Goodbye Infinity Church

For the past year and 3 months I have had the priviledge of working at a church plant in the suburbs of Laurel, Md called Infinity Church (www.infinitylaurel.com). Infinity is a predominantly African American congregation that was planted by Aaron Pankey over 9 years ago with a vision to plant more churches and become multi-cultural.

This Sunday was my last official Sunday on staff there and I thought it would be appropriate for me to reflect on the great brothers and sisters in Christ that I have had the priviledge of serving with.

First I am thankful to Pastor Aaron Pankey for calling me up in Portland, Or after he found out we had a heart to move back to Baltimore. He offered me a job at Infinity to help him establish some ministries most of which we able to do and I might not be back if employment at Infinity had not made that possible. Thanks man!

Sean and Shanika Robinson were among the first couple to extend hospitality to us as they drove all the way from Randalstown to North East B-more with their children to bring us a meal that first week we had moved back. I think our love for Baltimore, Theology, and our families connected us. Sean is a good brother and I am grateful for all the theological, urban, and real life conversations we have had. I look forward to seeing how the Lord uses him in his home and community.

Jeremy Dickson is a great brother with a true heart for the Lord. I am so grateful he invited me to speak into his life on several occasions and I can honestly say he has become a true brother to me. I know he is honest with me and I can be honest with him. I am also thankful for his wife Christina and her friendship to my wife.

Rob Reynolds, Turrae Jones, Eric Collier, and more recently Craig Walker and Chester Dade were all brothers who served along with me in various ways. I have been impressed with their character, teachability, and willingness to serve Jesus. I am a better man because of them and know I have made some life long friends with these guys!

Sidney Cutchins is a fellow Baltimore brother (at least until he moves to PG with the rest of Infinity :). When I first met him I was pretty intimidated as he is a Baltimore City Police Officer in the Western District (yeah that is where they filmed the Wire) who doubles as an immovable wall whenever you need one. But he opened up to me and let me in his life and for that I am grateful. He is an incredible bro with a great heart for Jesus and people. I know he is a brother for life and I can't wait to see him and Eb tie the knot!

Maina Mwaura is another incredilbe brother whom I've had the privilege of working with and becoming friends with at Infinity. Maina and I are pretty different and probably wouldn't be friends naturally except that we were forced to get to know each other working on various things throughout the year. Though we butted heads a few times he has become a close friend and a peer I go to for advice and wisdom now. He has been a huge blessing for me especially over the last few months.

Along with these men, there are some other incredible men of integrity at Infinity. These are guys who I could count on if I needed them and guys whose character stood out to me. If I died I could honestly say to my son's, "Hey, follow that guy and be like them." Dj Jordan, Mr.Pankey, James Willis, and Shannon Pankey all are great brothers and Infinity is a better church because of them.

Raphael Taylor, Mike and John McAdams, Arkim, Devon, Mark Blair and I am sure there are many more of you I could write about. Thanks for all the memories at our Home Community, HC leaders meetings, Servant team meetings, and Monday night leadership meetings. We love you all and though it didn't work out for us to serve with you for a longer season of time we are personally thankful for all your friendship and partnership in the gospel.

Christians and Voting

With all the hype on the election for this year. I thought the following advice was dope and worth considering. For those of you unfamiliar with Dr. John Piper he is one of the top 5 pastor/theologians alive in the world today. He makes all of his books free online at www.desiringgod.org.

If you would like to read one of his works I would recommend "Don't waste your life," along with the corresponding study guide. Which you can download at...

http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/OnlineBooks/ByTitle/1593_Dont_Waste_Your_Life/


Let Christians Vote As Though They Were Not Voting
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By John Piper October 22, 2008

