A Call To Anguish

"A Call To Anguish" by David Wilkerson

It Takes A Village: Responding To Teen Violence

You cannot work with young people in Chicago (or in many other places) and not think about and be burdened by the problem (and really the crisis) of teen violence. Chicago recently surpassed Los Angeles and New York as the youth homicide leader in the US. According to a recent N'Digo article, "prior to 2006, Chicago averaged 15 fatal student shootings each year. That climbed to 24 fatal shootings in the 2006-2007 school year, 23 deaths in the 2007-2008 school year, and 34 deaths during the last school year. Just two months into the current school year, 10 students have lost their lives." This type of violence has rippling effects that are felt throughout the city by teens, young children, families, classrooms & schools, etc.

The question of "what is the solution?" is often asked. In other words, how do we stem this tide. In the aftermath of tragic teen deaths, there seems to be well-intentioned dialogue and often times emotion filled finger pointing. The problem with this passionate call to accountability is that everyone deserves a collective share: the parents, the police, the government, the schools, the neighbors, the teens, and last but not least - the Church. I recently read two articles that talked about collective accountability and collective action on behalf of young people in Chicago.

Toure Muhammed, in an article entitled "The Root Of Teen Violence" in N'Digo wrote,
"Everyone, including many young people, know exactly what needs to be done. In a nutshell, solutions include parents, law enforcement, religious and civic leaders working together to provide a nurturing community where youth are loved, encouraged, and supported. The question is whether or not the village will take collective responsibility for saving teens from senseless, thoughtless violence."

A friend and co-laborer of mine, Chris Butler, recently wrote an article entitled "Demanding More From Ourselves" for the Urban Faith web site. Chris and I both agree that the Church must take the lead in sparking this movement for peace. I like the way he "dreams dreams" as he shares, "Imagine the impact that we could make if every believer in Chicago truly began to pray for peace in our city, then allowed that prayer to motivate and strengthen us toward action. What if every school in Chicago was adopted by a handful of churches? What if believers in every neighborhood began to take responsibility for a block, a train station, a bus route, and went out to meet the people there, serve them, and act as a presence for peace? What if we turned the power of protest onto the drug dealers by coming to the hottest spots at the hottest times (usually nighttime) and exposing their activities done in darkness with bright lights, singing, and prayer? What if there was a prophetic voice coming out of the church that, through both its words and actions, could consistently afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted? That would be an appropriate movement for Chicago --- and for every urban community."


It is going to take long-term, sustained, life on life investment. We, the Church, must lead the way.

Here I Am, Send Me!

What Is CCDA?

This past weekend I attended the CCDA conference for the 6th time in the last 8 years. CCDA stands for the Christian Community Development Association. It is an association that gathers ministry/church leaders and staff from around the country (and increasingly from around the world) who are committed to Christ-centered, wholistic ministry in under-resourced communities primarily in rural and urban areas. CCDA seeks to inspire and equip people to do the work of the ministry. I am always so inspired and refreshed at the CCDA conference. It charges me up to be with like minded people who love Jesus, and are committed to ministry to the poor, racial reconciliation, justice, etc.

I am still unpacking much of what I took in at the conference, but let me try to articulate some of the key things that I gleaned from my time there this past weekend...

I was greatly inspired by the life and legacy of Dr. John Perkins. At 79 years old, his life speaks. One of my favorite parts of the conference ever year is the morning Bible study time with Dr. Perkins. It is evident as he shares the Scriptures that he loves the Lord, loves the Word, and loves people. I received his challenge to make sure that my relationship with Christ, and time spent enjoying Him, is what fuels all ministry service for Him. Since getting saved some 50 plus years ago, he has devoted his life to Christian community development and to racial reconciliation. It was amazing to hear and see the fruit of a life lived to make disciples. I thank and praise God for his example and for how God has used him in my life.

I love the both/and emphasis of the conference. Meaning the emphasis of the Biblical mandate to "do justice" AND "do the work of an evangelist." In other words we are to reach the lost and serve the poor with equal integrity and fervency.

I was reminded afresh of the importance of life and ministry balance. Personally, I must be diligent (by God's grace) to carve out "unhurried" time to spend with God each day - reading the Word, praying, and listening to Him. I also need to keep exercise a regular part of my week, even if it means "scheduling" it in. Finally, I have to make sure I am not neglecting "social outlets" - ie time with friends, and just having fun.

