Haters Gonna Hate
Posted: Wednesday, February 1, 2012 Filed under: 2k12 | Tags: 2 corinthians 4, bethlehem baptist church, haters, john 15, john piper, matthew 24, Matthew 24:9, missional, twitter Leave a comment »Today, I have spent a good part of the day praying, reading the Bible and preparing for a number of “talks” and conversations I will give/have over the next few weeks. I have been invited to speak to a couple of groups about what I do and why. In addition, there are a couple of churches that would like for me to help them brainstorm what they can do to be a good neighbor and living incarnationally in their community and in our city. Admittedly, I am nervous and honored and excited at the same time! Never thought I would be asked to speak, however, with the Spirit’s guidance, it will be OK, actually more than OK.
While preparing, I’d also indulge myself with a few breaks of FB and Twitter, and I was stopped by this. John Piper (Pastor – Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, MN) tweeted the following ~
Resist the illusion that the gospel can be made popular. “You will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake.” Matthew 24:9
Hmm….wow. That caught my attention. We are so grateful for the many supporters and encouragers we have in our life. You guys have been nothing short of AMAZING! However…in the short time I have lived here, it has not been without slander, character attacks, gossip and other forms of persecution. That shouldn’t catch me off guard, but some how it does. So, now…I kinda wonder…how many people have blocked me their FB feed, blame me for ‘bringing on my own trouble’, and make fun of my way-of-life and my faith, criticized us for our decisions, etc. hmmm. OK. Jesus told us that would occur here too…
John 15:18-21 (MSG)
Hated by the World
18-19“If you find the godless world is hating you, remember it got its start hating me. If you lived on the world’s terms, the world would love you as one of its own. But since I picked you to live on God’s terms and no longer on the world’s terms, the world is going to hate you. 20“When that happens, remember this: Servants don’t get better treatment than their masters. If they beat on me, they will certainly beat on you. If they did what I told them, they will do what you tell them.
21-25“They are going to do all these things to you because of the way they treated me, because they don’t know the One who sent me. If I hadn’t come and told them all this in plain language, it wouldn’t be so bad. As it is, they have no excuse. Hate me, hate my Father—it’s all the same. If I hadn’t done what I have done among them, works no one has ever done, they wouldn’t be to blame. But they saw the God-signs and hated anyway, both me and my Father. Interesting—they have verified the truth of their own Scriptures where it is written, ‘They hated me for no good reason.’
So, people hated on Jesus…and they will hate on me.
2 Corinthians 4:7-11 (MSG)
7-12If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That’s to prevent anyone from confusing God’s incomparable power with us. As it is, there’s not much chance of that. You know for yourselves that we’re not much to look at. We’ve been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we’re not demoralized; we’re not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we’ve been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn’t left our side; we’ve been thrown down, but we haven’t broken. What they did to Jesus, they do to us—trial and torture, mockery and murder; what Jesus did among them, he does in us—he lives! Our lives are at constant risk for Jesus’ sake, which makes Jesus’ life all the more evident in us. While we’re going through the worst, you’re getting in on the best!
Heart Breaking. Soul Weeping. Mind Reeling. Knees Bending.
Posted: Monday, January 23, 2012 Filed under: 2k12, CCDA | Tags: 16 year old, brett wells, CCDA, first degree murder, mechanicsville, relocation, RVA 18 Comments »
My heart is breaking. My soul is weeping. My mind is reeling. I don’t understand. But, my knees are bending. And I have a pile of used up tissues beside my chair.
Almost 7 years ago, I moved into Southern Barton Heights in Richmond, VA. I knew life would never be the same. From the get-go, I fell in love with the neighborhood. Especially the kids. Literally, from the first weekend after I moved in, I met a bunch of the kids. After that, they were over all the time. I loved it. I never went anywhere alone….one of the kiddos was always with me. We watched sports together. Yeah…me. I watched sports and pretended to enjoy them. We went to the grocery store together. And cooked together. And played together. We did life together. They were often at church with me….and always at youth group and retreats. We talked about virtually everything! They were and still are…Miss Marti’s Kids.
But…over time…some of the kids moved to other parts of the city. And, now most are grown. Thanks to Facebook, we are able to reconnect. Some are…graduating from high school. Going to college. Or..in some cases, ending up in juvy. Today, one, now an 18-year-old young man, was arrested, along with 2 of his friends, for First Degree murder of 16 year-old Brett Wells in Mechanicsville, VA. People would always tell me….”Marti – You can’t save them all.” My response was “I can’t save any of them. But, my God can. If the kids will remember what it felt like to be loved. If they can remember God’s unconditional love, while they are laying on the cot. That’s all I can ask for.”
