Chisholm Project

The End?

2007-01-08T12:15:00.000-08:00

You know, I promised some volumes of stories last month. Raw stories. Untold, exciting, ghetto-riffic stories. I don't think I am going to tell them. They really aren't important in the greater scheme of the Chisholm experience. If you are really aching to hear the stories, call me up, or ask me about them in person. I think I enjoy talking more than typing.

This is the last Chisholm Project blog. I am going to continue to blog elsewhere, at least once a month, at my new blog. Tara and I are not getting the internet in our home, which should be good for lots of reasons. But I will still blog a bit. Please keep up with me. www.mortifyme.blogspot.com

The last 3 or 4 months have been wedding-centric, and so Chisholm has not been priority. That was no mistake, and I don't regret focusing my energies elsewhere. But I am sure you are wondering "what ever happened to...?" and so I will take the time to tell you.

The kids. The 7 kids who are cousins/brothers/sisters who identify themselves as my children are still very much a part of our life. They (and some more of their family) came to the wedding. Shay, Stevie, Loka, Fernando, James, Tiana, and Shakira have all been over to the new house more than once or twice. We will keep feeding and teaching them there in Capitol Heights most Saturdays and maybe one week night weekly. Four of them are also coming to Morningview on Sunday nights for Bible drills and such. We are hoping that Fernando will get to go to middle school next year at Capitol Heights, and that way he can walk over after school as much as he likes.

Bradley. Bradley went to court-ordered boot camp this fall. He also hit puberty. Puberty and boot camp don't go well together. We have seen Bradley twice in the last 3-4 months. He still needs a new heart. Pray that he would call us.

Jimmy. Jimmy and his family decided that we weren't cut out for each other. I think I agree. It was nice serving them. Peace!

Herman. Herman is a legacy. Everyone who has never been to Chisholm but only read this blog asks about Herman. We don't really know what happened to Herman. Jonny made him a birthday cake in July (so sweet) and then Herman never called us ever again. We would play with the kids right next to his yard and he never came out. We would look for him to be outside feeding his dogs or talking to a neighbor. Nothing. A lot of his furniture got tossed on the curb by his daughter a while back, but the house has not been rented out again. I think he might have been put in a home? Or maybe something worse happened and his daughter is just collecting his check? I have no explanation, but I haven't seen him in 6 months for sure.

Mexicans. There are about 12 Mexicans living next door in the house, the plywood addition to the house, and the storage building behind the house. No lie. There are extension cords running power from the main house to the storage shed. When they found out that we were moving, they wanted to get 9 Rotary so they could have some more space. I hope it works out for them... and Ben the rat. But yeh... don't send your church to Guatemala to build a cinderblock home. Send them to Chisholm, because the next tornado could take some lives at 7 Rotary St.

Cameron, the whistle-blower. This is the neighbor who saw Lucius steal Jonny's truck. He didn't want to talk about Jesus, but he was good to have around. He would spot me with cash at the Dollar General when their bo-bo credit card swiper wouldn't work adn I needed to pay for my groceries. And he would knock on the door when the dog got out so that we would catch him. Good neighbor. Thoroughly ghetto. But good neighbor. He moved out in October without goodbyes or explanations. That happens alot in Chisholm. I hope to run into him around town.

Mean old white man. He didn't get any nicer or any less critical of everyone else, and we didn't ever break our backs to love him. We just let him sit on his porch and sulk. I'll be judged for that one day.

Other kids. I am sure the other kids miss the free hot dogs and pizza and popsicles, but other than that, they are making it without us. No goodbyes or anything.

So what was the point of it all, anyway? Why did we subject ourselves to crappy living conditions and theft and rat and ungrateful neighbors? Well, you'll have to either go back and read the archives of the blog, or you'll have to buy my book. If the Lord permits, I will finish writing it. It is going to be a personal theology of missions that ought to be applicable and pertinent in any neighborhood in any country, but especially to places like Chisholm.

May God continue to make your hearts tender for people who aren't like you. May He use someone more dedicated and foolish than me or Henson to do more work in Chisholm. May the church learn to treasure the chance to live like we lived. And may God redeem Chisholm for his name's sake!

Thanks for everything. I love you.

The Untold Stories, Vol. I

2006-12-06T12:40:00.000-08:00

Okay, kids. Sit down for story time with Daddy Ben.
I should probably be doing something right now to prepare for wedding and honeymoon, but I can't think of what I should be doing, so I blog.

There were numerous things that happened that were more life-threatening than Ben-the-rat, and since I am moved out of 9 Rotary, and since Jonny is practically moved out, no one will fear for our safety or admonish us, because the past is past!

Story #1: Drunk Driver

This happened in hmm... February? March? I dunno when.
Jonny and I had Bradley over for dinner one Friday night. J and Bradley were sitting on the couch reading the Bible and I had taken the garbage out to the side of the house. My Mexican neighbor beckons me to the fence in the backyard.
"De cheek-ens..."
He points to some chickens in their backyard. (There used to be 6 or 7)
"Los pollos", says Ben.
"Yase, de cheekens. De dog." He points at Jonny's dog.
"El perro" says Ben. I am thinking he wants an English lesson.
Then he stands there looking at me like I should know the rest of his story. But I don't. 5 minutes later, I figure out that Buck climbed the fence and ate a chicken. If you have been reading since last winter, you knew this.
Then Roberto gets a cheeken and holds him over the fence as the cheeken flaps all over the place. He points at the dog and tells me to hit the dog. Like the dog is going to understand? What am I teaching the dog? Not to pick up a chicken and dangle him over the fence? So I give Buck a pat-pat on the bum, and Buck looks confused.
"Gracias" says the neighbor.

I am walking around the front of the house to go tell Jonny that the dog eats chickens, and as I round the corner, (it is dusk, by the way) this van comes sailing down our street towards our house at about 45 mph. He runs one side of the car on the curb and CRUNCH, he hits the telephone poll in the next yard (9 and 1/2 Rotary St. Yes, there is a 9 and 1/2 Rotary St.) I am just standing there being a startled spectator, which you will see is my customary response in these situations. My fight-or-flight instincts are apparently missing.

The driver's door comes flinging open, a shady white man leaps out and starts sprinting down the street. Another white man comes rolling out screaming and yelling and holding his sides. He is saying things like "Oooh!" and "Help me!" and "Jesus!" and "Oooh, help me, Jesus!"

Bradley comes out on the porch. He sees the van. He knows the man who drives it. He hears the crying. He thinks the guy is dying. Bradley starts crying.

Shawn (a lady named Shawn, our old neighbor across the street) and her little girl and the little girl's friend were getting in the car while this happened. Her little girl is crying. Shawn is standing on the curb with her hands on her hips shaking her head at the man in the street.

Every white person on Rotary Street (previously unseen) comes out to spectate, commentate, or hyper-ventilate. They start saying things like, "Somebody, call 9-1-1!" (I don't remember who did)... and "Get him some water! He says he's thirsty" and "Don't move him, he might be paralyzed!" You know... everyone thinks they are an E.M.T. in a situation like this. But none of them notices that there are power lines laying in the street and dangling over their heads. Smarrrrt.

Me: "Hey, there are power lines down..."
Everyone else: Ignores me.

And in the midst of the Caucasian madness, Shawn intervenes. "THIS MAN IS NOT HURT!"
Man: I'm dyin'... I'm dyin'... somebody call my diddy and tell 'im I love 'im...
White lady: What's his phone number!?
Shawn: THIS MAN IS NOT HURT. I SAW IT ALL. THIS MAN IS DRUNK!
Man: 555-9999Take me Jesus, I'm comin' home! Take me! Oooohhhh!
White people touching the man's hands and feet: Can you feel this?
Man: You're breaking my back!!! AAAAAAAAH!
Shawn: I AM A NURSE. THIS MAN IS NOT HURT. GET AWAY FROM HIM!
Man: I can see the light! Ooooh! (Drama ad nauseum)

And then you have the kids standing on the curb and they are crying. And I am like, "Hmm, this is not a place for them..." So I get them inside and put on Shrek and say, "Hey kids! Let's watch Shrek!" and as soon as I go outside, they follow me again. I mean, who wants to watch Shrek when a man is allegedly dying in the street. I can't blame them.

Then about 5 (no lie, Jonny will testify, 5!) emergency vehicles show up... which was uncalled for. And the police interview the man, and between his cries he tells everyone that the pole came out of no where and that he was projected from the vehicle (door?) into the street. And Shawn, the star witness is screaming, "THIS MAN IS NOT HURT! HIS FRIEND PUSHED HIM OUT THE WAY AND HE FELL OUT THE VAN! HE IS FINE! TAKE HIS #$* TO JAIL!"

Some cops go to look for the other man, who had by then had about 15 minutes to run to the other side of Chisholm. Finally, the paramedics put the drunk man in the ambulance and took him away, and for the rest of the night we had no power because the pole snapped, and the power crews had to do their work. We walked Bradley home and then sat on the porch and watched the clean-up.

The end of Story #1. Stay tuned for #2.

Ben and Ben

2006-11-15T07:12:00.000-08:00

You may be unaware, but I share my name with a fictional rat from a movie (also named "Ben") made in 1972. I also share my name with a Michael Jackson song made for the movie about the fictional rat. I am usually reminded about Ben the rat about once a week by a guy at work named Cornelius who likes to sing the Michael Jackson song to me. It goes like this: "Ben, the two of us need look no more...We both found what we were looking for..."

So I tell you this to accent the irony of my experience last night.

I decided to be productive with my time after work and do some laundry. This requires me to go back to 9 Rotary St (I have been sleeping at the new house). About 2 months ago, I discovered a suspicious hole in the dog food bag in the pantry, and also had heard some thuds in the kitchen at night. Jonny and I ascertained that we had a rat. About a month ago, Jonny came home (I was asleep) and found the rat staring up at him from the kitchen floor, proud as life and big as day. Jonny says that he has seen rats before and that he isn't scared of them. Big man, tough guy... yeh, yeh, yeh. He should have killed it while he had the chance.

The only place I have previously seen rats was in the alleyways in the slums of China. I remember being a little sicked out seeing them there, but it was not intimidating. I mean, we were outside in open space. The rats could run anywhere, the people could run anywhere, and the likelihood of a rat-pedestrian encounter was pretty improbable, unless you had cheese tied to your ankles.

Well... last night, I went to the house to do my laundry. I thought I heard a little scurry-scurry when I turned on the light, so I handled the situation how I normally do. I talked to the rat in my threatening ghetto voice. I said, "Rat, don't make me kill you. You better find a hole and hide cause I'm here to do my laundry. Get out of my way, you dirty little hooker." (That's really how I talk to the rat whom I had previously never seen but only heard)

I walk across the kitchen and open the washer lid. This rat comes thudding out from behind the washer about a yard away from my feet. I literally leapt on top of the dryer and started yelling "AAAAAHHHH!" until he made his way across the kitchen and went behind the water heater. Then, I thought to myself, I bet the Mexicans are hearing this, so I toned it down to just a little "aaaaahhh!" What if he had latched onto my ankle! I would be in the hospital for rabies or something. About two minutes later I got down from the dryer and did my laundry really fast and thanked God that I don't live in that stank nasty house anymore.

I really think I could better handle a snake. I feel like if I yelled at the snake, he would get mad. So seeing a snake, I would have some motivation to act a bit cooler. You know, treat him like he wasn't there while I reached for a shovel or something. Rats... different story. Yelling has no adverse effects that I know of. Plus, they are gross. They deserve yelling. I don't think there were rats in Eden. I am pretty sure they might be in hell.

So anyhow. Ben the boy met Ben the rat last night, and neither the boy nor the rat sang any Michael Jackson songs.

Thank Youtube

2006-10-25T10:31:00.000-07:00

I have taken several short videos of random things throughout the last year, and I am just now getting around to posting them on Youtube. I don't know how long I will leave them up, so enjoy them while you can. I will add links to each video as I add them to youtube. Also, they will basically be added in reverse chronological order -- so if things in the videos look or sound not-so-recent, it is because they are not-so-recent.

Enjoy!

Welcome to McDonald's
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmlT854yUcU
Sometimes People Do Be Hatin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upSmu-oFrfA
You Know What I'm Sayin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJnb5QDoPBc

Faking Fruit

2006-10-17T12:36:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday morning, I finally did something that I have been meaning to do since we moved in last January: yard work. Don't misunderstand. We have a lawnmower, and we keep the grass/weeds cut. I even bust out the scissors and trim the nasty weeds that creep up against the front porch and gate. Jonathan thinks it is very funny that I use the scissors, but I will have you know that they are cheaper than purchasing a weed eater, and they have yet to require repair.

Anyhow... besides cutting weeds and grass, our yard goes unkempt. Neighbors are not very envious of Yard of the Month, and neither are we. We have had this mutual fence foliage that we shared with the Mexicans, and Saturday I got tired of scraping my car against it. I decided to make a journey to our local Chisholm hardware store, Dixie Hardware on East Park Av, which turns out is a very nice little place with lots of stuff and reasonable prices. I purchased some shears and gloves and went home happy.

For about 45 minutes, I neutered everything green that could be reached without a ladder, and then I made a nice pile of limbs and such on the curb.

The next morning as I was leaving for church I looked out my window at the curb, and I guess I expected a big pile of brown to be sitting there... but everything was green. Things looked just as fresh as though I had just done the chopping. And it all sort of bugged me that the limbs weren't dead yet, because they were no longer alive and attached to the root. So in my agitation, I started thinking; the thinking has subsequently led to this blog.

I think that there are an awful lot of times that I am like these dead-but-green branches. I know that there are hours and days and seasons of unfruitfulness in my life. My affection for God wanes, my brokenness over my sin is absent, and consequently, my life is full of bad fruit.

I am the type with a 500 pound conscience; when I err, I feel that my sin is being broadcast in neon lights on my forehead. I am naturally inclined to rationalize that I outwardly appear as dead as I feel on the inside. At this point of anxiety, instead of running to Christ, abiding in Him, and filling myself with Jesus, I instead try to cling on to all the appearance of green that is left in the lifeless branches.

Basically, I fake fruit.

I willfully prop my dead limbs up against the Vine and try to camouflage myself among the healthiness of other branches. Few people discern that I am ministering and striving and running the race in utterly self-focused, self-reliant pride and vanity, and the sham lasts until the branch turns brown. Maybe no one notices because they are doing the same thing. Then, someone spiritual says something about a dangerous fire; I realize that I am literally hell-kindling, and I finally run to Christ.

This is not a joyful way to live. It is stressful. It is stupid. It is injurious --even perilous-- to my soul.

I want you to see that it is indeed possible to fake fruit. God is not fooled, but man is. I want to confess that I have often done it in your sight, even through this dumb blog. I want to ask your forgiveness. I want you to assume nothing. I want you who are my friends to ask me if I am abiding in Christ. And when I say yes, I want you to say it again. "Are you truly abiding in Christ?" You might be snatching me from the fire by asking.

I love God for giving us a Bible that is so in-your-face true. He might have a lot of secrets and mysteries, but he isn't hiding anything from us that is crucial to eternal life. I am not sure how so many of us go years reading the Word and never being afraid for our souls. Jesus' own language in the Gospels promise us a number of fearsome truths, one of them being that dead, fruitless branches are not fire-insurable. Neither are joyless, loveless, peaceless "Christians" who esteem themselves more than God's glory. They are cut off by the Vinedresser, and cast into the flame. (Jn 15:-5-6) It is a truth that we need to approach and digest everyday.

I leave you with another Bible passage with a similar message. I pray that God will use it to help us examine our fruit, and help me to never fake mine.

Abide in Christ!

"... the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness:'Prepare the way of the Lord,[a] make his paths straight. 5Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low,and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places shall become level ways, 6and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"

7He said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 9Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."

10And the crowds asked him, "What then shall we do?" 11And he answered them, "Whoever has two tunics[b] is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise." 12Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, "Teacher, what shall we do?" 13And he said to them, "Collect no more than you are authorized to do." 14Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what shall we do?" And he said to them, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages."

15As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ, 16John answered them all, saying, "I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 17His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire." Luke 3: 2b-17

Morning-Who Part 2

2006-09-28T07:42:00.000-07:00

The picture above is actually from the church picnic. Check out David and Kem jumping rope at Lagoon Park.

More pictures of youth teaching

Morning-Who?

2006-09-28T06:49:00.000-07:00

Faith comes by hearing
23 people in our living room. Score.
Sweet Tara and Sweet Tiana. She is not reading.
This would be Jimmy.
Kobie... killer smile.
Claire B, wanted in 8 states
He doesn't know how to not be cute
We are not scared to eat off the groundAbout 8 people from the Morningview Student Ministry came to lead and teach our kids last Saturday. From my understanding, other groups of students were at other locations in Montgomery doing ministry simultaneously.

