New Post

Put this on your update with the things that have been going on in our lives:
We moved out of our first apartment together.
I will be a legal fellow for International Justice Mission in their Thailand Field Office beginning in July this year.
Angela will be a speech therapist at Grace International School in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
I will be teaching a class about social media to my coworkers at CitySquare.
I have seen The Source Code.

I expect to write more about some of these things above shortly.  Don't let your anticipation become too eager.

Still a Hypocrite

I can talk a mean talk. But I still have trouble backing it up.

Thursday night I went to an event put on by Catalyst at Life in Deep Ellum (it's a church). Life is less than three blocks from the location of the future Opportunity Center of CitySquare. It's on the edge of South Dallas and Deep Ellum, a key area in the fight against poverty. The Catalyst event was an event for meeting and networking with young Christian leaders from around the Metroplex. I went with my friend Scott McClellan who heads up the Echo Conference.

As we walked in, a homeless man stopped us to ask for some money to stay at the shelter. Apparently at the shelter he was going to, it's free for a certain amount of time, but then you must pay to stay. It's not much--10 bucks--unless it's under 30 degrees with a windchill closer to 15. I only had a few cents so I offered it to him. Scott offered some cash. Then we went inside feeling good about ourselves.

During the event, I did a lot of talking about CitySquare and the great things we're doing helping neighbors get off the streets and back into self-sustainability. One guy asked me if it's hard working in a job that takes such an emotional toll. His friend asked if my coworkers and I viewed homeless people differently when they asked for money. I said that for many of us we've become less sensitive. I said acknowledging a person's humanity is the most important part.

Then we talked for a while longer before the event was over.

To show how thick-skulled I am, I didn't think about last night again until I was driving back to work from my eye appointment today. It was very cold last night, so my mind went to the guy who had asked for some money. I wondered if he was able to get into a bed last night where it was warm. Then it hit me. It hit me hard. I mean real hard.

Every day I proclaim to people the good news that we are called to help our neighbors who are in need here and now. Being with Jesus is not some future moment when we eventually get to heaven. God's kingdom is realized when we do as Jesus tells us in Matthew 25: Feed the hungry, give the thirsty a drink, clothe the naked, care for the sick, visit those in prison. And yet, I went to an event full of professing Christian leaders in our community, and we had coffee and music and heat.

That man should have come in with Scott and me as our guest of honor. His belly should've been warmed by coffee, and he should have gained enough money to pay rent on a new East Dallas apartment for the first month. It's so obvious now.

This is already too long, but I want to make my point. I am a hypocrite. That's easy. And you may say, "Well, you gave him some money and helped him, so that was good." But did I really "acknowledge his humanity" when I left him in the parking lot on a freezing night? You may say, "Well, it would just get complicated." That's exactly right. It's always complicated, and that's never a good excuse. Just like the picture on Life's wall, you get wet when you hold the umbrella over someone else's head, and that's a good thing.

I don't know whether the man made it into a bed last night, and I don't know if he'll be warm tonight. All I know is that I have an obligation, just like each of us, to fight for a person who is cold and without a roof over his head. I pray that tomorrow night I can be faithful.

I want my words to come later if at all, and my actions to be the story that is told.

Don't Sing and Call It "Worship"

Angela and I had a wonderful time hanging out with the students of the Preston Road youth group this past weekend. We went to the Winterfest in Arlington with about 5,000 other middle schoolers and high schoolers. We had great conversations with the teens who were there with us and a lot of fun hiding other youth groups' ice chests.

One thing that caught my attention and Angela's was how Jeff Walling (here's a cheesy & great old video of him), who does most of the teaching, recognized how this generation is transforming the way it views faith. In one talk, Jeff and his son, Taylor, went back and forth about about how the things that drive Jeff's faith bore Taylor; those that drive Taylor, Jeff thinks are a little crazy. It was a great job putting these two generations together to show how both are a part of the faith.

While that was very neat and well put together, the rest of Winterfest was more like a display of the symptoms of multiple personality disorder. This was the most evident when it came to worship. Rather than explain too much, I'll try to keep it brief.