That response is really being put to the test this evening. Why CAN’T I save them? What else could I have done? What could I have said? Why does it have to be this way? Those are some of the many questions that roll through my mind as I weep over our city and for our youth. I know the standard responses….”You did all you could.” ”You loved those boys like your own.” I know. I know. I know. But, I ask myself those same questions just like any parent would.
One of the 8 Core Principles of Christian Community Development is relocation. Through my relocation – living in this community – the community’s assets are now my assets. But, the community’s challenges have also become my own challenges. Today….that is even more evident than ever. I can’t go into my home and go about life pretending like this hasn’t impacted me personally. I can’t ignore the fact that it has impacted my community, the Mechanicsville community, my church, and the rest of Miss Marti’s Kids.
No one said this would be easy. No one said it would be “happy, happy, joy, joy”. This world is broken. This world is fallen. And frankly, it sucks. Big time.
For those who have seen the news, it isn’t a black/white thing. It’s not a suburban/urban thing. It’s not the “boys from the ‘hood” murdering a 16-year-old in the white suburban community thing. It’s not that simple….at all.
But, it IS a tragic thing. Our youth need us. They need us in the counties and in the city! This is such a complex issue. It’s not a time to point fingers. It’s not a time to say “they” should take care of this. “They” meaning the government, the schools, the parents, the non-profits. It’s a time to say WE should take care of this. WE means each and every one of us.
I know people who know and love the victim and his family. I know and love one of the 3 guys…love him like he’s my own. How can I make sense of it all? How do we comfort the parents who lost their 16-year-old son? How do we comfort the mom who could lose her 18-year-old son to prison? How do we keep drugs and guns off the streets? How do we comfort the friends of both? How do we help the youth of our metro area?
How, we might ask? It’s obviously not a simple answer…or we would have done it by now. But, let’s see what the Lord has to say on the topic. The answer may be different for each of us. As for me….I’m gonna be on my knees. Please join me in praying for our youth and young adults. They need us on our knees. On my knees. God help us.
A True Confession
Posted: Tuesday, January 17, 2012 Filed under: 2k12, Louis and Me! | Tags: being missional, confession, exodus 33, exodus 33:17, golden arches, grace and mercy, john marshall high school Comments Off
“…for I know you well, and you are special to me. I know you by name.” Exodus 33:17
Wow! I think about branding and marketing. How we all know the swoosh of Nike and the golden arches of McDonald’s, right? And if you hear the term Shaq, Tiger, Cher, Madonna – there’s no second guessing who they are. Now…I hesitate to write this…because I nowhere near compare to the people of this popularity or status. No way! But, it is humbling when people don’t know you or your story….say….”OH…so YOU’RE Miss Marti!?!?!” Who knew?? It’s happened a few times lately. Most recent was a teacher who is new to JM (John Marshall High School). I met her recently at a dinner party in the community. She shared how one of her students told her at the beginning of the school year that she used a phrase was like something “Miss Marti” would have used. Again…who knew?
I tell this not to brag or point toward myself. I share this because it is humbling and scary….to know that what I am doing really makes an impact. What I say…how I react….how I act IS in fact being noticed…..whether it is good or bad. OUCH! I need to step up my game….for real. I confess that I lack in areas of patience, tolerance, and sometime grace and mercy. Thankfully, Louis makes up where I lack…in spades!
So…I need to step up my game….for the sake of my witness…AND because God knows me better than anyone. He knows not only my name, but my heart. And that can be much worse than the outside!
God forgive me…and thanks for sending me Louis and using him to teach me patience, tolerance, grace and mercy. He models it better than most! Amen.
My Name is Not “Those People” ~ Julia Dinsmore
Posted: Friday, January 13, 2012 Filed under: 2k11 | Tags: dinsmore, neighborhood, people, transition Comments OffWhile some of you are in transition to my new blog -…into the neighborhood, I wanted to shoot you a link to a new post over there…
My Name is Not “Those People” ~ Julia Dinsmore
For those who may not know about the new blog, please check out Trying Something New.
Thanks for reading!
Trying Something New
Posted: Wednesday, January 11, 2012 Filed under: 2k12 1 Comment »For those who follow Miss Marti’s House, I am making some changes. It’s a bit of an experiment.
Miss Marti’s House tells our story. It’s about our life in Southern Barton Heights in Richmond, Virginia. For more on our personal story, you can always check out Miss Marti’s House.
