Sometimes I come home from Sidewalk feeling excited about what God did. Sometimes I come home wondering what in the world happened. Working in the inner city is a constant up and down. Some days you are thrilled because it is evident that God is working on the hearts of a kid that you have poured into. Other times you have to threaten someone's life.
On days (like today) where you feel like you were fighting an uphill battle, Petra's "The Battle Belongs to the Lord" should play automatically. There are so many battles that we face, both in the physical and the spiritual realms, and if we try to stand solely on our own strength, we will fail miserably.
We are teaching this week about doing the right thing. Galatians 6:9 "Let us not become weary of doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest us we do not give up." There have been a few days as of late, where giving up sounded like a good option. Thankfully, I have this little nugget of wisdom to fall back on. Perhaps some of you out there in Yogurtville, USA are feeling that way. Maybe making those right choices is wearing on you. Showing up to do your part is beating you down. To you (and to myself) I say, don't give up.
"When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." No. Life doesn't usually give you lemons. It squeezes lemon juice on your open wounds. When it does, keep walking. Keep standing. Keep serving. Paul said it best, "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed (amen. I am often perplexed) but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body." (2 Corinthians 4:8-10)
On days like today, when things stopped going my way (Not just children acting a fool. The program wasn't exactly a disaster. Other things didn't go as planned today), I made a choice to continue walking with the Lord. Not to look to the right or the left. Not to think, "Is this really my calling?" Not to decide that I needed to do something else. Not to wonder if I got off at the wrong stop years back. But to continue with what I know is to be true. That I am supposed to show up every day, and love those kids. That I am supposed to continue speaking life into people. That I am a servant of my friend Jesus.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
"When the money comes in for the work I do, I'll pass almost every penny on to you"
In July of 2003, 9 teenagers (including me) arrived in Dallas to work at an (unknown to them) inner city ministry. We worked harder than any of us had ever worked. We cleaned, we sorted clothes, we famously sanded a bus, we taped newspaper over bus windows, we worked with kids at the old Frazier Courts, we passed out flyers, we did skits, we prayed with kids and teens... It was quite a week. We slept on the floor, ate Uncrustables with the Frazier kids, and learned more about ourselves than we thought we would. Nine of us went on that trip., 8 of us loved it. One of us thought those people who worked at Metro were out of their dang minds and hoped to never see that place again. God must have fell off his throne laughing at that thought.
Little did I know that only a year later, I would return to that place and have it become my home. 8 years after that unforgettable trip, I'm still here. The one who couldn't wait to go home. The one who thought people like Rickey and Crissy were crazy. Now I am among the ranks of the crazy and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Yesterday, we cleaned 1526 West Fort Worth Avenue for the last time. We hopped in the van and drove away. Forever. That building had been Metro's headquarters since 1997. Many incredible things happened there. Now, it belongs to someone else. Before we got in the van yesterday, we took a couple minutes to reminisce about our favorite memories in that building.
There was the day that Crissy and I played firemen and put out the fire that was burning dangerously under a plastic barrel of oil. There was the day that we hoisted a air conditioner onto the roof, using rope and scaffold (a guy had just joined the staff the day before. That was his last day). There was the period of time we had to park a bus against the chapel doors to prevent the recent serial looters from breaking in again. There was the HOURS of painting that we have done in, around and outside that place. (Trucks, every semester. Hallways/rooms, all the time. Chapel ceiling? Check) Breaking up a myriad of fights in the parking lot. Lock-ins, church services, small groups, the homeless... So many great memories. They will never be forgotten.
As that chapter of Metro's story closes, another opens. Beginning Sunday, our church will be meeting at a church in South Dallas. Our offices have moved to our apartment complex (My office is a converted bathroom) Our warehouse in in Cockrell Hill. All this spread apartedness is of course temporary. We have long term plans for building a center in South Dallas, but until that day, the work continues. We still will do Sidewalk, we will still have church. We will still work to impact the inner city. However, if you are like me, or if you are at least human, you can't help but feel a little nostalgic. That building was our second home. I probably spent WAY more hours there than I did at my actual home. I have seen a lot of faces come and go through those doors. Kids, teens, staff, street people... Life goes on, but a little peice of me will always remain at 1526 Fort Worth Ave. ("No sir, that is in Dallas. Yes, I know I said Fort Worth, the street is called Fort Worth. We are a mile west of Downtown. Downtown Dallas, not Fort Worth. Yes sir. We are right next to the Shady Oaks Motel. I promise, it is in Dallas."- actual conversation I had on the phone with a donor).
