Coincidence?

It is beginning to become rather scary to see how divine intervention happens to work in my life. I continue to be amazed at how I meet people because of knowing someone I just met. This story starts in May of this year when we had a group from University of Washington staying with us. They were a girl’s La Crosse Team, which was competing in the Nationals in Scottsdale. I had received an e-mail from a leader of a Christian group on their campus about them being broke and needing housing for their event.

So as usual I volunteer and we have 20 girls spending a week with us. They slept on couches, the floor and a few beds. It was actually a lot of fun listening to them talk about a variety of things from commitment, pre-marital sex and future goals and careers. So we end up doing Ranch Market one day and going to Slide Rock. While we are at the Market we run into this lady, Kelli, that I end up talking to about what we do and why.

Kelli comes to church one night and hangs out with us afterwards. She then gives our info to a friend who is a pastor/community activist type like me. He calls and we talk a little and we are going to get together. I flake out because of too much happening with a painting project. He comes to church and we end up talking at McDonalds a little and then decide to meet in a day or so.

We sat outside Starbucks for a couple of hours while each of us shared our hearts and passion. It is almost funny to think that a White guy and a Black guy could think so much a like. The bottom line is that we share much in common and could benefit from helping each other out in specific ways.

This same thing just happened with Grand Canyon University. I had known Lance for a few years while he worked at SCA. I enjoyed having a few Jr. High Students help out for their mission week but never thought that this would go anywhere. Then I get an e-mail from Lance who now works at GCU and is overseeing the Spiritual Life Program. I now end up having interns, help with doing large service projects and the potential for some real help in the future with doing multi-cultural work.

I could continue with other stories to show that God is way ahead of me with planning and bringing people together to unfold His plan, not mine or Lee’s plan for South Phoenix. I am thankful for an ongoing lesson about trusting God in the face of lots of tough circumstances.

Yes I was Young!

I always love to watch teens go through phases where they are literally crazy. I laugh and weep at the same time when it comes to how someone can be a great helper at one minute and then a total hellion the next second. We had a good turnout for church last night and had a few visitors. It never fails that one of our wilder types will decide to come, which I want, yet, I know that their behavior will be on the edge. So my wife and another college student intern ends up playing referee.

We have a great time of worship with a few of our college interns share what they are doing and why they choose to work with New City – Barrio. As we finish and exit one of my more reliable teens obviously had enough sugar to last a week and is literally flying all over the place. We load up all of the vehicles and everyone heads over to our McDonalds. I know that the manager has a love hate type of relationship with us. We will bring 30-40 over and spend some $$.

After ordering literally 50 plus hot n spicy’s and mcdoubles everyone is fed and chilling and talking. I end up being able to talk to one of our visitors who is a local pastor, that has an interest in helping with what we are about. I can tell that he has some experience with teens in the hood and is able to relax. I sit and I explain what we are all about and share about an upcoming conference with CCDA. His eyes light up when I tell him this is John Perkin’s group.

As my wife exits with some of the wild ‘herd’ I am shocked to see the manager, an older Hispanic Man, come over and ask for my phone number and gives me a free coupon for a combo meal. I explain to him that I would love to meet and discover how I could partner with him to see a few of my older tends could get a job with him and learn about how to work, be responsible and have the joy of getting a paycheck.

I think back to my youth and how at one moment I could come across as being the more mature and responsible teen who understood how to ‘suck’ up to my mom. I did well in school, had multiple jobs, played in a rock band but also did crazy things. I could have easily gone off the deep end between drugs and sex but God spared me for the most part. So why is it the case that too often adults tend to over react to youth and want to put them in a box, very small box that forces them to be boring adults too soon in their young lives.

We painted a house on Saturday with over 30 teens helping out with about 10 or so adults watching. It was fun, yes some paint got splattered on a few of us but the house is done and Tanisha is happy. Learning by doing is what changes lives. I’m afraid that this generation growing up isn’t as capable of sitting in a lecture setting too long before getting bored and going wild. So I believe that Jesus was the master at teaching by walking, watching and explaining by doing.

Yeah, I am sure I’ll be back at the McDonalds, with the same manager, who the next time might be asking me to clean up a mess left by our group. Yet, I could see a gleam in his eye and could tell he understood what we are doing. Now, I ‘m not sure about the African American Pastor who was listening to me, watching and amazed that we actually had youth that like church, doing mercy work and actually liked each other in spite of the racial differences that were obvious.