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Voting is like marrying and crying and laughing and buying. We should do it, but only as if we were not doing it. That's because "the present form of this world is passing away" and, in God's eyes, "the time has grown very short." Here's the way Paul puts it:
The appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away. (1 Corinthians 7:29-31)
Let's take these one at a time and compare them to voting.
1. "Let those who have wives live as though they had none."
This doesn't mean move out of the house, don't have sex, and don't call her Honey. Earlier in this chapter Paul says, "The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights" (1 Corinthians 7:3). He also says to love her the way Christ loved the church, leading and providing and protecting (Ephesians 5:25-30). It means this: Marriage is momentary. It's over at death, and there is no marriage in the resurrection. Wives and husbands are second priorities, not first. Christ is first. Marriage is for making much of him.
It means: If she is exquisitely desirable, beware of desiring her more than Christ. And if she is deeply disappointing, beware of being hurt too much. This is temporary—only a brief lifetime. Then comes the never-disappointing life which is life indeed.
So it is with voting. We should do it. But only as if we were not doing it. Its outcomes do not give us the greatest joy when they go our way, and they do not demoralize us when they don't. Political life is for making much of Christ whether the world falls apart or holds together.
2. "Let those who mourn [do so] as though they were not mourning."
Christians mourn with real, deep, painful mourning, especially over losses—loss of those we love, loss of health, loss of a dream. These losses hurt. We cry when we are hurt. But we cry as though not crying. We mourn knowing we have not lost something so valuable we cannot rejoice in our mourning. Our losses do not incapacitate us. They do not blind us to the possibility of a fruitful future serving Christ. The Lord gives and takes away. But he remains blessed. And we remain hopeful in our mourning.
So it is with voting. There are losses. We mourn. But not as those who have no hope. We vote and we lose, or we vote and we win. In either case, we win or lose as if we were not winning or losing. Our expectations and frustrations are modest. The best this world can offer is short and small. The worst it can offer has been predicted in the book of Revelation. And no vote will hold it back. In the short run, Christians lose (Revelation 13:7). In the long run, we win (Revelation 21:4).
3. "Let those who rejoice [do so] as though they were not rejoicing."
Christians rejoice in health (James 5:13) and in sickness (James 1:2). There are a thousand good and perfect things that come down from God that call forth the feeling of happiness. Beautiful weather. Good friends who want to spend time with us. Delicious food and someone to share it with. A successful plan. A person helped by our efforts.
But none of these good and beautiful things can satisfy our soul. Even the best cannot replace what we were made for, namely, the full experience of the risen Christ (John 17:24). Even fellowship with him here is not the final and best gift. There is more of him to have after we die (Philippians 1:21-23)—and even more after the resurrection. The best experiences here are foretastes. The best sights of glory are through a mirror dimly. The joy that rises from these previews does not and should not rise to the level of the hope of glory. These pleasures will one day be as though they were not. So we rejoice remembering this joy is a foretaste, and will be replaced by a vastly better joy.
So it is with voting. There are joys. The very act of voting is a joyful statement that we are not under a tyrant. And there may be happy victories. But the best government we get is a foreshadowing. Peace and justice are approximated now. They will be perfect when Christ comes. So our joy is modest. Our triumphs are short-lived—and shot through with imperfection. So we vote as though not voting.
4. "Let those who buy [do so] as though they had no goods."
Let Christians keep on buying while this age lasts. Christianity is not withdrawal from business. We are involved, but as though not involved. Business simply does not have the weight in our hearts that it has for many. All our getting and all our having in this world is getting and having things that are not ultimately important. Our car, our house, our books, our computers, our heirlooms—we possess them with a loose grip. If they are taken away, we say that in a sense we did not have them. We are not here to possess. We are here to lay up treasures in heaven.
This world matters. But it is not ultimate. It is the stage for living in such a way to show that this world is not our God, but that Christ is our God. It is the stage for using the world to show that Christ is more precious than the world.
So it is with voting. We do not withdraw. We are involved—but as if not involved. Politics does not have ultimate weight for us. It is one more stage for acting out the truth that Christ, and not politics, is supreme.
5. "Let those who deal with the world [do so] as though they had no dealings with it."
Christians should deal with the world. This world is here to be used. Dealt with. There is no avoiding it. Not to deal with it is to deal with it that way. Not to weed your garden is to cultivate a weedy garden. Not to wear a coat in Minnesota is to freeze—to deal with the cold that way. Not to stop when the light is red is to spend your money on fines or hospital bills and deal with the world that way. We must deal with the world.
But as we deal with it, we don't give it our fullest attention. We don't ascribe to the world the greatest status. There are unseen things that are vastly more precious than the world. We use the world without offering it our whole soul. We may work with all our might when dealing with the world, but the full passions of our heart will be attached to something higher—Godward purposes. We use the world, but not as an end in itself. It is a means. We deal with the world in order to make much of Christ.
So it is with voting. We deal with the system. We deal with the news. We deal with the candidates. We deal with the issues. But we deal with it all as if not dealing with it. It does not have our fullest attention. It is not the great thing in our lives. Christ is. And Christ will be ruling over his people with perfect supremacy no matter who is elected and no matter what government stands or falls. So we vote as though not voting.
By all means vote. But remember: "The world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever" (1 John 2:17).
Voting with you, as though not voting,
Pastor John