Very soon, someone else will work there. It will be a weird feeling to drive past there and not see buses and trucks. I wonder how many homeless people will go in there , only to be greeted with a bewildered receptionist who has no idea why all these dirty people keep coming in asking for food? Soon, someone will paint over my beloved green and blue walls in Kids Church. I managed to stay tear free, but walking out of there one last time almost pushed me over the edge. I was pretty attached to that room. Not the four walls, but the things that happened in there. It will be missed.
Two things will not be missed. The stairs to the loft, and the 60,000 doors. Never will I have the chance of meeting my death while retrieving a hockey table from upstairs, and not for a while will I have to deal with a door every 6 feet. Locking up the building was always such a hassle to make sure all the doors were locked. I won't get too comfortable. The next building I'm sure will be door-tastic. The current office has a million light switches. Some things change, but not much.
Random thought for the day: I was watching the news last night, which is of course nothing but Super Bowl preparation coverage. A rather impolite winter storm hit us last night, causing massive icing of roads. Two things popped into my head. 1. Thank goodness the Super Bowl is providing a distraction to the upcoming weather. It is a gift from the Lord not to have to watch hours of "Winter Blast 2011" coverage. 2. Why is Janet Napolitano discussing what the weather might do to Super Bowl activities? Does the Secretary of Homeland Security not have anything more pressing and nationally vital to do than A. Be in Dallas a WEEK before the Super Bowl (why is she even here anyway?) and B. Comment on canceled events due to winter weather? I was, frankly, embarrassed. Not only is a global event coming here to which will now showcase our absurd reaction to snow and ice, The GREEN BAY Packers and PITTSBURGH Steelers are here. What a better way to welcome them (who are based in a land where ice and snow is a way of life) to Texas than to show them that freezing precipitation brings our city mercilessly to its knees. Good job DFW.
Little did I know that only a year later, I would return to that place and have it become my home. 8 years after that unforgettable trip, I'm still here. The one who couldn't wait to go home. The one who thought people like Rickey and Crissy were crazy. Now I am among the ranks of the crazy and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Yesterday, we cleaned 1526 West Fort Worth Avenue for the last time. We hopped in the van and drove away. Forever. That building had been Metro's headquarters since 1997. Many incredible things happened there. Now, it belongs to someone else. Before we got in the van yesterday, we took a couple minutes to reminisce about our favorite memories in that building.
There was the day that Crissy and I played firemen and put out the fire that was burning dangerously under a plastic barrel of oil. There was the day that we hoisted a air conditioner onto the roof, using rope and scaffold (a guy had just joined the staff the day before. That was his last day). There was the period of time we had to park a bus against the chapel doors to prevent the recent serial looters from breaking in again. There was the HOURS of painting that we have done in, around and outside that place. (Trucks, every semester. Hallways/rooms, all the time. Chapel ceiling? Check) Breaking up a myriad of fights in the parking lot. Lock-ins, church services, small groups, the homeless... So many great memories. They will never be forgotten.
As that chapter of Metro's story closes, another opens. Beginning Sunday, our church will be meeting at a church in South Dallas. Our offices have moved to our apartment complex (My office is a converted bathroom) Our warehouse in in Cockrell Hill. All this spread apartedness is of course temporary. We have long term plans for building a center in South Dallas, but until that day, the work continues. We still will do Sidewalk, we will still have church. We will still work to impact the inner city. However, if you are like me, or if you are at least human, you can't help but feel a little nostalgic. That building was our second home. I probably spent WAY more hours there than I did at my actual home. I have seen a lot of faces come and go through those doors. Kids, teens, staff, street people... Life goes on, but a little peice of me will always remain at 1526 Fort Worth Ave. ("No sir, that is in Dallas. Yes, I know I said Fort Worth, the street is called Fort Worth. We are a mile west of Downtown. Downtown Dallas, not Fort Worth. Yes sir. We are right next to the Shady Oaks Motel. I promise, it is in Dallas."- actual conversation I had on the phone with a donor).
Very soon, someone else will work there. It will be a weird feeling to drive past there and not see buses and trucks. I wonder how many homeless people will go in there , only to be greeted with a bewildered receptionist who has no idea why all these dirty people keep coming in asking for food? Soon, someone will paint over my beloved green and blue walls in Kids Church. I managed to stay tear free, but walking out of there one last time almost pushed me over the edge. I was pretty attached to that room. Not the four walls, but the things that happened in there. It will be missed.
Two things will not be missed. The stairs to the loft, and the 60,000 doors. Never will I have the chance of meeting my death while retrieving a hockey table from upstairs, and not for a while will I have to deal with a door every 6 feet. Locking up the building was always such a hassle to make sure all the doors were locked. I won't get too comfortable. The next building I'm sure will be door-tastic. The current office has a million light switches. Some things change, but not much.
