Developing a Community-Wide Strategy: NYC

There is a lot of talk about what is happening to reach and serve inner-City youth and families these days.  Out of School Time (OST) programming has become a very hot issue.  Libraries are becoming the new Youth Centers of our Nation, primarily because of the free internet access in areas where many cannot afford the technology.  Programs for gang member rehabilitation, abstinence education, leadership development, and other areas of Youth Development have begun to get a lot of attention.  Yet, many (most) of these initiatives are isolated programs of a single Organization or in a small pocket of a larger Community.

Enter 2020 Vision, a program that is gaining traction, momentum, and Citywide buy-in from all sectors - in NEW YORK CITY!   2020's tag line, "Transforming public education within a single generation of students" is visionary and captivating.  The premise of the initiative is a simple, compelling question: "“What kind of impact can New York City’s 7,100 evangelical and Pentecostal churches have on its 1,400 public schools, if we adopt those schools for meaningful prayer, advocacy, and service?”  Wow.  Now THAT is a great question.  I have another:

Q: Why is it so hard to get Individuals, Organizations, and different Sectors to work together in a City, and how can we change the historic isolation?

My Hero Has Fallen

I love cheering for the underdog.  I always have.  I liked anyone who beat the Bulls in the 90's.  I am a Vikings fan (nuff said).  My favorite underdog of all time: CHARLES BARKLEY!  At 6'4" he was a beast under the rim against guys who were 6'9" or taller every night for over a decade.  And he was able to dominate.  Pound for pound, maybe the best Power Forward ever...

I was saddened when I heard recently that he has fallen Victim to MC Hammeritis - he's in serious debt (article here).  I guess it could be worse.  He could have been caught in a serious sex scandal like Kobe Bryant (remember that huge rock he bought his wife to apologize?).  He could have been involved in a hit-and-run on a Police Officer like Randy Moss, a day of infamy in Minnesota Vikings history.  He could have many other serious criminal problems.  But DEBT?  How can you earn tens of millions of dollars over a decade and be in DEBT a few short years later?  I'm seriously dumbfounded.

Q: Is this situation with Barkley a big deal, or is going from major wealth to major debt a minor offense?

To Have a Queen

I met her in 1993.  She was dating my best friend, and I was unaware that she existed.  My Junior year in College (1994) she arrived on Campus, and my life has never been the same.

She's my woman.

I rarely have the opportunity to blog about her; she is an extreme introvert, and hates pictures of herself being posted ANYWHERE.  But today is justified.  She is the mother of my children, and it is Mother's Day.  We have been through a lot together:

* When our young marriage was about to fall apart, she committed (with me) to honor our marriage covenant.  12 years later, we are stronger than ever.

* When I started my career in Youth Ministry, she was my #1 Volunteer.

* When Selah was born in 2000, she sacrificed her career to stay home with the kids.

* As I have switched jobs, moved around, and even went to Chicago - she supported me.

She's my woman.

I wish everyone had a Queen like mine.  He who finds a wife finds a GOOD thing.

Q: Guys, how about you?   Got a Queen in your life?

Shrinking Pains

There is a small but growing trend in America - small towns are experiencing attrition as people are moving closer to Cities in search of better opportunities and more stability.  It is what my favorite magazine, The Economist, calls "shrinking pains."  The article that hipped me to this reality says:

"NESTLED in wide fields somewhere west of Interstate 29 lies Rutland, South Dakota, population an estimated 200. Rutland's post office closed decades ago. But at the end of Main Street is a school. For Rutland, and many other small towns like it, a local school is a community's heart and a main employer. The future of schools like this one, however, is uncertain...the debate over rural schools hides a sad irony. The better a small town educates its pupils, the more likely they are to seek jobs elsewhere. According to a study by Pennsylvania State University, returns to investment in human capital are much lower in rural areas than in urban ones."

What all of this means is that our Nation is going to be experiencing rapidly accelerating Urbanization.  Cities (and the surrounding suburbs) will only grow faster as time goes on.  America is fundamentally changing.  Cities already set the majority of cultural trends.  American Cities in particular are having an unprecedented influence on Global culture, especially Global youth Culture.  Bigger Cities, smaller rural communities, a changing America.  Hmmm.

Q: Should America be fighting to keep rural Communities strong and viable, or should we simply watch rural America "shrink?"

Life in My Hood V: People, Parish, and Presence

The neighborhood is admittedly a very tough place to be right now.  There was a homicide a couple of blocks away a few nights ago - a 15 year old girl was killed in her home.

