Street Saints; Renewing America’s Cities by Barbara J. Elliott is one of my all time favorite books.  Elliott has captured stories from across the country that demonstrate the power of the ordinary person who seek to be a blessing to their community.  My favorite chapter is the chapter titled the “Nehemiah Strategy” through which Elliott shows us the power of organizing the efforts of grassroots agencies using the analogy of the story of Nehemiah.  Below are some of my favorite quotes.

“The walls that once kept destruction away have crumbled, and the ruins of broken families, crippling loneliness, and the ravages of drugs and violence are evident everywhere.  There is human wreckage throughout the city, rich and poor, white, black and brown.  Nehemiah asked the kind for permission to go to the city and rebuild the walls.  Instead of hiring construction workers, Nehemiah called on the locals to do the work, who took responsibilities for themselves.  Renewal strategy was a voluntary public-private partnership, mobilizing diverse participants.  He assessed the needs; then they worked together to fill the gaps.  Most of the necessary resources were already in the city, but the people had not pooled what they had because they were demoralized and in disunity.”

Elliott then profiles a number of organizations who have taken a Nehemiah approach to the city.  Robert Woodson “created the National Center for Neighborhood Enterprise to identify and empower leaders of grassroots organizations.  He systematically sought out promising people who are already doing grassroots renewal, are rooted in the community, know its problems, and are working toward their solutions.” Community leaders according to Woodson “were doing the work before there was money for it, make a lifetime commitment to the people they serve, live in the same zip code as the people they serve, believe in the total restoration of people, require something in return for giving.”

I firmly agree with Elliot that the success of the Nehemiah strategy will require that “all these players lay down their logos and their egos and embrace the city together.  If we continue to work in isolation from each other, we will continue to be impotent.  What emerges out of unity is clarity of purpose.  What unites very different kinds of leaders is a passion to unite the church across denominational lines, serve the poor, reconcile the races, and take the whole Gospel to the whole city.”

As I read these words, I pray for a Nehemiah to emerge in Richmond who can help unite God’s very broken family to live out our original call “to be a blessing to the nations” starting in our city.

In his book “The Hole in our Gospel”, Richard Stearns is the president of World Vision U.S., crafts one of the most compelling arguments for the centrality of mission to the Christian Tradition that I have ever read.  Below are a few insights gleaned from this wonderful work.

We have shrunk Jesus to the size where He can save our soul but

now don’t believe He can change the world. - Anonymous

Stearns writes “If your personal faith in Christ has no positive outward expression, then your faith – and mine – has a hole in it.”  He then goes on to describe the gaping hole in the American understanding of the gospel reminding us that “Jesus heart was continually moved to compassion as He encountered the lame, the sick, the widow, and the orphan.” 

The Kingdom for Christ was “not intended to be a far-off and distant kingdom to be experienced only in the afterlife; no, Christ’s proclamation of the “kingdom of heaven” was a call for the redeemed world order populated by redeemed people – now.”  Stearns warns of the dangers of viewing the Kingdom as “focused almost exclusively on the afterlife reduces the importance of what God expects of us in this life.  The kingdom o f God, which Christ said is “within you” (Luke 17:21), was intended to change and challenge everything in our fallen world in the here and now.”  Stearns reminds us of Christ’s words “in the Lords prayer “your kingdom come, your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven” were and are a clarion call of Jesus’ followers not just to proclaim the good news but to be the good news, here and now. (Matt. 6:10)  This gospel – the whole gospel – means much more than the personal salvation of individuals.  It means a social revolution.”

Stearns reminds us of the simplicity of the gospel taken from Matt. 22:34-40 “Love God.  Love your neighbor.  That’s the “Bible for Dummies.”  How much simpler this must have been to the common folk who were being manipulated by the complexity coming from their teachers and leaders.”  Stearns tells the story of a world vision leader who was asked “Why are you here?” by those they were serving.  His answer was simple “We are followers of Jesus Christ, and we are commanded to love our neighbors as ourselves.  We are here to show you that God loves you.”  That is the gospel, the good news. 

Stearns issues all of us a challenge when he states “It’s not what you believe that counts, it’s what you believe enough to do.” 