Overall, I am just grateful for the opportunity to attend CCDA again this year!

Knock Knock

Psalm 68:5 = A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,is God in his holy dwelling.

Bring Me What You Have

I am almost finished with the book "The Hole In Our Gospel" by Richard Stearns. It has been a sobering read, a thought provoking read, and a challenging read. I definitely recommend it. The chapter I most recently finished, entitled "How Many Loaves Do You Have?", really resonated with me. Several of the earlier chapters of the book brought to light the complexity and the immensity of global poverty. The concluding chapters are an encouragement and an exhortation to action. It is a reminder that when the challenges we face seem too big, God takes what we have and what we can give, and accomplishes the supernatural.

Here are a few of the quotes/highlights from this chapter...
"If the gospel is to be proclaimed, poverty defeated, racism overcome, the tide of AIDS turned back, or injustice challenged, it will be done by...ordinary people like you and me."

"But the very good news for those of us who ant to follow Christ and be part of God's plan for our world is that He uses what we have to offer, not matter how unimportant we think it might be."

The author, Richard Stearns, reminds us of the feeding of the multitudes recorded in all four gospels. In those passages, the disciples and Jesus saw the same scenario through two different lenses. "The disciples saw only a large problem (Mark 6:35-36). But Jesus looked at the exact same situation and saw an opportunity (he had compassion which led to action)...When we see poverty and sickness, hunger and famine, cruelty and abuse, do we see them as problems, or do we, like Jesus, filled with compassion, see their human faces and immediately begin to respond." Jesus then asked them "how many loaves they had?" The disciples responded that a boy had five loaves and two fish. Jesus told them to "bring them here to me." In other words, "bring me what you have." Those of us familiar with the story know that Jesus took what they had, multiplied it, fed the multitudes, and even had some left over. I like Stearns' insight on what happened here. He states, "Can you see the real miracle at work here? Confronted with an overwhelming problem, Jesus did not ask the disciples to do the impossible; He asked only for them to bring to Him what they had. He then multiplied the small offering and used it to do the impossible. The principle is so very important for those of us who are overwhelmed with the immensity of human suffering and need in our world: God never asks us to give what we do not have...But He cannot use what we will not give." (pp 250-253)

In recent days the challenge of youth violence in Chicago has been on my mind. There are thousands of hurting young men in our city, battling hopelessness, looking for identity. Sadly, Chicago now ranks as the youth homicide capital of the U.S. I am also a board member of a ministry called Africa Revolution. It partners with local churches and ministries in southern Africa to minister to those infected and affected by the AIDS crises. That AIDS statistics are staggering there! An honest look at both of these scenarios can be overwhelming. I am thankful for the timeliness of this reminder from Scripture and this book, that God Almighty takes what we offer, and uses it to do things that only He can do. I am reminded that His heart breaks for the young people who are being gunned down in Chicago. His heart breaks for the orphan who has lost both parents to AIDS. Bob Pierce, the founder of World Vision, used to pray "Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God." We need to pray this, and ask God to give us the grace to respond with compassion and courage.

Song Time At Summer Blast - Please Sing Along

This past summer I was the song leader at Summer Blast, our day camp for 7 to 11 year olds. On the final week, I did a near 9 minute medley of all of the "favorites." You may find yourself singing along, and if you are able, feel free to join in on the motions as well. I dare you to try and sing these songs and not smile!

A Balanced Political Perspective

The health care debate seems to have highlighted our nation's political divide. I continue to get emails, see facebook status updates, news reports, etc. - that make me cringe. Especially as Christians, I wish we could agree that the health care system is unjust. There are too many people who simply cannot afford quality health care. What saddens me in this is the ongoing ASSUMPTION that low income families and those who cannot afford health care are lazy. Where does this "I work hard for mine" and "they don't" mindset come from?! There is so much self-righteousness and so little grace in spoken and unspoken sentiments such as these. So whether we approve of a government run health care system or not, we should all agree that major health care reform is needed.

There are two blogs that I read frequently that recently posted write-ups on politics that I think are on point, well thought through, and gracious. Joel Hamernick at his blog entitled City Grace, wrote a post entitled "The Church Caused (and could undo) Big Government." Pastor Lance, at his blog entitled Blaque Tulip, wrote a post entitled "Divided By Politics."

I would love to hear feedback on these posts if you decide to check them out.