In the vast majority of Churches of Christ, singing is acapella (no instruments). When Angela and I were teens at camp, one male song leader would get on stage and lead us through the songs on PowerPoint. That is basically how it was done this weekend. One exception: There was a youth group on stage singing backup for many songs. It was a little awkward. Contrast that with David Bowden, a great spoken word poet who performed several times. His poem "I Remember" is below. The main line: "Worship is not what we sing; it is how we obey."

Worship Is Not What We Sing; It Is How We Obey

I had a talk with our friend Holly about how I don't think we should call the time during church when we sing "worship." I don't think "worship leaders" should be called that. One can worship God through song, I have no doubt about that, but one can never only worship God through song. Yet that is what I see us doing every Sunday. I've struggled with this for some time now. I have no doubt that God knows our hearts, yet, as James, the brother of Jesus wrote, "If you ain't got actions to back up your heart, you ain't got no faith" (or something like that). I think of it in the same way Isaiah 58 discusses true fasting: Don't just not eat and act like you humble yourself. Get out there and end oppression, feed the hungry; take care of God's people. I'll leave the words of David Bowden below to better explain my point.

The New Revolution

The next revival as we are seeing with the Emergent Church is scaring a lot of people. And it should. Walter Wink pointed it out in The Powers that Be when he acknowledged that the movement of Martin Luther that is the basis of the modern church is no longer what will drive new people of faith. "Saved by grace alone, not by works" is still true. However, in the process, we have cut a lot of the pieces out. The new movement of faith will focus on Jesus the person. Jesus will no longer be viewed through Paul's lens, but Paul's words will be interpreted through the life of Jesus. I am hoping this will change the world.

The first step is changing how we worship our God. I hope that we will soon say, "I remember . . ."

I remember by David Bowden (http://davidbowdenpoetry.bandcamp.com/track/i-remember)

I remember
who we were before this moment

I remember
the shadow of ourselves
now overshadowed by
the shelves
on which we placed
our former selves

I remember how
each of us here
placed our past
in tears
upon tiers of them
never to be touched again

I remember
how we approached God
hands empty
plans empty
demands empty
like we’re supposed to be
emptying ourselves
on those shelves
of our lives preceding
this moment
where, once and for all,
we put to death our
superficial worshipping
And this
Is it’s eulogy

Remember with me

I remember when God was idle
American made an
American idol
Idly laid on hymn song titles
Tidal waves of tidy Sunday
Bridal Singers
Made their way to
Display Charades.
We were all
Masquerading
Costume swingers
We
Wore lips like
purists
but we were all
One day
tourists
of the
poorest Savior
Sailing
War Ships of
ignored trips
Equipped with
bulletined
scripts
For this
Event called
Worship

I remember
what church used to be
Sit, sing, sit, sip, sit, silent, sermon then
Exit
from a word prearranged
to a world unchanged
our despair unnamed
our problems deemed deranged
and we were estranged
in the exchange
of our time and expectations for
prewritten lines and explanations
about guys, whys, and places
that never addressed
our ache for a real God

I remember when
worship was a period of time
outlined by bulletins
bullied out by the
“Not this again”
mentalities

I remember when
worship was protected
by walls and directions
I remember
the decorations
the song books
the screens
the long looks
at my jeans
the routines
the bowing
the closing
the opening
the spouting
off of words and notes
that never broke
through the wall
standing tall between
us and a god who’s
reality we could never recall

I remember it all

I remember when worship was
contained by fear
restrained by years
of traditional rearing
rules never spoken
but somehow never broken
we were
token children
of an understood system
fearsome that we might become
too radical to
prevent our selfish intent

I remember
what worship was before this moment

I remember
how we were all under the persuasion
of evasion
evading any invasions
of commitment, discomfort, or costly
abrasions
we followed
the equation
me + church – cussing, sex, and alcohol = salvation

I remember
a time when I
would shout
“He is alive!”
and not one mouth
would scream
at the pronouncement
it seamed
no one
was out,
but were streaming
back to their hiding places
where worship’s
complacent
and singing’s
accepted
and no one
is reckless
enough to stand
on a corner
or in the corner store
to sit with the homeless
or out their homes front door
and sing louder than a motor’s roar
“How Great is our God”