The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them,

but to be indifferent to them: that’s the essence of inhumanity. – George Bernard Shaw

Stearns recognizes one of the key issues we discovered when working with the poor “The greatest mistake commonly made by those who strive to help the oor is the failure to see the assets and strengths that are always present in people and their communities no matter how poor they are.  Seeing their glasses as half full rather than half empty can completely change our approach to helping….They have hopes and dreams, tragedies and triumphs in their lives.  They need us to love them first and then listen to them.  They need us to see their assets and their God-given abilities.  When we see them as God sees them, we will glimpse His image in their faces – Christ in His most distressing disguise.”

 My favorite segment of the book was titled “The Hole in the Church” in which Stearns states “We can pray, give, volunteer, and become effective personal ambassadors for the gospel.  However, our greatest power to change the world is released when we come together in collective action to organize and focus the resources of the whole body of Christ.”  That is the vision behind Unity-Works; unleashing the power by bringing people together around a common mission. 

“Faith and works were never meant to be in dichotomy.”, Stearns points out, “We are saved for a purpose: to do the good works God actually prepared beforehand for us to carry out.  Simply put, we are:  saved by faith ,saved for works….Faith is the fuel that powers the light that shines in darkness.”

Stearns reminds us “Our world, like Nehemiah’s, also lies in ruins, and we, too, need a fresh vision.  Nehemiah’s vision was to rebuild the broken places and to lift up God’s righteousness to a scoffing world.  Our vision should be the same.  If we can capture the vision, then we, too, can accomplish the impossible – one stone at a time.”

I encourage you all to read this book and share your insights here.

Here are a few quotes from the book we suggested reading to start a conversation this summer. We pulled a few of our favorites, and we invite you to comment with your favorites as well, or discuss the ones we have put forth here. And if you haven’t purchased the book yet,  click on the photo of the book below to go to Amazon where you may purchase it.

Pioneer educational psychologist G. Stanley Hall wrote of the powerful idealism of adolescence, and William James proposed harnessing this spirit of service to society as “their moral equivalent of war.” …This potential [is] still untapped as young people [are] crying, screaming to be used in some demanding task. P. 17

Anthropologist Ruth Benedict criticized our culture for excluding youth from responsibility only to blame them for their irresponsibility. P. 25

“Millions of children are not safe physically, educationally, economically, or spiritually….The poor black youths who shoot up drugs on street corners and the rich white youths who do the same thing in their mansions share a common disconnectedness from any hope or purpose.” Marian Wright Edelman, Children’s Defense Fund p. 34

Deprived of opportunities for genuine productivity, lured into consumptive roles, young people come to believe that their lives make little difference to the world. P. 39

Research suggests that successful programs involve parents as partners with professionals. But unequal partnerships are seldom effective’ this means that staff must approach parents with some goal other than controlling them or treating them as patients in need of treatment. P.89

Volunteer youth service programs are specifically designed to help young people overcome the narcissism of self-absorption. As they find they can make a difference in the lives of others, they validate their own self-worth. P.125

Below is a new idea that was shared with us about teaching and involving people in the community. Read over it and share your ideas about what you think of it.

The “Circle of Courage” developed by Larry Brendtro, Martin Brokenleg, and Steven Van Bockern is just one of hundreds of models for explaining why people do what they do and how we should treat others and educate students (especially those with emotional and behavioral problems).  It is based on a Native American/American Indian orientation toward life (specifically how the Sioux Nation might view life), but agrees with the models of other cultural groups.  It matches up nicely with the views of Western psychology (as promoted by William Glasser and Rudolph Dreikers, among others), East Asian views (the Ying-Yang, all things in balance and harmony orientation), and the African-American belief system as espoused by writers such as Ogbu, DuBois, Kunjufu, and Hilliard.

    The Circle of Courage model can be used to identify the source of the behavioral problem, and guide our rehabilitation or “reclaiming” efforts.  The model is presented visually as a wheel with four spokes or supports that keep the wheel “true” and strong.. 
      It is believed that all four parts of an individual’s “circle” must be intact to have a self-secure, prosocial approach to life.  A lack of strength in any of the four areas of development can result in emotional and behavioral difficulties.

