Revisiting Austin

It’s strange to me how we can forget so easily. Why is it that life changing events, experience, and challenges elude our mind so quickly at a seemingly seldom rate? Maybe you don’t even know what I’m talking about.

I spent this past weekend with 6 high school kids. Some of them are beginning the process of becoming drug dealers with a bleak hope for who they can and will become, some of them rising above their social pressure to remain “in the hood” and positioning themselves to get out.

One of our staff members and I took the kids to a basketball tournament in Kankakee, IL. On our way to the tournament I took 3 of the kids in my car. Scooby sat in the front seat with me. He has just started to come around and I hadn’t meet him yet, but I was assured I wouldn’t forget his name as it is “Scooby” and he had it tattooed on his left arm so I could it as I drove.

“Are we on the highway,” Scooby asked me. I replied, “well, kinda, we’re on Lake Shore.” “No way,” Scooby said, “I’ve never been on Lake Shore.” Later I found out that Scooby has lived in Chicago most of his life and Saturday was his first time on Lake Shore drive, not to mention his first time seeing Navy Pier. Scooby’s in high school, he’s been downtown Chicago once in his life. He lives 5 miles from downtown and I can see the Sears Tower clearly from his house.

One thing I’ve learned while being in Chicago is that stereotypes are paralyzing. I can’t explain to you how much my heartbreaks as I talk to students I work with and they admitting say how ashamed they are because they’re Mexican, African American, Puerto Rican, Middle Eastern, whatever.

Until I actually meet those whom I stereotyped I thought what I believed was true. I’ve come to find out my stereotypes aren’t necessarily true just believed by others. It’s said that we, even as Christians, act the way we do, say the things we say, and believe the way we believe about others people.

As I try to discover more and more about who Christ is I can’t get aside from the fact the love permeates from his life. But what does that look like from our lives? How does that translate into our social and political issues of today?

I haven’t been in Austin for 2 months. It’s only several miles away from my house and still, I haven’t visited. I did the very thing I said I’d never do…I became to busy. It saddens me that we have such good intentions as people, yet somewhere along the way we get a little distracted and find ourselves in a place we said we’d never be.

I was reminded in Austin who Jesus is. It’s funny that I have to go to a place where God’s seems so distant to be reminded of his nearness and love. I was reminded of God hope. Hope for that community, and hope for us all.

So I ask myself, When will I put aside my logical view of God, his love, and what I think it looks like? When will I accept a God who is endless in grace and rich in mercy? More importantly, when will I live my life with endless grace? When will my life be rich in mercy? When will I embrace the radical life of Christ? When will my love for others not make sense like his?

God really worked on my heart this weekend and during this week. Pray for Scooby as he has begun a cycle of hopelessness and despair in dealing. Pray he will embrace the hope, mercy, and grace of Christ.

May we be Salt and Light…

Waking Up

Waking up this morning I struggled on what I should write. I don’t know exactly what to tell you. Sometimes I feel like those of you who take the time to read this should hear something profound, something compelling.

But then again, what compels? What drives people to care?

I sat at my computer this morning thinking about what to tell you. What experience should I describe? I thought and thought and thought, yet I sat with my mind blank and my thoughts empty. But then, then I began thinking about the kids I see daily, some of their faces crossed my mind, and then...

Maybe this will give you a picture as to why I’m here and do what I do.

I know that across the world there are many horrible family situations that thousands upon thousands of kids go home to, live in, try to escape from, and feel defeated and hopeless because of.

I can’t imagine what it would be like coming home to jobless drunk men at 3pm, I can’t imagine what it would be like being afraid of those I lived with, I can’t imagine what it would be like to live in an abusive home. I can’t imagine taking care of my younger brothers and sisters at 15 and I can’t imagine succeeding in life in that environment, but..

Those are the faces I see daily, those are some of the stories I hear, some of the things I think about in the middle of the day,things I think about when I’m trying to fall asleep.

It’s those faces that lead me to the decisions I’m making, it’s those faces that alter my “plans” for success. There’s so many faces, so many stories, so many situations. It’s those faces that move me to go out to move others to take part in this.

What is this?

Salvation…see one thing I’ve learned is Salvation is so much more than what I thought it was.

I desire for these kids to experience Salvation. I want them to experiences the wholeness of Christ. I want them to experience the freedom of fear and pain. The freedom of goals and dreams.

I’m tired of seeing the innocent taken captive. I’m tried of half the gospel and I’m tired of injustice.

However, I can imagine…

I can imagine a way out of abusiveness, I can imagine godly role models steering the innocent to the wholeness of Christ. I can imagine those who rise up against the odds.

That’s why I’m here…and that’s what I think about…and that’s why I wake up in the morning.

Why do you wake up?

Just thought I’d ask…