I have been spending a lot of time contemplating the issue of how one should define community for some time now. I don't think I have it fully defined yet, but I think I have another piece.
Recently I have had the opportunity to talk with LeRoy King, the director of Monroe Circle Community Center (MC3), which is a hub of community transformation. This place is literally changing the landscape, attitudes, and trends of downtown South Bend. Since it's renovation and launch, MC3 has not only provided a food pantry to the neighborhood, but has also done home makeovers, taught job skills, and provided education programs to help individuals break the cycle of generational poverty. They are making an impact in their community, so I took the rare opportunity to ask his thoughts on defining community. His answer was straightforward: Look at the numbers.
He explained to me further that you have to ask questions like;
-Did the number of violent crimes actually go down since you started doing what you're doing?
-Are there less people getting raped in your area since you got there?
-Has the number of people on long term unemployment declined?
-Are the police able to spend less time on illegal narcotics because it just is less common?
He was pretty clear, check the census data in your area. If you claim to be a community leader, you have to ask, are you making an impact? Does the 2010 census data agree with you? If not, I would suggest another question. What are you willing to give up (sacrifice) today, to get where God wants you to be tomorrow? Because God may have a bigger dream for you than you do, and you might not be able to accomplish it from where you are right now.
-Dave
Jeremian 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Saturday, January 22, 2011
What I'm reading.
One of the books I am reading right now is "A Work of Heart" by Reggie McNeal. Here is an excerpt:
"David was honest with God. He did not pretend in his conversations with God, playing games to avoid confronting the truth about life, about his circumstances, and about himself. He felt he had nothing to hide from God; rather, he viewed his life as an open book. For this reason, David did not feel a need to sanitize his prayers. He brought to God the raw stuff of his heart, uncensored, untidied up. He was not afraid that God would be repulsed by his heart, because God, knowing his heart, still wanted communion with David."
This kind of brutal self-honesty is foreign to the culture we live in. At the same time how could we be any less honest and still seek out the presence of God? If we really believe he is God, then naturally he already knows the worst about us. Yet, as Reggie points out, he still wants to spend time in relationship with us, and not just in relationship, but in a community that includes willing sacrifice on both sides. Sacrifice that is beyond what would be dictated by the relationship. No other religion claims a relationship between man and God in which God is willing to give something up to get close to man. It is always man who must give up something he values to reach God, except for in Christianity. Only in Christianity is the God wanting to be in community with his creation so badly that he is willing to be humble.
Read about it in Philippians 2, verses 1-8.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=phil%202:1-8&version=NIV
-Dave
Psalms 25:9
He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.
"David was honest with God. He did not pretend in his conversations with God, playing games to avoid confronting the truth about life, about his circumstances, and about himself. He felt he had nothing to hide from God; rather, he viewed his life as an open book. For this reason, David did not feel a need to sanitize his prayers. He brought to God the raw stuff of his heart, uncensored, untidied up. He was not afraid that God would be repulsed by his heart, because God, knowing his heart, still wanted communion with David."
This kind of brutal self-honesty is foreign to the culture we live in. At the same time how could we be any less honest and still seek out the presence of God? If we really believe he is God, then naturally he already knows the worst about us. Yet, as Reggie points out, he still wants to spend time in relationship with us, and not just in relationship, but in a community that includes willing sacrifice on both sides. Sacrifice that is beyond what would be dictated by the relationship. No other religion claims a relationship between man and God in which God is willing to give something up to get close to man. It is always man who must give up something he values to reach God, except for in Christianity. Only in Christianity is the God wanting to be in community with his creation so badly that he is willing to be humble.
Read about it in Philippians 2, verses 1-8.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=phil%202:1-8&version=NIV
-Dave
Psalms 25:9
He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Loyalty
Recently my schedule has become very full. Monday - Thursday are 12+ hour days right now, balanced by a 3 day weekend. Last weekend those three days were filled by the trip to visit friends in Ohio. As a result, my poor dogs haven't see me much. What they have seen has been a very tired and less engaged master than usual. So when I got down on the floor yesterday to play with them, they were VERY excited.
On the left is Missy, who wanted to play fetch with whatever toy she could get me to throw. On the right is Layla, who wanted nothing more than to stubbornly sit on my lap and watch the other dog run around like she was crazy.