    The most important component, upon which the other three are based is a well developed sense of “Belonging“.  Humans have a need to feel valued, important and protected by others…to feel comfortable and welcomed within a group: family, friends, colleagues, etc.  Of course the family and close community are the most important influences on the original development of this area of self esteem.  Those who have weak senses of belonging due to a disrupted or non-supportive upbringing are often able to rebuild or strengthen that area by developing close allegiances, friendships, and relationships later in their lives with positive people and groups.  However, those who do not repair that broken area of self concept may show one or more of many problems in relating to others.  They may join into or identify with negative groups that promote crime or religious hatred or some other distorted views.  This connection with negative influences is done in an attempt to feel important and be accepted within a social structure.  They may become non-responsive or resistant to the efforts of good people and groups (including counselors and teachers) because they do not feel worthy of inclusion, or for fear of being rejected by positive people at some point in the future.  In essence, they scare off those with whom they most want to be connected.

         If one has an impaired, distorted, or absent sense of belonging, it will probably effect one or more of the other areas.  For example, those who have a strong sense of “Generosity” (because those in the groups to which they belonged when they were young shared time, work, play, resources, and knowledge) are empathetic toward others and want to help others.  They give of themselves or their possessions in some way.  They truly have the “joy of giving”, receiving pleasure from helping others in need.  Folks who have a distorted or absent sense of generosity will be “stingy”, lack concern for the welfare of others, be callous in their interactions with others, and “take” rather than “give”. 
        Those who are strong in the quadrant of “Mastery” feel competent in their abilities, seek more skills and knowledge, and are willing to fail or look unskilled when they try new things.  Those with an impaired sense of mastery have a low self concept, fear failure, may refuse to try a task for fear of failure, give up easily, are dependent on others, and/or may devalue and ridicule schooling or the efforts of others.

Persons with a strong sense of “Independence” feel in control of themselves, their behavior, and their lives.  They have a well-developed sense of autonomy, and accept responsibility for themselves and their actions.  On the other hand, those who have a lessened or absent sense of independence are likely to engage in “scatter-brained behavior, be easily swayed by others, and blame circumstances/others for their actions.

My New Testament Professor called Luke 14:18-19 Jesus Mission statement.

 ¹⁶He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. ¹⁷The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

 ¹⁸“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
      because he has anointed me
      to preach good news to the poor.
   He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
      and recovery of sight for the blind,
   to release the oppressed,
    ¹⁹to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”^[e]

 ²⁰Then he rolled up the scroll gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, ²¹and he began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Prior to seminary, I had never heard the term “preferential option for the poor”.  I doubt I can do justice in defining it, however this week, I would like us to reflect upon the writings of others who are more qualified than I am.  I ran across this concept in my study of Oscar Romero.  The following quote is taken from the book “Archbishop Oscar Romero; Voice of the Voiceless” introductory essays by Jon Sobrino and Ignacio Martin-baro

“Archbishop Romero encountered in the midst of the poor the pathway to belief in God.  I am here speaking not so much of the good he did for the poor but rather the good the poor did for him, as far as his faith was concerned.  In the first place he found in the poor that which is scandalous in the mystery of God understood in a Christian sense: in those whom history crucifies is made present the crucified God.  It is the dividing line between authentic Christianity and other theistic beliefs.  It is made manifest in the poor, in the oppressed and the repressed of his people.  In their faces Romero saw the disfigured countenance of God.  His deep conviction can best be expressed in the sentence from the Puebla documents:  “Therefore, because they are poor, God comes to their defense and loves them”.   There is stated here a particular relationship between God and the poor, a preferential relationship within the overall relationship between God and creation. “

This same concept was present in the writings of Dorothy Day who claimed to have encountered the very real tangible presence of Christ in the homeless in New York City.  Her understanding was founded on this passage in Matthew chapter 25

 ³¹“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. ³²All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

³⁴“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

 ³⁷“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

⁴⁰“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

 ⁴¹“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴²For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

 ⁴⁴“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

 ⁴⁵“He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

⁴⁶“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

This week we will be reflecting on these passages and seeking to understand how we are to faithfully respond to the poor in our midst and will be asking the question, Is there a special relationship between God and the poor?  How do other world religions view poor and our ethical responsiblity to care for the poor?