My prayer time and my journaling has led me lately to reflect on the call that Bobbi (on the right, with Twon) and I share, and to ask myself some hard questions about our "Parish."  I have always been a neighborhood guy.  I have always viewed Ministry through the lens of Parish.  To quote one of my Mentors, Art Erickson of Urban Ventures, "some people are committed to their turf, others are committed to their people."  The constant struggle of people vs. parish in the U.S. goes way back to the early days of Colonialism, and has re-emerged as a hot topic in light of gentrification and Mega Churches constantly looking for large plots of land to build on.  The concept of a primary commitment to PEOPLE drives many evangelical Churches to new destinations and neighborhoods, while other Churches like the United Methodist Church and the Catholic Church stay put.  Often indefinitely.

So what does all of this mean for Bobbi and I?  We know one thing for sure: we have a pattern (and apparently a call) to PEOPLE.  We have seen this play out repeatedly with teenagers and young adults in our lives.  Faith, Deris, Mike, Antionette (above), Michelle, and Kenyen are a few examples.  Kelsey, Jesse, Greg, Shalom, Christiana, Ariel, and Adam D.M.G. are a few other examples - although they have never lived under our roof.  We have a Ministry to teenagers and young adults that God has blessed us with.  Many of these young Princes and Princesses go to different Churches.  Some live in different Cities.  None live in our neighborhood.  None.  For whatever reason, God has called us to specific individuals and families (Sundberg, Ross, Ames, Koester, etc.).  We do have friends in the neighbirhood (Brekkes, Jensens, Lachermeiers, Fines, Joneses...), but these people were our friends before we lived near each other (except the Fines).  We are called to people, regardless of where we live.  Yet, we live in North Minneapolis, so we need to serve here while we're here as well.  Quite the complex little puzzle, at least to me.

Q: What about you - People or Parish?  WHY?

Life in My Hood III: Brown Flight

Recently, I was preparing for a workshop on "Bridging the Urban-Suburban Gap," and I found some interesting information on this report from the Brookings Institute:

During the 1990s, the U.S. saw more immigration than any other time in recorded history. The largest numbers of these immigrants may still reside in the traditional gateways of New York, Los Angeles and Miami, but the fastest growing immigrant populations among large metropolitan areas are in emerging immigrant gateways, such as: Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, Dallas, Minneapolis – St. Paul, Phoenix, Portland, Sacramento and Washington, DC.

As I continued to read on this subject and bounce around the Brookings site and a few others, I found some other supporting stats about the Nation's top 100 Cities by population that were fascinating:

* Suburbs grew faster than cities in the 1990's.

* The percent of each racial/ethnic group living in the suburbs increased substantially in the 1990's.

* Now (2003 was the year of this data) more than 1 in 4 suburban households are minority.

So...here is what I am learning: The suburbs are becoming large, diverse communities.  I guess I had never seen such compelling data about this specific subject before.  It shocked me.  The suburbs are becoming more "Urb" than "Sub."  Suburban Mega-Churches will have to adjust; Urban Ministry Leaders will need to rethink the traditional framework of "Urban Ministry."  Everything is changing.

Q: Do you see the face of your neighborhood changing?  If so, how?

Aim Lower.

I found this on the website of my dear friend Jeremy Del Rio.  Check it out.  

Q: Why does the Church spend the way it does?

Life in My Hood II: Pitbulls

I walked out of my house today to go pick up the kids; it was about 3:00 p.m.  Two doors down, there were 6 pit bull terriers playing in an unfenced yard.  That's right - 6!  I could hardly believe it.  Now, I am not a hater.  I love dogs.  I even love pit bulls...but all I could think about was Selah and Gabriel coming home from school, and one of those dogs running up.  Gabriel would instantly freak out (as would Selah), and it could possibly get really ugly.

It is at times like this one today that I wonder if I am crazy.  I have 2 wonderful kids living 2 doors down from a pit  bull breeding operation - and a couple of those pits look ready to rumble at any second.  Before the current tenants moved in, there was an arsenal of firearms stockpiled in the same house 2 doors down.  And this is just one of many crazy stories about dogs, guns, prostitution, murder, and drug dealing that I could tell you about MY BLOCK ALONE.

Q: Where does the line between incarnational Ministry and INSANITY begin and end?

Life In My Hood

Police in North Minneapolis and the northern suburbs are seeing a disturbing crime trend...home invasions are on the rise.

