The Stimulus Plan

     I think we all know about, are waiting for, or have received our economic stimulus check from the federal government. Unfortunately for me I have to wait until the end of June for mine. I guess the last two numbers of one's social security are the deciding factors for when one gets the check. Anyway, a couple of months ago I had the opportunity to hear Jim Wallis speak at All Saints Church in Pasadena. He was on a book tour for his new book and mentioned briefly and idea for what people should do with the stimulus checks they will receive. Or more specifically what the church should do with the checks. The idea was without detail yet it was centered on each individual giving a large portion of the money they received to the church and the church giving that money to the poor. That was it. He didn't say anything else. And here I am waiting impatiently for my check because I have a list of purchases I would like to make. 

     Now I haven't been able to get this idea out of my head. Imagine the church coming together to do something with money given to them by the government for the poor. And I am trying to come up with ideas for what I can do with the money I will eventually receive. There must be a way to use the money to stimulate the economy through the giving to the poor. Now this would have to be the poor of our own country since it is our economy here that is in need of stimulation. What can the church do? What can individuals do who are not part of a church, but see this as an opportunity to give? 

     I would like to think that there are some progressive churches out there who have great ideas about what to do with this extra money being given to its members. I mean this is a tremendous chance for the church to be a witness to the world. A witness for how it treats the poor and oppressed in its own society and cities. 

Any ideas out there? 

Why live in the city? (Part 1)

     What is it about those "why" questions that get you sometimes. I had one of those moments yesterday while at work. It was one of those brief conversations two people try to have while working at a busy coffee shop. I was asked, "So what do you want to do when you grow up?" This is an odd question in the first place because I am grown up. I don't think my co-worker knew how loaded a question it was that she was asking me. I knew what she was getting at so I attempted a short answer. "Well, I want to move into the inner-city and live simply in community with other people. I want to be involved in some type of social work or community development." It's always an enjoyable moment for me to witness the look on someone's face when I give this response. This time was no different. The immediate second question was then posed, "you want to move to the ghetto, why? Is it a church thing?" And this is where the conversation ended because we got busy and I honestly didn't feel like I could give a adequate answer in the short time we had. But I haven't been able to get the question out of my head. It deserves the right answer and that's what you are about to get. 

     I did say briefly that my reasons for moving into the inner-city did not have to do with church. This is a bit misleading. For someone who does not share my beliefs, asking about church can mean a lot of things. I would say that one of the leading reasons does have to do with the man Jesus. It is my faith as a Christian that first motivated me to move into inner-city Philadelphia for two years. And it was those two years in Philly that leads me to pursue a future living and working in the city. You see, one of Jesus' most important and overlooked teachings was directed toward his followers treatment of the "least of these" in society. Because of this teaching my journey to the city began. And the journey continues today where I feel like doing anything else would make me a sellout. 

     I guess it's just that word "church" that makes me hesitate. I do believe the church has a lot to offer the world, and has made significant contributions to many of the major social movements since its inception. I also know the church has often times been co-opted by the powerful and used for greed and self-interest. This also has been the history of the church, especially since the conversion of Constantine in the 4th century. When following Jesus becomes more clearly identified with loyalty to the kingdoms of this world rather than the Kingdom of God the church loses its way. The Kingdoms of this world are driven by power, money, and finishing first. The Kingdom of God, as taught by Jesus, is concerned with sacrifice, loving enemies, giving to the poor, taking in the widows and orphans, and becoming the servant of all. 

      There is a clear difference between the two kingdoms. This is not to say there is no good in the world because I believe there are a lot of good people in the world. In fact, while working with the homeless in Philadelphia I found more non-Christians embodying Jesus' concerns for the "least of these" than I found Christians. The message and purpose of the church is compromised when it resembles the world more than it resembles its founder. But comparing the conflicting kingdoms of this world is a whole separate task and probably handled better by Shane Claiborne in his book, Irresistible Revolution.

     I want to move into the inner-city because I believe the city is a beautiful place.  I want to live in the city so the concerns of my neighbors become my own concerns. I want people to overcome their fears about the city. I want suburbanites and urban dwellers to realize how much they have in common with one another. I want the poor and oppressed to know there is a God who loves them despite how desperate things may appear. I want to move into the inner-city because I believe there is an enormous amount of injustice in the city which must be fought to overcome (not that I think I can do this on my own, but I want to be a part of the fight that is already taking place). I want to live a life committed to the purposes of love, justice and peace. I want to see racial justice, social justice, economic justice, and human dignity upheld.  