Thank you Randy, Becky, Claire, Ashley, Amy Catherine, Christopher, Austin, Paige, and Mallory for giving us your Saturday! We had a good time, and you did a good job. Come back soon!

You Crazy

2006-09-08T11:45:00.000-07:00

Here is a recent and fun story for your entertainment.

My favorite child (I really think they are all my favorite) Shay was working on her homework with Tara and me last night, and she was struggling with her third grade homonyms in her spelling list. To refresh your memory, a homonym is a word which sounds like another word (their and there and they're, e.g.) but has an altogether different spelling and meaning.

Well, my-inner teacher got a little carried away and after Shay successfully finished her practice homonyms worksheet, I decided we would test her grammar and language skills a little further. Now, I have to confess that I rarely demand good grammar from these kids, and I frequently use bad grammar myself-- because A) It is fun, and B) the kids understand it. So instead of saying, "Would you please pass the biscuits?" when we are eating, I might casually say, "I can have a biscuit?" (If you are unfamiliar with this sort of speech, you inflect your voice at the end of the sentence to imply to everyone that you are asking a question, even though you really just made a statement about your own ability to possess a biscuit.)

This is but one of many fun ways to distinguish yourself as a non-English speaker. Some other rules that we commonly follow are listed below:

1. Forget about singular possessive indicators. Nobody needs that apostrophe - "s." Just leave it off, because we all know whose stuff you are talking about.

Ex: Whose blog is this? This is Ben blog. This is Ben sentence. This is Ben story!

2. Use "I'm is" as though there is no alternative. Who says "I am", anyway?

Ex: I'm is doing my homework. I'm is in the third grade. I'm is!
Another ex: If we were translating the book of Exodus, God would say to Moses, "I'm is."

3. Do = does = do. It's all the same, regardless of singularity or plurality of the action taker.
Everybody does : Everybody do / Tomayto : Tomahto.

Ex: Do she know what Ben is saying? Yes, she do.

4. Finally, the best and most basic rule demands the omission of linking verbs whenever possible, especially when constructing basic sentences. Am, is, are, was, and were are a thing of the past. Release yourself from their bonds!

Ex: They going to the fair today. (omit "are") He happy. (omit "is")

SO, understanding these frequent errors in Shay's speech and consequently my speech, I construct a worksheet for Shay that requires her to select the correct grammatical sentence out of two choices. Turns out, she knows what is correct (she only missed one!) but she is just like me! We just refuse to speak correctly. It's so fun to follow our own rules!

As we are working through these sentences, Shay encounters my construction of the sentence, "She pretty." (The alternative sentence was, "She is pretty.")

Shay quickly circles "She is pretty", and then looks up at me to say,
"Ben, you crazy. There ain't no such thing as 'She pretty'". Tara and I looked at each other and laughed, and Shay kept working.

So, there we have it. There is such a sentence as "You crazy", but there is not such sentence as "She pretty". You crazy if you think there is. You just plain crazy.

Ben Is Getting Married

2006-09-05T10:25:00.000-07:00

I am engaged! Oh yeh, baby.
I apologize for being out of the blogging saddle for so many weeks. There was a lot on my mind (obviously) and I have stayed fairly busy between my places and persons of commitment.

Here are some post-engagement photos and another picture of the "silly little rock"-- that's what I have to call the ring to keep my mind on what is important. Diamonds aren't forever. Jesus is. I hate false advertisement.

I plan to write a blog that is all about Tara, but I am not ready yet... so for my out-of-towners who read about Chisholm and don't know me personally or talk to me regularly, Tara is a sweet friend that I have known since my freshman year at University of Mobile. We met on an inner-city mission trip (appropriately!) in November 2002 and have been friends ever since. With my encouragement, she moved to Montgomery this summer to take a first-grade teaching job at Morningview's new classical Christian school (Cornerstone) which she loves a lot. Since July, we have been dating/courting/whatever you choose to call it in view of getting married... and now we are! If you can make it, we are hoping for a Christ-exalting wedding on December 16, 2006 at Morningview.

Chisholm
Basically, the summary of what is going on at 9 Rotary is that school has not stopped the kids from coming over-- so now we are helping with homework on Monday and Thursday nights in addition to eating together and learning the Bible. Saturdays are still a crowd like usual, and you are always welcome to join.

No recent burglaries, gunshots, goats, or anything of immediate excitement.

I haven't seen or heard from Herman in about a month and half, but I have seen his daughter coming and going from there more frequently.

You are probably wondering if I (or Jonny or David) plan to stay in Chisholm after December. I can't answer for the other guys, but I am trying to answer for myself (and Tara). There is a post forthcoming regarding that topic soon.

Christ Fellowship
I normally brag on my own church, but since I was in attendance elsewhere this weekend, I would like to be an advocate for the preaching ministry of Christ Fellowship Baptist in Mobile, where Tara and I both worshipped when we lived there. While in Mobile this past Sunday, I was exceedingly blessed by Dr. Lawson's sermon on the first several verses of Mark 2. You can hear it for yourself here: http://www.cfbcmobile.org/site/cpage.asp?sec_id=377&cpage_id=421&secure=&dlyear=2006&dlcat=Mark

Summary
Please pray for me and Tara -- as to where we will live in a few months, how we will spend our time and money, etc. Pray that I will not do anything to shame or injure her, and pray that we will be undistracted from pursuing Christ individually and corporately. Thanks, friends. =)

I Don't Want to Be a Pharisee

2006-08-10T11:24:00.000-07:00

I beg you to read the Piper sermon link below. It has rubbed me the wrong way (thank God!) and caused me to question whether or not I too am the Pharisee who trusts in his own righteousness.

http://www.desiringgod.org/library/sermons/06/080606.html

I have to confess that it is really easy to start thinking more highly of myself than I ought when people repeatedly praise me, or when I begin comparing myself with others. The truth, of course, is that there is no room in the body of Christ for comparison of arms and feet and ears; more importantly, the only comparison that ought to be made is Ben to Christ, which of course yields very disappointing results for Ben.

Please consider your own sin whenever you, like me, are tempted to esteem your own righteousness. God is actually quite merciful to us in allowing us to make a mess of ourselves; if he didn't, we might be some of the ugliest bunch of Pharisees you've ever seen. When we are conscious of our unholiness and tresspasses, we are miraculously healed of our self-love; we become rightly cognizant of who and what we should be trusting in-- Christ alone.

Flee from your false self-perception, your works, your good deeds, your mercies. Run fast away from your 9 Rotary Streets and the scores of vain compliments from others that you have stored up for your self-esteem.

Christ's righteousness is your righteousness. He is all you've really got to cling to. Run to Him.

Where Now Shall We Live?

2006-08-07T08:09:00.000-07:00

http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060805/NEWS01/608050346&SearchID=73253035972095

Back in December, JH and I were really determined to get this one house on Pickett St but we had to settle for 9 Rotary; look what we've been missing out on!

I Saw Hans Bronson

2006-08-06T18:26:00.000-07:00

This weekend, 6 of "our" kids were in a musical through the Nehemiah Project, a Chisholm ministry of FBC Montgomery. It was really well done and quite an accomplishement for 50 wild and wooly chirruns. The name of the musical is Hans Bronson's Gold Medal Mission and is about this Finnish Olympian coming to know the Lord through the testimony of three persistent little children who happen to be newspaper reporters at his Olympic press conference. I do have to confess that Hans Bronson might be the whitest character ever concocted by our Christian subculture... I mean, he is from Finland, and he is vitten to talk very much like Arnold Schwarzeneggar. Yah. Veally, he is. So watching and hearing a grown black man talk like vis vas very, very funny to me, as were the multitude of black chorus children behind him who had no clue why they were chanting, "Yah!... yah!... yah!..." like a bunch of Scandanavian, steroided Vikings.

By the way, the Nehemiah Project had the flyer (above) changed, and a black dude's face was imposed on the original blonde Hans, as were several of the children's faces on the originally Anglo children. Hans was as legitimately black and Finnish as he could possibly be.

Aside from how funny the choice of musical was, I need to reiterate how impressed I was with what was done. Mad, mad props to Rhonda Thompson and Eleanor McKelvey from FBC for their hard work and patience. The children-- some of whom are very untame-- were angelic. I felt like the earth had been subdued and redemption had been accomplished just watching a living, breathing, singing, structured piece of artwork being fleshed out before my eyes. It was an excellent reminder to me that the Lord can and will do through us anything that we are willing to do with and for our neighbors. I want to see more fruit from our ministry, and I hope that I will be willing to commit more time and planning and sweat toward that end.

The other bit of news that I wish to share is that our buddy David Dwyer should be moving into 9 Rotary one day this week. We bought and built a bunkbed and some additional storage space for him. It is official that 3 is going to be the maximum capacity. David's presence will mean a lot to our Hispanic neighbors who LOVE him and ask about him all the time. The kids love David too... in fact, I think everyone loves David. You need to know him.

Please pray for a fast-approaching and significantly cooler Autumn because our house is skanky-danky HOT right now. Other than that, pray for the usual-- grace, provision, ministry opportunities, salvation.

We Need One of These

2006-07-28T09:21:00.000-07:00

http://www.treasuringchristchurch.com/newsite/

I stumbled across this website; a friend of some friends attends this church in Raleigh. I have not viewed it completely, but from what I see, I am all about it. It would be worth your while to be all about it as well.

Also, here is your Piper quote of the day from The Legacy of Sovereign Joy and the dgm website.

"The power that saves and sanctifies is the work of God deep beneath the human will to transform the springs of joy so that we love God more than sex or seas or scholarship or food or friends or fame or family or money."

If You Cook It They Will Come

2006-07-27T20:24:00.000-07:00

We had 13 at dinner Thursday night. It was wild.
I especially like the face of Latara in the above photo. I think she is thinking, "Get out of this picture, boy!"

New Neighbors

2006-07-25T19:35:00.000-07:00

Dinner time?
As of last week, there were three of these in the Mexicans' backyard. That's a sheep and not a goat, I am pretty sure.
There have been no slaughters yet; we will keep you posted.

A Milestone (Not Really)

2006-07-17T07:49:00.000-07:00

I am pleased to announce that as of 7/17/06, the Chisholm Project blog is the first search return on Google when you query "Chisholm Project." Previously, it was 7th place, and more recently 4th place. I attribute this momentous leap in google searching to high readership among people who do not like to leave comments and who do no use their "favorites" option on their Internet Explorer. =)

To Update on summer goals:

1. We have made MUCH of the few; our kids would probably like to live at our house. They come over Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays and any other day we let them.
2. No Gospel-preaching en Espanol. This is my bad. The Mexicans are still next door and still smiling. It is just that my vocabulary has not grown any.
3. We have been memorizing the Word and have tried to be doers; I have failed to do rightly, but I am learning from my errors.
4. Fellowshiping with other believers in our home hasn't taken off-- it takes other believers wanting to fellowship with us, and we can't say we've got that group among our neighbors that we know. We do fellowship with lots of believers who don't live out here though.

Kudos to Jonny: Jonathan made a cake for Herman on his birthday this past Saturday. It just makes me proud. Also, he got a generous insurance settlement for his truck. Still no sight of Lucius.

Chisholm in the news: I am attaching a link for a really sad Chisholm story below; this fellow really does live on the *worst* street in our area. It is the street that I absolutely would not consider when selecting a place to live.
http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060714/NEWS/607140337&SearchID=73250937541255

Keep praying for us when you think about it ... Peace.

Some Newer Pictures

2006-07-11T11:49:00.000-07:00

Shay and Jill and Hannah
Loka and a Guitar Hero game controller
All about the Brown family

Darius, Joe (?), Marcus, Tanisha

How Do You Do?

2006-07-06T14:51:00.000-07:00

Oh, I already feel proud about my cleverly punned title. In all likelihood, this post is already corrupted by my flesh. Plus, this is another one of those posts that isn't specifically about Chisholm. But then again, it is.

I am observing (with great disgust) a trend among my peers-- my peers being educated, church-attending, presumably Bible-reading people-- to prefer conversations, discussions, arguments, studies, etc. to practical application of what is being conversed, discussed, argued, and studied. (I touched on this subject in my lamentation of the blogosphere a few weeks ago.) There appears to be a strong desire for knowledge, but only a faint or feigned desire for application. What good is knowledge that does not motivate action and obedience?

James 2:22-25 asks and answers the very question.

"But be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks intently into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing."

Have you ever considered the implications of verse 22? When you merely listen to instructions, teaching, sermons, exhortations from brothers and sisters, you lie to yourself. How terrible this is! We become personally responsible for our own folly and fruitlessness; we deceive our hearts. YET, WE DON'T KNOW IT. Why not?

The answer is simple. We think that we have satisfied God simply by hearing and agreeing with the truth. We convince ourselves that we are righteous and faith-full simply because we acknowledge truth as truth; it stirs us when we hear it. We "Mmm" and "Amen" and think, "Man, this is good stuff!"; and somewhere in all that agreement we believe that we are practicing the truth by talking about it/ listening to it/ examining it. This is not the case, however. We are only practicing the truth when we DO it.

James gets bold enough in chapter 2 to tell us we are justified by our own actions and doing (Calm down, Luther!) and that the demons are just as capable of agreeing with the truth as we are. In fact, they even fear him more than we, shuddering and the very thought of God's nature. What then is the distinction between our acknowledgement of the truth and theirs?

It must be faith at work, doing what God commands and requires of us.

So try to answer the question... How do you do? How do you make application of the Bible in your own life? How do you purposefully glean applications from your pastor-- and does he make application of the texts he preaches? (Mine does.)

Don't just read these very words and perpetuate the problem by feeling satisfied with your accumulation and comprehension of James 1:22-25. Go be a doer. Teach, serve, sing, forgive, baptize, exhort, admonish, correct, rebuke, preach, heal, provide, give, go, weep, laugh, rejoice, bear, crucify, deny, shout, love, speak, wait, pray, bless, disciple, assemble, expect, ask, seek, sacrifice.

To do these things is to demonstrate a realness of your belief.
These are what distinguish you from the demons.

"Be a doer and not a hearer only, deceiving yourselves."

Stones and Mortar

2006-06-29T09:16:00.000-07:00

I came to work this morning feeling "blech" about everything. I wanted to write a blog last night because there was a lot on my mind, but this morning I didn't have anything spiritual to say, much less to think about. And then (trumpet fanfare) God saved my day and put some truth in my mind. Good thinking always trumps sorry feelings. Praise God!

And here I am, fickle as ever, but on the heavenward side of the subjectivity pendelum, behaving like the Christian that I am, thinking true things. I want to edify the body... so let's roll.

In Chisholmland, it is *really* easy to think that the mundane and the ordinary and the insignificant acts of ministry are just as I describe them: mundane, ordinary, and insignificant. What we do-- feed, provide, clean, teach, and try to speak Spanish-- is not grandiose. I never expected it to be, and never wanted it to be. But the labor of ministry can feel monotonous; it is rarely progressive, and often what is "done" comes "undone" (Exhibit A: Lucius) and then ministry seems regressive.

Exhibit B: Our entourage of kids. Most of our kids are wandering in circles in the wilderness, and of course, they don't know that they are lost in the woods; they like their life just as it is. We stand on the hill and shout "Come up here, follow us; Get on the road! This is the only way!" And they nod and smile and coo, "Yes, I'm coming. I'm right behind you." And then we turn around five minutes later and hear them splashing in the same sorry mud puddles. I think from the allegory you all can infer that no one has been genuinely converted.

Do you smell what I am stepping in? It is tempting to say, "This Bible teaching is futile. These kids are never going to learn." It is even more tempting to say, "Why should I show grace to people who do not appreciate it?" or "Why should I expend resources on a (seemingly) hopeless endeavor?" More than a few people are asking these things of us.

But then, thank God, there are people with spiritual eyes and, therefore, spiritual words who remind us that our human economy for love is flawed, and that God's unchanging mercy and patience with us is the standard for our ministry-- not our own. Sara Groves is one of these; she is like Derek, she somehow understands Chisholm and she sees things right-side up. One of her newer songs, "Kingdom Comes," is really pertinent to the way we must all regard the disappointing-- the Luciuses, stolen trucks, the uncoverted; and the mundane-- the newly painted front doors, perpetual Kool-Aid stains on the furniture, and five calls a day from Bradley. These are opportunities to rejoice, to redeem, to be reconciled. The seemingly insignificant things in our lives are actually crucial. They are God's invitations to you and me to rejoice, to redeem, to be reconciled.

