Biblical Call to Justice
Posted: Saturday, November 12, 2011 Filed under: 2k11 | Tags: biblical call, isaiah 58, justice, Matthew 25, Micah 6:8 Comments Off on Biblical Call to JusticeLouis and I were recently asked to participate in a panel discussion about Christian Community Development. One of the questions we were asked to prepare for was…
Select one scripture that you think best describes the biblical call to justice, and what it has meant to your specific ministry.
As I prayerfully prepared for the panel discussion, I started making a list, thinking I would narrow it down to one. Well, that never happened. I realized that I couldn’t narrow it down. It seems like I can’t read the Bible without seeing the Redemption Story and our role…our mission in bringing justice on earth as it is in heaven.
The short list of scriptures I came up with when I finally stopped…. What scripture drives you?
Micah 6:8 The Message (MSG)
But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, And don’t take yourself too seriously — take God seriously.
John 1:14 The Message (MSG)
The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, Generous inside and out, true from start to finish.
Matthew 16:18-19 New Living Translation (NLT)
18 Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid, bind, or lock on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit, loose or open on earth will be permitted in heaven.”
Matthew 25:39-40 New International Version (NIV)
I was hungry and you gave me no meal,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
I was homeless and you gave me no bed,
I was shivering and you gave me no clothes,
Sick and in prison, and you never visited.’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
Matthew 5:3 New International Version (NIV)
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Luke 6:20 New International Version (NIV)
Looking at his disciples, he said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.”
Isaiah 58 New International Version (NIV)
6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? 8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness[a] will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. 9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. “If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, 10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. 11 The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. 12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
Acts 2 The Fellowship of the Believers
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Bless Richmond 11.20.2011
Posted: Saturday, November 12, 2011 Filed under: 2k11 | Tags: FeedMore, Food Bank, RVA, UTurn Comments Off on Bless Richmond 11.20.2011Hope to see you there! Tell your friends….tell your church…bring some food!
“The Best Welfare Program is a Job” Dr. John M. Perkins
Posted: Wednesday, October 19, 2011 Filed under: 2k11, Jobs | Tags: CCDA, Dr John M Perkins, Genesis 1, Jobs for Life, Meaningful Differences, Powered for Life, welfare program 1 CommentLouis and I just returned from a 3 week trip. After spending about 2.5 weeks in Oregon/Washington, we stopped in Indianapolis, IN for the Christian Community Development Association (www.ccda.org) National Conference. We took a way a ton from the 4 days we were there; and it’s going to take us a while to unpack it all. However, there is one group of stats that really stuck with me, from the workshop titled by Helping Those You Serve Find and Keep Meaningful Employment, conducted by Jobs For Life (www.jobsforlife.org). I attended this workshop, because we are in the process of implementing their program, Powered for Life in the near future….but, more to come on that later…on with the startling stats.
Here are just a few stats…
- Poverty – 1 out of 7 people live in poverty in the US (46 million). 1 out of 5 children live in poverty (US Census). Most people are poor in the United States because they either do not work or work too few hours to move themselves and their children out of poverty (Brookings Institute)
- Domestic Violence – An extensive report by the National Institute of Justice found that the rate of violence against women increases as the male unemployment increases.
- Divorce – Financial stress and pressure not only impacts businesses but is often the leading reason couples file for divorce according to the Institute for Family Studies.
If you don’t see a need for job and life skills training from the stats above, let me share these. The presenters then provided the following summary from the research study called Meaningful Differences. I hadn’t heard of it before, but found a ton of info by googling it.
Summary:
|
|
Professional |
Poverty |
| Avg cumulative # of words heard by the age of 3 | 30 million | 13 million |
| “Business” talk (correction, direction, instruction) | 10 million | 10 million |
| Other (including supportive, encouragement, affirmations) | 20 million | 3 million |
| RESULT | I am valuable. | I am worthless. |
The study has many more details…but after reading up on it, I found these quite meaningful indeed. Children hear a lot more words if they come from a family where someone is working, and they aren’t on welfare. In addition, the types of words spoken significantly impact the child’s future. Both groups receive the same number of directive/business/’get ‘er done words. In poverty/welfare homes, only 23% of the words spoken are supportive, encouraging and affirming. In what was labeled Professional homes, 67% of the words are positive in nature. Yowza!
The end result becomes…the child grows up thinking they are either valuable or worthless. The child (1 out of 5 children) grows up to think, ‘I am worthless’, ‘I am good for nothing’, ‘I do nothing right’, etc.