But, I’m starting something new ~ a new resource called …into the neighborhood. It is about living missionally, incarnationally, on mission. Whatever you want to call it. It’s how we do it. How others do it. And how you can do it. I get the question a lot and have been asked to mentor/coach others and to speak at conferences, to missions groups and to churches. This will be a dialogue on the gift of hospitality and loving your neighbor. I am not an expert in the topic and am still learning. So, I am exploring what it means to love your neighbor as yourself….and in the process hope to help us think about practical and creative ways we can get to know our neighbors, our communities, those around us…and love them, because He first loved us.
So…check it out. Maybe even subscribe. Hope to see and hear from you over there, too.
2011′s Top Posts – if you care
Posted: Tuesday, January 3, 2012 Filed under: 2k11, 2k12 Comments OffI’ve seen a number of people share their top posts, so I thought I would take a look at what was most read…or at least viewed. Not sure if people actually read it or not. I’m still trying to decide what to do with this whole blog thing. Should I keep writing and sharing? Not sure. It’s a great way to share information, events, pictures, etc., but not sure if I really have much to share these days. Is it something I am still called to do? I guess we will see.
In the meantime…here are the top 15 posts from last year, based on the number of views. Maybe you missed one of them. Maybe you want take a closer look at and order one of Adrianne’s handmade Anglican Rosaries (Down2EarthDezign’s). Or maybe you read about Cassie and Hands Up Ministries and wanted to serve or donate (“Feeling Grateful For all He Has Given to me!” Cassie Matthew). Or maybe you want to read my failed attempt at trying to participate in a book discussion/review (MissionSHIFT – Part 1 ~ What WAS I thinkin’???). Or maybe you are interested in learning more about CCDA (Go to the people Live among them….Chinese Poem, a picture = 1000 words and 1276/27=47.259259). Or maybe you wanted to buy and read Wayne “Coach” Gordon’s book (who’s ur neighbor? - a series I started, but never finished…..ooops! Neighbor 7: Someone Who Is Naked, Neighbor 5: Someone Who Has Been Robbed and Neighbor 6: Someone Who Is Half Dead ) Based on the fact that 4 of the top 15 viewed posts were from this book, maybe I need to pick it back up again and keep sharing….Regardless…here’s the list (1-15) if you are interested.
If you have any thoughts, feel free to share.
Once Upon A Time…
Posted: Wednesday, December 28, 2011 Filed under: 2k11, Louis and Me! | Tags: anniversary, Gary Thomas, marriage, Sacred Marriage, singleness 4 Comments »there was a single 40+ year old woman who wondered if she would ever get married….
Yesterday was the 3rd Anniversary from when I married the other half of my pair, Louis. And it’s also the 4th Anniversary from the first time we spoke…on the phone. Time and time again, Louis and I have told this story of how we met. We try to tell it quickly, because we don’t want to bore the asker or monopolize the conversation, because the whole story could very well take all evening!!! LOL I laugh, but it’s true. But, to leave out the details would not be honoring to God, because that is where you will find God….in the details. And…I HATE details…usually. But, He loves the details of our lives. In this story, I love the details.
During Lent a couple of years ago, I started documenting the story of how I moved into my community and my life since, including the events leading up to meeting Louis. If you want the details of the story, start reading here (click the links), The Chair, where I begin telling the story and read forward to Don, Luke, Jesus & Marti, and SWF Seeks Other 1/2 of Pair, Be Still., Just for my friend, Jeanine…, For Melissa, Michelle and Jeannine….the list grows 
, in honor of Judy O’Hara and Change of Heart…Just in Time. The story picks up at 4 months after I moved into my community.
Louis and I need to practice telling it a lot quicker, but yet still glorifying to God…so let me start here, for those of you who don’t like the details. :)
I was in my forties and wondering if I would ever get married. If it was in God’s plan for me. After Don Coleman gave me a scripture, Luke 10:1-7, my prayer changed from a future husband to “the other half of my pair”. Friends were praying with me. (As a matter of fact, there are several friends that I still pray will meet their other half!!! I haven’t forgotten!!!) God used so many people in the process.
OK. I have written that paragraph over and over again. I can’t do it! Can’t leave out the details!!! I give up!!! So…you will have to read it from the blog! But, I do want to point out some of the things I learned…
- God loves the details in our lives. Don’t be afraid to share them with Him. Nothing is too small or too big for Him. He works in the details. Don’t overlook them. Actually…watch for them!
- God uses other people. If you feel the nudge to talk or do something, pray about it. It just might be the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Then, do it. If people weren’t obedient, they wouldn’t have been part of the story and witnessed God’s movement. God would have just found another way to get it done. He doesn’t HAVE to use us. He chooses to use us. He chooses to allow us to be part of His mission. I LOVE LOVE LOVE that!
- Pray specifically and radically. Yes, I gave God a deadline…I want to meet “the other half” by the end of the year. Some people think that is crazy or bossy. Whatever. I just call it praying specifically. Praying the what seems impossible is praying radically.