The first home invasion this year happened early New Year's Day.  Armed men forced their way into the Marks' home in Robbinsdale, Minn.  Police said they robbed them then shot Jamis Marks to death as he tried to protect his wife Heather.

Three weeks later, Kristopher Williams was asleep in his south east Minneapolis duplex when two guys broke into his home then his bedroom.  He managed to chase them away with a baseball bat.  "This dude got hit like 3 or 4 times, then he popped up and I hit him in the back of the head ... the bat kind of cracked and that's when I knew it was broken," said victim Kristopher Williams.

Then just last Wednesday, two men and a teenager with a gun were accused of forcing their way into a north Minneapolis home demanding money from the disabled man who lives there and from the man's care giver.  "They shouldn't have done that. They should have never put a gun in my face," said victim Malik, who asked that his last name not be used.

Police said these frightening crimes are happening more often now due to the weather.

"Burglars will go where the money is. If it's 25 below, nobody is walking outside ... where's the money? Where are the thing people steal? They're inside," said Minneapolis Police Lt. Gregory Reinhardt.  Police want to be clear that they don't think any of January's home invasions are connected. They just want residents to be aware of the up tick in this crime so they can take extra safety precautions. (WCCO News, February 2008)

This story is about my neighborhood, and it is slowly crumbling at it's foundation.  Homeownership is plunging, and crime is out of control.  There are unleashed pitbulls literally roaming the neighborhood.  As summer approaches, the gunfire at night is already picking up.  In the winter months it quiets down; in the summer months, our kids go to bed surrounded by the sounds of gunfire.  They call it "fireworks."

It is in the middle of all of this that I wonder about the role of the Church - not just my Church, but all of the Churches in North Minneapolis.

Q: How can neighborhoods where there are multiple Churches (evangeical, mainline, and Catholic) be in such tough shape?  What is the role of the Church in fighting violent crime?

A Preference For The Poor.

"Through our words, prayers and deeds we must show solidarity with, and compassion for, the poor. When instituting public policy we must always keep the "preferential option for the poor" at the forefront of our minds. The moral test of any society is "how it treats its most vulnerable members. The poor have the most urgent moral claim on the conscience of the nation. We are called to look at public policy decisions in terms of how they affect the poor."

These are words out of Catholic social teaching.  I first heard them at a PARADISE Board meeting earlier this week, and they resonated deeply with much of my own thinking and my core beliefs.  Jesus had this "preference," and spent a large chunk of His precious time hanging out with the least, the last, the lost, and the left out.

I wonder if we, the evangelical Church have this preference.  I know that our Theology would support making Ministry to the poor a priority, but what about our practice?  How much of our Church budgets are earmarked for empowering those in poverty, especially those in our own midst?  How many of our Churches would REALLY feel welcoming to someone living in the streets?  How many of us would be comfortable with our kids sitting next to a smelly, hung-over woman improperly dressed on a Sunday morning?  

These are questions that I am wrestling with as I write this; I am not sure that I have a preference for the poor in my daily life.  I like my car smelling clean, which makes it hard to offer a ride to someone who may not have the privilege of a daily shower.  I schedule my day fairly rigidly, which leaves little margin to stop on the side of the road and listen to a displaced refugee who is begging on the street.  I am convicted.  Guilty.

Q: How can we build a PREFERENCE FOR THE POOR into our daily lives?

Divorce. Quantitatively.

For those of us who are honest, it is crystal clear that marriage in America is in a state of crisis.  Couples are "co-habitating" (living together) out of wedlock, and the Church is no exception.  While this is not new news, there is a new angle on it.

The Barna Research Group has just released a new report (here) that provides some long awaited answers - through qualitative research - as to why American marriages are such a mess.  Here is a snapshot of some of the data:

"Among the population segments with the lowest likelihood of having been divorced subsequent to marriage are Catholics (28%), evangelicals (26%), upscale adults (22%), Asians (20%) and those who deem themselves to be conservative on social and political matters (28%)."

I find this fascinating.  I have always wondered if anyone would have the courage and the stamina to expose (via research) the truth about the marriage crisis in the Body.  Barna and his team have given us quite a gift.  We now have some hard questions to ask, and some even harder solutions to develop...

Q: What is a Biblical response to Christian couples living together outside of marriage & Christian divorce?  Where do we start?