Hear Sara out:

When anger fills your heart
When in your pain and hurt
You find the strength to stop
You bless instead of curse
When doubting floods your soul
Though all things feel unjust
You open up your heart
You find a way to trust

That's a little stone, that's a little mortar
That's a little seed that's a little water
In the hearts of the sons and the daughters
The kingdom's coming

When fear engulfs your mind
Says you protect your own
You still extend your hand
You open up your home
When sorrow fills your life
When in your grief and pain
You choose again to rise
You choose to bless the name

That's a little stone that's a little mortar
That's a little seed that's a little water
In the hearts of the sons and the daughters
The kingdom's coming

In the mundane tasks of living
In the pouring out and giving
In the waking up and trying
In the laying down and dying

That's a little stone that's a little mortar
That's a little seed that's a little water
In the hearts of the sons and the daughters
The kingdom's coming

May we be encouraged to regard every ounce, every minute of our lives as a little stone, a little mortar in the building of the Kingdom; and in whatever circumstance you find yourself today, rejoice!

Kind of a Big Deal

2006-06-23T14:31:00.000-07:00

I wanted to have an efficient way to keep up with all of my boos who read this blog and occasionally throw me a comment. So, I have added your myspace or blog as links on the left margin of the blog (see "Other People Who Read My Blog"). If I left you out, and you want me to keep up with your life, please speak up.

Some people were already linked (Emily M, Greg, Jonathan, Adam, et al)

I love you all and I think that you are kind of a big deal.
I'll post a real blog later.
Grace!

Must-Reads

2006-06-21T14:15:00.000-07:00

I write this post to provoke some thought to suggest some other reading out there in the "blogosphere."

Please contrast what concerns are predominating the mind of this blogger and the delegates of the recently concluded 2006 SBC meeting in Greensboro...

http://baptistblogger.blogspot.com/2006/06/greensboro-wrap-up.html

with the thoughts that Jonathan writes about in his recent post on Chisholm...

http://www.dirtycalvinist.blogspot.com/

Don't get me wrong; I appreciate the reasonable, biblical position of this dude named "Ben" (I also like his name) who wrote about the Convention on his "Baptistblogger" page. However, the subject matter-- and the fact that there are true circumstances behind the subject matter-- ought to alarm us. Hundreds of Baptists have spent the last week of their lives caring more about which man would win the presidency of the SBC than whether or not Chisholm Baptist Church will ever rebound and redeem their community (their pastor- maybe the only believer/Gospel speaker in the church is "retiring" this Sunday). Chisholm Baptist is just a microcausm of a terrible phenomena that plagues the SBC -- smaller, inner-city churches are frequently closing their doors to quit ministry. How about some concern at the convention for such congregations as these? How about dialogue about this- about pervading our cities with the Gospel, rather than just retreating by the thousands to the suburban, easy-living norm?

So back to the issue: Which is more important reading? Baptist politics or Baptist practice? Debates over legalism or a discussion of the liberty we have in loving others? Which profits a man's spirit more, and which is a worthier investment of his time, his conversation, his reading, his prayer? I think the latter is the obvious selection. So let's do it! Read and write about real Christianity. Instead of groaning about what is going wrong with these goobers in suits legislating morality and outlawing the consumption of alcohol, let's not blog about it. Go preach the Gospel, go redeem the culture, go serve the lowly, go teach your weaker brothers and sisters. Just sitting in a swivel desk chair and agreeing with your buddies in cyberspace is not your calling!

I am admittedly distraught that hundreds, yay, thousands of people who have allied themselves with me denominationally care so much about this circus that the SBC puts on every year. The conventions are hardly about the Kingdom. We know this much is true. So how do we respond? Work all the harder to be a Baptist who is about the Kingdom!

This blog is to the choir, but dang, I wish some "Baptist bloggers" would read it. Why don't you let your hearts be burdened with the real labor of the Kingdom? Invite people across the board-- tee-totallers and closet Winos, fundies and libbers, Calvinists and "Traditional Baptists" all-- invite them, point them, lead them to the ghetto, to the jungle, to the slum, to the kitchen, to the wherever... any place but their local megachurch or the Sheraton in Greensboro. And don't waste your life on a blog.

Somebody respond to me and tell me I am being to harsh or whatever. I'm ready.

Loving Enemies

2006-06-18T11:14:00.000-07:00

I don't have a good way to say what I am thinking right now, so I will let others say it. Below are some things to think about that are true and applicable. I encourage you to pray for your enemies and bless those who curse you; if you don't have any enemies, you might not be getting out of your house enough.
The following lyrics are from Derek Webb.

politics or love
can make you blind and make you see
make you a slave and make you free
but only one does it all

cause it's giving up your life
for the ones you hate the most
it's giving them your gown
when they've taken your clothes

it's learning to admit
that you've had a hand
in setting them up
in knocking them down

love is not against the law
love is not against the law
love, love, love

are we defending life
when we just pick and choose
lives acceptable to lose
and which ones to defend?

because you cannot choose your friends
but you choose your enemies
and what if they were one-
one in the same?

could you find a way
to love them both the same
to give them your name?

So that you are sure Derek didn't invent this foreign doctrine himself, listen to Jesus himself.

"But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return,
and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is
kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is
merciful." Luke 6:35-36

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate
your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who
persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he
makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and
on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do
not even the tax collectors do the same? Mt 5:43-46

Progress and Pictures

2006-06-11T10:25:00.000-07:00

This is Shaq. If I were black, I would for-sure have hair like his, no doubt about it. Clearly, Shaq was born during the prime of an NBA star's career- hence, the name. Shaq and his brother get along pretty well with our regular crowd; please pray that God sends him back to us.

This is another Bell-family cousin, Lakesha. She is a sweetie. She is painting in this picture (you can't see the paint cause I took the photo from the ground up).
Missy Breedlove from Morningview cooked a wonderful dinner for us on Thursday night. It included squash, which was a first at 9 Rotary, and chicken casserole. The kids went on and on about how good it was. Thanks, Breedloves.
We had a really big crowd by Saturday afternoon. The photo doesn't show everyone. I think our total count was 11 neighborhood kids and 8 of "us", which comes to 19. Thanks to the Tanisha, Marcus, Darius, Frank, Jerm, and Jason Vargas for coming out and helping, and to Sarah, Jordan, Hannah, Jill, and David for coming the week prior. Also, thanks to Greg Graham for dropping by to play our Guitar Hero. Don't covet, GG. =)

So here is some news for you which a lot of you already know: I GOT A JOB. Praise God! I start at the United States District Court on Monday morning as an Intake Clerk. I can pretty much work there (in different positions) for the rest of my life if I do well; I don't know the future, but job security is a promising thing for me and for Chisholm. I just might buy a house out there and be a permanent resident.

Speaking of where I live-- I thought that I would get to vote against the unsavory state legislator Alvin Holmes on Tuesday in the primary, but I didn't. I live a block away from his district. I have been gerry-mandered!

At this point in my post, I would like to give a shout-out to Emily Jones from Morningview, because she doesn't like shout-outs: HEY, EMILY! I PUT UP A NEW POST! Emily reports that she checks my blog and Greg's blog religiously. Thanks for keeping up.

Back to serious things...

Add our friend David to your prayer list. He thinks he wants to move in with us in the fall. We certainly aren't going to turn him away, but we want him to be certain that 9 Rotary is where God wants him.

You can also pray for BELIEF in the hearts of the people we teach. Right now, all we have is KNOWLEGDE.

I can't think of anything else right now, but I would like to say thanks for so many people from Morningview and Eastwood coming out of the woodwork to help us/ provide for us lately. We consider ourselves blessed.

Grace and peace!

Entertaining Strangers Continued

2006-06-04T11:17:00.000-07:00

Sorry again for abandoning the last post in mid-story.

So I figure out that Lucius has HIV, and I realize that this conversation is REALLY serious, and then of course it should have been that serious all along. Lucius could die soon if AIDS took over, and he is LOST. And this theological conversation is important because Lucius does not believe the true (UNADULTERATED) Gospel. He denies the deity of Christ-- and that means of course we aren't talking about the same Jesus anymore. Our Jesus was God in flesh, and our sins are atoned for; his Jesus is a created man sent from God who has absolutely no power to save himself or anyone else, namely Lucius.

If you are interested in learning what Lucius has been taught in the "church", so was I. Apparently, "Oneness Pentecostal" Theology is the heresy. It denies the orthodox teaching of the Trinitarian Godhead. You can (and SHOULD) learn a little more about it here, or I suppose you could also read a T.D. Jakes book, visit his 28,000 member megachurch in Dallas, or watch TBN. Just thumbtack the words "Jesus Christ" on any sermon or church and we've got genuine Christianity, right?

(That was a rhetorical question, but the answer is, "WRONG!" just in case you weren't sure.)

I realize better (after our dialogue with Lucius) that what we believe and what we confess is a really big deal. And we need to ALWAYS question others within the realm of "evangelical Christianity" as to what their terms of the Gospel are... otherwise, we might be allying ourselves with a Gospel that is opposed to Jesus Himself.

So back to our encounter: Lucius' dirty laundry is in our dryer at this point, and he decides he needs to take a shower. Are we going to say, "No, go on your way and be bathed!" Of course not, because we are memorizing James, and faith without works is dead. So Lucius took a shower, and I sanitized everything afterward because we are phobic of HIV, like I imagine anyone else would be. And then Lucius prayed with us before he left, and he asked God to show Jonathan that he was/is wrong, and requested this to be confirmed with a flat tire to his truck. Greg Graham told me he was going to freak Jonathan out and let the air out of his tires, but to my knowledge, this never happened. =)

Friday night (at about 1 am) Lucius was back for a few minutes, and Saturday morning (about 10 am) he was there again. This time he was obviously on drugs and not in his right mind, and he wasn't making sense, and he couldn't stay around that day whenever the kids came over. I gave him a ride downtown to Dexter Av, and we haven't seen him since. But we have a feeling he'll be back again. And this next time we see him, we are going to have to lay down some more truth.

We are going to have to say, "We are not equipped to help you beyond food and showers and laundry, bro. You are a danger to yourself (drugs) and others (drugs and promiscuity) and if you want to prolong your life, you need to commit yourself to getting some help."

And this is all new to both of us... I mean, we wanted to have this sort of a ministry when we moved out there. We want to dine with sinners and prostitutes and tax collectors. We just don't know what to do with these folks whenever they don't believe. There are so many social needs that the church is ill-equipped and unwilling to meet. I mean, yeah, you have to keep the Gospel at the center of it all and treat the disease (sin) and not just the symptoms. But what if the treatment is refused and the patient keeps coming around? What do we do with Lucius?

For now, I guess we keep preaching the Gospel and confronting his sin and telling him to repent. Pray for us, and pray for him, that his eyes would be opened and that he would be spiritually healed.

Entertaining Strangers

2006-06-02T11:16:00.000-07:00

Life in Chisholm has been full of firsts—first goat steak, first rooster wake-up calls, first drive-by (?), first un-air-conditioned house, etc. These firsts are all cultural. Then of course, there are the firsts that are a lot more spiritual and therefore more important; I am about to describe the latter.

Things tend to happen when we’re in the yard. That’s the beauty of Chisholm—if you want some attention or human interaction, either positive or negative, just be like the rest of the Sims and go stand around in your yard. Rotary Street is not lacking in pedestrian traffic. When I got home from work, I wanted to mow the grass and bathe the dog—I usually do both in the same afternoon.

It was about 6:00 or so, and Jonathan was just coming home from a 3 day trip with his job, and I am chasing Buck with a hose, pelting his face (which never gets clean) with ice cold water, and it kind of looks like animal abuse. I turn around and Jonathan is talking to this black dude on a bike… and then letting him into the passenger seat of his truck. So I am thinking to myself all the details I might need for a crime report: (5’10, red pants, yellow shirt, 35 years old, etc.) Jonathan tells me something about taking the guy to get a bite to eat, and that he needs his clothes washed.

I remember that worrying is a sin, I tell the Lord I need a roommate for at least the next 6 more months, and trust that this I am not going to be on Unsolved Mysteries with my face blurred and voice warped. Then I mow the yard, and go inside to take a shower.

By the time I am out of the shower, Jonathan is back with our new friend, who I meet as “Lucius” (Lew-shuss)… I am not sure how he spells it, and I didn’t want you to think he calls himself Luscious. He makes me “back him up” on the piano as he sings “Amazing Grace”. I don’t draw any conclusions about his faith because even Hillary Clinton sings “Amazing Grace”.

And I start making dinner because we (Jonny and I) haven’t eaten, and Jonathan and Lucius start playing chess and talking about Jesus. So really, Jonathan could more aptly detail the conversation than me (as well as what went on in the car), but since I am blogging, I can tell you what I hear from the kitchen.

Jonathan: Let me read you the word… “In the beginning was the Word”
Lucius, interrupting, and yelling like a preacher: “IN THE BEGINNING, SAYS THE BOOK, WAS THE WOR-D. YES, FATHER. CONTINUE MY FRIEND…”
Jonathan: And the Word was with Go…
Lucius: AN-D THE WOR-D WAS WITH GO-D…
Jonathan: And the Word was God
Lucius: Now hold up a minute, brother. You tellin’ me Jesus is God? There is no God but one.
The next thirty minutes: The longest defense of the Trinity to a street wanderer that I have ever been a part of. There’s another first. Not just Lucius at my dinner table but Lucius debating Jonathan about theology.

So I keep making dinner and peeping my head in and out, and neither one of the guys will give the other an inch in their debate. And I have to laugh to myself that God provides us with Lucius so that Jonathan gets to do what he loves to do the most – talk about doctrine—and he gets a captive audience in Chisholm, which I thought we might never see.

I start washing Lucius’ laundry and checking the pockets because I am still wondering if we are going to be on the news later that night. I am 100% sure that Jonathan has done the right thing by brining this fellow in, and while I am pretty sure I am not entertaining an angel, I am at least entertaining the least of these, and this is good. Hospitality to strangers feels right (cause it IS right), even to the ones who don’t believe the same Gospel. This has twice been the subject of Dr. Merithew’s expositions since he came to Morningview. Providence?

And then as we are finally eating (and the guys are still debating), Jonathan drops a bomb. He reminds Lucius that he has “the virus” (HIV) and that he could go any day. Didn't he want to make sure he was right about God and Jesus and the Gospel? Suddenly, this is more than a meal with a homeless man who likes to preach. He all of the sudden has a soul, and we are responsible for more than dinner... I am sure this has all been on Jonathan's mind since he let the dude in the truck, but I don't know what I had previously been thinking.

(I have to go back to work. I will finish this later. Sorry)

Summer Goals

2006-05-26T12:00:00.000-07:00

You hopefully are wondering what our goals for the summer are; I can and will share a few of them. They are still developing. You can pray with and for us that God would be honored with the way we spend out lives at 9 Rotary.

1. TO MAKE MUCH OF THE FEW: We are over any evangelistic dreams of grandeur and humbly realizing that we are but TWO, and Chisholm is MANY. So rather than throw a block party for 5o kids who only want the pizza, we are going to keep investing 80% or more in the 5 or so kids who are faithful and want to hear/read the Bible. This will include some time spent outside of Chisholm as well as at our house.

As it is right now, the faithful are really good at being hungry and coming to our house for dinner... we don't require invitations. (May it never be that we do!) So we do things Jesus-style a lot-- eat, fellowship, and then preach. I guess just hanging out with a handful of people is Jesus-style too.

2. TO BE (learners who are) DOERS OF THE WORD: Jonathan and I have made it our task to memorize (and practice) the book of James by August... James is replete with practical commands-- just the way I like it. James 1:22 commands us to be doers of the Word, and not hearers only; if we hear and never DO, we lie to ourselves! Basically, I am tired of living my life as a hearer, just listening to teaching an agreeing with the truth but never practicing it. So we are trying to study the law "intently" and obey it.

3. TO SHARE THE GOSPEL EN ESPANOL
I am also tired of just being friends with my goat-eating neighbors. I'd rather be their brother. So next time they are over, I am just going to be a doer and TRY to share the Gospel.

4. TO FELLOWSHIP WITH OTHER BELIEVERS IN CHISHOLM
This might be the hardest task. We want to have a regular, weekly Bible study in our home for professing, adult believers. Jonathan is the ideal teacher. We are trying to start with a few that we have met and build from there. The intent would be to edify the body and encourage them to love their fellow Chisholm neighbors rather than hide from them.

I hope you are feeling informed...
Now, please join us in asking for fruit!

Loving the Church

2006-05-21T11:41:00.000-07:00

Welcome Dr. Shawn Merithew and his family to Morningview. I think that Shawn is going to lead our church in the direction of being more biblical and more Christ-like. He started today by calling us to repent of refusing to love one another. My prayer is that we would truly heed his exhortation and be known as a humble and gracious people who are willing to lay aside our personal ambitions for the sake of our brothers and sisters, but remaining unswervingly committed to honoring the Bible as the authority of God.

Good days are ahead. Lord, give us grace.

If you want to know more about Shawn, check out www.morningview.org or come to Calhoun Road one Sunday morning.

A Time to Celebrate; Props to Mom

2006-05-19T13:13:00.000-07:00

Isn't the picture hilarious? I look so serious. Sike.

