Murda City

Murder is murder, but like I've shared with many here in my adopted home of Chicago, though Detroit may have an infamous reputation of being the "murder capitol;" its percentages are skewed because of its smaller population amongst other large urban populations across America. Chicago has seen a 35% increase this year in deaths resulting from gun violence over this same time in 2011. So far, there have been 228 gun murders in the city, percentage wise more than LA and NY (5/30/2012 stat 208 murders = 7.7 per 100,000 people compared to 3.2 in LA and 1.9 in NY). Detroit currently has 149 murders or 3.5 per 100,000 people through 6/10/2012 (Detroit Police Dept. stat). Detroit may have its woes, but Chicago is also seeing its share in 2012 with more national spotlight.

Pray for the violence to cease in both my hometowns and across this nation. Pray for the families and victims who are left with the pieces. Pray for our children to have a safe summer, that they can play again. Pray for law enforcement that they have the strength, grace, and humility to justly police the streets (not just for NATO summits and high profile weddings). Pray for local governments to support its own police department, to get more officers on the streets, to stop de-funding neighborhood programs that help stem the tide. Pray for community activists and local churches to not grow weary in fighting the good fight.

To my friends in places like Baltimore, DC, B'Ham, N'Orleans, St. Louis, Memphis, Cleveland and Houston: What is the outlook there? Pray that the Father will stem the tide in our cities. Five hundred in Chicago is very possible. Father, save our cities and the people in them.

Job 24:14 "The murderer rises before it is light, that he may kill the poor and needy, and in the night he is like a thief."

Deuteronomy 21:7-9 "...and they shall testify, ‘Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it shed. Accept atonement, O Lord, for your people [ ], whom you have redeemed, and do not set the guilt of innocent blood in the midst of your people [ ], so that their blood guilt be atoned for.’ So you shall purge the guilt of innocent blood from your midst, when you do what is right in the sight of the Lord."

The context here is [Israel]. However in the new covenant, atonement and redemption is secured through the blood of Jesus Christ for all people, particularly to those who believe and receive this atonement. The principle here encourages the redeemed to intercede for the city, its blood-guilt, victims and families as Jesus did on our behalf.

Jeremiah 29:7 "But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare."

http://www.thedaily.com/page/2012/06/15/061512-news-chicago-murders-knowles-1-3/

WILD WEST IN CHICAGO www.thedaily.com City officials fight back as murder rate outstrips N.Y., L.A. – even Kabul

The Law and the Prophets

In his famous painting, Norman Rockwell illustrates his visionary interpretation of "The Golden Rule" found in the Gospel of Matthew 7:12. It should be the intent of an urban remnant to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to ALL people. We should seek the welfare of the cities to where we've been sent (Jer. 29:7); to prayerfully build cross-cultural relationships with the people around us in order to foster platforms for dialogue. Because of God's great love towards us and His church, we realize that every relationship we foster within our personal spheres of godly influence presents opportunities for significant ministry and service. We intend to passionately live out the Law and the Prophets. But what does this mean?

Matthew 5:17-20 ESV

""Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells the crowds who were listening to Him not to "think that [He] came to abolish the Law or the Prophets" (v.17). To "abolish" means to do away with, put an end to, annul, or make void. The KJV uses the word "destroy" which is a synonym. The Greek here is "kataluo," which means to loosen, but implies "demolish." So Jesus informs the same kind of people who He described as "distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd" (Matt. 9:36, NASB) that He did not come to do away with the Law (not necessarily the same rules that the scribes and Pharisees added to the Law, which became burdens on the people) and the prophecies spoken about Him, but to "fulfill" them (v.17).

The word "fulfill" is defined as the ability to carry out or bring to realization (as in prophecy); and to perform or do as duty, obey, follow. It can also mean to satisfy or bring to completion. The Greek word is "pleroo" (play-ro-o), which implies satisfying, executing, finishing, verifying, and/or accomplishing; all five of which Jesus does. He satisfied the righteous requirements of the Law through obedience. He executed His office as both Son of Man and Son of God without sin. He finished His task of accomplishing redemption for all by the shedding of His own blood to satisfy God's wrath against sin. He verified the scriptures written about Him in the Law and the Prophets by fulfilling them in their presence. He accomplished this work forever during his earthly visitation and with power and authority through His resurrection.