I think I understand why Jesus said often that we needed to become like little children if we are going to heaven. Too often we want everyone to age prematurely and miss out on real life. I want to be like a child that can enjoy the moment and not be totally focused on work, money, expectations and living up to someone else’s box.

Change is Good?

I am truly enjoying the weather change over the last week or so. I have to admit that I was getting push to the edge with the triple digit temps over the summer. September and August were record months. The average highs were in the 105 plus. I know that our short trip to San Diego for a few days was a welcome relief of the heat. So coming back home to temps that really didn’t change a lot definitely put a damper on my high energy.

I know the last couple of mornings when we walk the dogs in the utter darkness it has been chilly. So I ‘m enjoying putting on a sweatshirt or long sleeve top. The point is that variety and change can be a way of appreciating the normal flow of life. Not everyone is going to be a superstar and receive worldwide attention. I know that death and change aren’t easy for anyone.

I will be the first to admit that the passion of Steve Jobs has taken front row in all newspapers, internet news sources and the front page of Apple’s website. Yes, I confess that I have become a part of the cultic movement of the apple with a bit out of it. I did enjoy reading more of the story and history behind Jobs and the creation of a brand that has changed the landscape of most countries. I can’t fathom that the new Apple store in China had over 100,000 visitors the first weekend not month.

I want to reflect upon isn’t the greatness or uniqueness of Steve Jobs but how there are other people out there that don’t receive the attention or notoriety. There was another leader that also died on Wednesday. He was 89 and had left his mark on our country next to Martin Luther King as a civil rights leader who put his life on the line for his family, church and country. What is sad is that few will miss this nameless individual, (Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth) who put his life on the line continuously to stop the racism that exists in our country and church.

We just moved out of our home for five years. Yes, it was sad having to short sell our home, which we loved and had put lots of TLC in making it a real home for our family and extending New City family. I know having done most of the packing and moving that it was a lot of work. I am thankful to have the new home we have just moved to and being a little closer to our work and closer to South Mountain. Yet, in another sense we didn’t move too far from our other house. Everything we do hasn’t changed because of this. We still have lots of boxes and work to accomplish to really move totally.

I know that the media went wild on Apple when they did their last event and presented the iPhone 4s not iPhone 5. I think it is interesting how a name in this context meant so much but reality it is in the actual product that determines whether the last year or so has been worth the wait. Time will tell when the phone is released. Yes, I will want to get the newer phone and I will sell my old phone so it won’t cost anything. Again, change is sometimes welcomed other times it is questioned.

I was recently at a birthday celebration for a good friend who turned 80. I had some great conversations with his extended family. I know that the dad of his granddaughter was stressing because his daughter away at college had gone off the deep end with tattoos, piercings and just normal rebellion for a young adult. As we talked I sensed that he was really upset with the church and the changes that obviously had taken place and it seemed as if some of the blame for his daughter’s present behavior was the church’s fault. I saw a lot of anger and frustration, which I totally understand with having gone down this path with my own kids. All young adults want to be independent, on their own and away from their parents. I am slower to overact to my own kids who are 20 and 30 something’s.

Yes, I’m getting older and I will have to admit at some point that I am not jazzed with rapid change. Yes I hang out with young people and old people. I know that my father in-law has been quick to label me as being impulsive and too spontaneous, yet as I have watched his life unfold at 85 he has become more like me in his inability to be totally still for too long.

The great news is that there is one who doesn’t change, as a person and that is Jesus Christ who truly is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.

New Friends

Over the last few years God has blessed me with the time and openness to meet and make new friends who become partners in what we do in South Phoenix. It has been exciting to see how little things, connecting with a Jr. High, painting with a youth group or helping a student connects me with real people, organizations and key leaders. Little did I imagine that a youth mom would end up being part of a family business that does high-end videos or that casually talking with a principal at a school would end up with a partnership that will transform the school and help New City.

Yesterday was awesome because so excitement in the adults I met and talked about getting involved and making a difference. It is refreshing to be around people who are passionate and care about making a difference. The challenge with the new friends I have made is that they get it when it comes to being broader in your approach to church or community service, yet the people they relate back to aren’t able to see the ‘forest’ from the ‘trees’ so this ensues the real work before me.

