Forgive the Distraction

Forgive me, friends, for allowing myself to be distracted from one of the most worthwhile exercises that engaged minds can practice: reflective writing. When one has the tendency to "disengage" from the world and turn inward toward self and its own desires, he becomes less reflective on matters impacting his world and far more focused on matters that impact his "appetite." More often than not, my appetite is one of escape rather than engagement; not wanting to think reflectively about the challenges facing our spiritual condition and moral landscape, but rather reverting to an an almost arrested stage of development where the boy in me wishes to hide. However childish that may sound, I am a man-boy locked in a battle between flesh and spirit for the stake of the mind. And when that disengagement ensues, other disciplines are equally impacted; mainly prayer, the study of God's Word, and relationship building.

It is time to shout aloud "Ollie, Ollie, Oxenfree," and to stop hiding. Get engaged and reflect on the things that matter most to an All-knowing and holy God. He has empowered us by His Spirit as His called-out ones to engage and address our world with the truths of His Word and with the love of His Son, Jesus. There is no other way to encounter the brokeness of our world, but to actively experience it by engaging it on the frontlines.

Perchance to Dream

This is the email that I addressed to Richard Roeper and Mary Mitchell, two columnists for the Chicago Sun-Times, who today addressed race, hope, and Obama in two telling columns that portray a nation divided:

Dear Mary and Richard,

Thank you for your respective articles in Thursday's Chicago Sun-Times. I was really encouraged by Richard's column on vision, dreams and the importance of Mr. Obama's oratory of hope. It amazes me that many people in our nation have forgotten how to dream. It was America's dream to rocket into space. It happened. I know that it is not that simple, and in fact many of the dreams of those who have traditionally been marginalized and minimalized have yet to come to fruition: dreams of access to quality health care, quality education, and quality employment; dreams of safety and peace in down-trodden communities entrenched with violence, blight, and drugs; dreams of financial peace and reconciliation for families who have experienced varied forms of brokenness; and dreams of equal justice under the law. Vision without mission, however, is only a pipe dream. Hence, we the people "who are darker than blue" (not just black folk) need to covenant with each other and collaboratively ensure that the hopes and dreams of countless numbers of gentrified and disenfranchised Americans can become a reality.

I grew up, Mary, in a black Baptist church in Detroit. It was under the leadership of Dr. Frederick G. Sampson at Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church that I learned about the human struggles that were important to the black community. It was here that we missioned together to address these struggles with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As I've written elsewhere "The same biblical truth that formed the backdrop of the Civil Rights movement, is the same biblical truth that felled the walls of Jericho." It saddens me that the rhetoric and deep emotion of the collective hurt of the black community has now been used to divide the nation even further in a presidential race that becomes more polarized every day.

In many ways it has been the local, visible, and vocal churches of the urban center, like Armitage Baptist Church where my wife and I serve here in Chicago, that have intentionally sought to address both the human struggle and mankind's need for a Savior; to become churches of such size and strength that we can impact the city of Chicago and the cities of the world. And yet the culture of religion is polarizing in this country. As we've heard even unto cliche, 11 o'clock on Sunday is the most segregated hour in America. I believe that along with being intentional, incarnational, and personal, the ministries of the church should seek to be cross-cultural (not assimilationist) as well as supernatural. Perhaps this can happen. Perchance to dream.