So, what could Jesus have meant by verse 18 when he declares, "For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished?" Whenever Jesus accords the word "truly" to any of His sayings (particularly "truly, truly"or "verily, verily"), He is insisting on the direct, honest, and authoritative facts of what He is saying. He is being more, accurately literal and less, figuratively metaphorical as in his parables. There is no deep meaning to what He declares. "It is what it is." So we can avoid asking the question, "What does this mean to me" because it's not about my personal interpretation of what Jesus meant that means anything. It is about author's intent. What was the intent behind the words that Jesus declared to the people?

Jesus intends to help us understand that the Father holds each one of us accountable to the Law and the Prophets, particularly as they are revealed in the Gospel; which is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes that Jesus is the Son of God (Rom. 1:16). However, Jesus knew that man in his own sinfulness could never fulfill the righteous requirements of the Law, although the scribes and Pharisees would have the disheartened people think otherwise. All of us have broken the Law at one point or another. None of us can ever say, for example, that we've never lied or told a story or thought evil of someone we didn't like. None of us can say we've never been selfish at times. None of us can say that we have loved God with all of our hearts, with all of our minds, with all of our soul, and with all of our strength. None of us can say we've loved all of our neighbors, let alone our enemies, as we have loved ourselves.

So, we are accountable to the righteous Law that Jesus declares He would not abolish, remove, nor relax. In fact He declares that anyone who "relaxes [even] the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven" (v.19). Elsewhere in the Gospels, Jesus speaks of the "least" and the "greatest." He declares to His disciples that whoever desires to become great among you must become the least and servant of all. He demonstrates this through the washing of His disciples feet, which was not only a preparation for them, but an act of love towards them. It was His intent to set for them an example of how real leaders lead: through acts of love and service. If we learn to love God and love neighbor as Jesus taught and commanded us to do with humility, then we too can follow the Law and it's commandments. However, even this is not accomplished through our own strength. For we make mistakes. Mistakes are errors. Errors imply missing the mark. Missing the mark is sin.

"For ALL [not some] have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23). We are not as righteous as some of us may falsely believe. This was the mistake of the Pharisees. Jesus continues, "For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" (v.20). Wow. Exceed the righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees? But they're always reading the scriptures and praying every day in the public squares. They must be closer to God because they fast all the time and give "generously" to the temple. They're always pointing out my own mistakes, all the while seemingly living "perfectly." How can my righteousness exceed theirs? Jesus answered this question earlier in the text. It is not my own righteousness that will exceed that of the scribes and the Pharisees. It is Jesus' fulfilling the righteous requirements of the Law and the Prophets, His righteousness, that would exceed them on my behalf.

The Apostle Paul, a Pharisee and former persecutor of the church, writes in his letter to the church at Rome, "Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus" (Romans 3:19-26 ESV). Hence, our righteousness comes by faith, and faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ (Rom. 10:17), which is the Gospel of our salvation.

Jesus fulfilled it all without abolishing anything. It is finished, and we can proclaim, "Hallelujah!" We have work to do, but it's not the work of the legal requirements of the Law by which no person can be justified. It is the works of righteousness afforded us through redemption because of our faith in Jesus Christ our Lord. For we have God's righteousness bearing witness in us who are justified by His grace.

Yet, Jesus still cautioned us: "Anyone whosoever relaxes...teaches the same...least in the kingdom of heaven" (v.20). We must be careful to fulfill the ministry of love and reconciliation that is set before us because of God's great love and mercy towards us. He desires that we serve with gladness; that we walk in the Spirit; that we walk as Jesus walked, with eyes of compassion rather than contempt. He knows that we are still flesh and that we fail, but He encourages us to confess our sins because He is faithful and just to forgive our sins. And the result. He restores us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

See. God is not unjust. He has not left us alone. Jesus is both our Advocate and the propitiation (or atoning sacrifice) for our sins. So lift up those feeble knees and stand your ground. You are not alone. Demonstrate your faith through the works God has prepared in advance for you to fulfill. You are His workmanship (Eph. 2:8-10). His poem. If you do this in God's strength and show others the way too, you "will be called great in the kingdom of heaven" (v.20). In short, Jesus sums this up with a simple message: "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the Law and the Prophets" (Matt. 7:21, KJV). God bless you and keep you and may His face shine upon you.