Cigar, a stout, and spurgeon

"Be content to be nothing, for that is what you are." Spurgeon, p.164 in "Lectures to My Students."

I am sitting on my porch, it's about 10:45pm enjoying a Mayorga cigar (Nicaragua) and a Black Hawk Stout reading Spurgeon. My block is pretty quiet and I am a blessed man. My wife just came out to pray with me. We haven't done everything right in our marriage but the one thing we have done consistently for 9 years is pray every evening before we go to bed. I am just thanking God right now for her and the cross that allows us to pray to the God of the universe. Wow... I am so blessed!

Tomorrow my kids go back to school. Miriam is going into third grade and is ready to go. Samuel on his way to first is a little nervous and was acting out today because of it. That was tough to deal with as I wanted to come down hard on him for teasing his little sister and talking back but I had to also have some grace for him as he is worried about tomorrow. Ellie is going to pre-k and she too was starting to tear up as she thought about the unknown of "school." My wife and I just prayed for them asking God to protect them, give them a good teacher, and good friends. Again I am thankful for my kids and all the joy they bring me as a father. Truly it is a blessed thing to be a parent.

I haven't written in awhile. I hope all is well with the five of you who read my blog. I hope to hit this up more. I've had a great summer and have been spending alot of time praying and writing in preparation to begin casting a vision, gather a core team, and prayerfully launch a church in the city of Baltimore sometime in the next year.

I close with the quote I started with. Spurgeon has reminded me to look to Jesus alone and I pray you will do the same.

peace to you and your fam...

p.rob

Another Sermon

Please take a moment and listen to a recent message I did on "servant evangelism" and the obstacles to why many people don't share their faith. One of those obstacles which took up most of the sermon was on the reality of Hell.

Click the link

http://www.infinitylaurel.com/Default.aspx?tabid=130

Then click on the "audo sermons" box and find my pic with the title "servant evangelism"

love to hear your thoughts

God hates visionary dreaming

Provocative title huh?

They are actually the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer in a small book he wrote called "Life Together." His words are challenging to us who follow Christ and are a part of His community called the Church. Read them carefully...

"Christianity means community through Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ. No Christian community is more or less than this," (p. 6-7). We come into this community through Jesus. We exisit in community with Jesus. And our community is not centrally anything more or less than this!

This is significant to me because I often hear zealous Christians within the church and non-Christians outside of the church making comments on what the church should be. However, Bonhoeffer challenges us with our ideals about church.

"Innumerable times a whole Christian community has broken down because it had sprung from a wish dream. The serious Christian, set down for the first time in a Christian community, is likely to bring with him a very definite idea of what Christian life together should be and try to realize it," (p.14).

Wow! We cannont come to the church with some lofty ideal of what the church should be. This would include visions of perfect brotherhood, no division, no sin, a perfect racial diversity (for those of you who think every church should be equally balanced culturally), a "cool" church that "really" reaches the unchurched, etc. A warning to us is to examine our hearts and minds. Do we have a specific ideal of what "church" should be? Or do we come with a simplicity that realizes our fellowship with each other is in Jesus and then seek to work that out?

A warning to Church Planters...

"Every human wish dream that is injected into the Christian community is a hindrance to genuine community and must be banished if genuine community is to sruvive. He who loves his dream of a community more than the Christian community itself becomes a destroyer of the later, even though his personal intentions may be ever so honest and earnest and sacrificial," (p.15).