I remember when
all of us were frauds

I remember when
the only form of worship we knew
was what we did
following motions on motionless pews

I remember when praise
had nothing to do with the other six days

I remember when
we forgot the Sabbath was for resting
and the rest of the week
was for working

I remember when
the only service we worked
was the service in church
When worship that was pure
Did not feed the poor
or
Saw itself as the cure
or
Cared for its enemy’s needs more than yours
or
Found the sick, dying, and lost and with them endure

I remember when
worship was a chore
When we all felt secure
just attending
but that was before
we realized
there is so much more
than pretending

But right now in this moment
as we all gather around
and our God is present
and His son takes president
and His spirit’s our resident
we are within the descent of the triune
peasants in the tribunal land
and as we all stand
together repentant
grasping hands in our communal commitment to
clasping our plans to the eternal command
of what he meant for worship
and this is it
our opus
our openness
our hope is
our hopelessness
in everything we used to
hold as his
scope for what
worship is

Worship is love

I remember when he said
Love is the opposite
of getting
but sacrificing everything
dying, while living

I remember when
Jesus embodied it
his body embarked from
heavenly contentment
becoming this tent
of existence
God was a servant
The heavens observant
to humanity’s torment
Creator tormented
creation tormentor
And that’s the intent
of this event called worship

Worship is a cross
Worship is a loss
of everything that is not
embossed with the seal of God

So in this moment and every moment hereafter
Our praise of God will shake roofs and the rafters
Our praise will be aloof from the world and filled with laughter
Our praise will ruthlessly peruse a world filled with disaster
Our praise will unashamedly bear the proof of our master
For here in this moment and every moment hereafter
Our praise will not be contained by
walls and churches
alter calls and holy perches
busy malls and facebook searches
school halls and worldly diversions

Our praise will bleed into all our excursions
it will break free
of
stained glass
and
bible class
it will surpass
golden and brass
communion passing
trays to the next passive guest
it will clash
with standards
and traditions
for our praise
will live worship
as a mission

Now in this moment and every moment that proceeds
our praise will
flood the streets with song
shed blood for the needy and suffer along
give love to the enemy regardless of their wrongs
place above ourselves the least of these and with the weak be strong
For we will be the worshippers the father seeks, and he will have to search no longer

For Father we are your worshipers
Your unworthy dancers
we are your priasers
your passionate romancers
And now we stand before you and say
Worship is not what we sing but how we obey
And now we stand before you and say
Worship is not what we sing but how we obey
And now we stand before you and say
Worship is not what we sing but how we obey
And now we stand before you and say
Worship is not what we sing but how we obey
And now I stand before you and say
Your worship cannot stay the same
but you must reclaim it
Don’t just say it but today you can live it
So join with my voice and with me commit it
As we stand before you and say
Worship is not what we sing but how we obey

credits

from Littered Liturgy, released 14 January 2011
Featuring Brett Vanderzee, Sarah McSpadden, Amy Bresee, and Keith Ellingson.

Halloween Is Boxing Day in Highland Park, Texas

With my eye on the score of the Rangers game, Angela and I took a walk last night through Highland Park to see what Halloween is like in a very affluent neighborhood.

According to Wikipedia, Highland Park is the 3rd wealthiest location in Texas; 19th in the country (with at least 1,000 people). Thousands go through Highland Park between Thanksgiving and the New Year to see all of the beautiful decorations on the mansions. Halloween is also a fantastic time to see the great lengths people go through to create a ghoulish scene at their homes.

Highland Park is in the heart of Dallas, Texas. Dallas, itself, is not doing as well. More than 20% of people in Dallas live below the poverty level. When you break it down by age, it jumps to 33% of children under the age of 18. That's more than 107,000 kids.

Last night, it looked like this population went to Highland Park for candy.

Boxing Day

As Angela and I saw hundreds of people gathered on each block of Highland Park, I couldn't help but think about a British Commonwealth holiday called Boxing Day.

Boxing Day traditionally is the day after Christmas. We don't celebrate this holiday in most of the United States -- likely because it seems too socialist -- but it does pop up occasionally. Boxing Day is a day where people give back. Many times it was a form of spring cleaning, during which people would box up the old items that were replaced by this year's Christmas gifts, and then they would give them to the house servants or other service people. It has somewhat transformed into a time to give money and other gifts, also.