Random thought for the day: I was watching the news last night, which is of course nothing but Super Bowl preparation coverage. A rather impolite winter storm hit us last night, causing massive icing of roads. Two things popped into my head. 1. Thank goodness the Super Bowl is providing a distraction to the upcoming weather. It is a gift from the Lord not to have to watch hours of "Winter Blast 2011" coverage. 2. Why is Janet Napolitano discussing what the weather might do to Super Bowl activities? Does the Secretary of Homeland Security not have anything more pressing and nationally vital to do than A. Be in Dallas a WEEK before the Super Bowl (why is she even here anyway?) and B. Comment on canceled events due to winter weather? I was, frankly, embarrassed. Not only is a global event coming here to which will now showcase our absurd reaction to snow and ice, The GREEN BAY Packers and PITTSBURGH Steelers are here. What a better way to welcome them (who are based in a land where ice and snow is a way of life) to Texas than to show them that freezing precipitation brings our city mercilessly to its knees. Good job DFW.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
"From Lake Geneva to the Finland Station"
One word has entered our venacular as of late, and it drives me bonkers. "Creeping." Not creeping in the sense that I am a burglar, trying to stealthily enter your home without your express written permission. Creeping in the sense of someone "violating one's privacy" by looking through one's Facebook profile. Really? Privacy? On Facebook?
Let's examine what Facebook is. It is a website, wherein we store personal information; information that can be entertaining and condemning all at once. We can post pictures, connect with old friends, avoid old friends... The Facebook possibilities are endless. However, we need to remember that it us a PUBLIC website. You are not jotting your thoughts down in your Lisa Frank journal. You aren't storing your pictures in a Swiss Bank account. You are putting them online for all of your "friends" to see.
When people accuse someone of "creeping", they are generally insinuating that said creeper is violating their privacy by looking and commenting on their posts, pictures or links. If you don't want someone to look at your stuff, WHY ARE YOU PUTTING IT OUT THERE?!?! By adding someone as your friend, you are giving them access to your information. If Jaquan looks through his friend Shonquivette's pictures, THAT ISN'T CREEPING. However, if Jaquan looked through Shonquivette's attractive sister Yuinique's pictures, with whom he is not friends, THAT would be creeping.
Is it annoying if someone comments on a status you posted during W.'s administration? Yes. Annoying but not creeping. I understand, there are people who spend WAY too much time on Facebook, but if you are friends with someone, don't get offended when they comment on every one of your pictures. If you don't want to be friends with someone, DON'T ADD THEM AS A FRIEND. When creepy cousin Mel wants to be your friend, say no. You have that power.
Random thought for the day: I think Super Bowl Sunday should be declared a national holiday. People already get together; there is food; you can't wait to get away from creepy cousin Mel... It already has that feel. Come on Congress, one little pen stroke... Oh wait. I forgot. You're too busy proving to the entire world that your preening "I'll show them!" partisanship can bring the world's foremost democracy (Republic actually. We aren't a democracy, despite people's delusions to the contrary) to a screeching halt.
Let's examine what Facebook is. It is a website, wherein we store personal information; information that can be entertaining and condemning all at once. We can post pictures, connect with old friends, avoid old friends... The Facebook possibilities are endless. However, we need to remember that it us a PUBLIC website. You are not jotting your thoughts down in your Lisa Frank journal. You aren't storing your pictures in a Swiss Bank account. You are putting them online for all of your "friends" to see.
When people accuse someone of "creeping", they are generally insinuating that said creeper is violating their privacy by looking and commenting on their posts, pictures or links. If you don't want someone to look at your stuff, WHY ARE YOU PUTTING IT OUT THERE?!?! By adding someone as your friend, you are giving them access to your information. If Jaquan looks through his friend Shonquivette's pictures, THAT ISN'T CREEPING. However, if Jaquan looked through Shonquivette's attractive sister Yuinique's pictures, with whom he is not friends, THAT would be creeping.
Is it annoying if someone comments on a status you posted during W.'s administration? Yes. Annoying but not creeping. I understand, there are people who spend WAY too much time on Facebook, but if you are friends with someone, don't get offended when they comment on every one of your pictures. If you don't want to be friends with someone, DON'T ADD THEM AS A FRIEND. When creepy cousin Mel wants to be your friend, say no. You have that power.
Random thought for the day: I think Super Bowl Sunday should be declared a national holiday. People already get together; there is food; you can't wait to get away from creepy cousin Mel... It already has that feel. Come on Congress, one little pen stroke... Oh wait. I forgot. You're too busy proving to the entire world that your preening "I'll show them!" partisanship can bring the world's foremost democracy (Republic actually. We aren't a democracy, despite people's delusions to the contrary) to a screeching halt.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)