I know that most people think that I volunteer for too many things and sometimes they are right. My heart is to be involved in the community around which I live. One of the things I have done over the last five years is to be on my HOA (Home Owner’s Association Board). This can be a thankless job because everyone is always mad at the property management company and assumes that the board is embezzling funds. Never the less, I am the president of my HOA’s board.
It has helped me better understand living in the urban area of Phoenix. I live in a relatively new housing subdivision, which is about 6 years old. The neighborhood looks new but there are a lot of rentals and section 8 housing. Next you add in the economic crisis and there is trouble in ‘Dodge’. So over the last year our community has lost lots of money due to many not paying their assessments and fines for violations. This has required me to learn how to be as Jesus describes as shrewd as a serpent and innocent as a dove. Because we live in a gang area there is always something going down where the police have to be involved.
My point in writing this is to reflect on the fact that life really isn’t much different living in the ‘hood’ versus living in my old neighborhood in the suburbs of Chandler in an area that use to be out in the fields and now is next to a freeway, three Starbucks, meg malls, theaters, autoplexes, etc… People are people we all have different biases, which at times drive us to do crazy things, i.e. get mad over dumb things or be the one on the receiving end of a criminal act. I have seen both the great things that people can do, i.e. volunteer to patrol our neighborhood, paint over graffiti, be on the board, do newsletters, etc…
The thing that strikes me, which is a bummer, is that most people always assume that someone else is going to clean up the mess. The church isn’t any different. Most assume that the pastor is their personal ‘slave’ who should be there for every little bump in the road. I get calls and e-mails screaming at me for having our assessments raised because we need more money or talk about tithing and commitment in church and you get the same response. Usually around 10-20% of the people do 80% of the work. We live in a world full of takers and the sad reality is there are very few givers.
Yet, one of the amazing blessings of New City’s birth is to see the average person stand up and get involved. We will paint a house this Saturday and have over 30 people help out. This means instead of sleeping in and getting coffee they will help a Hispanic family with little kids. What excites me the most are my group of kids from our different activities that are now learning that being a servant is the coolest thing in life. Yes, I understand that salvation is through faith based completely upon God’s grace but the evidence of this divine work is seen in doing incarnational mercy.
One of the passages that has always struck me is where Jesus has listened to the request of John and James about sitting on his left and right in heaven. (Yes their mom probably set them up to ask this question.) Jesus’ response as a feud erupts is that greatness in the kingdom is seen by being last, by being a servant and not seeking the spot light.
So please consider joining me in painting a house or mentoring a youth in South Phoenix.
Dave
No comments:
Post a Comment