It's good to know that no matter what these two will always be there and willing to pick up right where we left off. I have very few friends as loyal and loving as these two. Have you got any friends you know are loyal no matter what may happen?
More importantly: What are you doing to demonstrate that kind of loyalty?
-Dave
Proverbs 17:17
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.
On the left is Missy, who wanted to play fetch with whatever toy she could get me to throw. On the right is Layla, who wanted nothing more than to stubbornly sit on my lap and watch the other dog run around like she was crazy.
It's good to know that no matter what these two will always be there and willing to pick up right where we left off. I have very few friends as loyal and loving as these two. Have you got any friends you know are loyal no matter what may happen?
More importantly: What are you doing to demonstrate that kind of loyalty?
-Dave
Proverbs 17:17
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Yes, but what does it mean?
This new years I spent much of the night talking with my good friends Nate and Stacy. We got talking about what it means to have a vision and a purpose, and how to define success by those things. We agreed that for the church Nate is preparing to plant in Ohio, that the center of his vision is the concept of a community. We were particularly aware of the fact that close knit communities will often have people willing to make sacrifices for others in the community that are far above and beyond what you would normally expect from the relationship the individuals have. For example, if your a relative's car is in the shop and needs a ride to work, you might get up early, to take them in, then come back home. It would even be expected because of the relationship you have. In a close church community though, you may get the same reaction from the person who normally sits next to you, but doesn't ever see you other than on Sunday. Some workplaces have this kind of dynamic, but most don't. It's a close community that will sacrifice for one another.
We talked a lot about what it takes to build that kind of community and decided that the phrase: "Wherever you are, love well," is critical to building this kind of community. Not only that, but someone has to model it first, to be willing to risk being ridiculed. Someone has to be willing risk being taken advantage of. This is quite simply, because someone must do it first. The standard has to be set.
This led us to our next question: How do you measure that? How do you measure loving well? What will we see happening around a place where people are actually loving well in every decision and every action. Don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting that common sense take a back seat to making the people around you feel "warm fuzzies." I am suggesting that we can choose to work hard and play hard, and still respect the people around us. We can take a look at life and seek good times without taking away another's ability to do the same.
Can't we?
-Dave
John 13:35
"By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
We talked a lot about what it takes to build that kind of community and decided that the phrase: "Wherever you are, love well," is critical to building this kind of community. Not only that, but someone has to model it first, to be willing to risk being ridiculed. Someone has to be willing risk being taken advantage of. This is quite simply, because someone must do it first. The standard has to be set.
This led us to our next question: How do you measure that? How do you measure loving well? What will we see happening around a place where people are actually loving well in every decision and every action. Don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting that common sense take a back seat to making the people around you feel "warm fuzzies." I am suggesting that we can choose to work hard and play hard, and still respect the people around us. We can take a look at life and seek good times without taking away another's ability to do the same.
Can't we?
-Dave
John 13:35
"By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Christmas
It's been an odd Christmas.
My great uncle passed away last week. He had been sick for a while and it wasn't entirely a surprise, but that doesn't make it easier. We will miss him. All the more because he lived in Texas, it was just not possible to get there. My mother however did get there, by way of Missouri where she picked up her parents. They got on a flight, and apparently an 80 year old couple is a "potential concern" to the TSA. I'm not sure why, but they were frisked on the way back.
I hear grandma kept up quite a lively conversation with the TSA agent the entire time, and grandpa let his runny nose drip on the back of the agent's head during his experience.
Oddly enough, it's about what i would expect from them both.
Merry Christmas
-Dave
Psalm 90:10
We live for seventy years or so (with luck we might make it to eighty), and what do we have to show for it? Trouble.
My great uncle passed away last week. He had been sick for a while and it wasn't entirely a surprise, but that doesn't make it easier. We will miss him. All the more because he lived in Texas, it was just not possible to get there. My mother however did get there, by way of Missouri where she picked up her parents. They got on a flight, and apparently an 80 year old couple is a "potential concern" to the TSA. I'm not sure why, but they were frisked on the way back.
I hear grandma kept up quite a lively conversation with the TSA agent the entire time, and grandpa let his runny nose drip on the back of the agent's head during his experience.
Oddly enough, it's about what i would expect from them both.