Revisiting “The Skin I’m In”

The following is a short essay that I wrote eight years ago now.  It was a culmination of hurt and loss that coincided with the impending decision to leave the urban education program for which I thought I was brought to Chicago to complete.  My hope is that this will encourage those who are experiencing a deep level of personal insecurity and anxiety that God is sovereign and that He has a greater plan and purpose for our lives.  Rest in Him and find comfort in His redeeming love.

“The Skin I’m In” by Michael Lee Carter, The Chicago Academy

Wednesday, February 4, 2004

This brief reflection deeply evolves from within my own personal anxieties and disappointments as I PUSH through the Academy for Urban School Leadership (AUSL) in Chicago, IL. This personal response was prompted as I read an excerpt from and comments on Victor E. Frankl’s book Man’s Search for Meaning in chapter eight of “Mosaic of Thought[1].”

I often feel so utterly trapped in my own skin. Not in a cultural, ethnic, or racial prison that some may interpret to be a black man’s limbo, but caught in the trappings of a fleshly way of thinking. One that ultimately finds a man snared like a fish in a net. Although flailing and fighting to escape, soon exasperated, that fish wastes away and is soon destroyed. I am the fish.

I have played the role of fish far too long in this short melodrama entitled “My So-Called Adult-Life.” Far too long have I sought to coexist in a vacuum of perpetual childhood; one free from any real responsibilities. A desire, like Peter Pan, to never – grow – up. However, reality harshly reminds me day after disappointing day that I am a man, a priest whose responsibilities are not only to the self and to self-learning, but toward others and foremost to God. So, in the deep hurts and the painful sense of loss – loss of time, loss of integrity, financial loss, and loss of purpose – I wallow and wail. My breath is soon expired.

Jesus spoke to the five thousand at Capernaum and told them that they did not follow him because of the miracles they saw him perform; but that they followed and sought after him because their bellies were filled. He then commanded them to work not for the food that spoils, but for the food that brings eternal life. What am I really working for: material goods, recognition, fame, and/or some kind of entitlement? I know that I have been called to a greater plan and purpose in life than these things. These are the trappings that find many people eagerly queued and impatiently waiting to cash in their “great works.” While in the meantime, they are void of love, lacking in peace, destitute of faith, and void of hope. These are the fruit of the Spirit by which our passions for greater and more meaningful things are driven. Hence, redeeming the time, I am ready to escape my skin, to shed this flesh, and to embrace a new carapace with new attitudes and new perspectives on life; to adopt a more eternal worldview, even as I am adopted.

For I am God’s poetry, his unique ode, sonnet, free verse; continually humbled at the editor’s desk and being made fit for his eternal purposes. Read between the lines. The hurts and the losses are still there. However, my life and attitudes about life cannot be dictated by them any longer. My freedom is in Christ, and I choose to keep my eyes fixed on my beloved. I cannot fulfill his purposes if I allow my flesh, a carnal worldview, to detour my thinking and cast shadows of doubt on every decisions that I make. I must learn to love, love to learn, and permit myself to grow up and to place those hurts and losses in perspective. I am a giant sturgeon resting in pristine waters, contemplating the deep, rich meanings and the beautiful images of my life in Christ. My life as a husband. My life as a son. My life as a writer and an educator. My life as a disciple of Jesus Christ. Satan’s nets are torn and utterly destroyed thereof.

---

[1] Ellin Oliver Keene and Susan Zimmermann, 1997

Incarnational Ministry

As the Jesus disciple living in the city, urban ministry is an incarnational ministry: living where you serve; serving where you live. This includes the metropolis as well as the neighborhood. How are you personally serving the diverse people of your urban sphere of godly influence? What needs are there to be met with compassion and action?