Often times those of you who may be church planters or thinking about planting a church are encouraged to "dream big" for your church plant by various church plant networks and denominations who may be involved in your plant. This is dangerous. It encourages you to falsely come up with some dream of what you want your church to look like and usually with younger planters like myself we have a specific type of person we see in our church and we see a specific type of culture represented there (usually young, cool, hip, etc.). Planters are often asked, "What is your target group?" This allows us to play into ourselves and our preferences too much and we can easily make our "target group" people like us and people who we feel most comfortable with. But may I suggest that Christian community ceases whenever we get to pick all of those with whom we are in community with. Jesus picked the 12 disciples from varying back grounds. They didn't all know each other naturally and didn't all grow up in the same neighborhood. James warns us in Chapter two to "show no partiality" and I am afraid that much of this does exactly that.

Shaun Garman, pastor of Red Sea Church in Portland, Or taught me this principle well. We don't get to choose who comes to our churches and who doesn't. Our job is to throw the gospel seeds everywhere we can and watch to see where they grow. Then we need to effectively tend those "shoots" by discipling those who respond to the gospel.

If we don't heed this warning this is where it takes us...

"God hates visionary dreaming; it makes the dreamer proud and pretentious. The man who fashions a visonary ideal of community demands that it be realized by God, by others, and by himself. He enters the community of Christians with his demands, sets up his own law, and judges the brethren and God accordingly. He stands adamant, a living reproach to all others in the circle of brethren. He acts as if he is the creator of the Christian community, as if his dream binds men together. When things do not go his way, he calls the effort a failure. When his ideal picture is destroyed, he sees the community going to smash. So he becomes, first an accuser of the brethren, then an accuser of God, and finally the despairing accuser of himself," (p.15).

While I have been addressing church planters this warning goes for all of us in the church who at times become dissatisfied with the church and perhaps cling to an ideal. Read these last words by Bonhoeffer to get a biblical picture of Christian Community.

"Because God has already laid the only foundation of our fellowship, because God has bound us together in one body with other Christians in Jesus Christ, long before we entered into common life with them, we enter into that common life not as demanders [ie. demanding a certan ideal of Christian Community exist] but as thankful recipients. We thank God for what He has done for us. We thank God for giving us brethren who live by His call, by His forgiveness and HIs promise," (p.16).

"Christian brotherhood is not an ideal which we must realize: it is rather a reality created by God in Christ in which we may participate. The more clearly we learn to recognize that ground and strength and promise of all our fellowship is in Jesus Christ alone, the more serenely shall we think of our fellowship and pray and hope for it," (p.l9).

don't waste your life

I was recently listening to a great message by John Piper. I dare you to listen to it.

http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/RecentlyAdded/1858_Dont_Waste_Your_Life/

The benefit of preaching

Recently I read a blog that I really enjoyed. (so yes I am blogging about a blog). When you get a minute check out the link, his thoughts are better than mine.
http://www.challies.com/archives/articles/critics-of-the.php

Read this quote from Marsden's biography on the life of Jonathan Edwards...

“Critics of the awakenings alleged that when people heard many sermons in one week they would not be able to remember much of what they had heard. Edwards countered, ‘The main benefit that is obtained by preaching is by impression made upon the mind in the time of it, and not by the effect that arises afterwards by a remembrance of what was delivered.’” Marsden concludes, “Preaching, in other words, must first of all touch the affections” (Page 282).

Read Edwards quote again... ‘The main benefit that is obtained by preaching is by impression made upon the mind in the time of it, and not by the effect that arises afterwards by a remembrance of what was delivered.’”

As a preacher, this really rings true to my heart. It seems like the spirit of most preaching today is geared exclusively toward application. What I mean is that the value of hearing a sermon isn't in the hearing of it and in the experience of meeting with God through the preached word but rather on how it will be applied. We will often hear something like, "what you are hearing on Sunday only counts if you apply it in 'the real world' Monday - Saturday." Often this diminishes preaching itself as something that is necessary (though that is now debated) but something we need to "get through" so we can get to the "real work" of applying this in our lives.