What can be done? How can we change this? What role does the church play in this? We can’t count on the teachers to make up for the loss of language skills and emotional psyche. How can we speak words of joy and hope into this? Words that speak…’You were created in God’s Image’, ‘You are unique’, ‘You are valuable’, and ‘You were created to work’ (Genesis 1:27-28) and….it was VERY good! (Genesis 1:31)
Dr. John Perkins said “the best welfare program is a job” during one of our morning Bible studies. This too has stuck with me. This is where Jobs for Life comes in. Thanks to a grant from Wells Fargo, we purchased the biblically based program, Powered for Life a couple of months ago. At the request of some community friends, Louis and I, along with our friends, are preparing to train, prepare and equip young people to find and maintain a job. We will be looking for people to help! People who are willing to speak life, encouragement, and truth into the lives of the youth of our city. People who are willing to employ them. People who will train and instruct them. So…stay tuned….more to come! Organizational meetings will be coming soon.
If you are interested in participating after prayerful consideration, please feel free to contact me!
CCDA Institute presents: Church-Based Community Development Intensive
Posted: Tuesday, September 27, 2011 Filed under: 2k11, CCDA in RVA | Tags: CCDA, Christian Community Development, Church Based Community Development, City Church, Dr John Perkins, East End Fellowship, Hands Up Ministries, Noel Castellanos, Northminster Church, RVA 2 CommentsCCDA Institute is coming to Richmond! Noel Castellanos, CEO of CCDA is coming to discuss Church-Based Community Development. See the attached flyer for details. If you want to print the flyer, click here: CCDA Church Based Flyer – 10.29.2011.
Be sure to register early!!! Click here to register > REGISTER HERE!
Back-to-School Prayer Service – Hope You Can Come!
Posted: Wednesday, September 7, 2011 Filed under: 2k11 | Tags: Back to School, Commonwealth Chapel, prayer, Richmond, RVA Comments Off on Back-to-School Prayer Service – Hope You Can Come!
Northside Back to School Community Day
Posted: Wednesday, August 24, 2011 Filed under: 2k11 | Tags: Back to School, Community Day, Flying Squirrels, Neighborhood Housing Services, Northside, Nutzy, Richmond Comments Off on Northside Back to School Community Day
What a crazy couple of months…
Posted: Thursday, August 18, 2011 Filed under: 2k11 | Tags: family and friends, funerals, last days, missional community, neighborhood kids Comments Off on What a crazy couple of months…So, I bit off more than I could chew! I have every intention of picking back up on the Neighbor series, but it’s just going to take me a little longer. If you are interested in reading the first 8-9 posts, you can find the series here: Neighbor. In our family, we have had 7 surgeries in the last 2 months, including 4 for Louis and 1 for me. In addition, Louis and I had 3 funerals in about 8 days. Another friend in the hospital, gracefully living the last days of her life (I HATE CANCER!!!) and another friend who continues the diabetes battle. Sometimes, we just gotta stop everything else…and love on our family and friends…and ourselves. That’s where we are right now. God’s got it…I know He does. So, the blog is on the back burner right now, while I focus on what’s really important to me…my family and friends.
Many of my neighborhood kids have moved…so Kid’s Missional Community has been placed on hold until I get back in the community more. Although our Thursday night Missional Community gathering is still happening…every week at 6pm. We haven’t stopped that. No way! 🙂 I love them…with all my heart! Can’t imagine life without them!
Will be back soon! Promise.
Neighbor 8: Someone Who Is Unable to Ask for Help
Posted: Monday, August 8, 2011 Filed under: 2k11, books, who is your neighbor? series | Tags: chapter a day, good neighbor, Good Samaritan, Isaiah 55:8-11, justice, Proverbs 31:8-9, Wayne Gordon Comments Off on Neighbor 8: Someone Who Is Unable to Ask for HelpChapter 8 answers the question with…‘My Neighbor is Unable to Ask for Help”.
You know, it seems like I have addressed this in previous posts…those unable to ask are hurting, need help, cannot help themselves, appear on my path, have been robbed, half dead and naked. Any and all of these friends may not be able to ask for the help. So, I am kinda stuck here on who to cover in this post. So, it will be short. Isaiah, the prophet, said these words in Isaiah 55:8-11 (NLT).
8 “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
“And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so my ways are higher than your ways
and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.10 “The rain and snow come down from the heavens
and stay on the ground to water the earth.
They cause the grain to grow,
producing seed for the farmer
and bread for the hungry.
11 It is the same with my word.
I send it out, and it always produces fruit.