Looking back I know that painting a house wasn’t rocket science or anything special in life or neighborhood transformation. Yet, volunteers come out and 50 houses have been painted. Not everyone whose house is painted necessarily understands what we are doing nor the people who help but God has created a culture where volunteerism and servant leadership are more of a reality. This is especially true for my teens!

What I am learning is that I’m only one person and can only do so much. Yes, I am capable of being a networker maniac but can only be one person in one place. As I have watched a handful of college students get involved it is so cool to see my passion and vision being lived out through these new volunteers. Just like having an infusion of 150 volunteers on a Saturday means we gets lots of work done in a short time and no one is stressed. At times it is too easy but God reminds me often that he is the one who draws people together and provides the means for life transformation.

My dream now is to better understand the moms of some of my teens who have stalled or stayed in neutral too long. How do I connect with someone who is wounded, jealous and full of anger? I love to fight so it isn’t easy for me to step back and just listen. The needs and circumstances are so overwhelming. I have a grandma who is in horrible health and almost at the verge of loosing her house. I have teens who are melting down because the dad is away for work or an older sibling is too controlling and mean. I know that at times my simple approach of seeking forgiveness, working on reconciliation and loving the unlovable isn’t a given to many.

As I finished talking to a friend at a distance it helps me better understand the amazing blessings I have received and opportunities for impact a teen, grandma or struggling mom.

My Friend - Art

I have been told as a kid growing up and now as an older adult that you will be fortunate if at the prime of your life if you have as many real friends as you have fingers and toes. The true test of a friend isn’t whether they ‘hang’ with you when things are going great but when the proverbial limb breaks from underneath you. This is the person that looks after you and finds you when you are hiding and hurting. I have had lots of friends over the years with doing church planting and working with both youth and adults but few that would truly be there when I crashed and burned.

I can remember first meeting Art and Sally over 10 years ago when their daughter and her family invited them to our church. It wasn’t too long before Art and Sally were at the house and not slowly but quickly diving into helping the church in a variety of ways. Art was quick to jump on board and be involved. It was through his coming to a Tuesday lunch Bible study that he began his journey of becoming a student of the Bible. It has been exciting to watch him become a Bible teacher as he has sat and learned from many at the Tuesday lunch group.

It wasn’t until I left this church and transitioned into living in the ‘hood’ that Art’s role and place in my life changed dramatically. We moved to South Phoenix to be part of doing community development church or as I like to say mercy church. I will never forget Art’s willingness to help as we joined Neighborhood Ministry to oversee a cooking class for Jr. Highers. This was a rather crazy place especially for someone like Art.

He brought his granddaughter and was very quick to jump in whether he really knew how to cook or not. I will never forget how a few of the kids got the nerve to ask him how old he happened to be. The first guess was with a younger girl, probably a 3^rd grader, that said I think he is 140 years old. Then another jumped in and said that he must be more like 90 years old. Finally someone guessed something like 74 and was right on target.

Art would always come with a smile and willingness to listen and learn how to be with the kids. He was always quick to see how everyone was doing and listen to any issues or concerns. We did this for a year and then transitioned to startng a tutoring program in our neighborhood in South Phoenix. He was part of birthing a new program with no students and really no tutors.

It was exciting to see him and Laura come every week and slowly fall in love with the kids. It was obvious that Art faired better with younger kids. He at first tried helping Mia who had difficulty sitting for more than minutes. He persevered and got her to be still for around 10 minutes. Eventually Art connected with Andrew and Derek. This has begun what I believe is a lifetime friendship. We are now in our 4^th season of tutoring and Art and Laura are still key volunteers still loving and helping their kids.

Art has also been part of our painting of low-income families’ homes over the last 4 years. He has brought his grandkids to learn the blessings of volunteering and helping. He has been part of the Tuesday Lunch Group’s painting projects. I think they have now painted 8 homes over the last 4 years.

I feel privileged to know Art and Sally and see how retirement for them doesn’t mean dropping out and playing all of the time. Yes, Art and Sally love to travel and be with their extended family. Yet, each week both of them are quick to give of their time, talent and treasures to their church, family and friends. I am thrilled to have been part of Art’s 80^th birthday party, whether it was a surprise or not! He is a true friend who I love to bug and see his great smile and walking shorts. My greatest compliment would be I hope I can live to be 80 and be able to take my grandkids to do mercy work in the ‘hood’.