The scariest piece of this in my opinion is that preachers in preparing a message neglect good exegesis and the actual preaching of the word and instead preach their outline, their points, or the "application" they pulled from the text. Where this leads us to is moralistic or "good Christian" preaching where the saints/sinners are just encouraged each week to try harder at following Jesus. People always leave with something to do rather than being more impressed with God and more in love with Jesus having just spent time with him.

I am still thinking this through but I think Edwards has it right.

Enjoying Asher

My baby boy turned two years old today. Happy Birthday buddy! As you can see from the pic he's one of the cutest little dudes you've ever seen. Asher... his name means happy (Genesis 30.13). It fits him well!

I want to slow down and just enjoy him (and my other kids) this summer. He'll be exploring alot in our back yard and I want to be there for it all. Man, I can't believe how much joy I get from being with my son. It wasn't always like that for me. After our third was born God did a work in my heart and I had to repent of not fully embracing my role as a father. Even though I loved all of my kids, prayed with them, took care of them etc. There was something not yet right in my fathering. During an intense period of my life God broke me and then my wife and I decided to try for one more kid.

Thus... Asher was conceived. He was conceived out of happiness. He was concieved out of the happiness that repentance brings. I want to enjoy him! I want to enjoy every moment I have with him.

Message on Unity and Maturity

Hey fam...

Here is a link to a recent sermon I preached. Check it out and give me your thoughts.

http://www.celebrategospel.com/viewMusic.php?fileID=26

The Gospel and Hip Hop

Hey guys... recently I did a "break out" session at a youth conference and I spoke on the gospel and hip hop. Somehow I got chosen to be video taped and the whole session was put online. Check it out...

http://bcmd.e-quip.net/presentations/show/1307

hope all is well famo...

I Killed Jesus

I remember when I was in High School. I had just become a Christian and was at a Bible Study for students at a girl's house who went to my school. Her father was leading us in a study and he asked the question, "What would you have done if you were present at the crucifixion of Jesus?" Now, I was a new believer and particularly zealous and passionate for Christ at this time. As several students gave their answers I shared mine. I said something like, "I would have fought to get him down off the cross, even if they killed me." Our patient leader listened to everyone share and then gave his answer. What he said floored me.

"If I was there, I would have joined in with the guards and helped crucify Jesus myself."

I couldn't believe he said that. But after listening to his reason I understood. He told us that without the death of Jesus on the cross he, along with us, would have no hope. If Jesus did not pay our sin debt on the cross thereby satisfying the wrath of God we would have to pay it and of course as sinners we cannot and so our sin would condemn us to hell.

Recently I heard a quote from C.J. Mahaney on the cross. (I highly encourage you to listen to any messages of his you can find online, just do a google search and you will see several). I heard this in a song "were you there" by Shai Linne, listen to it on his myspace page (www.myspace.com/shailinne). Shail is a hip hop artist from Philly and uses the quote in the end of the song.

Before we can see the cross as something done for us leading us to faith and worship. We have to see it has something done by us leading us to repentance. Only the man or woman who is prepared to own his share in the guilt of the cross may share his share in it's grace.

Whoa... read that again. While it is so painful to understand that I share in the guilt of the cross... it is also makes the cross that much sweeter. We must not simply tell people that God loves them through what Jesus did but we must also help people to see their role in his death. Namely the sin that they (we) have committed which separates them from God, condemns them to hell, and that which Christ paid for on behalf of his elect/those who would believe in His name!

My Bible study leaders response shocked me. However, as I have thought about this even more I realize that we really did kill Jesus. My sin killed the Son of God. When Jesus was on the cross some part of the suffering he went through was actually caused by me. A piece of the wrath of God that Jesus experienced was meant for me due to my sin.

So yes... I helped kill Jesus.

Where is God in your life?

I was driving in my car the other day thinking about what God was calling me too and wondering how I was going to accomplish it when the Holy Spirit dropped these words into my heart.

Don't set up your life in such a way so that you don't need God to work.

You see, as I was making my plans and figuring out what I was going to do with my life I got discouarged (notice the over use of personal pronouns... big mistake). It was a slap to the face. God was saying, "Where am I in your plans?" "Do you even need me to work?" Isn't it amazing how so subtly we can find ourselves in a place where we don't really need God. We have our jobs, our ministries, our plans, and all these things we can pretty much take care of. There are no question marks. There are no, "God if you don't do __________, this will fail."