This last week has been really sweet. Not like Napoleon Dynamite "sweet" or chocolate cookie sweet. I am talking about "Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus" sweet.

You may wonder why, and I will tell you. I graduated (trumpet fanfare and jubilant shouting). And Saturday afternoon might have been one of the best afternoons in my life. I really love being around people that I really love. And they were everywhere! Family, church people, friends from Mobile, friends from AUM, people, people, people. Last night (Thursday) 20 wonderful friends or friends of friends came through our little slice of the ghetto to visit. And we laughed and talked and played Guitar Hero and worshipped and hugged and it was sweet too. And all this good fellowship got my mind thinking on God's faithfulness and providence and all of those other things that he manifests daily that I only observe when I purpose to notice them. So yeh, it has been a really good week.

All I have thought about this week (besides the future) is how thankful I am for the past, especially the past five months of life in Chisholm. It has been so good. We get a lot of mad props from other people who don't live in Chisholm... "You guys are so great", "I hope my son is like you one day", or something else of the like and I don't think we really deserve these compliments. And whenever people give me props, it makes me want to turn around and give other people props. It just seems right. I know that we aren't supposed to glory in man, but we can certainly acknowledge God's grace in people's lives and give Him the honor.

I have been thinking that if I ever write a book about life at 9 Rotary Street, it has to be dedicated to all of the people that God has used in my life to compel me to think the way I think and act the way I act and make decisions the way I make decisions. And so the rest of this post is dedicated to practicing this praise and thanks for other people, just in case I ever actually write the book.

How about starting with some mad props for my mom? Mom is probably the most influential person on my thinking about race and the church. I have never been taught to discriminate, and I am so thankful for this because prejudice and hatefulness and judgment are totally generational problems here in Alabama; they are curses passed from parent to child. I had (and was encouraged to have) black friends and neighbors and teachers in my childhood; my mom modelled kindness and indiscriminate choices by befriending so many black people in the schools where she has taught, even ministering to the families of her students. When mom started teaching children through Project Hope/ Hope Community Church, she was spending her Sunday afternoons off of Rosa Parks Avenue in Cleveland Court, one of the most notorious housing projects in west Montgomery. 9 Rotary St is the Ritz Carlton compared to the homes she was working in. What an example for me to follow. My dad always bit his nails on Sunday nights waiting for her to come home, but she was always allright. And she was definitely right for going.

One of the dearest families who Mom worked with was the Joneses. The summer after my senior year of high school, I got ambitious and decided to teach the three Jones kids (AJ, Miguel, and Mechele) how to swim. I was lifeguarding at the Dalraida Pool (1/2 mile from our house) and I asked my boss if I could teach these kids before hours, off the clock. She agreed. It was pretty traumatic. Mechele wouldn't even leave the steps. Miguel always screamed whenever I let go of him. Swim lessons were not my calling... but hey, at least I tried.

We had maybe two lessons at the pool, and then my boss pulled me aside at work one afternoon. I couldn't teach the kids there anymore. Someone from the community who was on the Pool's Board of Directors had called her and wanted to know who let the N*****s in the pool, and said they better not be back again. My boss tried to diffuse and dilute this all for me by blaming the grief on her own lack of good judgment, but I was still outraged. Believer or non-believer, anyone would feel the way I felt that day because we all have the same judicial sentiment in our hearts that helps us evaluate situations as right/wrong or good/evil. Judicial sentiment is what helps pagans stand back on 9/11 and say terrorism is wrong. And that day, my judicial sentiment was on steroids. Racism was really wicked, and that day, racism was wickedly real.

Somewhere in my public school naivete and in my consciousness of life as I perceived it in 2002, I thought that Montgomery was a different place than it was when the city closed the pool at Oak Park in the Fifties, when my mom was a little girl. I was right, but I was wrong. The worst part was and is that the Jones kids weren't dumb. They wondered if there was a reason that I had to teach them before hours to begin with, and then they knew there had to be a reason that we couldn't go back. My scrawny little 18 year old know-nothing self had to explain to them why we couldn't. Just enduring their questions was enough to make me want to quit my job.

But I didn't. And my mom didn't encourage me to to react one way or the other. She just stayed calm and gracious and let me learn and suffer through the indignity of it. And God has used that situation with the Joneses (among many others) to teach me through her life and influence that we are not in an ideal world here in Montgomery, Alabama, but we are danged sure responsible (especially as the church) for our behavior in it. So thanks, Mom. I might not love Chisholm today if you hadn't shown me how.

And so I think I could go on and on with celebration of other people and their influences... and maybe I will some other time. Just know that times like these in life-- when the occasion of some big event offers you the chance to look backward as you look forward, when you make choices based upon experiences and convictions that were fostered five or ten or fifteen years ago, it is a good thing, and a God thing. I rejoice in how God has led me, and is leading me, even as I type these words. Rejoice with me!

No Child Left Behind?

2006-05-10T18:08:00.000-07:00

I am forever asking Bradley, "What did you learn at school today?", and Bradley is forever telling me, "I didn't go today."

This makes me crazy.

"Why not?" I ask.
"My Grandmomma didn't want to take me and the bus didn't come."

This boy goes to an alternative program at a school that is probably five miles from Chisholm in the heart of Montgomery. He cannot go to his neighborhood school because they got tired of disciplining him. Bradley is apparently a different kid when he is not around us. I tend to believe he has improved a lot; he is certainly not the liar and theif that I knew two years ago when I was tutoring him. I don't have to make him return bikes to other kids' yards, and when I ask him questions like "Did you go to school today?", he atleast tells the truth.

So this is Bradley's story. Twelve years old. He doesn't know his multiplication beyond 3's.

Bradley has introduced me to his neighbor, Jimmy. Jimmy is a funny guy, and he doesn't know it. Jimmy spits out random information that he probably really shouldn't talk about. A lot. He just doesn't know not to tell people things like, "Our landlord is a responsible drinker." (Where did he hear that?!) Better yet, here is one from tonight: "My daddy cain't sit real good right now. He had to get some skin removed. Down there." Thanks for that tidbit, Jimmy.

Jimmy doesn't go to school in Chisholm either. His parents send him to a better school (Morningview Elementary) because he "wuddn't learnin' nothin' over thar at Chisholm." His family can thank W. and the No Child Left Behind Act for his improved school situation.

But tonight on the way to church, Jimmy pulls a Bradley on me.

"What did you learn at school today, Jimmy?"
"I didn't even go. My mama barely has any gas left in the car."
"Really?"
"Yes, sir. I stayed home. Gas is expensive, but my daddy gets paid on Friday and then I'll go back, first thing on Monday."

I get this kind of information (and more alarming information) often, but every time it is just as surprising to me, and it makes me kind of hurt. I don't think I ever worried in my childhood about my mom and dad not having the money to put gas in the car to go anywhere, much less three miles. But this is a real problem for this family. And here I am toting their kid around in my car, pumping my $35.00 a tank without checking the bank, and I feel like a weenie. I don't deserve this privilege anymore. (Not that I ever really did.)

The thought crosses my mind to swing by an ATM on the way home and give them some cash. No, I can't do that. They'd feel like they had to pay me back. And it would probably be embarassing to them. Some "rich" college kid half their age trying to take care of them... I would feel like a total punk.

So I am thinking still. And I remember that I am through with college as of today. And I remember that I am not supposed to be at work until 8:15 tomorrow or Friday, and so I say, "What if I give you a ride, Jimmy?"

He asked his dad. I am picking him up at 7:15 tomorrow.

That was easy enough. There will be some good conversations along the way, I am sure. (Jimmy told me you have to get saved to go to heaven when we studied the Bible the other night. We need to clarify what "getting saved" means to him.)

So there is this minimal feeling of victory tonight, and a gladness that this is going to work out. Jimmy can go to school and keep up with his class. I can feel like I contributed without imposing. But there is still something that just isn't right. It shouldn't be that a working man can't afford to put gas in his car to drive his son to school. That's sad. What do you do to change that? I am still trying to figure out the answer.

I think what I really want to convey is the humiliation that I feel for this family right now. And I wonder if they feel it, or if I just feel it for them? And I wonder what little acts of grace and kindness feel like on their end of the transaction-- Do they feel indebted? Do they feel pleased at the Lord's providence and kindness and grace? Can you be an unbeliever and really know the Lord's providence? (Probably not.) Do they feel anything at all?

Chances are, they're just thinking, "Good. Kid's going to school tomorrow." I am likely overanalyzing. But I still feel humbled to think that this situation is real, and not just for this family, but for countless others in our country. And then, as I type the words "our country", I remember that we all have it really good here in the U.S. Even immigrants and homeless people are living large compared to entire races of people starving to death in third world countries, never riding in cars with $3.00 gasoline or going to schools half as good as Chisholm Elementary.

Tonight I have to join Derek-- I repent-- of living like I deserve anything. I am wrong, and I repent.

And Jesus Multiplied the Children ...

2006-05-04T18:41:00.000-07:00

Well, I felt like these pictures alone merited a new post. Tonight, Jonny and I had invited a friend over for dinner at 6:00. Because we will be in Mobile this weekend, I wanted to spend some teaching time with our kids before Saturday and so, I went to one household to invite them too (which meant a maximum of 7 kids from that one extended family should have shown up).

6:00 came. No one. I decide to mow the grass. 6:25. No one...

At 6:30, the Chisholm floodgates of children opened. We fed (or tried to feed) 22 kids (ages 1-17) during the next hour. It was madness. But I guess it was good. The funny thing is that when we have had several people there to help, no children have come. When it is just me and Jonny, we have 22, of course. Jonny concluded that cooking on your front porch is the trick to drawing a crowd (he grilled hot dogs).

Needless to say, we didn't really get to teach-teach tonight, but before everyone went home, I did get a verse (John 20:31) in and invited the kids to come back on Saturday the 13th to learn with us.

The funny thing is, before 22 people invaded 9 Rotary St, I was riding through the hood tonight to get some groceries; it was Sims hour (5-6 pm) and there were people everywhere. I thought to myself how I really wish that I could know everyone's name and where they lived and what their issues were. But I was just seeing one new face after another and I felt really inadequate for the magnitude of the task. And so I prayed something like this: "God, please give us more people to minister to; give us the resources and we will be faithful to serve.

I think that he must have answered. I also think there are plenty of people for you to teach and love if you ever want to move to Chisholm.

Going SBC on the Kids

2006-04-30T10:24:00.000-07:00

We love a Bible

It finally occured to me that we need to be teaching the books of the Bible to the kids and helping them learn to find verses and passages for themselves. Don't ask me why it took me four months to figure this out. For a good thirty minutes on Saturday afternoon, we perused the New Testament and started learning its contents, and we talked about what the Bible is useful for (2 Tim 3:16-17). Shay --everyone needs to know Shay-- reminded us that the Bible "is food" and that "if we don't eat de Bible we gone die." This might be the only thing I have ever said that she will remember in adulthood; she reminds us often.

I don't know why, but I am pleasantly surprised that the kids were LOVING the task of looking up verses. We were basically Bible-drilling, SBC style, and I realize that we might not be the inventors of Bible drill, but for the moment, I am going to claim that we are. Anyway, maybe it is the competitiveness of the search, or maybe it is the reward of confidence from learning all the books, or whatever... I don't know. But I have to rejoice that the kids LIKE it. They need the Word in their hands and they need to know how to navigate it if we ever expect them to read it on their own. Please pray that we would be really diligent to teach and train them in the Word.

By the way: mad props to Jeremy, Frank, David and David's friend Daniela for their help this Saturday. I needed it.

Here are a few sweet things that happened this week:

I met a new family. The son came to church with me and Bradley Sunday night; his name is Jimmy. The mom and the dad talked to me on the porch for about thirty minutes. I was given a catfish in a dollar general bag. I didn't care to eat it, but I appreciated the gesture.

I mentioned to Bradley that since he is behind in school, maybe we could do some tutoring this summer. He shot back, "Three nights a week, Ben. Two nights for subjects and one night for Bible study." He didn't require any convincing. It was a good thing.

Church on the Moon

I am shifting gears a bit, now... this could be another blog, but we'll keep it with this one.
On Friday, my pal Elizabeth hooked me on a short-song by Sarah Groves called "To the Moon"; it is a little satire on the church that isolates herself completely from the world. Read with delight-- it is pathetically clever.

It was there in the bulletin
We're leaving soon
After the bake sale to raise funds for fuel
The rocket is ready and we're going to
Take our church to the moon
There'll be no one there to tell us we're odd
No one to change our opinions of God
Just lots of rocks and this dusty sod
Here at our church on the moon
We know our liberties we know our rights
We know how to fight a very good fight
Just grab that last bag there and turn out the light
We're taking our church to the moon
We're taking our church to the moon
We'll be leaving soon

Haven't you wanted the moon too? I experienced Christian "bubble" syndrome more than a few times in my life -- in my traumatic pilgrimage through public high school (Yay, Jeff Davis) and later in my first college years at the University of Mobile. In high school, I was so utterly disgusted with everyone else around me, I just kept to my own in a little safe-group of evangelical friends. By the way, that attitude helped me to WASTE my life at the time. Disgust with the world was my motivation for a trip to the moon then; in college, it was my infatuation with my religious environment that seemed to be a "moon" of its own. UM was (and still is?) a safe, 600 acre campus shelter for spiritual people. If you wanted, you could basically live unscathed in University of Mobile world for the rest of your life. Have no doubts that Christian bubbles are real places; they are not manufactured and they are not pretentious, but they are rarely missional or practical.

So what about now? Have I any bubbles, any moons? I must say I deeply love my Morningview family, and I would be willing to alter my life plans to serve her longer and better. It is a healthy affection-- if every believer knew community and accountability and encouragement and hospitality and everything else that I love about my church, I think believers would be altogether a much happier people. It is more than okay to love your church. "To the moon" is no criticism of the love that you feel for your congregation or the shelter that you find with them. It is, however, a criticism of your failure to reenter the world on Monday - Saturday.

If you aren't getting assaulted or if you are retreating from worldly assaults, you've got a problem. (I am preaching to self as well as the reader). If you aren't using your time and money and sweat and heart for people who are beyond the walls of your church, you are not wisely spending your time and money and sweat and heart. Sorry. If the Lord had wanted us on the moon, he'd have put us there. Even if NASA were to offer to relocate us, we ought to be violently opposed. The Kingdom is about souls, the Kingdom is our life-task, and the Kingdom is here, on this earth. What a paradox! You should never feel at home here but yet you have no immediate alternative. So what do you do?

Get out of the rocket. You look silly in there. If you still want to pack your bags, take your church some place like Chisholm. Its a lot more exciting than the moon.

God Bless John Piper

2006-04-21T11:25:00.000-07:00

(I added a new paragraph of quotes 4/27)

God sends me those days (which truly could be everyday if I worked at it) when I am immersed in good doctrine and sound preaching from folks like John Piper, those days where I listen to the same sermon about 4 times and it gets better and sweeter with every listening. Last night and this morning have been such a time. God bless John Piper. Amen.

So instead of saying things in the authority of my weak 22-year old piddly-dink existence, I bow down and let a little giant like John Piper stand on my back to say it better and louder and more absolutely than I think I could ever dream of saying it.

The following excerpts are from a 1994 sermon to students at Wheaton College. It is entitled "Doing Missions When Dying is Gain;" you can purchase it from the www.desiringgod.org

"... I get tired of people coming to look at staff positions in my church
which is downtown Minneapolis, and we all live in the inner-city which is no big
deal because there's no inner city in Minneapolis... And one of the first
questions they ask me is, 'Will my children be safe?' and I want to say, 'Would
you ask that question tenth, and not first?' I'm just
tired of hearing that. I'm tired of America's priorities. Whoever said that your
children would be safe in the call of God?"
"Would you please join me in reversing American evangelical priorities so that you don't ask those questions, so that you don't assume [that you deserve safety]? It seems to be woven into the very fabric of our consumer culture that we move toward comfort and toward security and toward ease and toward safety and away from stress, away from trouble, away from danger... and it ought to look EXACTLY the opposite!"
"I just don't get it. It's the absorption of a consumer comfort-ease culture that permeates the church and that creates little ministries and churches in which safe, secure, nice, things are done for each other, and little safe excursions out to save some others. But oh, we won't live there and oh, we won't stay there. Not even in America, not even to mention Saudi Arabia."
"If any man wishes to come after Christ, he is to come to die. Golgotha is not a suburb of Jerusalem. Let us join him outside the camp, bearing his shame, bearing his reproach..." - John Piper on suffering.

Be Political and Oblige Me

2006-04-20T18:50:00.000-07:00

Friends:
I recently slaved a night away over this rough draft for a long report at school. I realize that this has everything (physically) and nothing (spiritually) to do with Chisholm. Forgive me for being political. It's kind of in my nature.