Teaching God's Word: Opposing Viewpoints

I spent the last 2 days hanging out with a group of Youth Ministry Leaders from around the US.  We were participating in a "think tank" through Youth Specialties - in San Diego!  The topic of conversation: The use of God's Word (a.k.a. the BIBLE) in Youth Ministry.  

It was a very interesting conversation.  There were some in the room that believe that Students should be taught an expository lesson each week.  Others believe that we need to use "Storying" as the way to communicate the stories, and truths, of the Bible.  These 2 very different methods of communicating God's Word to Students were in healthy tension with each other throughout the conversation.

It was fascinating.

My personal teaching style is to go to the text, pull 3-4 points out of a passage, and hammer those points home.  This is the expository / exegetical way to teach Scripture.  What truly fascinated me was the concept of "Chronological Bible Storying," a new (yet ancient) method of teaching by telling Bible stories without all of the academic commentary.  Imagine that: storytelling as the method of evangelism and discipleship.  Interesante!

Q: How do you prepare to tell others about God's truths, whether in person or online?

The rise and fall of Barack Obama

It would appear that Senator Barack Obama is fading.  The once unstoppable momentum that had all of the other candidates wetting their pants and losing sleep is gone; the Obama campaign is stymied regarding how to stop the bleeding.

I like the Obama campaign.  I always have.  I am concerned with Obama's position on life (abortion), but he inspires me when it comes to so many other critical issues: racial justice, women's rights, education, global citizenship, etc.  There is a big part of me that is truly sad to see his historic and meteoric rise to the White House in jeopardy.

What has really been stunning to me is the circumstances that have halted his progress.  He is not being accused of cheating on Michelle - his wife.  He is not being accused of accepting bribes.  He is no longer being accused of being Muslim.  What is the albatross around his neck?

His Pastor.  

His crazy, loud-mouthed Pastor.  I'm sure that the Obamas joined their Church because they knew that IN CHICAGO it would be a solid strategic decision.  Unfortunately, the rest of the world is not Chicago, and what was once a huge asset has become the ultimate liability to the first serious Black candidate to ever run for the US Presidency.  This may be the end of the Obamamania...

Q: Is it fair to hold Senator Obama accountable for his Pastor's words and conduct?  Or is this just another example of institutional racism in American Society?

An Intergenerational Commitment

There are a LOT of Students involved with my family: students past, students present, and students yet to come.  Over the years, we have had the privilege of having many of these teenagers and young adults stay with us in our home: Faith, Deris, Antionette, Mike, and Michelle (Mike's little sis).  We love this part of our lives, and our kids call all of these folks their "brothers and sisters."  And our kids REALLY mean it; to them, all of these are family.

Life has taken an interesting twist over the last week.  We have had an infant at our home - the first baby we have had in our home except for Selah and Gabriel.  He's 5 months old, his name is Kenyen (pic), and he is a sweet boy.  He is Mike's son.  Some of you may remember Mike from the Willow video we shot last year; he was in the closing scene with me (here).  Mike is in a rough spot right now, and we are watching Kenyen until things clear up a bit.

As I was reflecting on all of this, it dawned on me: My involvement with Mike has gone from Youth Ministry (Mike was in my group at Woodland Hills) to Adult Ministry (Mike is 20 now) to Children's Ministry - KENYEN!  It is humbling.  It is heavy.  It is...kinda weird.

Q: How involved (or not) should a Youth Minister be with a Student and his/her family?  Are the Brookses going too far?

Till (her) death do us part

A couple of nights ago my Sony Vaio laptop died.  She has had near death experiences before, but I think this one may be fatal.  It was a sad day - a day of mourning.  I have had my Vaio for over 3 years.  She has been faithful, like a close friend.  She has traveled with me to over 30 Cities, and has been my companion in Jamaica.  I've even taken her to Grandma's house in Scott's Pass.  I'm gonna miss her. (sigh)

Enter my new Mac Book.  This thing is AMAZING!  My Vaio (may she rest in peace) weighed in at 7.2 pounds.  My Mac weighs in at about 4.2 pounds; a noticeable difference!  My Vaio had 256mb of ram.  My Mac - 2 GIGS of ram!  Again, noticeable.  But most importantly, my Mac has something my dear Vaio never had: true beauty.  This laptop, in it's sleek black casing and with it's built in web cam, is quite a thing to behold.  I don't dream about her, but she is definitely on my mind a lot.  My Mac Book is to my career what Bobbi is to my personal life.  I guess you could say I'm in love!

Q: Mac or PC for you?  Why?