This is scary though isn't it?

This is the place of faith. If you are a leader of a church, ministry, home, etc. this is even more frightening because your decisions don't just affect you but others. For example, if God is calling you to move to a new area but you don't know how God will provide the housing you need... it requires faith to declare it. Why? Because once you make it known you are committed and you must move forward depending on God alone and others are watching. I remember when my wife and I knew that we were called to move from Chicago to Baltimore in 02'. We were expecting our second child a month before our move. We didn't renew our lease, I didn't have a job lined up, and we didn't have a place to live but we knew we were called. God provided all of that and more in an incredible way. What is God calling you to literally trust him with? What is it that you will believe him for that only He can do? God honors faith in Him!

Wow... my heart gets stirred even as I write this with incredible hope because when I think of operating in this way not only does peace come because I can trust God, not only does hope come because I know he will do more than I imagined, but even more incredible glory will be given to Jesus alone as he accomplishes His will in a way that only He can and I stand in amazement!

Check this dope verse...

"Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen" Ephesians 3.20-21

Poverty in B-More

There is an interesting article about the state of Maryland and poverty in the Baltimore Sun "Ideas" section today. Seek link

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/ideas/bal-id.poverty09mar09,0,3323127.story

While Maryland is one of the wealthiest states to live in, it also has some startling poverty statitics particularly in Allegany County, Somerset County, and of course Baltimore City. In Baltimore City 22.2% of the population lives in poverty. One out of every five people! The city has approximately 650,000 residents so that is about 144,300 people. To be counted in this statistic if single you must make no more than $9,973 or if a family of four no more than $20,000. In actual fact the number of people living in poverty is greater as there are more people who maybe didn't make the official "poverty cut off" yet are still attempting to carve out a living making substandard wages. While this is troubling, it is even worse for youth. Taking the total number of youth (18 and under) the statitic jumps to 30.9% of the youth of Baltimore living in poverty.

What is the point Rob? Poverty is a very serious issue in Baltimore. (I hate even saying it is an "issue" because that "issue" is little boys and girls and adults struggling). What many bloggers and would be prophets have done at this point after hearing these statistics (myself included) is then begin to criticize the church and call them to really have concern for the poor, which could be a good idea as it seems like at times we (I am a part of the church too) don't care that much (Proverbs 21.13).

However for me, at least this time, this is not what I want to do. Why? Because if I am honest I am not sure I am doing a whole lot for "the poor" myself (confession ya'll). Here is what I am saying. Instead of making the church (meaning Church Y and Pastor X) responsible and accountable for poverty in Baltimore. I want to know if there are any believers in the city or outside of the city that actually want to do something real for those in poverty here. I want to know if there is anyone that actually wants to hire a young man who has a record. I want to know if there are any professionals that are willing to band their resources together to purchase a home and provide housing for those in need. I want to know if there is anyone already offering real solutions or wanting to be involved in offering real solutions.

I just celebrated my 30th birthday. My last blog was actually on my birthday, February 8th. As I think about my life and the next 40 years of my life in which I am expected to live, I want to make it count. I want to actually do one or two things well that makes a difference in the city I love. If you are interested in that as well, I'd love to hear from you.

"7But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare."
Jeremiah 29.7

Baltimore City?

I have a call to Baltimore City.

It doesn't make any sense. I grew up in a suburb outside of D.C. with virtually no exposure to the urban realities of America's cities until I was 18. I am an Eagle Scout and spent one weekend a month going camping from 5th - 12th grade. As I got older I got heavily involved in mountain biking, backpacking, and rock climbing. When College came on the horizon I wanted to go into forestry and ultimately live someplace where I could pursue all my outdoor related hobbies.

Jesus changed that.

When I was in college I had the opportunity to do street ministry in one of the worst neighborhoods in Harrisburg, PA. Why 12 white students from the local Christian college decided to go to the hood on Saturday night at 8pm to pass out tracks still baffles me. The administration must not have known where we were taking the college van.