I will say with certainty that I am neither a Republican nor a Democrat. In January, I thought that the move to 9 Rotary Street might have been enough to push me over to the liberal side; in actuality, it has tightened me up, and I am more economically and socially conservative than I can remember being in college. So don't judge me, if that is possible, based on what you read... that is if you have the desire to read a 12 page paper, which I doubt you do. You have my permission to check out here and read someone else's blog.

If you live/vote in Alabama, this issue-- Constitutional reform -- is your business, whether you are for or against it. The vast majority of the public is actually uninformed and apathetic; this is why I post my paper on the blog. Basically the situation in summary is this: a LOT of people are negatively effected by unjust taxes. They don't have the knowledge or the means to voice a defense for themselves. So, finding yourself on the advantageous end of the political scenario, try to consider the people on the other end, and ask yourself if it is right to burden the people who have the least, because in essence, that is the way that Alabama operates.

And if you are politically apathetic altogether, snap out of it! God woke you up in a democracy this morning, and while this may or may not be his preferred form of government, it is what you live in and under. Use your brain and use your voice. Be responsible and be informed!

However, I know your natures. I hearby consider myself prepared to never get a comment on this blog.

Here's the paper. Peace! --Ben

INTRODUCTION

Background
The State of Alabama currently operates and abides under the authority of the longest constitution of any kind in the world. Written in 1901 by an assembly of wealthy, white, land-owning, literate men, the state Constitution was unabashedly aimed to solely preserve the interests of its authors. Therefore, racial minorities, the uneducated, women, outsiders in business, and the future generations of literally millions of people were not considered; the rights and liberties of others (which were supposedly guaranteed by the more powerful Constitution of the United States) were purposefully denied.

Problem
After years of drastic societal changes within the United States, the 1901 document has obviously been amended (to accommodate the rights of women and minorities to vote, for example), yet the Alabama Constitution still binds leaders in the state from pursuing the best economic, social, and administrative interests for the state’s four million plus residents. These restrictions create an environment in Alabama that perpetuates inequality and injustice; Alabama is chained, prevented from excelling to levels of progress enjoyed by other states with similar geography, history, and demographics.
One of the major consequences of the document is its length. Before amendments, the document is about sixty pages long; since its ratification in 1901, over seven-hundred fifty amendments have since been added, making it the most complicated and contradictory governing documents in the world; its scholars admit that it can never be perfectly navigated or understood. Attempts have been made to drastically edit the document or overhaul the 1901 Constitution altogether; however, these efforts have been to no avail. Special interests and ultra-conservative persons have labored to prevent such changes but momentum is still ongoing and growing for a grassroots reform campaign.

Purpose
The purpose of this report is to contend that the critics of the Constitution of 1901 are right: a new document is needed that will protect the interests of the state as a whole.

DISCUSSION

Problems Created by the 1901 Constitution
Regressive Tax Structure
The authors of the 1901 Constitution were wealthy because they were land-owners; therefore, conscious efforts were made to ensure that they be taxed as little as possible. Consequently, the brunt of the burden for revenue falls on the incomes of Alabama’s workers and on the purchases of all of her citizens, regardless of income. Allen Tullos, author of “Religions Too Quiet About Alabama’s Tax Ills,” reports that, “Alabama’s regressive sales tax, among the nation’s […] most burdensome to lower-income residents, generates more than 50 percent of revenues.” Alabama remains one of only seven states in the nation to fully tax necessities like groceries and clothing. Only until recently (April 2006), Alabama had the most oppressive income tax threshold in the nation, taxing workers from $4800 upward.
Consequently, property taxes are the lowest in the nation at a mere 3% rate. Although 70% of Alabama’s land mass is timber, “taxes on forest land account for less than 2% of all property tax income in Alabama” (Tullos) because timber land “is taxed at as little as 95 cents an acre”, according to Diane Roberts, author of the article, “Alabamians Go By an Outdated Book.” This unfair tax burden on the working and the poor is certainly unjust and debatably immoral.

Education Funding
Not surprisingly, the insufficient funding from taxes has adverse effects on programs and services to constituents; this shortage is chronically a plague on public education. Alabamians are historically resistant to having their property taxes raised. According to Susan Pace Hamill, author of “The Book that Could Change Alabama”, it took three statewide voter referendums to pass a graduated income tax for public education during the great Depression; it still “came too late to prevent schools from shutting down in 1933” (Hamill, 5). Recently, in 2003, progressive Republican governor Bob Riley introduced a proposal for a comprehensive tax plan to fund schools and relieve the tax burden from the poorest Alabamians. Although the plan offered over half of Alabama’s people an immediate tax cut, incredibly, voters shot down the measure by a 2:1 margin.

Lack of Local Democracies
According to law scholar J. Michael Allen, the vast majority (69%) of the first 555 amendments in the Constitution pertain to local issues that affect only one county or city. In order to keep tight control over the development of every corner of Alabama, the authors of the Constitution stripped almost all power from local governments (i.e., county commissions) and made local policy matters the business of the State Legislature. Robert Schaefer, a professor at the University of Mobile and chapter leader of the Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform says that “lack of ‘home rule’ (or local democracy) is the most burdensome restriction in the Constitution. It limits economic growth and sane zoning …” (Interview).
Moreover, the state at large is responsible for approving the Legislature’s amendments. Therefore, it becomes the business of voters in Huntsville to approve an Amendment like No. 413: “Operation of Bingo Games by Certain Nonprofit Organizations in Montgomery County”. Likewise, a constitutional amendment (and voter ratification) is required for the state to take measures to “eradicate or control” the destructive boll weevil pest among cotton crops (Amendment No. 449). This ridiculous micromanagement of government is not efficient, expedient, or responsible.

The Elected, Partisan Judiciary
Alabama’s Constitution sets up a state court system which is unwisely bent toward the demand of the people. Unlike United States Supreme and District Courts judges who are appointed to life terms on the bench, judges among Alabama’s appellate courts and Supreme Court are elected by popular vote. While this more democratic method is often a beneficial practice, it is not appropriate for the judicial branch of government. Judges who are appointed for life terms are selected from among the most qualified and impartial citizens; they are therefore the most responsible decision makers. Judges elected by the people in Alabama are partial to the majority because the rely upon the people for reelection and job security; while majority rule is not an evil principle in and of itself, it is not always correct—only consider slavery and Jim Crow laws to understand this principle.
Elected judiciaries mean that under-qualified, partisan, or even extremist persons can become the interpreters of state law. One needs only to consider the 2003 national drama involving the Ten Commandments monument and Chief Justice Roy Moore to understand the consequences of this constitutionally-endorsed disaster.

Impotent Executive Branch
Numerous Alabama governors throughout the twentieth century have reported that the state Constitution severely restricted them from addressing statewide problems. The governor is unable to take the lead for important causes like constitutional reform, for example. Governor Bob Riley, a proponent of reform, can only publicly address the need for reform; the most radical measures that he can take (and has taken) to confront the issue is the creation of a commission to explore reform and to propose revisions. In the “Final Report of the Alabama Citizens’ Commission for Constitutional Reform”, the Former Alabama Secretary of State Jim Bennett addresses this issue and contends that “Citizens expect the governor to provide a check against unwise actions by the Legislature; yet {he} lacks the necessary powers to be an effective watchdog” (6). The balance that exists, for instance, between the President and Congress is not present in Alabama politics. A simple majority vote of the state Legislature can override an executive veto, whereas the U.S Constitution requires a two-thirds majority of both Houses. The balance of power is virtually non-existent in state politics.

Lack of Economic Development
The complex and diverse Amendments to the Alabama Constitution are so contradictory in reference to the state government’s role in attracting industries and business that the Alabama Supreme Court has not surprisingly had an historical record of inconsistency in judgments pertaining to the issue. Many contend that because the government has the constitutional right to “promote the general welfare” of the residents of the state, the Governor and Legislature should have the liberty to spend state funds to offer incentives to attract economically beneficial industrial development and expansion in the state. Reformers for a new constitution argue that the new document should expressly empower municipalities and counties to incur debt to promote business ventures that provide jobs.

Racist Language Within the Constitution
As previously mentioned, the progress of national protection for minorities and the enacting of Civil Rights legislation has undone all of the state Constitution’s labor to disenfranchise and socially punish African Americans. However, the racist language and segregation clauses still stand in print, yet to be edited out of the document. This simply makes Alabama look atrocious in the view of other states and foreign countries. Recently, in 2004, the removal of this language was proposed by another amendment; it only required the approval of the state’s voters. Horrifically, “the amendment was defeated by 1,850 votes out of more than 1.38 million (votes) cast”, according to DeWayne Wickham, a reporter for USA Today. One would think that there are a sufficient number of people in the state who would like to have seen this mark of the state’s oppressive history erased. However, the voices of opposition to constitutional reform are capable of provoking a sufficient number of people to vote in haste, fearful of anything that brings change.

The Voices in the Constitutional Reform Debate
Opponents
A number of fringe groups are vehemently opposed to seeing constitutional reform occur in Alabama. These entities can basically be divided into two general camps: first, wealthy special interest groups with vested interests in preserving the benefits enjoyed by land-owners, and second, the ultra-conservative “Christian” groups and politicians who would like to prevent Alabama from changing at all.
Professor Robert Schaefer identifies ALFA (the Alabama Farmer’s Federation) as one of top five obstacles to reform, and the most influential special interest group because of its extensive lobby power and monetary resources. Susan Pace Hamill reports that ALFA and other special interest groups (e.g. timber industries, the Christian Coalition) “ran well-funded advertisement campaigns laced with lies and distortions to convince poor and lower income Alabamians that Riley’s tax plan (of 2003) would hurt them” (10). While human nature demands that citizens act in their own best interests, it is not excusable to offer rhetoric which intentionally lies to the most ignorant and helpless members of society.
Similarly, protests to progressive reforms seem unfitting for members who identify themselves with the Christian church, the very group who claims to care the most for the oppressed and the poor. Yet two “Christian” groups—the Alabama Association for Judeo-Christian Values and the Alabama Christian Coalition opposed both Riley’s 2003 tax plan and the proposed amendment to remove racist language from the Constitution.
The rhetorical content of these religious groups and another secular one, the Alliance for Citizens [sic] Rights is not very complex. What their arguments really boil down to is that they want to make every possible effort to prevent new taxes and to keep “liberals” from taking away their rights that are guaranteed in the 1901 Constitution.
In the “Message from the President” Sandra Bell, leader of the Alabama Association for Judeo-Christian Ethics writes, “… the citizens of Alabama have the strongest state constitution for the protection of the people . . . The reason we have so many amendments to our constitution is that special interest faction{s} and self-serving individuals have tried numerous times to rewrite our constitution..” Rather than condemning the cumbersome document, this organization embraces its complexity and contradictions as a sure protection against change of any kind. The AAJCE (and the Christian Coalition) are in the company of only one leading Alabama politician-- Republican gubernatorial candidate Roy Moore.
Another ultra-conservative Alabamian, Ken Freeman, of Alliance for Citizens Rights (an organization that neglects to properly place a possessive apostrophe in its title) boasts similar claims on his website, www.keepourrights.org. Freeman offers no truly significant rhetoric; he can be distinguished from other opponents for his protest that a constitutional convention would be expensive; however, he offers no numbers. Basically, meaningful and informed dialogue with the opponents of reform can only be found within the circles of the well-funded lobbyists and special interest groups like ALFA.

The Apathetic Majority
Most Alabamians prefer not to engage themselves in political dialogue. This is proven by a recent survey conducted among one-hundred AUM students; the survey was written to measure a basic level of understanding of the constitutional dilemma and the 2006 governor’s race, as well as to record student opinions about many of the state’s social and political problems created by the Constitution. The results reiterate ignorance and apathy.
Only two-thirds of respondents reported that they vote regularly; however, of those 66 individuals, 44 (or another two-thirds of the voting 66) said that the gubernatorial candidates’ positions on constitutional reform influenced their vote. This statistic seemed encouraging until a second question’s responses were tallied. When asked to identify the candidate most likely to oppose constitutional reform, only one-third (34) of respondents appropriately selected Roy Moore’s name.
Similarly, when asked to identify the factors inhibiting Alabama from being “a more progressive state”, respondents tended to more frequently select the symptoms of the problems (e.g. lack of funding for education, racial injustices) rather than the real ailments or problems themselves (e.g. the Constitution, the State legislature, special interest groups, etc.).
It can be safely assumed that if college-educated voters at AUM (many of whom are adult students) are uninformed and/or not concerned about state politics, an even larger segment of the total state population is easily misguided. While the survey contends that 64% of AUM students would like to see increased funding for public schools, the same percentage of voters statewide rejected Riley’s funding plan. This is the irony of politics in Alabama. The majority of the voters-- white, middle class, religious and conservative people whom Susan Hamill has affectionately dubbed “Wal-Mart Republicans”—are actually not well served economically by the party with whom they affiliate themselves. However, “Wal-Mart Republicans are nevertheless attracted by the rhetoric of limited government and support for such issues as the Ten Commandments […] and school prayer” (6). Basically, Hamill is contending that touching such sensitive religious issues (which many opponents do) politically sways people to vote as reactionaries without adequate knowledge of facts like the ones presented in this report.

Proponents of Reform
Contrary to what anti-reform groups would like the public to believe, the effort for constitutional reform in Alabama is actually a bipartisan collaboration of a number of economically and socially diverse constituents. What is frequently and easily labeled as a “liberal” cause is actually a conservative one. Most people who support the primary organization for reform --the Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform – are people who live as everyday Alabamians, well-respected in their communities and organizations, lifelong public servants, educators, attorneys, and business persons. Two thirds of survey respondents incorrectly identified three gubernatorial candidates as being opposed to constitutional reform when, in fact, Lucy Baxley, Don Siegleman, and Bob Riley (a combination of Democrats and Republicans alike) are long-time vocal advocates for a new state constitution. Their leadership has readmitted “constitutional reform” into public discourse. The brightest future for Alabama requires a leader who will uphold this cause.

The Proposed Solution
Grassroots Movement
Understanding the far-reaching burdens that the Constitution of 1901 has on the majority of Alabamians, and considering the problem of public ignorance and apathy, it is clear that the state needs intensive voter education and active promotion of the facts. The ACCR is determined to see this happen by encouraging the formation of local chapters throughout the state; involvement on state university campuses, rallies for media coverage and public awareness, and promotional conferences and literature are all being used to further inform the public about the dire need for a new state Constitution.

Constitutional Convention
The intended effect of grassroots education and civic participation would be the election of reform-friendly politicians to office, or the demand of sitting officials to take the initiative to pass legislation calling for a statewide constitution. While many would contend that the 1901 Constitution can be ameliorated by hours of scrutiny and reorganization, combing every amendment in an attempt to reform each of the plethora of problems, it would be much more efficient to wipe the slate clean, writing a brand new document that addresses the Alabama of the 21st century.
The current legislators cannot be trusted to rewrite a new document because their current possession of unbridled power is part of the problem; it is unlikely that they would be willing to surrender this power. Instead, elected delegates ought to author the next contract for Alabama. This process might indeed require time and money, but the results are well worth the minimal investment of the state tax money. Finally, the approval of a new Constitution would require the majority approval of Alabama voters, giving constituents the final, democratic authority that they are entitled.

CONCLUSIONS
A diverse group of scholars and experts are convinced that special interest groups do no constitute a majority in Alabama; their campaigns for “conservative” preventions must be countered with intelligent and honest arguments for citizen-led reform. To truly return the power to the people, Alabamians must receive the charge to inform themselves about reform in turn, vote responsibly for proponents of reform and progressive measures for the Alabama. A plethora of social and political woes, the perpetuating problem of poverty and injustice, and the embarrassing history of the state are currently embodied and upheld by the state’s guiding document. Alabama’s antiquated Constitution of 1901 needs to be abandoned, and a convention of elected delegates must convene to draft an unbiased document that will serve the best interests of the state’s future generations.

Tina, Come Get Some Ham

2006-04-14T15:29:00.000-07:00

Some of you already know this, but our neighbors from South of the border keep chickens in their yard. The rooster likes to jump the fence and crow outside our window in the morning. Buck (Jonathan's dog... I call him "our" dog when he's being sweet) has successfully killed 4 hens by escaping our yard and attacking them.

Surprisingly, our neighbors don't really get upset. They still say "Hola, amigo!" whenever they see us, and it is so sweet because they really know that we love them, I think. They don't really have a relationship with any other Americans on our street. So yeh, we're still amigos.

But the main purpose of this blog is to report that they are now in the possession of a goat, which I have yet to see. Jonny says it's big. I think it is hilarious. It's sort of like having a llama named Tina, and having a friend named Pedro. I love my life. It's flippin' sweet.

*NOTE* 4/15 8:30 pm. YOU NEED TO READ MY ADDITIONAL COMMENT.

What is the Unadulterated Gospel?