Sincerely,

Michael

Read their columns in the Chicago Sun-times here via the following links:

Wright caught in undeserved political glare by Mary Mitchell

What's wrong with a great speech anyway? by Richard Roeper

Living and Breathing Out Loud, and not Just Blowing Smoke

I am currently reading what I believe to be an awesome, "memoiresque" book written by Donald Miller called Blue Like Jazz. In the book, Miller shares his life experiences in his personal walk with Jesus Christ through writing that seems to be down to earth and genuine. As I am reading this book and identifying with many of his own experiences as a Christian, I am burdened with the question: how should my living out what I believe about Jesus really look like and am I passionately doing that? Here is an excerpt from the book that we should give thought to:

"A friend of mine, a young pastor who recently started a church, talks to me from time to time about the new face of church in America - about the postmodern church. He says the new church will be different from the old one, that we will be relevant to culture and the human struggle. I don't think any church has ever been relevant to culture, to the human struggle, unless it believed in Jesus and the power of His gospel. If the supposed new church believes in trendy music and cool Web pages, then it is not relevant to culture either. It is just another tool of Satan to get people to be passionate about nothing" (111).

If we are personally living out loud what we believe about Jesus, living out loud biblical Christianity, then shouldn't the outflow of this Chrisitianiy impact our "broken" communities through the work of our local churches? What should this really look like?

Nehemiah 2: 17

You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach. These are the words of Nehemiah at the onset of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem upon his return from exile. His heart's burden was for Jerusalem, for a city that was broken by persecution and captivity. I grew up in Detroit: a city whose heart I believe is "broken" and whose soul is persecuted by a statewide, even national rhetoric that typifies prejudice. It doesn't help matters when the city is caught up in scandal. Failing schools, economic crisis, unemployment, high crime: these are all the chronic symptoms of a city on the beyond the brink of a nervous breakdown. In the eyes of America, Detroit is a "reproach".

However, hope did not come in an economic stimulus package when Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem. As his contemporary would write in Ezra 8: 22-23, "[he] prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel." As we all know, programs are not going to save our hurting cities. As the Church of God in our cities, we must return to biblical Christianity, return to biblical discipleship as the impetus for real change. Social gospel ain't no Gospel. Emergent talk does not walk very far without biblical spiritual transformation and discipleship. Racial reconciliation efforts run into identity crises. Nehemiah did not return with his own agenda, his own plan, his own way. His way was found in the Lord.

3000 plus years of biblical truth still apply. God is still the same yesterday, today, and forever. God did not entrust us with biblical truth to then deconstruct it and remold it upon the framework of man's philosophy. When we overpoliticize Jesus, the Savior becomes a poster child for the type of revolution aiken to Che Guevara (notice the Jesus t-shirts). However, God heals our brokeness through nothing but the blood of Jesus Christ.

The same biblical truth that formed the backdrop of the Civil Rights movement, is the same biblical truth that felled the walls of Jericho. It is biblical truth that defeats giants. And as those entrusted with biblical truth it is our privilege and responsibility to take biblical truth at its word, to repair the walls, and to no longer be a reproach. As hearts respond to the voice of Jesus Christ, as hearts relinquish control to the Savior, as hearts humble themselves and pray and seek God's face and turn from their wicked ways, then will God bring about healing and forgiveness. Then we will witness a community of God loving God and loving neighbor.

Requiem for a Dream 2008

As we stand at a very pivotal point in American history, I thought it would be appropriate to reflect on the legacy and significance of the upcoming 45th anniversary of the March on Washington, particularly as it relates to the 2008 Democratic bid for the presidential nomination. The intent of this video is to highlight the historical importance of Barack Obama at this point in time, not to endorse him over the other candidates, Democrat, Republican, or Independent. Be careful not to vote because Barack Obama is black or because Hillary Clinton is a woman, or because Mike Huckabee is an evangelical. Listen to their politics and weigh them against the truth of God's Word, the only standard whose foundation is firm. Remember, it will not be programs or presidents, politics or passionate hope that will bring about real change in our country. However, real change comes first through faith, prayer, and a genuinely, Spirit-filled relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord, Savior, and Friend. He is our Hope. God bless.

Additionally, the video highlights the chronology of freedom, justice, and equality for black people in America with the emphasis that there is "still more work to do" for all people.