When we arrived on the scene I got partnerned up with a fellow student who was a pentecostal. I told her I would be praying for her and she could do most of the talking. She wasn't even 2 steps out of the van and she was witnessing to a woman walking by. She told me it was my turn now. I approached a young man standing up on a stoop. He was looking down at me. Intimidated and full of fear I told him we were out talking to people about Jesus and asked if he had ever heard about him. He said he had just gotten out of jail where he went to a few church services. My fear heightened as I was now witnessing to an ex-con. However, in that moment the Holy Spirit filled me and I began to preach. I don't even remember everything I said. But I told him about God creating the world and Jesus coming to die for us on the cross. The girl I was with was stunned as she watched me speak. From that moment on I knew I was called to urban ministry. I didn't know where or how but I knew I was called.

The adventure continued.

From there I went on to complete my B.A. in Urban Ministry at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. I got married and we had our first child 9 months later. We stayed in Chicago for a few years after graduation serving in a great church, Uptown Baptist, and working. It was there that God called me to preach and plant a church. God then led my wife and I to move back to Baltimore with no clear plan other than to live and do ministry there. God opened a door for me to work with the Baptist Convention of Maryland Delaware to plant a Church in Baltimore. So we moved to Pigtown in Southwest Baltimore not knowing anyone to begin planting gospel seeds. We did a ton of ministry and had many experiences that changed our lives. One thing we did was paint a mural on the side of my house with about 20 volunteers from the neighboorhood. It is still there (632 Scott Street Baltimore 21230).

However, after 3 years of work and not a lot of fruit we were discouraged and burnt out. God led us to connect with a church planting network called Acts 29 (www.acts29network.org) and they assessed me as a church planter but one who needed some more training and growth. So I made the hardest decision I have ever made in my life and shut down the ministry I had labored to build for three years to focus on my family, theology, and personal ministry growth.

He sent me back.

Upon receiving the advice from Acts 29 to shut down the ministry we were also invited by Pastor Shaun Garman to move out to Portland, Or and do an internship with Red Sea Church (www.redseachurch.com). It was a hard time for me as I was working out all my feelings of failure at planting a church and questioning my call into ministry. However, God slowly began to restore me and build up our family and ministry. We became an integral part of Red Sea and were deeply blessed by our spiritual family there. We were able to do alot of minsitry there and be a part of seeing the church grow from about 80 to 140 in weekly church attendance. I learned a ton from Pastor Shaun who became one of my closest brothers and my spiritual mentor. He is my "Paul" and I am his "Timothy."

During our year and 10 months there I wondered if I would come back to Baltimore. There were times when I highly considered staying in Portland where I had a great spiritual family and an opportunity to minister. But, God would always bring Baltimore back to my heart. There was a time when I was particularly frustrated and asked God for a clear "sign" on whether or not we were to come back. Then he reminded me of a literal sign 2 blocks from my house. "Baltimore Next Signal." The image above is an actual picture of a sign down the street from where we lived in Portland. What are the chances that we of all people would buy a house in Portland right near this sign? I think it was because God wanted to remind us while we were there that Baltimore was next. It was coming up. And it came up... because we are back.

Congratulations if you got to the end of this long blog. If you know Jesus, would you please pray for us and the ministry God has for us here.

Dr. King and Me

When I was in college I began reading more on the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I remember being deeply challenged and changed when I read his "Letter from Birmingham Jail." He wrote it, obviously, from jail to several white prominent Alabama clergy who had "published an open letter earlier... that called on King to allow the battle for integration to continue in the local and federal courts, and warned that King's nonviolent resistance whould have the effec tof inciting civli disturbances."

I want to encourage you to take a moment today in honor of Dr. King to read this profound letter.

http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/frequentdocs/birmingham.pdf

Dr. King challenged the apathetic "white moderate" christians and "white church" who at the time did not participate in the struggle for racial equality and often criticized the non-violent action of Dr. King and those with him. Listen to what he says...

"In the midst of blatant injustices inflicted upon the Negro, I have watched white churches stand on the sideline and merely mouth pious irrelevancies and sanctimonious trivialities. In the midst of a mighty struggle to rid our nation of racial and economic injustice, I have heard so many ministers say, 'Those are social issues with which the gospel has no real concern,' and I have watched so many churches commit themselves to a completely otherworldly religion which made a strange distinction between body and soul, the sacred and the secular."