2006-04-06T20:05:00.000-07:00

That's a good question. Why is this six-syllabled, visually and auditorially intimidating adjective in front of the precious word we know to mean "Good News"? I mean, "unadulterated" just sounds so heavy.

I get the phrase, or atleast the word(s) "adulterate/unadulterated" from the Second Epistle of Paul to the carnal church at Corinth. In chapter 4 verse 2, he writes,

"but we have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in
craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth
commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.

Again... it sounds like some kind of serious. But what is he saying? Definition, please!

The dictionary gives us a great start: adj. not adulterated. Thanks a lot, Merriam-Webster.

So we go a step further. What am I doing if I adulterate?

To answer the question, Webster goes WILD!

v. : to corrupt, debase, or make impure by the addition of a foreign or
inferior substance or element; especially : to prepare for sale by replacing
more valuable with less valuable or inert ingredients

WOW... now that's a killer definition, especially the latter part. I really couldn't have come up with those fighting words in my own flesh! What a statement Paul is making in his letter! He is suggesting that it is possible to pervert the message that God has given us. Of course, it is thankfully spoken of in the negative-- something that we don't do because we know better. Christ's church, as it "commeds itself to every man's conscience" (aka "sharing the gospel" with every living creature see v.3), is to keep God's message clean and pure; we are NOT to doctor the Gospel for any reason!

If the Gospel of the Scripture stings (which it necessarily does as it exposes man's sin and damnation in the light of Christ's perfection) then we are to let it sting. Likewise, if the Gospel conditionally promises life and forgiveness and grace and abundant pardon (which it does!) then we are not to subtract or omit that demonstration and manifestation of God's kindness either! Neither are we to subtract the terms that God sets forth (i.e. belief and repentance).

Moreover, we must flee from doing what the Webster definition suggests-- replacing the real truth with something less valuable, fake, or manmade. Shudder, church! We are guilty of this heinous error! Contemporary evangelicalism has tinkered with the Gospel and substituted something that is of our own contrivance. Some of us have gotten so used to hearing false Gospels, we might even be recognizing them as legitimate ones.

Namely, I am referencing what John MacArthur has called "the cult of Decisionism"; it is an adherance to a Gospel that saves sinners by praying prayers or making decisions to follow Christ. The problems are manifold:

1. It denies God the glory He is due, failing to recognize HIS work; "decisions" are elevating and applauding OUR work. May no Christian boast; his salvation is God's gift and God's accomplishment.
2. It promotes an acceptance of the notion that people can "make decisions" to follow Christ and then live however they please. Belief in "decisions" goes hand in hand with the incomplete doctrine of many Baptists that says, "once saved, always saved"; in truth, people who only "make decisions" or "pray for salvation" and then live inconsequentially were never converted to begin with.
3. It fills the churches of America with falsely assured persons who have never truly known the power of God. This has negative effects on the bride's witness to the world.
4. It places more emphasis in evangelism on coaxing people to just "decide" or "pray" rather than letting the preaching of the Word accomplish its task. Faith comes by hearing the Word; there is no knowledge of sin apart from the Law. The Spirit of God 'S regenerative work is what brings new birth; not human decisions.

This might sound like a trifle, but indeed, it is not! The Gospel has been frequently adulterated; grace (the GOOD stuff) has been replaced with man-based works (the CHEAP stuff); Decision-making has been packaged and labelled as the real Gospel, and it has been bought by the masses, whose hearts are not changed by it. The medicine has lost its punch and it is no longer effective for curing the sickness. Why? Because it isn't the power of God unto salvation. It isn't the unadulterated Gospel.

There are a plethora of other ways that the Gospel has been and is being perverted, but this is the most prevelant one. May we not be guilty of preaching anything other than Jesus Christ crucified, buried, and raised on the third day.

To close, I leave you with some of the best Gospel preaching and pleading that I know. It is not Scripture, but it is scriptural.

Come ye sinners poor and needy, weak and wounded, sick and sore! Jesus ready stands to save you full of pity, love, and power.
Come ye thirsty, come and welcome, God's free bounty glorify! True belief and true repentance, every grace that brings you nigh!
Come ye weary, heavy-laden, lost and ruined by the fall; If you tarry til you're better you will never come at all.
Views Him prostrate in the garden, on the ground your MAKER lies, On the bloody tree behold Him; Sinner! Will this not suffice?
Lo! the Incarnate God ascended, pleads the merit of His blood: Venture on Him, venture wholly, let no other trust intrude.

Let not conscience make you linger, nor of fitness fondly dream. All the fitness he requires is to feel your need of Him. -- Joseph Hart

2006-03-29T12:33:00.000-08:00

English Class and Noah's Ark

The funny thing about this intriguing title is that the two subjects are unrelated. They just happen to be the diverse subjects of this blog. I was originally going to call it "Update on the Update", but the current choice seems more inviting.

David Dwyer is our hero. He speaks/understands Spanish very well and did a stellar job with three of our neighbors on Saturday night. Our friends thought that we wanted to charge them money for teaching them English, which apparently is common. Maybe now that they know it is free they will bring more people back. I don't know how familiar you are with the perception of Protestant Christians (las Cristianas) in the minds of most Latin Americans who are Catholic (Catolicas). I would not assert that I am a scholar, but I know enough from a summer in an Hispanic apartment community (M-Fuge Nashville) that we Protestants are not always so well received whenever we want to teach the Bible. Our friends know that we are Cristianas, and Baptists at that, and have asked some questions about the Scripture on the walls of our living room. So basically, pray that God would make them receptive to our attempts at teaching the Gospel at some point.

Also, it is my desire that we make our Saturdays with kids a little more structured. It isn't bedlum by any means, but we need to teach them more, and teach them in a way that better helps them remember what is being said. You might be wondering what we are teaching them. The answer is, "The Gospel". We take whatever Scripture or Bible story that we study and focus it on what it means to be saved, what it means to love God and follow Him, why it is that we are not all going to heaven, etc. We aren't dibbling around with Noah's Ark every week- not that Noah's ark isn't pointing to Jesus and salvation. I say that to refer to the typical Baptist way that people like to overteach cute stories about animals and rainbows (i.e. Jonah and the whale, Noah and the animals, the Seven days of Creation, etc.) as though there is nothing else to teach children from the Bible.

Speaking of Noah's Ark-- it's a pretty scary story. God destroying the world and drowning the entire population (with the exception of 8 souls) for rampant sinfulness is not exactly G-rated. Maybe by flirting around with rainbows and giraffes, the church isn't really teaching kids to see and understand the whole nature and character of God, and maybe that's why adults get bent out of shape when they hear about the absolute Sovereignty or Wrath or Judgment of God for the first time in their lives at age thirty, or even worse, seventy. It isn't pretty when people get bent out of shape about things, so it just seems logical to train people to think correctly from their youth. Just a thought. Hopefully, God will accomplish that for this generation.

2006-03-23T08:52:00.000-08:00

Update on 9 Rotary

We have been stood up twice: once by the Mexican ladies for English class, once by the other group coming for dinner and Bible Study. Kid attendance was not sky-high on Saturday- we were back to the regular group. We are not discouraged, however. We are still in regular dialogue with our neighbors, and thanks to our friend David who speaks Spanish, we they are planning to try an English class out on Saturday night instead of Monday.

Pray that our core group of kids would be willing to share us with others; they don't like the idea of our other neighbors coming. Says Fernando, "They just want to eat your food and play your video games." Ben asks Fernando, "And what do you come over for?" He replies, probably lying, but well-meaning: "Bible study. For real, man. I come for Bible Study."

2006-03-15T14:03:00.000-08:00

We Had a Party!

2006-03-14T12:07:00.000-08:00

Why Suffering is Right

I mentioned a few weeks ago that the weekend was spent (invested) with the senior high boys from Morningview. The Word was so rich! I don't know that everyone tasted it like Jonny and I did, but it was still rich. God has continued to use the truth about cross-carrying and suffering to change the way we think about our ministry and our futures beyond college; it has compelled us to pray differently and radically- to literally beg God for opportunities to suffer. I am not faithful to ask for this blessing, but I ought to be.

Admittedly, praying for opportunities to experience suffering sounds sadistic to most people, even people who ally themselves with the Gospel. The suggestion that we ought to desire the glory of suffering for the sake of Christ is a total affront to many contemporary "Christian" preachers who ride along under the banner of "Evangelicalism", which sadly means less and less with the construction of every new suburban Six Flags-style megachurch. (Not to say that you can't be a godly megachurch). There are a substantial number of people who profess to love the Scripture yet who insist that being a believer entitles a person to luxury, accumulation, excellent health, and long days of earthly prosperity.

Indeed, God often sees fit to bless his saints with earthly goods (Job!) and I by no means suggest that it is impossible to be both prosperous and Christian. But I deplore preaching that falsely teaches people that suffering, poverty, and hardship are manifestations of God's judgment and punishment for them. The Gospel is truly for the downtrodden, the weary, and the outcast. May we never forget that! But there are no promises that material gain will accompany faith and repentance. If we are the sinners that the Scriptures insist that we are, why would we ever expect anything but hell from God? Is that not what we justly deserve? In his rich mercy, however, He chooses to spare us from hell, and welcome us into His fellowship, not because we did anything, of course, but because he righteously chose to show us mercy. He has mercy on whom he has mercy. Period.

So then, if spiritual blessings (mercy included) are not deserved and they are not rightfully ours; why then would any preacher be so presumptuous as to believe that Christians have "rights" to material blessings as well? American consumerism shouts "You deserve better!" as the SUV or the holiday cruise or the cushy sofa dazzles on the your TV screen. "Yeh. I do deserve better than this," we agree. And that's why it doesn't alarm us when a preacher or Christian author says the same thing. It's our cultural mantra: I deserve something better than this! How obscene! The logic for many in the church flows as something like this:
1. Everyone deserves good things.
2. I am a Christian. I must have more favor than people who don't know God.
3. Therefore, I ESPECIALLY deserve good things.

People are coming to this FALSE conclusion because they start off with a false, worldly premise. The truth is: we deserve nothing but hell. Hell! When we really absorb that truth, our opinion of ourselves must reform. Be humbled to have been forgiven!

So if material blessing is not promised, what are we to expect for joining Christ's Kingdom? The Scripture is clear that our calling is to join Him in His death in order that we might live.

"Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my
sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and
loses his soul?" Matthew 16:25-26a

I realize that this verse has made its radical statement on a lot of complacent people's Disciple Now t-shirts, and therefore, there is a likelihood that it has lost its zing, so, let's consider some other verses.

"Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own
blood, suffered outside the gate. So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach. For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come. " Hebrews 13:12-14

When we read that, and really meditate on it, I think we ought to be pondering Isaiah's words. Jesus was a man who was despised and rejected by men. Forsaken. Stricken. Smitten. Afflicted. We esteemed him not. Now identify yourself with his misery, because that is the exhortation of the writer of Hebrews. Then go out to Him, and bear His reproach. Join Him at the cross.

WHY? What is the purpose of assuming Jesus' shame as your own, and giving yourself over to the indignity of the cross? Isn't it sufficient that He died for us? What can we add? How could we ever propose that we are worthy to join the King of Kings in his suffering? Colossians answers the question:

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my
share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions. Colossians 1:24

Lacking in Christ's afflictions? What! The first time I read this Scripture (three years ago) it was like somebody bumped the record player at a party. What a statement! Paul says that he fills up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions. He is surely not proposing that He must finish the work of the atonement. That would be heresy! So what is he saying?

He is saying the he is doing just what Jesus commanded! He is taking up his cross and suffering. Since the church at Colossae had never seen Christ in his agony, they could not know him but through Paul's witness, through Paul's association with Christ. The purpose of suffering is the glory of God and the exaltation and proclamation of Christ as Lord; the purpose is also to benefit the church- this is in the text. Paul "does his share on behalf of the church". This is the same idea as him telling Timothy (and us) that he "endures all things for the sake of the elect." If he hadn't suffered, the church would never have known Christ's suffering. If Jim Eliot and Nate Saint and the other three men had not allowed the Auca to spear them to death in the 50's, the tribe might have never been converted to know Christ crucified. Praise God at the thought!

This is our new calling in life. What a privilege! What a blessing! Why would we ever shy away from such an opportunity to bless the nations and to worship God though hardship? And why would we tolerate preachers and evangelists who insist that cross-bearing is not a necessary part of following Christ?

In a future blog (many days away) I will try to answer that question. But for now, start praying for opportunities to join Him in bearing his reproach. Amen!

2006-03-05T11:37:00.000-08:00

A Particularly Providential Day

Saturday was a good day. We couldn't seem to all look at the camera at once, but it was a good day nonetheless. Please don't let the title suggest that everyday is not a providential day. It is just that His hand was especially evident yesterday.

One of my wonderful Christian co-workers and a friend of hers made us lunch and brought it to the house, which was a huge blessing since it was just me and our friend Frank with the kids because lots of our friends had other obligations. (Props to Frank for being a really good sport). We all (9) took an outing to Winn-Dixie to buy some birthday flowers for a grandmother (the grandmother of six of the kids in the photo, all of whom are cousins of one another). We also spent some quality time at the park on the way home before our devotion time. God gave us exactly enough money to honor Grandma and also buy Herman's groceries. It was just a really sweet, providence-at-work sort of day that I am happy to have been a part of.

After the kids went home, I was working in our front yard, cleaning up and trimming the weeds. These two thirty-ish-looking Mexican women next door were watching me from their porch and laughing at me. Maybe my fly was down? I don't know. But for whatever reason, it was apparent that I was intriguing them. I thought about asking them what was so funny, but I have been really frustrated because I cannot speak fluently, and any worthwhile conversation requires a lot of patience from the Hispanic person and a lot of effort on my part. So as they are murmuring about me and staring (Mexican people don't have any shame about outright gawking at Americans) I started praying that the Lord would make a smooth way for me to meet them and have a meaningful conversation.

A few minutes later Jonny's dog came outside and was playing in the yard. One of the women (Liz) got up and walked to the fence to pet him. (Thank you God for the dog). She asked me (in Spanish) his name, and then my name as well. From there, we pretty much talked for the next forty-five minutes about almost everything that I know to talk about with the exception of religion and faith. I barely know how to talk about it in Spanish anyway; I can also assume from the context of their situation that they are culturally Catholic. They are 15 days off the boat (or the truck or whatever) from Veracruz, Mexico and living with my neighbors. But despite their aversion to my Protestant faith, which will inevitably come out in our future conversations, we are off to a nice start.

They asked me if I would teach them English when they found out that it was my college major. This is funny to me because anyone who grew up in America could teach them more English than they already know. But anyway, I guess that to them, my studies qualify me to be their tutor. Ha! I have been praying for a while now that God would grant me some opportunity to be a blessing to these people with this specific need, and then THEY ask me if I can teach them! To add to the day's manifestation of Providence, they tell me that the only and the best week night to learn is Mondays- the only and the best week night for me as well. And so, they're coming over around 8:00 Monday night. I told them to bring a friend. It turns out that they know all the other Mexicans on our street because they are all from the same extended family and neighborhood in Mexico.

Please don't think of immigrants- the actual people whose lives our politics affect - as a burden. I certainly agree that immigration policies and enforcement need reform, but once Mexicans like Liz are in the U.S. and sitting on the porch next door to mine, politics sort of evaporate. It should be my desire to serve them and love them, and so long as God continues to afford me with the opportunity to do so, I will. Pray that they won't just come for English lessons once, but again and again. Pray that God would open their hearts to the true Gospel whenever it is spoken to them. Pray that they would be called to be strangers not only to America, but to this earth! And while you're at it- ask Him to make US strangers here too.

2006-03-01T14:27:00.000-08:00

March 11

Friends- please be asking God for a nice-weather day on Saturday March 11. Some wonderful people are coming from Christ Fellowship Church in Mobile to help us with ministry that day. We would like to have a block party in our back yard, inviting everyone in our four blocks north of Vandiver Blvd, plus anyone else we know in Chisholm. Ask God to send us the people; we're feeding them food, but Jonny is going to break the Bread of Life and preach the Gospel. (Score) Hopefully, this sort of an event will help us meet new people, introduce some to the Truth, and establish some contacts for a future in-home Bible study at our house.

ASK HIM for these things.

PS- Speaking of wonderful people from Mobile, THANK YOU so much to wonderful people in Montgomery from the BCM and Morningview who have helped us thus far in different ways to make things happen on Saturdays. Please be sure to come out on the 11th.

2006-02-26T21:25:00.000-08:00

Great Is My Faithlessness

This past weekend was spent in discipleship with eight wonderful senior high guys from Morningview. Teaching and studying the Word is life to my soul, and it ought to be to every believing person. My mind has been spurred towards action concerning the call and cost of discipleship (which is coincidentally the topic of my blog), and I want to continue pursuing the Lord's will through closer study of Scripture. These are my thoughts and feelings at 1:00 pm today.