Merry Christmas
-Dave
Psalm 90:10
We live for seventy years or so (with luck we might make it to eighty), and what do we have to show for it? Trouble.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Good People
I've said it before, but I work with good people.
Tonight was our company Christmas party, and it wasn't a big fancy deal, but it was an opportunity to get to know people i might not otherwise come across between 5 PM and 5 AM. Stories were told, and laughter was had, but there was one story I wanted to retell.
A while back, one of our employees was working in a different building than usual, and received notice of a family emergency. He was trying to get in contact with his normal supervisor, but being new, he didn't have the right number and ended up calling the office of our CEO and company founder. The CEO happened to be working late, answered the phone, and stopped what he was doing to try and help. He came out into the shop to find me to communicate. He had to look for me until he found me elbows deep in one of our machines trying to get it running. Only to find out that it wasn't my guy. It was the other Dave's guy, from the building across the street. I offered to go over with a message, but he wouldn't have it. He said, "No, no, keep working on that line." Without another word, or even a grimace he walked outside and across the street through the cold to take care of it. He didn't even stop for a jacket.
I have worked in a lot of different jobs including churches, major food chains, heavy industry and factory settings, and even a Fortune 100 company. And there aren't many senior executives who care about their employees down to the lowest level enough to put off the work that was already keeping them away from their family to help someone they had never met in a crisis. Many will say that they believe their people are that important, but few will back it up with their actions. He did with a smile what he could have delegated to me.
Like I said, good people.
-Dave
Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Against such things there is no law.
Tonight was our company Christmas party, and it wasn't a big fancy deal, but it was an opportunity to get to know people i might not otherwise come across between 5 PM and 5 AM. Stories were told, and laughter was had, but there was one story I wanted to retell.
A while back, one of our employees was working in a different building than usual, and received notice of a family emergency. He was trying to get in contact with his normal supervisor, but being new, he didn't have the right number and ended up calling the office of our CEO and company founder. The CEO happened to be working late, answered the phone, and stopped what he was doing to try and help. He came out into the shop to find me to communicate. He had to look for me until he found me elbows deep in one of our machines trying to get it running. Only to find out that it wasn't my guy. It was the other Dave's guy, from the building across the street. I offered to go over with a message, but he wouldn't have it. He said, "No, no, keep working on that line." Without another word, or even a grimace he walked outside and across the street through the cold to take care of it. He didn't even stop for a jacket.
I have worked in a lot of different jobs including churches, major food chains, heavy industry and factory settings, and even a Fortune 100 company. And there aren't many senior executives who care about their employees down to the lowest level enough to put off the work that was already keeping them away from their family to help someone they had never met in a crisis. Many will say that they believe their people are that important, but few will back it up with their actions. He did with a smile what he could have delegated to me.
Like I said, good people.
-Dave
Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Against such things there is no law.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Walker, Texas Cheeseball...
...you are so corny! My wife and I were watching some TV today, and we stumbled across a rerun. This time the recurring bad guy had kidnapped the girl (I think that was her primary function in the show) and sidekick and was, in typically impractical evil villain style, slowly filling the room they were in with water. All the while Walker raced to find them in time, dramatically. Apparently a room full of water and Walker thinking hard weren't enough for the producers to fill the whole episode with action. This meant the whole show was a series of flashbacks. One after another, after another. So many that it was like a "best of" review of the entire series, and honestly it wasn't that good.
We laughed like crazy. From disarming the the bomb at the last second, instead of taking the lanyard it was on off her neck and throwing it out the window, to outrunning the exploding phone booth, to wrestling with a bear and winning; it was hilarious.
It was great to just laugh together. I can't think of anyone I would have rather made fun of Chuck Norris with.
So let the Chuck Norris jokes roll and the laughter too because when you have someone this great to share life with, it's all good.
-Dave
Proverbs 5:18
...may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.
We laughed like crazy. From disarming the the bomb at the last second, instead of taking the lanyard it was on off her neck and throwing it out the window, to outrunning the exploding phone booth, to wrestling with a bear and winning; it was hilarious.
It was great to just laugh together. I can't think of anyone I would have rather made fun of Chuck Norris with.
So let the Chuck Norris jokes roll and the laughter too because when you have someone this great to share life with, it's all good.
-Dave
Proverbs 5:18
...may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)