This quote and many others you will find in this letter began to stir something in my soul and still does. "The church on the sideline" is still too often the norm when it comes to the still existing racial and economic injustice that exists in many impoverished black communities. In Baltimore, where I live, this can still be seen by taking a drive through the city. In any direction you go it won't be long before you will see impoverished communities one after another.

I believe there is a place in the church for a holy prophetic anger that moves us to action and I pray that Dr. King's letter, our own Biblical reflection, and observation of the existing racial and economic disparities that exist today would move us to action!

Please view this brief video a friend of mine, Mike Shive, made in honor of Dr. King
http://www.dvxs.com/video/mlkvideo-wmv.wmv

A blunt and a Conversation

I live in a great neighborhood. It is called Lauraville and is in North East Baltimore near Morgan State University. In a recent article it was referred to as one of Baltimore's more 'undiscovered' communities... meaning you can still get a large single family home for an affordable price.

Anyway, we love it and have enjoyed getting to know our neighbors one of whom is a single mom with several young men/teenagers living in the house. In case you haven't been around young black men in Urban America recently... one goal of these guys is basically to appear hard. So many of them don't know how to respond when their new neighbor does something which many of us consider to be normal... that is act friendly toward them.

I am the guy who yells across the street, "What's up man." I usually get a strange look and if I am lucky a nod and a "whassup" back. However, one of these young cats (slang for young men) has always been extra friendly with me. It seems like anytime we are outside at the same time he makes it a point to holler across the street at me. For some reason he wants to know me and hang out.

On New Years Eve I saw him out front and went across the street to talk with him. I found out I am about 10 years older than him and he recently got fired from his job but had found another one at a local pizza joint. He promised to give me 50% off on pizza. He asked me if I smoked to which I replied "yes" because I thought he was talking about cigars. Then I noticed he was referring to the blunt of marajuana he had in his hand to which I replied, "no." I rarely smoke a cigar and don't smoke weed. He told me of his plans to quit for awhile noting that he was tired of paying for it and that it wasn't helping him much in life. Even still he lit it up and smoked it like it was a cigarette right on the sidewalk in the middle of the afternoon.

I invited him to a new years day party we were having the next day. He didn't show up but promised me he would. I guess I was just glad to get to know this guy and I know somehow a piece of the gospel got through when a 29 year old white family man invites a 19 year old blunt smoking baltimore kid into his home.

One person at a time...

Today as I drove around Baltimore, my heart was burdened for the people here. I kept asking myself and asking God out of a sense of desperation, “How do we reach Baltimore with the good news that Jesus died for them and loves them and is offering forgiveness, joy, and meaning for life now and for eternity?”

The answer is… one person at a time.

This past Tuesday we had a New Year’s Day party. We had 34 adults and 21 kids come by. It was great! They all showed up and left sometime between 2 and 6pm. Many of those who came were from our church and some were a mix of people I know in Baltimore. But we also had some of our neighbors and a friend of Miriam’s from school come with her family. It was great to see a mingling of Christians and those who don’t yet know Christ all in my house watching football and eating food. I was able to have some spiritual conversations with my friends and neighbors but mostly we just enjoyed each other, talked about life, and football. Through Christmas cookies, ham, and noisy kids upstairs I think some gospel seeds were planted.

Last week I found out that one of the fathers I know from Miriam and Samuel’s school… his fiancé had just given birth to a boy. I congratulated him and then brought him a meal. It is hard taking care of dinner when a newborn is around so it is a common practice in many churches that to bring dinners over for the family so they don’t have to deal with cooking. Many new parents who are unchurched don’t have anyone helping out. So it is an easy thing to do to show someone the love of Jesus through a frozen lasagna and bag of salad. He was blessed and very appreciative that we thought of them and even called me later to thank me again. Another seed was planted.

I know we can hold great events that will draw a crowd (like Jesus did) and this is also important when we think about planting churches and reaching people for Christ. However, I think what we need most is an army of Christians living out their lives missionally week in and week out sharing their lives and sharing their homes with those who don’t yet know Jesus. This is how we reach this city… one person at a time.