This prayer written by the ancient Franciscans reflects our prayer for the Unity Works team starting this week.  While the prayer was written from the Christian tradition, I have modified it slightly to insure that it is inclusive to individuals from all faith traditions.  I don’t think St. Francis will mind.

“May God bless you and discomfort you at easy answers, hard hearts, half-truths, and superficial relationships. So that you may live from deep within your heart where God’s Spirit dwells. 

May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, and war, so that you may reach out your hand and comfort them and turn their pain to joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world and in your neighborhood, so that you will courageously try what you don’t think you can do, but with God’s help you’ll have the strength necessary to do. 

May God bless you so that you remember we are all called to continue God’s redemptive work of love and healing in God’s place, in and through God’s name, in God’s Spirit, continually creating and breathing new life and grace into everything and everyone we touch.”

“Aslan, a man?”, said Mr.Beaver sternly. “Certainly not. I tell you, He is the King of the wood and the son of the Great Emperor Beyond the Sea. Don’t you know who is the King of Beasts? Aslan is a lion – The lion. The Great Lion.”

“Ooh”, said Susan. “I’d thought he was a man. Is he…quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion!”

“That you will deary and no mistake”, said Mrs.Beaver. “If there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or else just silly.”

“Then he isn’t safe?”, said Lucy.

“Safe?”, said Mr.Beaver. “Don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? Course he isn’t safe…..but he’s good. He’s the King I tell you.” – The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.

I did not get the profound significance of this statement until the second or third time I watched The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.  I meet many Lucy’s in the work that I do.  When I go out to Churches and invite potential volunteers to venture into the inner city to spend time with Christ among the homeless population, the first question is always “Is it safe?”  I never know how to answer this question because following Christ is always a dangerous proposition. 

You do not have to spend much time in the Apostle Paul’s letters to realize just how dangerous being a Christ follower is. One of the best examples is 2 Corinthians 11:24-26 where the Apostle Paul writes “Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. ²Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, ²I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers.”  I love this passage because no matter how bad things get for me; I have it good compared to Paul!  So why is it that we as Christians today think that we can follow Christ and still play it safe at the same time? There is certainly much biblical evidence to the contrary.

 However, I cannot judge the Lucy’s of the world; this was my first question when I heard God calling me into the city to spend time with a young homeless mother named Shannon who had just exited the local shelter.  I knew in my first encounter with this woman in the safe comfortable confines of my local church that Christ was present as she and I shared our stories.  I knew that the call to visit her at her home was of God and yet I almost allowed fear to keep me from choosing the good over the safe.  I almost allowed the enemy to steal the tremendous blessings that grew out of that first act of faithfulness by convincing me that my safety was more important than my obedience.

I will never forget my heart pounding as I drove into the city and the ominous words of my husband who urged me not to go because “this city is a dangerous place”.  I had him on the cell phone the entire time I was searching for Shannon’s apartment.  Like Mrs. Beaver pointed out, there are few who can go before the King without their knees knocking.  But the minute Shannon opened that apartment door and embraced me as her sister in Christ; all my fear vanished.  God does not remove our fear, but if we are faithful to persevere in spite of the fear, God will reward our faithfulness.

We are preparing for our next series of trainings for Unity-Works and we know that many who feel called are facing fear and questioning how “safe” it is for them to come.  While our location is not in the best part of town, myself and the more than 30 individuals who work and serve in our building have never had any issues.  I know that many fear for their physical safety when contemplating caring for the poor, but I think the larger question is “Is it safe to ignore the call of God?”  I am not big into the use of “fear of God” as a reason for people getting involved.  Instead, I see the real risk not in God zapping us for being disobedient but the greater risk is in us missing out on the blessings that God has in store for us.

Do you remember the scene in Prince Caspian where Lucy after looking for Aslan throughout the movie, goes alone into the forest and finally finds him.  She throws herself, arms stretched wide around his enormous neck, and embraces him with such love and devotion.  Can you imagine all the blessings Lucy would have missed out on had she been too scared to approach Aslan? 

In Matthew 25:40, Jesus said “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’”  When we choose to seek Christ among the least, we are assured to find him there and while he is not safe, he is always good.