out here) is to let my wonderful girlfriend know what is happening while she's serving the Lord in the Congo for the next five months!

As I continue to work with the Bridge Builders program in Chicago over the summer I will post the experiences, laughs and struggles of each individual week.

Until next time,

Soli Deo Gloria