Halloween as Boxing Day

It's a well-known "secret" that Highland Park and its sister town, University Park, employee many people in the service industry. A vast majority of them only speak Spanish. Just ask the staff at Christ's Family Clinic at Preston Road Church of Christ. Last night, Spanish-speaking chidren and parents outnumbered English-speaking families at least 2 to 1; Latinos outnumbered white people about 8 to 1. Every house that was giving out candy gave generously and with a smile.

As great as it was, the whole night gave me an uneasy feeling.

It was great seeing all of the children having a wonderful time at the Halloweeny homes, but there were a few troubling aspects of the evening. I've bulleted them below:

• Too many cars: Since everyone had to drive to HP, they parked in front of all of the houses on both sides of the narrow streets. This made it hard to drive through, and it also made it harder to see small children crossing the street. I almost saw one small child smashed by a large truck. Thank God the driver was going very slow.
• Too many people: On one block on Bordeaux, so many kids had come through the area that people were on the steps just to tell kids they didn't have anymore candy. One house left had candy, and there were between 75 and 100 kids on the front lawn trying to get candy before this house ran out, too.
• It's candy: Kids love candy, but kids don't need candy. What lesson is being taught when you go through so much trouble just to get some candy?
• Something is wrong with other neighborhoods: The fact that so many people flood to Highland Park not only says something about Highland Park, but it also says a lot about their own neighborhoods. Is it just cheaper candy, or is there also the danger of wandering around at night in their 'hood? I'd say it's as much the latter as the prior.

Angela works with many children who come from homes of immigrants. She is amazed at how readily Spanish-speaking families have adopted Halloweeen as a holiday. Last night proved that point very well.

Overall, Angela and I walked home amazed at what we had just witnessed. The Halloween decorations and music were great, but we were speechless about the whole experience. I walked away asking myself, "Is there a better way?" How can we provide for the children in our community without going to this extent? I honestly do not know. Part of me loves that these kids had a fantastic night. But the other part is a little sick about the way it had to happen.

As always, I welcome your thoughts.

Balloons Fly Away

Friday night Angela and I went to a high school football game. It was a sad day for the home team Trojans, but everyone else seemed to have a good time. It was "Little Trojan Night", so there were tons of young kids at the game. In order to make it more fun for the kids, just about every kid was given a helium-filled balloon. In addition, the drill team did a special high kick routine dedicated to those serving abroad and those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. Tons of red, white, and blue balloons added to the routine. Overall, I think I counted about 250 balloons that were released Friday morning.

Two thoughts came to my mind: (1) There aren't a lot of things cooler than watching balloons float away, and (2) how the heck are we able to get away with littering just because the trash goes up, not down? I want to focus on this second point.

According to the Texas Health and Safety Code, "Litter" includes "decayable waste from a public or private establishment, residence, or restaurant, including animal and vegetable waste material from a market or storage facility handling or storing produce or other food products, or the handling, preparation, cooking, or consumption of food, but not including sewage, body wastes, or industrial by-products." Tex. Health & Safety Code sec. 365.011(6)(A). Section 365.011 goes on to tell us it is a Class C misdemeanor if the litter is under five pounds and has a volume of less than 5 gallons. If it is more, it is a class B misdemeanor up to 500 pounds or 100 cubic feet of volume -- then it's a class A misdemeanor (you can get jail up to a year).

I'm going to go ahead and say that with the release of over a hundred balloons could make you liable for a class B misdemeanor. I have seen mention of a specific "balloon release" statute, but couldn't find anything in my research.

Apparently the main problem with balloons is not the balloon itself, but rather the strings that are often attached to them. According to this website, funded by The Balloon Council (who knew they had a balloon council?), balloons aren't a problem at all. Latex balloons (the non-silver ones) are made from 100% organic material and are completely biodegradeable. The website also points out the "proper" way to do a balloon release. It does not include the strings.

Regardless of what this website says, I doubt that the hundred or so balloons that were released from the stands were an official, approved release. I also wonder, without knowing for sure if there is an official release statute, if the school can be held criminally liable for release of all of the balloons. If not for the big release, at least with negligently supplying small children and others with balloons that were more likely than not going to be released into the air.