       I want to live in the city so I can take public transportation. I want to live in a neighborhood where neighbors know each other and look out for each other. A place where my neighbors say hi to me as I walk to the bus or subway station. I want to live where block parties happen in the summer time. I want to play basketball with the local kids at the community park. I want to live within walking distance of a church committed to its community and the people living there. 

     There is so much more that I could say and I will sometime in the near future. This will have to do for now. Maybe you can understand now why I felt like my co-worker's question was loaded. 

A little hope goes a long way

Allow me to clarify, this is not a blog to endorse a specific candidate, but merely my reflection on the recent happenings of the presidential nomination race. By now I am sure you have grown weary of hearing the word "change" which has been thrown around like the word "like" by your typical teenage girl. I also agree with author and activist Jim Wallis who believes that there can only be limited change from any candidate since whoever wins in November will become the head man or woman of a broken governmental system. At the same time, I find myself moved, inspired and hopeful when I listen to the words of Barack Obama. 

About a month ago, Obama delivered what I argue was his best and most moving speech to date. The speech was given in response to the media's free-for-all on the sound bites from Obama's former pastor, Jeremiah Wright. The speech given by Obama was yet another reason for hope. Not misguided hope, but a hope directed toward the unity and healing of America on the issue of race. Hope that Americans, of all colors, can move forward by acknowledging the past sins of this country yet working together to see where we are and where we can go from here. The speech (which was actually written by Obama) was a profound and significant moment for this race and politics in general. 

Over the past week we have witnessed the reemergence of Jeremiah Wright who tried to publicly defend his previous comments only to make matters worse. Obama again was forced to make a public statement. This time Obama not only condemned the words of Wright but also separated himself further form his pastor of twenty years. I recall these recent chain of events because it seems that the words of Wright have seriously made some Americans question the candidacy of Obama. I find this disheartening because it's all too typical of the politics that Obama has worked so hard to overcome. 

One of my seminary professors said the other day that he has not seen a figure like Obama with the potential to bring healing to this country since the likes of JFK or MLK Jr. That's a profound statement and it would be unfortunate to see the possibility of change diminished by the words of a candidates ex-pastor and not the candidate himself. I HOPE and pray that people can look beyond the attacks of the media and opposing candidates and see the opportunity we as a United country have to change the political and racial landscape that has plagued us for far too long.  

This is what I mean

     If you are anything like me, when you hear injustice your mind immediately retreats to the well-known but more than likely distant stories from the news. You know the ones that happen overseas in third world countries. Or the ones that occur in our back yard as we look for someone to point our outstretched finger at, which seemingly has found comfort in that pointed position over the years. The stories we discuss over beer at the local tavern allowing others to hear our outrage while the injustices continue to happen. But I am not here tonight for any of those stories. I mean I could have very easily written a long blog speaking about the recent research revealing high graduation rates in the 50 largest American cities. That should cause outrage and reason for a justice alarm to ring. I mean if Detroit, Michigan is only graduating 1 of 4 kids then something is terribly wrong. But my mind this evening has taken me to a more personal place. Somewhere I hope we can all relate to one another and those around us. 

     In my esteemed position as a Starbucks barista I have seen first hand the serious broken relationships that exists between people who are different from one another. This is most obvious in the way people from my comfortable suburb look at and react to homeless people. There is one particular homeless man who comes to my store very day and pays for everything he asks for. The only reasons for people's discomfort is he looks homeless, is a little messy, and he might talk to you longer than you want. A couple of weeks ago this man was forced to leave or store by a manager because there was higher management coming in and he was an eye-sore to the store. I have become friends with this man and was furious when I heard the story. I tell you this story because I think there are small happenings of injustice happening all around us in our every day life and we just need to learn how to see and respond. 

     I can tell you this, I wanted to quit immediately because it infuriated me that my supervisors treat other people in this way. I have grown very capable of seeing injustice, but I am not creative in how I respond. How would you respond if you were in my situation? 

Lets get it started

What's good everybody and welcome to the first of many blogs to come. I think I'm a little late on the blog thing but I guess I agree that you are better late than never. We all need a space to share our thoughts about the simple and difficult things in life and that is why I am here. You will discover in the blogs to come maybe what you already know, but I guarantee you will be surprised and challenged as well. Make sure you make this a common stop on your internet browse because I am sure you will get something worth while. So, here I am ready to dive into the exciting world of blogging. Here we go...