Absence makes the heart grow fonder....

Sometimes being away is really needed.

Being away helps me remember how much beauty is in the city
Being away helps me remember how much I learn from my youth
Being away makes me remember how much I hurt for issues of racial justice in out society
Being away makes me struggle to look to God not to myself.
Being away causes me to be thankful,
Being away refreshes my mind, heart, and soul.

I am thankful that God has orchestrated the past 3 weeks, I am ready, and excited to return to my neighborhood, my home, my church, and my youth. I am ready (no longer begrudgingly) to be used by God.

Can anyone relate? If you can't maybe you should get away too :)

Inertia

Inertia is the resistance an object has to a change in its state of motion. (Wikipedia)

It's difficult to stop.

I have been doing youth work in Chicago for 3 years full-time now. In the past 3 years, I have rarely stopped. Sure I had a weekend off every now and again, and I took vacation once a year, but I never really stopped. Hy heart, mind, and soul have been in a state of ministry to others for these three years.

2 weeks ago, I stopped. At the end of May, I finished my work with Breakthrough Urban Ministries, and began the 4 week training with International Teams Urban and Ethnic ministries. During this time Ashley and I are living outside of the city, in Elgin, and are going to class for 8 hours a day. I am still working of course, there are many things to do, but I have stopped. Leaving a ministry can feel a little like relationship whiplash. Although I have been saying goodbye for 6 months, nothing quite prepares one to leave those he/she loves dearly.

However, now that I have stopped, I am beginning to do some self-care: Walks in the park, reconnection with friends and family, disc-golf, soup from the Olive Garden, and prayerfully preparing for the next years of ministry. It's been great, hard, but great. My last post about culture shock was part of it. I am enjoying learning to stop, listen, and let God renovate me, refreshing my heart piece by piece. I am thankful for the chance to stop, and for the struggles that come from inertia.

Anyone else have trouble stopping, anyone else have whiplash, anyone else have a time of refreshing recently?

Culture Shock

The last three years I have lived on the Westside of Chicago. The Westside to me is beautiful, painful, stressful, peaceful, complex, simple... and home. I have learned a great deal from my African-American neighbors and community, and I miss it.

Although I have ventured outside of Chicago regularly in the past few years, it has always been just an afternoon or a few days. Today marks the beginning of my second week living in Elgin, IL. I am staying at the International Teams U.S. ministry center during my three weeks of training before officially joining the team in North Lawndale.

I am experiencing culture shock.

For the first time in a long time (since my Taylor U. days) I am exposed to not just white but white Christian culture. (Please know I have very little against white Christian culture, its just very different from my reality) Although I am learning a great deal, and being refreshed by my training, there is something painful about this process as well. Something I am not able to articulate. I long for my home, for my neighborhood, for what it teaches me...

Maybe some of you have experienced culture shock, maybe you can explain why this is a painful process. I haven't figured it out yet. Ill keep you posted

What is Faith?

Christians talk a lot about "Faith". We "live our faith", tell others about our "faith" and bring others to the "faith". But what is faith? What does it mean to put our "Faith" is Jesus? Is it an intellectual assent to certain facts? Is it an emotion? Does it happen in a moment or over a life-time?"


I heard this statement today:
"Faith is more than a decision. The call to “follow me” means transformed people building transforming communities."

What do you think? Do you agree/disagree? Does this resonate with you? If you agree how does it affect how we share our "faith". If you disagree, why?