It's also interesting to note that the Texas Health and Safety Code lists latex balloons as a "choking hazard" See http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/hazpro/toys.shtm. For the same reasons it is dangerous for children, it is dangerous for animals. Check out this website from Virginia. It apparently contradicts The Balloon Council's claims with what the Council calls mere "subjective" data.

I know it looks cool, but isn't there a better option? On top of that, shouldn't a "Christian school" be leading the way in showing us how to be good stewards of our planet? It's not hard to be responsible . . . unless you don't care.

The Church Response on Cliff Manor

The following is an email I received. It lets us know that not everyone is upset about the way things went or are going down in Oak Cliff's newest permanent supportive housing project, Cliff Manor. The letter has been reprinted with permission. We need to all remember that we are called to be in the people-helping business, not property-value-helping business.

Oak Cliff Churches Silence Opponents of Housing Homeless by Acts of Kindness

Will You Be My Neighbor? How Oak Cliff groups have become great neighbors to former homeless through the assistance of the Greater Dallas Justice Revival.

Good Neighbor Done Right

In a time where there is so much controversy over what to do with the homeless, a group of Oak Cliff churches and residents are showing how to truly be Good Neighbors. Over the past several weeks, a group of Oak Cliff residents have quietly been reaching out to their seventeen new neighbors, who were formerly homeless. The new home for the seventeen individuals is the Cliff Manor, a Dallas Housing Authority property.

Baskets and Hugs

When residents moved into the facility a few weeks ago, five Oak Cliff churches provided gift baskets and greeted the residents with open arms. In addition to inviting them to church, they have special group meetings. On a recent Thursday night, eleven of the seventeen new residents attended a “Friendship Circle” that included interaction around a bible study and prayer. The event led by Roger and Jana Jackson has proven to be a great success.

In reaching out their new neighbors, these groups of Oak Cliff residents are giving a living demonstration of how to help our formerly homeless citizens become neighbors with grace and dignity. Churches involved in the outreach led by Cliff Temple Baptist Church, also include Christ Episcopal, Gospel Lighthouse, Grace Temple Baptist, Oak Cliff House Church Network, and Kessler Community Church.

Serving as a Catalyst

Behind the scenes, the Greater Dallas Justice Revival has been privileged to help be a catalyst for these “Good Neighbor” efforts by organizing leaders, building dialog and sponsoring outreaches. The Greater Dallas Justice Revival has partnered with Dallas Housing Authority and the Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance to engage local churches into Good Neighborhood Covenant Councils. The Greater Dallas Justice Revival sponsored the meetings with the local pastors who then invited their members to be involved.

The councils consist of local Dallas Housing Authority (DHA) residents, formerly homeless new residents, DHA property management, social service representatives, Dallas Police representatives, local church representation, local community residents, and an outreach coordinator to the community.

West Dallas Success
The council is modeled after the successful similar model that helped launch a safe community initiative five years ago in West Dallas. In previous years crime in West Dallas was out of control, violent crime was rampant, and fear ruled the community. Since the launching of the initiative violent crime has been reduced seventy percent and overall crime by forty percent.

The West Dallas model was organized by Strategic Justice Initiatives, Inc., an educational non- profit for the development of safe communities. Strategic Justice Initiative’s executive director, Randy Skinner, worked with Norm Henry of Builders of Hope, a community development non- profit and home builder, to organize more than 50 community leaders to form a campaign to eradicate crime.

The two non profits led in the development of a U.S. Justice Department launch of a Weed and Seed site (that eradicates crime and develops healthy communities). Strategic Justice Initiatives developed a block by block, house by house, reclamation database with support services, and Builders of Hope brought their successful home building program and holistic approach to the process. Dramatic results have followed including a housing renaissance, school reclamation, and economic development.

Oak Cliff Transformation

When a town hall meeting in Oak Cliff was led by opponents to placing rehabilitated homeless individuals into the Cliff Manor public housing site, a silent group of attendees determined to put a different face on Oak Cliff. During the closing of the tumultuous evening session, Skinner, a resident of nearby West Dallas, who also serves as director of the Greater Dallas Justice Revival, shared that the faith community would walk with the formerly homeless and work with the support agencies assigned to make their new homes a success.