Define Urban

The term urban refers to the "whole" of a populous city along with the idiosyncrasies unique to that city. It ties together the strands of cultures, peoples, landscapes, faith, and thought into what I would call the "Metropolis". So the urban landscape is a fluid creature that ebbs and flows as the currents change. Our communities are changing everyday, some for the "worse" and some for the "better". Question is: Who defines "worse", and who defines "better"?

City politics and public policy are also major factors in the defining and shaping of our metropolises. They determine which neighborhoods will receive an apparent economic infusion and which ones will seemingly remain depressed. They determine which schools will close, which ones will remain open, and which ones will experience a "renaissance". They determine the property taxes and property values; deem neighborhoods enviable or not; and call down the power of "immanent domain" at will. In the shadow of such policies stand the people, the collective souls of poor and rich, of middle-class, of African-American, of black, of white, of Latino, of immigrants, of Christians, of Muslims, of Catholics, of Jewish, of Asians, of Indians, of educated, of homeowners, of renters, of laborers, of professionals, of homeless and working poor, of LGBT, of languages: OF VOICES.

No matter what the face of the city looks like or how loud the voices ring, the metropolis is the light on the hill; and as the cities go, so goes the nation. But there is a certain poverty in spirit that lies at the center. At the heart of the metropolis, then, is the idea that in all urban centers a peculiar kind of "brokeness" exists. I believe that this is a theme central to many urban ministries. This includes the inner-city, the ghetto, and the 'hood. Though the preceding terms are not synonymous and possess obvious stigmas, so much of this Ministry of Reconciliation in our cities encompasses reaching people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, restoring hope, bridging the gap. Hence, the dialog and labor of many urban ministries revolve around the "broken places".

The "broken places" are the places where hopelessness seems prevalent, pervasive. Take for instance the Brightmoor Community in Detroit. Blight. High crime. Closing schools. Drugs. Flight. In the face of these, many lose hope. There is tremendous effort by urban ministries to address the issues, develop relationships, and fulfill the ministry of reconciliation in places like Brightmoor. Yet "broken people" are everywhere. Devon Street in Chicago is a bustling avenue of cultures, ethnicities, and faiths. Howard Street in Evanston has a similar feel also. Are these not part of the urban landscape, of the urban dialog? They are. There are urban ministries that address the needs of people from different cultures and faith traditions also.

So the term "urban" carries with it many meanings and perceptions. As it relates to urban ministries, I believe it is up to them to define the purpose for which they serve one segment of the city over another and to what end is their cause. We are called to make disciples, to bear fruit, and to love. If enough of us respond to this calling in our cities, we can see repentance and revival similar to the days of Nineveh. And the light of salvation will shine as a beacon of hope over the metropolis and beyond.

Riders on the Storm

“Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.[1] Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”[2]


In the famous lyrics "Riders on the Storm", Jim Morrison sings, “Riders on the storm/Riders on the storm/Into this house we're born/Into this world we're thrown/Like a dog without a bone/An actor out on loan/Riders on the storm.”[3] We are not simply riders on the storm, thrown into the world without a purpose. For God made everything in Creation with a purpose. As I listen to the rain fall against my window pane, I muse on the truth that its falling is necessary, although it seems it dampers my day sometimes. Without the rain the land would be dry, plants and vegetation would not grow and would die, and there would be a drought. So it is with people. God created us for a purpose.

One of those purposes rest in our relationships with other people. As disciples of Jesus we are called to serve one another. When we choose not to serve others in love and humility, our relationships become barren wastelands: dry, arid, without growth, dead. When Jesus washed his disciples’ feet in John chapter 13, he set for us an example. Traditionally, the washing of feet was a job performed by the youngest or the lowest in a household. However Jesus, being the Master, demonstrated for us that serving others in like-manner positions us for greatness. So how is your serving this week? Remember that when we with godly attitudes serve others in love with humility, we are serving the Lord.

[1] Matthew 20: 26-28
[2] John 13: 14-15
[3] The Doors, 1971 album “L.A. Woman”