Just something to catch you up a bit...

Hey everyone, sorry it has been a little while since I updated the blog but we were out for the holidays and then once we returned it was full speed for a while to get caught up. Now it is leveling off a bit. So God continues to build relationships into our lives and we are surprised by the ways He uses us to influence others and instigate steps of transformation in peoples lives. I have had a few such incidences this past week. 

  

Our Good Neighbor Initiative has finished our first service project and we were able to bring a broad consortium of people together to do it. As we worked to paint the interior of our neighbors house and fix her bathroom toilet and sink we had several people from the neighborhood join our other volunteers to accomplish it which was very encouraging for us. Our neighbor is definitely excited about her new look inside and to have the use of her bathroom once again. 

Our Voice Groups have taken the slow route in starting back up but we were able to meet with a key young leader in the community and he was encouraged and encouraging (not to mention stinkin' funny). 

BEATS (Bringing Eternal Arts to the Streets) is about to have its second open mic/art expression night on the 15th Feb. We are excited for this one as it will have the theme of MLK's "I Have A Dream" and will be focused on expressing their dreams through the arts it is also a part of celebrating Black History month (Feb). We are trying to find a great venue for this event so keep that in mind if you want to pray for us in it. 

The kids are growing a the twins are walking. We just have to figure out how to get them out of destruction mode! I think we pressed the wrong button or something cause they make our house look like there was a tornado every day. They are fun but a lot of work too. :) I have attached our new team pic as well in case you wanted to see it. Don't worry I will put more pics on soon...(everyone keeps asking). 

Well, I know that wasn't a very polished entry but I am not in a polished mood. Ciao 

Yearning...far away

We have a good friend visiting Uganda right now and he is going to see our old home and the friends we have there. He is traveling there with some packages for our friends, letters with words written to express our heart to those we once were able to speak, and pictures to replace our very presence there. These thoughts stir echoes of a different time and a longing to return. Langston Hughes expressed it well in a poem not spoken from the same source that our longing derives its soul, yet somehow rings true even to my comparatively small experience there. So I wanted to share it with you...

Afro-American Fragment

So long,

So far away

Is Africa.

Not even memories alive

Save those that history books create,

Save those that songs 

Beat back into the blood-

Beat out of blood with words sad-sung

In strange un-Negro tongue-

So long, 

So far away

Is Africa.

Subdued and time-lost 

Are the drums -- and yet 

Through some vast mist of race 

There comes this song

I do not understand, 

This song of atavistic land,

Of bitter yearnings lost

Without a place-

So long,

So far away

Is Africa's

Dark face.

Christmas Reflection

One of my favorite authors and a mentor to me through his pages is Henri Nouwen. In his book, The Road to Daybreak, he says, 

Somehow I realized that songs, music, good feelings, beautiful liturgies, nice presents, big dinners, and many sweet words do not make Christmas. Christmas is saying "yes" to something beyond all emotions and feelings. Christmas is saying "yes" to a hope based on God's initiative, which has nothing to do with what I think or feel. Christmas is believing that the salvation of the world is God's work and not mine. Things will never look just right or feel just right. If they did, someone would be lying.... But it is into this broken world that a child is born who is called the Son of the Most High, Prince of Peace, Savior.

Luke 2:1-7 says,

In those days a decree went out from Emporer Augustus that all the world should be registered.... All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house of David. he went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. 

A reflective prayer for these thoughts  could simply be: 

    Thank you, Lord, that you came independently of my feelings and thoughts. Your heart is greater than mine. I welcome you. Amen.

May these thoughts turn your heart to Him and minister to you soul as you celebrate His first coming and await His second. Peace to you from our family. 

                 

Voice of the Youth Night in Pictures

Voice of the Youth Night...a success!!!

God is doing some great things in the Grove these days and one of them happened last Friday night (the 30th of Nov) when we held our first Voice of the Youth event. Just to give you a bit of background, one of the areas Urban Resurrection works through here in the the Grove is to create a space for people to have a voice that will be heard where they normally would not. It is also a place for people to share ideas and express themselves to each other and thus build the movement and momentum that will in turn create action and transformational change in our community. We call this a Voice Group. Our first Voice Group meeting happened in August and we have met pretty consistently every other week or so ever since. Out of these meetings it has come through that our neighbors have a real desire to see the youth of the community involved and having a voice as well. Due to the recent violence there was a more urgent desire to make this happen. SO the Voice Group decided that they and our Urban Resurrection team should create just such an opportunity for the youth ages 14 to 21. We all though that using the creative arts as a medium for this expression would be a good way to do it so we developed the Voice of the Youth Night. This was held at Rustic Treasures, a local coffee shop owned by Bona and Walt Parlins (Voice Group Members).  We had a church donate over $400 worth of art supplies that made it all work. So we advertised at the local youth hangouts and handed out fliers then prayed really hard that some youth would actually show up....

    Well, we were not disappointed because over 40 youth came through the event and many actually participated in the hip hop, drawing, graffiti wall, and open mic! We were thrilled to say the least and we even had ten youth sign up to be a part of the planning process for the next one!! So we plan to build on this event and hopefully it will grow into a full fledged part of our ministry. All of this aligns really well with our vision and we have decided to call the arts portion of our ministry BEATS which stands for Bringing Eternal Arts to the Streets.  Enjoy the pics!!!