The Voice of God or the "Voice" of Emergents

Here is a recent stream from Facebook of a dialogue my cousin and I had over a USA Today article highlighting a new, emergent translation of the bible called "The Voice" to be published by Thomas Nelson. It targets younger audiences and will feature contributors such as Brian McClaren and Donald Miller who wrote the book "Blue Like Jazz." if you want to continue the dialogue, follow it on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/michaelleecarter --------------------------------------------------------------------- Michael Lee Carter recommended a link. 3 hours ago 'The Voice': New Bible translation focuses on dialogue www.usatoday.com Publisher says offeres modern American readers a more accurate translation of the Bible. Like · · Share Dudley Bryan Jr likes this. Michael Lee Carter Disclaimer: I do NOT approve of the bible changes mentioned in the article above. The above article is where apostasy and false teaching about Jesus begins. It's always been around, but now it's clothed in the names Thomas Nelson and Houston Baptist University. 3 hours ago · Like · 1 Michael Lee Carter Know what you believe about the Gospel, Jesus, and the Word of God, then place it under the lens of correlated, biblical evidence and scholarship. 3 hours ago · Like · 1 Dudley Bryan Jr Some interesting discussion in the comments. It's always a valuable note to remember that the KJV is the third official english translation of the bible, commissioned by the king of Scotland who gave it's translators instructions to insure the translation supported church doctrine of the time, and it's beliefs around ordained clergy. I tried to read one criticism of it, but even re-reading it, the criticism makes numerous allegations that are vague and mostly without any reference to specific passages from the new work. http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=1230 Like one of the commenters in the article, unless we're committed to reading Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic, it sounds entirely reasonable to openly consider new English translations. Especially if they speak to an age not rooted in the 17th century. What translation do you prefer? From the Lighthouse BlogThomas Nelson Goes Forward with “The Voice” – A “Bible” Project by Emergents www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com According to a February 11th article in Christian Today, “New Bible Project for ...See More about an hour ago via mobile · Unlike · 1 · Michael Lee Carter I prefer reading the scriptures from several English translations that seek to preserve the original language of the Hebrew and Greek. Traditionally, the KJV, particularly the 1611, was translated into English from the original languages under great persecution in order to bring light to how the Bible text really read versus what the religious authority wanted the common people to hear. Modern translations such as the NASB and the ESV bible seek to preserve the same, yet within the context of how modern English is read and spoken without altering the original language. For example, the word "Word" in John 1:1-2 (http://bible.us/John1.1.ESV) and John 17:17 (http://bible.us/John17.17.ESV) is rendered "logos" in the Greek. If the proposed word "voice" is used to supplant the word "Word" in John 1:1, something is lost. Mainly the sense that the "Word" references the very personified word or message of God than simply the voice of God. The word "voice" in the Greek is rendered "phone" or "phones," such as written in Revelation 4:20 (http://bible.us/Rev3.20.ESV) and Luke 3:4 (http://bible.us/Luke3.4.ESV). John the Baptist was the voice calling from the wilderness for example. Because Jesus is the Word, the "Logos," then He and God have always been the same and have never stopped being the same. Yet at one brief moment in time, the "Logos" became flesh and dwelt among us (John1:14, http://bible.us/John1.14.ESV). Jesus prays to the Father in John 17:17, "Sanctify them by your truth. Your word is truth." If Jesus is the "word" and if He is "the way, the truth, and the life..." (John14:6, http://bible.us/John14.6.ESV), then Jesus is the very truth by which his disciples are sanctified. The word "truth" is rendered in Greek "aletheia" in both John 17:17 and John 14:6, which is "verity" or "veritas" in the Latin. In the Gospel of John, the disciple declares, "These [words] are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name" (John 20:30-31, http://bible.us/John20.31.KJV). Rendering any Bible translation that makes this unclear, seeks to derail the Gospel, not proclaim it. John 1 ESV | YouVersion www.youversion.com previous next John 1The Word Became Flesh1 In the beginning was the Word, and t...See More 18 minutes ago · Like ·