It will accomplish all I want it to,
and it will prosper everywhere I send it.
I’m going to let the Word speak for itself with no explanations. My thoughts are not His thoughts. He wants sooo much more for us than we can possibly imagine. Gordon offers us scripture that tells what we are to do…so let this Word not return void. Let this scripture speak to you. Meditate on it. Ask the Lord…What do you want to tell me through this scripture? What, specifically, are You calling me to do? Show me what that looks like. Then, go and do. Let’s do the Bible together.
Proverbs 31:8-9 (NLT)
8 Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves;
ensure justice for those being crushed.
9 Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless,
and see that they get justice.
Thanks God for giving us your Word to instruct, rebuke, correct and train us so that we may be fully equipped to do your work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) I pray that through Proverbs 31:8-9 that you will speak to all who read it. Allow this scripture to prick our hearts into action. Teach us oh Lord how we can speak for those who can’t speak for themselves. Use us to seek justice here on earth….so that your kingdom will come on earth as it is in heaven. In the name of our Savior I pray, Amen.
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This is the 8th post in a series that I wrote about in who’s ur neighbor?. I am reading who is my neighbor? by Wayne Gordon and exploring just one chapter a day. In addition, I hope to post on each chapter each day…starting August 1st…no promises, though. The first one in the series can be found here: Neighbor 1: Hurting.
Neighbor 7: Someone Who Is Naked
Posted: Sunday, August 7, 2011 Filed under: 2k11, books, who is your neighbor? series | Tags: chapter a day, ephesians 2:5, good neighbor, Good Samaritan, helping others, naked, Richmond Justice Initiative, RJI, Sara Pomeroy, Wayne Gordon Comments Off on Neighbor 7: Someone Who Is NakedChapter 7 answers the question with…‘My Neighbor is Someone Who Is Naked”. Curious question…Do you say nay’ked? or neck’ed? Regardless…naked can mean nude, bare, unadorned, unarmed, exposed, unprotected, uncovered, stripped…to name a few. Of course, the first thing we think of is undressed! Now, depending on the situation, the naked/undressed person may be in need of a neighbor. Someone who lost their clothing while skinny dipping, perhaps. Or a woman who got caught in a rainstorm and is now in a see-through or clinging t-shirt or dress. Because of illness, someone who doesn’t even know they don’t have clothes on or are uncovered. We need to be their loving neighbor and find them cover.
Have you ever been in a situation where you were ‘outed’? People found out something about you that you didn’t want them to know. Or you were transparent one time and shared a private moment with a ‘friend’ who then used it against you, ridiculed you, told others, etc. That is a very embarrassing and vulnerable, sometimes devastating moment…and you really need a friend and neighbor at that time. We need to cover you at that time. We shouldn’t get caught up in the hatin’, gossip and talk. Instead, what if WE were the one who befriended you instead?
But, I also think of the defenseless – those who can’t help themselves. Our God has given our friend, Sara Pomeroy, a heart for people involved in Human Trafficking. Through Richmond Justice Initiative (RJI), Sara and her team are being great neighbors to victims of human trafficking. In addition, they are also providing an opportunity for others to be neighborly as well through their training and volunteer programs.
RJI is a grassroots faith based organization of modern day abolitionists committed to ending modern day slavery, commonly referred to as human trafficking.
Our approach in order to eradicate this issue is to combat this crime on all fronts, through pursuing awareness, education, prevention, advocacy, aftercare and prayer.
Gordon summarizes this chapter writing…
There are a lot of naked people in our lives. They may not be without clothes, but they have in some way been stripped of their dignity, stripped of who they are as human beings, and limited in some way from being all they ought to be and can be. They need someone to come alongside who simply will not allow them to feel embarrassed, but who intead will affirm their dignity and provided the same kind of tender, loving care offered tot he man who, many years ago, went down from Jerusalem to Jericho.
Thank you Lord for providing neighbors and friends who can come alongside us when we are feeling exposed and vulnerable. Forgive us of times where we may have harmed another intentionally or unintentionally. Give us the strength to stand up for those who physically or emotionally stripped of their dignity and pride. Teach us how to love like the Good Samaritan and raise us up to be the defenders of those who are naked. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.
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This is the 7th post in a series that I wrote about in who’s ur neighbor?. I am reading who is my neighbor? by Wayne Gordon and exploring just one chapter a day. In addition, I hope to post on each chapter each day…starting August 1st…no promises, though. The first one in the series can be found here: Neighbor 1: Hurting.
Miss Marti's House 