Skinner knew the rich history of Oak Cliff faith community commitment to the homeless and mentally handicapped for the past decade led by Cliff Temple Baptist Church and The Well, a ministry to the disadvantaged.

True to his word, and the nature of the faith community in Oak Cliff, seventeen new residents feel welcomed and wanted.

The wonderful welcome and outreach from the “Good Neighbors of Oak Cliff” deeply touched the lives of their seventeen new neighbors. The Greater Dallas Justice Revival was celebrates the unity in Oak Cliff and looks forward to helping other communities and churches become “Good Neighbors”.

Thank you so much for your contributions, hard work, and continued prayers, and support for the Greater Dallas Justice Revival. We would appreciate you help in expanding this much needed work. Help us help Dallas be a community that is known for its “Good Neighbors”. If your interested in serving on a council, or serving in a service project, please contact us today by filling out the volunteer form.

The work of the Greater Dallas Justice Revival is made possible by the generous donations of people who have a desire to see our community transformed. This past year thousands of volunteer hours were donated in outreach projects to help the hungry and our inner city schools. We urgently need your financial support to continue this work. Please give generously.

Randy H. Skinner
Executive Director
Greater Dallas Justice Revival
Read more on the exciting results of church outreach in Oak Cliff from a local resident:

http://www.familyandcommunityministries.blogspot.com/

Join our movement to support the new residents into housing with support services by volunteering. Click here:

Echoing the words of Mother Teresa, as he reflected on the new residents of Cliff Manor, Skinner said: “The material and physical suffering is suffering from hunger, from homelessness, from all kinds of diseases. But the greatest suffering is being lonely, feeling unloved, having no one. I have come more and more to realize that it is being unwanted that is the worst disease that any human being can ever experience."

Bus Ridin' in the Rain

I'm on the bus again heading to work. I can still smell the experience from yesterday as mildew starts to grow. Yesterday, as many already know, was a pretty eventful day for weather. It culminated at about 6:30 for Angela and me as we saw that the funnel cloud had passed and time had come to put the mattress back on the bed and go to our bible study.

The start of the day was also pretty eventful. I decided to take the bus, because I wanted to see who rides the bus in bad weather. Since the bus had been coming a few minutes early these past few weeks, I decided to leave my apartment at 8:10 to catch the 8:18. I had shoes at the office, so I rolled up my pants and put on my flip-flops. As soon as I left my apartment, I realized the bus wasn't going to be early. The light at Lemmon and Inwood was flashing red (and still is), and cars were waiting as far as I could see in all directions. About the time I saw this the wind picked up rendering my umbrella useless except for keeping my already wet hair from getting wetter.

I quickly walked to CVS to seek shelter for a few minutes, pretending to look for a drink. When I became nervous that the bus might pass, I went back outside. Instead of standing at the stop where rain was blowing and cars were splashing, I found the one dry circle at the side of the CVS and began watching the intersection while the propane containers watched me from their cages.

Thirty minutes later, at about the time the next bus usually arrives, I saw my bus approach the intersection. I walked back out to the stop one car too early--the car hit the puddle and splashed my legs. Once on the bus it wasn't too bad. Every time the bus would slow down, a river of water would cascade to the front. When it sped up again, the water evened back out.

This blog has gone on way too long without talking about the purpose of my bus ride: the other people. I have a car and a bike, so I have options. Most people who ride the bus can't say the same. I guess part of me was expecting to see only the poorer population that rides the bus taking the bus in the rain. But to my surprise it was basically the same crowd that takes the bus every morning: some with no jobs, some with well-paying jobs; most alone, but some with friends or kids. Every race was represented as usual. I also expected people to be in bad moods. Again, I was wrong. Some people were tired like every morning, but I think most were just happy to be on the bus.

As I try to close this over-long entry, I'm trying to think about conclusions I can make about my experience yesterday. I guess I can break it down into two things: (1) People ride the bus because it's the better option most of the time, and (2) getting wet on your way to work isn't as bad as most people make it out to be. Not strong conclusions, but I think they are filled with truth.