God's Present Plan in My Momentary Suffering

This morning as I prepared to read the scriptures, the verse of the day popped up: "And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you" (1 Peter 5:10). Yesterday evening I returned home from the hospital after receiving Achilles tendon surgery due to a rupture I suffered at work. During the pre-op, I was in good spirits with an upbeat attitude praising the sovereign Lord through my circumstances, although this injury meant an early summer vacation from school. God has blessed me with so many people who have come to my care and to meet my needs, especially from my wife, my parents, and the body of Christ. On the morning of the surgery, the medical staff were a delight and demonstrated a level of hospitality and assurance that can only come from a sovereign God who loves and cares for me. Both my wife and my parents were at my side. At this point, brothers and sisters in Christ had also been praying for me as well as interceding for the medical team's sake. We saw evidence of this in the post-op care and encouragement at the hospital. However, I had not really taken into consideration the level of pain I would encounter when I returned home. For the first time (ATR being my first real surgery), I experienced a pain that I'd never known. Excruciating to say the least. I thought about Christ and how he suffered on a cross for my sin and wondered, "Wow! He endured the pain of a Roman crucifixion; the burden of not only my sin, but the sins of the world; and the abandonment of his loving Father in the briefest of moments that must have felt like an eternity." For the first time, I personally knew real, physical suffering. Although the pain medication began to do its job last night, the Father had not abandoned me. Nor had my wife and parents, unlike the disciples. God bless my wife Tiffany. For although she had to go to work this morning, is helping out tonight with a jr. high overnighter through our church, and has administrative duty on campus tomorrow, Saturday, she arose several times through the night to care and assist me through the pain and difficulty. That's when a bible verse came alive for me from 1 John 4:10-11: "In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." She deeply loved me during the night and sacrificed sleep on my behalf. I cannot dismiss this as duty, for she didn't "have" to do it. She did it because she loved me and had compassion for my weakness. These acts in turn has made me fall madly in love again. And God's greatest love toward us should cause us to love him and to love one another. My momentary suffering (though not as a result of the gospel) is a platform for God to demonstrate his glory, power, love, and majesty in my life and in the lives of those around me. He is full of grace and has secured eternity for me through his Son Jesus Christ. God intends to restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish me himself. All this he accomplishes with a goal in mind: to increase my faith and to spur in me a further love and compassion for others, especially for the lost and for the household of faith; to shape me to become more like him.

Jesus Walk

We should realize that every relationship we foster within our personal spheres of influence present opportunities for significant ministry and service. If we begin to see “work as worship,” ways to joyfully engage the world around us with compassion and purpose; intentionally walking as Jesus walked in the context of our relationships, then we can fulfill what is true about those who truly follow Him: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

How the Wild Weasel Popped on Friday the 13th

I ruptured my Achilles tendon on April 13, 2012. It was a Friday. I currently work as a teacher’s assistant at a therapeutic day school in the Chicago area. Although the students had a break from school that day, the staff arrived for a full day in-service. During a morning circle activity involving a blow-up beach ball, the freakish thing just happened. We all heard a loud pop and down I went to the floor. I have officially renamed the sinister Achilles “The Wild Weasel.”  It even has theme music: 3rd Bass - Pop Goes the Weasel.


To read the rest of this post, check out my Achilles blog at  http://achillesblog.com/laughitupfuzzball/

A Declaration of Faith to be Adopted by Faith

As I was Googling yesterday, I stumbled upon the statement of faith of Urban Ministries Inc., an African-American Christian publications company that publishes Sunday school and bible study materials for local churches.  I've never really been a fan of "standardized" curriculae for church-wide studies.  However, I can understand why using such resources can be great for ensuring that church members in a local body are on the "same page" doctrinely, practically, and knowingly.  As bible study and Sunday school teachers, we are responsible for our doctrine, that it lines up with the truths of God's Word.  We are accountable that we teach from a biblical perspective.  I was encouraged by UMI biblical stance.  Their doctrine of faith (which in many ways outlines the biblical perspective of all true-believers) is as follows:

http://www.urbanministries.com/spec/statement-of-faith/

Click the link and read it at their website.

One of the gr8st acts of love that humankind can ever Xperience is the relinquishing of another's gr8st treasure on behalf of the one deserving the gr8st wrath.