I regret to report that it is indeed humanly possible to fall into the the enemy's snare, even a few short hours after excellent edification, worship, and fellowship.

We were obviously not home for Saturday ministry with the kids yesterday. They came over for a while this (Sunday) afternoon while me and Jonny tried to type our papers (due tonight by e-mail). I was pretty much all about the paper and not about the kids. I should have laid everything aside and hugged on them more than I did and taught them some Scripture, but I was all about getting my 'A'. Type, type, type.

Yesterday while we were gone, we also missed our routine phone call or porch visit with Mr. Herman. I need to elaborate about our situation here in order for you to understand my faithlessness. Herman doesn't really live on a fixed income. He lives on an insufficient income. For the past month, we have run errands to the grocery store for him, and each time, the list has gotten a little longer and the bill has gotten a little higher. He spends his retirement and government check on rent and utilities, and basically, there isn't much of anything left over. I started getting a little antsy about his dependence on us about a week ago, but I knew that my worry wasn't righteous so I forgot about it.

Until today. As I was walking out the door for church tonight, Jonny reminded me to call Herman back to see what he needed from the store this week. I am pretty much broke at the moment, and prior to walking out the door I have just been thinking about what I need from the grocery store. I get paid this week, but it will get spent pretty quickly on bills. I am thinking in my heart- "I have to eat first... I can't carry Herman's burdens too." (sin) So I lied to Jonny (sin) and didn't call Herman. (also sin)

I didn't even second guess myself. I pretty much deserve to starve for a week or so. Did I mention that I TAUGHT James 2 this weekend?

I get to church. My phone rings. It is one of my friends who lives in another city and it not directly associated with our ministry on any regular basis. She is joyful. She says,

"Hey, Ben. Listen- I just wanted to let you know that I want to send you my next paycheck. Spend it on whatever- get the kids some books or games (which we need) or spend it on food for your neighbors (!) or something for your house. It is the least I can do to be a part of the ministry, and I really don't need this paycheck, OK?"

I hang up. I hits me what God is up to. I know that I have sinned multiple times in the course of five minutes.

Well... I'm not God. But if I were God I would smite Ben Robinson for his faithless, selfish neglect of Herman this afternoon. God had already put it within my friend's heart to give to us and consequently provide for whatever Herman needs this week (and next week). I on the other hand am calling 1-800-AMSOUTH and checking my bank account and shaking my head in doubt. "I thought the cattle on a thousand hills was not enough to pay my bills..." I am pretty much a confirmed wretch. Praise the Lord that it took this to remind me.

I am not writing this for any other reason than to publicly repent and to publicly praise God for his mercy towards me and towards Herman. I stand rebuked. This is why the Scripture teaches us to give, to give generously, to give without imposing debts on our neighbors, to give without expecting anything in return, to give without asking questions. This is why the Scripture teaches us that "faith" without works is dead. This is why they Scripture teaches us that God supplies all of our needs- spiritual and physical- according to his riches in glory. This is why Christ demands that I deny myself. This is why the Christian life is a call to reckless abandonment and walking by faith. I stand corrected. Help me, Jesus, to never again consider my needs above the needs of my neighbors or I will find myself on the fast track towards failure.

Great is my faithlessness, but...
GreatER is His faithfulness. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

2006-02-19T13:23:00.000-08:00

Homicide

http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060219/NEWS01/602190319&SearchID=73236147344250

Check out this short news article. Crime (burglary, vehicle theft, occasionally reported rape etc.) is not uncommon in our neighborhood, but this would be the first homicide that I can remember in Chisholm.

I don't have a lot to say about this YET except that: 1) these kids that we work with knew this woman 2) this woman is not the kind of contributor to society that will be missed 3) it is going to be a sad story whenever the facts about her death come out.

I post this link to reiterate the fact that our world NEEDS the Gospel.

2006-02-16T17:28:00.000-08:00

Church Signs of the Times

If you are a Montgomerian, you may have seen a news story a couple of weeks ago on WSFA Channel 12 in which a local reporter, Mark Bullock, took on a story to confront a "controversial" church sign on the Atlanta Highway. I will save this church the slither of integrity and dignity that they might still possess by not renaming them; they are a medium-sized congregation on a busy six lane road that dissects the heart of one of Montgomery's most highly churched zip codes: 36109. I pass the church regularly on the way to my parent's house, which is perhaps half a mile away.

I must offer a disclaimer before I continue: I loathe lighted church signs with message marquees. I did not choose Morningview because we lack one, (we don't need one being in the middle of a neighborhood) but I am exceedingly glad that we don't have one. With the exceptions of occasional announcements (i.e. "VBS!", or "Christmas musical, 7:00 pm") and Scripture, these signs usually boast cliche, trite phrases that nauseate me. Some of the best (worst) ones that I have seen include: "God answers knee-mail", "Get Right or Get Left", "Our church is prayer-conditioned", and finally, "Your mother was Pro-Life." If such signs make me feel like hurling, what effect must they have on non-believers? I cannot help but surmise that in all actuality, the signs are really just IGNORED.

However, one church's sign was not ignored by Mark Bullock and WSFA. "A concerned viewer" informed the news station that a particular Montgomery church was boasting a sign that was offensive; it read, "God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve." (How clever! We've never heard this pun before!) Bullock responded by calling the church office to request an interview with the minister (who was on vacation); then he frequented gas stations on the same stretch of road to ask motorists what they thought of the sign. WSFA then offered its audience a bulleted list of other Scriptures in the Bible that were "controversial" but typically not addressed by the church (i.e. limiting women's roles, permitting slavery, etc.) After the segment, the station invited home viewers to dialogue about the sign and the issues of homosexuality by contributing comments on their website. Enter the ignorance and endlessly subjective stream of wasted words.

As I watched (and later read on the website) I was appalled that the "Christian" community could make no BALANCED (both assertive and merciful) response to the assault. Christians were in the dialogue, but they were not agreeing, and they were all grievously erring to respond articulately and authoritatively. It was frankly very painful to witness. I personally refrained from addressing this situation on this blog for a couple of weeks because I thought that Jonny was going to blog it, but since he hasn't I am taking it on.

First, let's consider the beloved marquee sign: Is it necessary for the purpose of education? Are there any gay or lesbian people in our city that wonder what white, conservative Christians are thinking of them? By practically marrying ourselves to politics via the Republican party since the late 1980s, are people outside the church confused as to where Christians stand on social issues? Was the sign intended to be informative? I think not.

Was the sign evangelistic? Was it intended to lure a homosexual person into the fellowship of the church? Did it convey any Gospel message of mercy and hope? (Obvious answer: NO.)

What was its purpose? Who knows? It is, however, certain that the church did not expect to see its sign on the 10:00 news, and it thought that it was safe to say what it said in 36109. Whether they were right or wrong, they decided to change the sign within two days. The most basic lesson to be learned: This ain't your Grandpappy's Montgomery anymore. The times- they are a' changing, Paw.

This introduces the second issue: Postmodern thinking/ relativism is finally finding its way into the Deep South. I already know this well after five semesters at AUM, but a lot of people in the church don't. The trouble is not so much that the church is out of touch with the world's thinking; the trouble is that the church cannot stand up against the world's thinking. She cannot communicate intelligently about the most important issues of the day that demand a clear articulation of the Gospel. She balks rather than talks. She compromises and apologizes when she ought to uphold and cherish the exclusivity, solidarity, and SUFFICIENCY of the WHOLE of Scripture. What we have witnessed from the response of "Christians" to this skirmish with the culture is pitiable. If we teach our sons and daughters to think like the people who responded to WSFA's plea for comments, consider the church in the South an extinct species in fifty years.

Some "Christians" responded like this: God did make Steve! (GOOD argument) Therefore, there is nothing wrong with it- Let gay people fellowship with the church. (Bad argument) Can't we all just love one another, like Jesus said (Answer: Yes... but not at the expense of purity and unity.)

Several said this: The church sign is dang right. Read the book. You're awl goin' to hail. Thar ain't no sissy ninnies in heaven. (True, but not merciful. My suspicion is that these folks are really thankful to have found themselves allied with the church, not because it leads them to holiness, but because it endorses their gender orientation, patriotism, family values, and political platform.)

A few said something similar to this: What is happening to our country? The media is attacking our First Amendment rights to free speech! This is a Christian nation! Next they are going to tell us we can't worship together anymore! That's what we're fighting for in Iraq! God Bless America! (I have no response.)

Some said nothing, which is not excusable but certainly better than bad press. Maybe they agree with the old adage which says that it is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to have opened your mouth and to have proved it.

And what about WSFA's revelation that the Bible indeed DOES teach several other things in the New Testament that are politically incorrect but not emphasized by the church, either by their church signs or the pastors? Well, quite frankly, WSFA wins the argument. We are inconsistent. We don't know the Scripture. To borrow the simile of Sara Groves, we regard the Word of God as a new suit. We try it on for size, then when it doesn't fit our culture, we take it to the tailor and have it adjusted for 2006, for contemporary politics, for our personal lifestyle preferences, etc. After generations of tailoring, the suit is unrecognizable. When we try to amend and edit some of the Scripture while we still boast in our emphatic convictions regarding the rest of it, we have really tampered with all of it by ignoring some of it. We make ourselves vulnerable for anyone's arguments from the outside. We don't have a cohesive, decided religion any longer. We have a god and a book of our own craft.

What if... and this is a GLORIOUS "what if"...

What if the church responded to Mark Bullock and WSFA with something like this: You know, guys, you are right. We are a hypocritical people. We act like we don't even believe the Gospel that we preach. You cannot distinguish us on the street except for our T-shirts and stickers on our cars. We are homophobes, and we generally work as hard as we can to isolate ourselves into gated communities where we don't have to look at social problems or deal with people who aren't like us. We really are probably terrible at communicating what we believe to you because we don't even communicate what we believe with each other.

But as much as you are right about us, you are wrong about Steve. Anatomy and STDs alone testify to our Maker's intentions for heterosexual, monogamous sex. You are also wrong about our God and our Book. Our God is true, and His Word is perfect; it needs no defense- it is complete. It bids and begs you to be reconciled to the eternal God who created you for His glory. You are his enemy because you are a God-hater and a sinner; you are cut off from Him and you have no desire to be made right with Him because if you come close to Him, his light exposes you for what you really are, and that's uncomfortable. You deserve to die for your sin, but God offers you an alternative. He has sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into this broken world to purchase back broken people like you, and Adam, and Eve, and Steve. He did this by suffering immensely in your stead so that you might be healed of your sin sickness, and that you would be his precious bride. He has come to save sinners! Come, be reconciled to him, and forsake your ways. Turn to the Lord and fall at His feet for mercy. Please, come...

YES, that would be glorious. It wouldn't fit on the sign, of course, but maybe if we talked like that to the world, we wouldn't need church signs anymore.

2006-02-05T16:40:00.000-08:00

Disciples

God has given us a band of disciples that are almost all dadless boys (which makes sense that he would send us boys) who range in age from 8-12. Pray that we would be diligent to teach them and that they would keep coming to our house on their own will! They are listening to what we teach them and are able to recall it to mind when we ask them about it. Our time and energy could honestly be invested in just these five (sometimes seven), and our relationships with them already makes the move to Chisholm worthwhile. It really does work best when ONE teaches ONE - that is truly the best sort of discipleship. If 5 sounds small, try it yourself! It could be (and may the Lord will it to be) a full-time job.

This should testify to the largeness of the task of being light to a community of several thousand people. There has been some murmuring of coming help from other people who have a heart for this work. How great would that be!? Ask Him to send more workers to the field!

I will tell you a bit more about our other neighbors in another blog. It is in the works in my brain and will come tomorrow probably.

2006-01-22T19:47:00.000-08:00

Mr. Herman, Bradley, and Mexicans

This is a really quick attempt to fill everyone in on what has been going on because we really haven't had a lot of time to do any posting with school starting recently. These are some specific relationships that are developing. Praise God!

1. Mr. Herman lives three doors down, is in his sixties, and rents by himself on a fixed income. We met him Saturday while some of our wonderful friends were helping us rake mountains of leaves out of our backyard. Mr. Herman has a bum leg, three dogs, and a lot of needs that we can meet (i.e. yardwork this summer, transportation to the store and the bank, companinship, etc.) Although he has family in town, they do not frequently visit him or offer him much help. His other neighbors charge him money (anywhere from $5 -50 (!) for gas money for rides). He had a long-time friend and roommate who "went and died on him" recently and "broke his heart." He walked on his cane to our house twice Saturday after we met him- once to ask for some help moving something, and another time to bring us all a cold Coke. (I think we have a friend for life!) We have invited him over for dinner Monday (the 23rd) at 6:00, and we of course intend to talk about Jesus. A similar dinner is intended for the single mom across the street who "likes to have a good time". =) That should be interesting.

2. Bradley, Loka (sounds like okay), and Shay are some kids I used to tutor two years ago and who have no qualms about coming over to our house whenever they see our cars at home. They are all really sweet-natured kids (all better behaved than when I used to work with them). All three actually live on the other side of Chisholm and not on our block. We feed them and read with them and play games and try to take advantage of "teachable moments" to share Scriptural truth. Eventually, we would really like to have a regularly scheduled Bible-teaching time for these kids and others, but we need to work on planning a bit more before we try that; also, we need FEMALES that would be committed to helping us serve in this way because this is 2006 and we already look shady hanging out with kids. So if you want to help, we could start something like this immediately (on Saturdays or Sunday afternoons).

3. Our street has four Hispanic households, and the people are all very limited English speakers. I can only speak in the present tense, and I can't really get beyond conversational topics like jobs and names and ages and family topics. I guess what I am saying is that we feel like our hands are tied, but there are a TON of these people in (or coming and going from) every house and we need some divine assistance to break the language and cultural "barriers" (I hate that word, but that's all I've got).

We will keep you posted on developments!

2006-01-22T18:44:00.000-08:00

Reason, Shame, and Reverence

Disclaimer: This blog is more about Ben and the church than it is about Chisholm

In one of my English classes, we recently read a sonnet by English Renaissance writer Sir Thomas Wyatt, and the title of this blog entry is an excerpt from one of his works. I am smitten with these seven syllables -- Reason, Shame, and Reverence--and I have been turning them over in my head this weekend when I stop to think about my corrupted brain and the way I think about myself and my sin, which is what the poet himself was thinking and writing about in the original poem. I have pasted it below for you to read, and would encourage anyone to read any of the great Christian poets of this era at www.luminarium.org

Wyatt writes that "his lust's negligence [may] be reigned with" these three feelings or ideas, and I agree wholeheartedly that these are precisely what will tame my flesh. I think their order is not merely a poetic arrangement of syllables that is pleasing to the ear, but it seems apparent to me that they follow a clear progression from a personal weapon (our thoughts) to a corporate weapon (our necessary relationship to the community of the church) and to an ultimate or a supreme weapon, worship, our supreme or highest relationship with our Lord.

Reason: The Personal
When I think rightly, I consequently live rightly. God has given me the capacity to use logic and to make understanding come from what my senses can perceive. At its most basic level, my sin (and yours) can be combatted by simply thinking through the repurcussions which my actions will have on the future, thinking through the pain of discipline that I know I will face for sinning, thinking through the alternatives (obediences to Scripture and the Holy Spirit), THINKING about what I already KNOW to be true. It is so easy to think, so basic, so "DUH"-simple. But we fail to tame our passions with our reason daily. How very important to use the equipment in between our ears which God has afforded us!

Shame: The Corporate
At this point, I begin to think some newer thoughts and perceive some less obvious implications from Wyatt's decision of words. Consider these examples with me: Would you feel shame for your making a fool of yourself, saying falling down, if no one else was watching you? Would you feel ashamed of poor performance at school if there were no parents who read the report card? Would you ever know shame at all apart from interaction with other humans? I suggest that shame must therefore imply a sense of failure and disgrace that can only be evoked by our awareness of watching eyes.

These relationships with people are an earthly representation of the omnipresent, omniscient watching eyes of God who has promised to uncover everything that is hidden and to expose everything that is pretentious and false. God has given us shame as a means to knowing our sin; Accountability to others, namely the local CHURCH, is God's gracious way of reminding us of the weightiness of our calling. Holiness is no small thing, and it is impossible to achieve it
independently of the body of Christ. Any person who attempts to live in a godly way without the help of others will fail quickly.

Moreover, when we do fall or fail or come short, our error reflects negatively not only upon us, but upon the church with whom we associate and with whom others identify us. My sin, and your sin, are the business of other believers because we are a BODY, not independent ears or hands or mouths. When the hand hurts, the eye cries and the mouth moans- what an incredible illustration Paul offers the Corinthians! And how true his illustration was centuries later to Wyatt and still is to us in the 21st century church! Our sin (whether blatant or private) wounds the whole church, and shame is a good, smart, right way to feel when we sin or when others sin because it is what connects us to the community of the church and it corrects us towards repentance. Thank you, Jesus, for our shame!