- Don’t be afraid to ask others to pray with you. Find a couple of people you trust to be transparent with your “stuff” and ask them to pray expectantly. Then, watch God move.
- Remember…sometimes, it takes time. It took 2 years since I prayed the first prayer!! I know some of us are waiting longer than that for our prayers to be answered. There are prayers that I haven’t gotten the answer I want yet. But, He hears us and He answers us.
- Read the Bible. Meditate on His Word. See what God says to you through it.
- Make time in your busy schedule to read the Bible, meditate and pray. You gotta get still and quiet to hear His voice.
- People watch you and your behaviors. We were very conscious of that especially while dating. Louis didn’t spend the night…EVER. The kids especially watched for us to slip….expecting us to have sex before marriage, which we didn’t. You probably want to know how we know. Well…let’s just put it this way. They asked. A LOT. They would try to “catch us”.
- I don’t fully trust God, but I am learning to trust Him with all my heart, soul and strength. Still a work in progress. But, this, along with many other times, reminds me…God is in control. I just need to follow his leading and be obedient.
- Regarding marriage: Lots of people go into marriage thinking…”If it doesn’t work out, I will just divorce.” I never thought that. Divorce is not an option for me. Marriage, for me, is for life. (I know…there are reasons!!!) But, Marriage is WORK! Dating is WORK! From the beginning (OK…the 2nd date), I chose to just be myself. I wasn’t going to play any games. I thought, I need to be real. This is who I am. No, I didn’t dump all my stuff…my baggage…in the first month. That would have scared him off, even though the bullets didn’t! Some ask me if I felt like I ‘settled’. No. God told me His plan. I just walked obediently. Now, 3 years later… is it hard? You betcha! No doubt! For some short moments, I feel like it’s not worth it. It was so much easier being single! But, as Gary Thomas asks in his book Sacred Marriage… “What if God designed marriage more to make you holy than to make you happy?” Yowza. That ALWAYS stings a little…ok…A LOT! Marriage is a ministry. Louis and I (with God) are one, yet a pair. We are individuals with our own likes, dislikes, passions, opinions, etc.
But, this I know…we have been called to serve the Lord together…through thick and thin, in sickness and health, for richer or poorer, for better or worse, and to love and cherish. In our whopping 3 years of marriage…we have experienced a little of all that…thick and thin, sickness and health, rich and poor, and better and worse. It’s teaching me how to love and cherish Louis…more than I do myself. It’s making me more holy. I confess…I have a loooong way to go.
Sent and Sending
Posted: Saturday, December 24, 2011 Filed under: 2k11 | Tags: Define Necessity, John 20, kingdom come, Lord's Prayer, Luke 4 1 Comment »I know these posts are pretty heavy for a merry, happy Christmas season. But, this is just where I am right now. After 8 years of serving as the Minister of Sacrament and Word, Louis won’t be behind the pulpit at Third Church Petersburg every Sunday. This 98 year-old church is closing effective 12.31.2011. A year ago, my job ended. We have really been seeking what God has for us. In this search, I think He is revealing to all of us….He has so much more! He is going to birth something new!
In yesterday’s post, Incarnation, I wrote about why Jesus was sent to Earth….
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Moving ahead about 30 years, Jesus appears to his disciples after He has risen from the dead. This is what He says to them…
19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
Moving ahead about 2000 years…if we call ourselves Jesus’s disciples, then this is for us as well, right? As the Father sends Jesus, He now sends YOU and ME…filled with His Spirit…to PROCLAIM freedom for those held in bondage of all kinds, to PROCLAIM recovery for those who are sick, and PROCLAIM the Lord’s favor. It is not good enough to simply feed the homeless, clothe the naked, or care for the widows and orphans, although that is all WONDERFUL stuff! Please don’t get me wrong. But, we, if we call ourselves Jesus’s followers, also need to be sure to PROCLAIM the name of Jesus while we care for the poor, widows, prisoners, sick, etc.
According to some recent studies, 83% of Americans call themselves Christians, or Jesus Followers. If that is the case, then why do we still have racism and prejudices? Why still starving people? Why are there still places in our country and our world without running water? Why are there so many injustices?
The following picture was found all over Facebook, but I think it really speaks to this topic. I’m not casting stones here. Louis and I continue to challenge ourselves on a regular basis. It’s not easy, and we have a long way to go. As we celebrate Christmas tomorrow, the First Coming of Jesus, let’s also challenge ourselves to work toward reconciliation with God and each other AND to bring the end of suffering, hunger, prejudice, thirst, injustice, and pain. Let’s be about the Mission the “Sent One” sent us on!
…your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