Reverence: The Supreme
Here is where you have to see the importance of Wyatt's consciousness in writing reverence in the last place in the list. The very best, most noble method for correcting our lusts and taming our passions is to think upon the holiness of Christ. Reasoning is right and shame is sure, but reverence is ultimately the best response. When we think of the perfection and spotlessness of the Lamb of God, and when we think about how this perfection made him the ONLY acceptable sacrifice of atonement for our deserved deaths, we cannot help but be humbled to worship Jesus rather than to dabble in pride and pleasure. To consider Christ in his affliction, to meditate upon the stripes that were made on his back to heal our sin sickness, and then to still persist in ungodliness is to, in essence, grip the spear and mockingly jab it about his sides some more.

It is entirely possible for us to return to our sin nature and behave heinously, but it is highly improbable that we could entertain the flesh at all when we think of Christ's suffering. Why else would Peter have written in chapter 4 of the first epistle that "whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin"? To know Christ in his suffering and to join him there is to come to a parting with our sins. It is to pick up our cross and joyfully worship the One who bled for us by joining Him "outside the gate" (Hebrews 13). Oh, this is gloriously true! We should chase after the cross in adoration of the King who endured it for our sakes. Reverence is not merely contemplation and reflection upon Jesus Christ; reverence is contemplation and reflection upon Jesus Christ that consequently and necessarily leads to radical, cross-carrying, self-denying worship!

May God teach us, as he taught those before us in His church, to exercise Reason, Shame, and Reverence for the glory of His name's sake! Stop tickling your old man/sin self and satisfying his appetite for ungodliness-- for your own soul's sake, for the sakes of the saints in the church, and for the sake of the Savior!

(the sonnet)
The long love that in my thought doth harbour
And in my heart doth keep his residence
Into my face presseth with bold pretence
And therein campeth spreading his banner.
She that me learneth to love and suffer
And wills that my trust and lust's negligence
Be reined by reason, shame, and reverence
With his hardiness taketh displeasure.
Where with all unto the heart's forest he fleeeth
Leaving his enterprise with pain and cry,
And there him hideth and not appeareth.
What may I do when my master feareth ?
But in the field with him to live and die ?
For good is the life, ending faithfully.
--Sir Thomas Wyatt

2006-01-08T10:30:00.000-08:00

It's Sort of Like the SIMS

I imagine that some of you, our fan club and cheerleaders, are wanting to know what is going on in Chisholm, how our house is working out for us, etc. There is a lot to be said and learned and rejoiced over that comes out from just our few nights at 9 Rotary Street. But by the title of this post, you are probably even more curious as to what I am about to say- and so am I.

There really is no easy way to describe our neighborhood if you have never been there, but I will try to paint an accurate and realistic picture for you, especially the non-Montgomery residents. Chisholm is first of all, one of the few, perhaps one of the ONLY, lower income neighborhoods in Montgomery that is thoroughly DIVERSE, in that there really is no distinguishable or overpowering "majority" racially. Most homeowners are elderly white people; most renters, who are probably the bulk of the population, are blacks, followed closely by Hispanics (there are several on our street- and particularly next door), and finally, Laotians.
There is at least one delapidated house for every nine or ten which are either occupied or atleast liveable; like any neighborhood, this statistic varies from street to street.

Because the neighborhood was originally a modest working class "town", seperate entirely from the city of Montgomery, there have been varying phases of development. Homes vary in age from 1920s/30s with architecture which has conventional foundations (off the ground) with high ceilings and front porches, etc. to 1960s/70s square, brick "cracker box"-like dwellings on concrete slab foundations. It is fairly safe to say that the oldest homes are the least stable, and consequently, the most likely to be found boarded up, with windows busted out, or gaping holes in the rooves. By the way, if you are interested in moving to Chisholm, homes are very affordable compared with the burbs. =)

The main road through the neighborhood, Lower Wetumpka, has typical businesses- Dollar General, Family Dollar, a bank (whose lobby is never open; drive-thru only), a fire station, shady used car lots, Church's chicken, and finally, several aluminum buildings or storefronts which house churches. A lot of these churches have names like "New Hope-Delivered in Victory from God in Christ, Church of the New Apostles Annex 2" (I made that one up), or something else that takes more than one breath to read. Perhaps we will visit some of them one day- but it apparent that these churches are poor, and that they are having little influence on seeing a redemption and transformation of the community, and I cannot fairly judge them for why this is lacking.

But enough about economic depression and urban plight and criminal potential and struggling churches. What I really want to describe are the people. And here is where I reference the SIMS. On TV, and for some of us in real-life, we are used to streets that bustle with people- business persons going to work, or students walking to and from classes; or in our neighborhoods, there are the joggers, the married couple empty-nester diet-walkers, the moms with baby carriages, the kids on bikes. And I guess it is not odd to us in our lives to see people walking the streets- but for the most part, we suburbians stay inside our house, in our car, or in our own backyard.

However, in Chisholm, and especially on weekday afternoons around dark, the streets are hopping with people- and this is foreign to me, but becoming familiar. I don't know what brings them out, but there they are- EVERYWHERE, strolling down the middle of street forcing you to go 15-20 mph, congregating in each other's yards and on porches, playing basketball in a cul-de-sacs, walking home from work or the bus drop-off. People alone, people in groups, people with legs, people in wheelchairs (they make me nervous), people minding their business, people who look like they are up to no good, young people, old people, black people, white people. People, people, people... I could go on, but that's where you just have to understand my reference to the seemingly endless, highly diverse supply of bodies that dominate the SIMS; this is also the point where I have to break from my comparison to the SIMS and see something more.

The people in Chisholm are not simulated- They are REAL people with voices and thoughts and feelings and problems and families and jobs and bills and everything else that you and I know. And when I perceive the people this way, it is not just fun to watch them anymore, but it is encouraging, comforting for a number of reasons.

1. People are people, which means that people are sinners, in Chisholm or in mansion-lined boulevards. And it really shouldn't be that hard for me to find something in common with them, because we all bear the curse of the fall, and we all fight the ground and labor and sweat over it; we're all getting older everyday and we're all on a speeding train toward eternity. That's an awful lot in common. And in addition to this truth, interacting with these people are especially accessible because they love to walk around outside of their homes and in front of ours. This is awesome.

2. Physical poverty is a blessing for ministry because the needs are so EVIDENT. Someone told me several years ago that the only difference between the wealthy and the poor is that the poor can't hide their problems as easily as the wealthy. To me, understanding the revelation of our condition by the Gospel, it seems like we could all use a healthy dose of this humility, because if we want to come to Christ, we MUST come empty-handed and we must come exposed as we really are. The American church needs to hear more of this from her pulpits.

3. God loves disadvantaged people, and he loves to bless them and make them rich men (spiritually, sometimes materially) in order to prove to the unbelieving world that he really IS who He claims to be. He delights in making poor men into rich men because it proves His excellence and perpetuates his praise among His people who dwell among the nations. Please pray that God would use his people, especially us, to call out our neighbors from darkness to light, to be citizens of His Kingdom.

Grace and peace to you... and check out this Scripture:

1 For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, And for Jerusalem's sake I will not keep quiet, Until her righteousness goes forth like brightness, And her salvation like a torch that is burning. 2 The nations will see your righteousness, And all kings your glory; And you will be called by a new name Which the mouth of the LORD will designate. 3 You will also be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD, And a royal diadem in the hand of your God. 4 It will no longer be said to you, " Forsaken," Nor to your land will it any longer be said, "Desolate"; But you will be called, "My delight is in her," And your land, " Married"; For the LORD delights in you, And {to Him} your land will be married. 5 For {as} a young man marries a virgin, {So} your sons will marry you; And {as} the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, {So} your God will rejoice over you.
6 On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen; All day and all night they will never keep silent. You who remind the LORD, take no rest for yourselves; 7 And give Him no rest until He establishes And makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth. 8 The LORD has sworn by His right hand and by His strong arm, "I will never again give your grain {as} food for your enemies; Nor will foreigners drink your new wine for which you have labored." 9 But those who garner it will eat it and praise the LORD; And those who gather it will drink it in the courts of My sanctuary.
10 Go through, go through the gates, Clear the way for the people; Build up, build up the highway, Remove the stones, lift up a standard over the peoples. 11 Behold, the LORD has proclaimed to the end of the earth, Say to the daughter of Zion, "Lo, your salvation comes; Behold His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him." 12 And they will call them, " The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD"; And you will be called, "Sought out, a city not forsaken." Isaiah 62

2005-12-30T23:00:00.000-08:00

The Things We Just Can't Give...
I have been wearing out my new Derek Webb album, "Mockingbird" since Christmas day. It debuted in stores on Monday, and it is getting lots of attention, both positive and negative. I will be the first to admit that the work is highly political, whereas the first was "hymnical" or theological if you will, and the middle two were a bit of the bridge towards this latest project. But regardless of your stance politically, there are songs with incredibly potent lyrics that deserve to be heard.

There is one particular song-- "Rich Young Ruler"-- which makes me weak, which makes me fight the crippling feeling of guilt in my gut, which sometimes makes me just lay still in bed at night and say, "Okay, okay- I give up! This isn't MY life after all..." And in reality, the strength and the truth of the lyrics of the song lies within a very intimate connection to the Scriptures; Derek is, after all, a self-proclaimed "mockingbird", and his songs are not new. "The truth is public domain", indeed, and thankfully, so is Scripture. In the case of this song, we consider Mark 10:17-31.

I am actually copying and pasting the lyrics of "Rich Young Ruler" from another blogger's site that turned up when I searched Google. (Case in point- this song is catching a lot of other people's attention.)

Poverty-
is so hard to see
when it’s only on your TV
or twenty miles across town

where we're all living so good
we've moved out of Jesus' neighborhood
where he's hungry and not feeling so good
from going through our trash

He says more than just your cash and coin,
I want your time
I want your voice,
I want the things you just can't give me

so what must we do?
here in the west we want to follow you
we speak the language and we keep all the rules
even a few we've made up

come on and follow Me
sell your house, sell your S.U.V.
sell your stocks and your security
and give it to the poor

well what is this? hey what's the deal?
I don't sleep around and I don't steal
but I want the things you just can't give me
I want the things you just can't give me

because what you do to the least of these
my brothers you have done it to me
I want the things you just can't give me
I want the things you just can't give me
- Derek Webb, "Rich Young Ruler"

You can probably imagine how some conservative Christians are jumping right and left from Derek's bandwagon, arms flailing and insults railing at him. "There's nothing wrong with having an S.U.V., or stocks, or securities!" they argue, and they are right- there is nothing evil about any of those things; in fact, having them can be quite a blessing when they are invested in the King and the Kingdom.

But the intention of the song (and the Scripture) is that they (things) can also be a curse to us when we love them most, when we cling to them like they are more valuable than Christ. And so for you, rich young ruler, it might be your S.U.V. or your stocks. And for me, another rich young ruler who has neither stocks, secutiries, nor an S.U.V., it might be social life, financial savings, school grades, TIME and VOICE (as the song begs), and sweat and tears. Name your pleasure- the point is that he "wants the things that we just can't give him." Ah, there's the rub, as Shakespeare wrote. That line nails it all down. We're all guilty- not of having the same indulgences, but of having indulgences nonetheless which are ALL equally less worthy than Jesus. We all can connect with the role of the rich young ruler in the story, regardless of how rich we think we are.

However, let us not relate to him so well that we also "go away sad for [we] have many posessions" (Mark 10:22). When we are confronted with the truth that we are not really following him as we ought because we are burdened by THINGS that we just won't give Him, the proper response is to FEAR the repercussions of NOT following. The rich young ruler erred by doing just the opposite- fearing what life entailed by following, a life that, by Jesus' request, seemed to be empty of possessions and prestige.

This was short-sighted, though, and we know better. We know the rest of the promise- "Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come (Mark 10:29-30).

A closing thought to keep it all in perspective will be a quote; it is Piper trying to tell us how and when it is okay to love stuff, and how to love it the right way. He accomplishes this, like Derek, as a mockingbird, paraphrasing Augustine:

"Our love for Thee is FAR too small
Who love another thing at all
Unless from Thy pure hand we take
And love it for Thine own name's sake." (Desiring God, "Then Let Me All My Pleasures Tell"

Here Goes Everything...

2005-12-29T17:04:00.000-08:00

It has long been my desire to venture beyond the comfort and confines of my middle class American existence to encounter the everyday life of a lower income neighborhood. I have spent a good bit of time there, between internships, mission trips, volunteering, and working for M-Fuge/LifeWay, but the reality that I am not a permanent resident in such a place is always painful and unfortunate, both to me, and the people I meet there- the people I develop relationships with, only to leave behind for my "real" life at school and work and church and home.

When I have looked back on the people I have figuratively married myself to in these short term ventures, I see what a crummy help I was to them by leaving. I see that to children, I am no better than any father they ever knew who abandoned them. I understand that to adults, I am no different than any other well-meaning, "charitable" Christian- I am only expected to be available to help when it is Christmas or Spring Break or any other time that is convenient for me.

I have learned that sadly, these relationships with the poor are in all truth, superficial. It has been as if the bonds with these people were intended to be broken; it is assumed that this ministry is RIGHTFULLY temporary and shallow. Is it not my right, after all, to go home at the end of the day to my house in the suburbs to the people who love me? To go to my church to worship with people who look and talk and dress like me? To go to school to get my education so that one day I can have a better job, like everyone else does? Isn't it reasonable to think that I have every right to uproot myself from ministry as soon as it is no longer convenient or comfortable or compatible with my personal agenda?

The answer, friends, is clearly: NO. This is not Christ's agenda, either for himself or for his bride. This is not enslavement to the Gospel and the will of God. This is instead my selfish and vain pursuit of the elusive and unsatisfying American Dream. This is Ben-centric living that thinks neither of the glory of the Almighty and eternal God, nor the helplessness and suffering of the people who are around him in the world. There is no righteous way to sugar coat self-love; it might be characteristically American, but it is utterly disgusting and certainly perilous.

When we align our plans and priorities with the truth of the Scripture, we ought to be ashamed of ourselves. As the American church, we are squandering our wealth; we are wasting our talents; we are living as though pleasure on earth is more precious than eternal reward. We are earning and spending and living and loving in a way that testifies that this world we know as middle/upper class America is worthy of being called HOME. And perhaps that is part of the problem- to some of us, this is all we can imagine as home. But to those of us who sense and KNOW in our spirit that we are being called toward a gloriously better place that we cannot see; to those of us who cannot escape the force of the invisible God who in his providence will not let us escape His mercy and grace; to those of us who are ill and weary with the short-termed, orgasmic, bankrupting earth that we are walking through-- we must, we MUST admit and agree with the Bible that THERE IS MORE than we can see and hear and grasp and swallow in this world!

This is not home! As Piper writes, there will be no U-hauls behind hearses! We are never to be comfortable here, and to believe that comfort, safety, and stockpiles of unused blessings are God's will for his people is to lather yourself in a lethal bath of lies and denial. No blessing is EVER meant for us to enjoy for ourselves, but to spend on blessing the nations (Ps. 67: 1-2).

And so, with these thoughts in mind, among with numerous other truths (i.e., that the Gospel is for the outcast, the weary, the foolish, the shameful; that Jesus came to call sinners and not religious people; that much is expected of me because much has been given, etc.) I choose to move to a neighborhood that is unlike my own and live next door to people with whom I have little in common. I choose to take a very small step towards relating better to the "least of these" in America, and I come inches nearer understanding and reaching the people for whom Christ gave up his life. And I don't make this move begrudgingly- I make it with complete JOY and expectation and confidence in the hope and power of Christ.

If you do not believe that this or any venture like it is worthwhile, if you do not believe that the call on our LIVES from Christ is costly, and/or if you do not believe that this is of God, than the problem is that you do not believe. "Without faith, it is impossible to please God," says the writer of Hebrews, "because whoever comes to God must believes that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6). Without faith, what I am doing looks nothing shy of ridiculous. And without the power of the Gospel, the endeavor is no better than humanitarianism. And Paul would agree with you: "If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied" (1 Corinthians 15:19).

But I do not believe that I am to be pitied! And neither do we believe that Paul is to be pitied. Lives are indeed MEANT to be spent. Not wasted, but SPENT-- invested. And I am not to be praised for being countercultural- I am actually to be expected to behave this way. And so are you, if you are a believer.

So, here begins a great adventure towards knowing Christ more, and you are invited to join in.
I will try my best to make time once a week or so to share what is being witnessed and what can be learned. I hope very much that you will sacrifice your time to pray with me and for Chisholm neighborhood and Montgomery Alabama, for my church- Morningview Baptist, and for my roommate, encourager, and co-conspirator in this effort- Jonathan Henson.

Thanks; grace and peace to you- Ben