Though Im functioning right now on very little sleep (and lots of coffee), I’m still pretty jacked up.

I truly never get tired of seeing God show up. It never gets old. Especially as its crystal clearly beyond me, my personality (yeah, I know), my abilities, and any resources of my own efforts involved. Sometimes God just blesses things. Just shows up in middle of things. Sometimes to screw up “my plans” or changes the whole stinking thing. I encouraged a few people on Sunday to try something so big with God that if He soooo doesn’t show up people would question you’re sanity. That’s all good and everything to condition the heart for obediance regardless but it sure is beautiful when He shows up.

I know, I know, much of this sounds so cliche. Like the kind of stuff to read in books or from some televangelist.  However, I never get tired of seeing God flat out show up! To give hope, to provide resources, to provide direction…. is a beautiful thing.

The lack of sleep part stems from the Reliance Skate crew being at our house last night for a cook out to kick off a few fun skate gatherings around Indy. It’s gonna be a fun week in the Kingdom!

Pretty excited about an upcoming event planned for July that I’m involved in. A Skate Camp at Shepherd Community on Indy’s Eastside is turning out to be a pretty sweet thing. Quite a few people are coming together from all over to host a SkateCamp for the kids of Shepherd Community in Indy. Good times.

Last Sunday the local church I’m a part of, Indy Metro, hosted another gathering at the Barton Tower. We have been hosting a monthly outreach of love to be Jesus in very practical ways in this urban Indianapolis government housing complex.

Last month (see blog post) was especially powerful and it always seems like I limit how God could possibly “top that.” I guess that explains my continual need to take God out of the box. Also, requires my continual confession of more, is bigger, is better, is more blessed thinking. As if God transforming the heart of one person serving or being served isnt’ enough.

Anywho, this past Sunday a handful of people come down from HC to serve with us. I am moved by the honest feedback from one of the young adults Ali, “I was surprised how open people really were. I got to know a woman named Megan.  Her willing personality made her very easy to talk to and get along with.  Right before the service, she asked if i’d sit with her.  Looking into her eyes I could see years of hurt and rejection.  I gratefully sat next to her.  When worship started everyone stood as they were told.  But Megan stayed sitting.  Holding the packet of papers with the worship lyrics on them, she grabbed my arm and whispered “I can’t stand, because I’m in a wheelchair, I have to sit and sing”.  My heart tugged at me to sit down with her.  I humbly replied “Can I sit with you? I don’t know the words and we could share the lyrics.”  Her face lit up with joy.  I don’t think anything is more rewarding than this.”

I attended a gathering last night in the city at Lockerbie UMC. Very challenging presentation by Shane Claiborne and Chris Haws’ Jesus for President Tour. Check out Indy Christian blog to read more about the event that challenges our role during this election year.

Sorry to have been silent for a minute…but I always understimate the amount of work to move. Especially with kids (and all their stuff) involved.  Needless to say plenty of work left but we’ve been moved in to the new place in Irvington for over 2 weeks. Thank God for amazing friends. Don’t know what we would have done without em.

Many people are asking us about our new community. And since I’ve been an Eastsider for a couple weeks I’m noticing plenty of differences. As a Letterman fan I thought I would break it down in classic Top 10 format.

1. No one has mailboxes in our Irvington neighborhood. Fishers crib- mailbox? Yes.
2. In our first visit to McDonald’s here we had the only white kids in the place.  (Pretty cool actually.
3. Many people here think everyone living in Fishers is rich, and many in Fishers think everything inside I-465 has been claimed by the Crips and Bloods.
4. In the city, art is appreciated, valued, worshipped, and includes a range of formats and methods… and in Fishers art is mostly what goes on the refrigerator by an alphabet magnet.
5. We have already met our neighbors!
6. Fishers has lots of pizza places but only Irvington has Jockamo Upper Crust Pizza!
7. Our current kitchen would fit in our Fishers kitchen at least two times.
8. Potholes down here are large enough to fit my Honda in. In Fishers; a pothole gets someone fired.
9. At our first visit to the Irvington library we saw a fight broke up (inside the library). In Fishers, occasional soccer mom glaring occurs.  
10. Fishers has an S’Bucks every half mile, but Irvington has Lazy Daze. Word.

I was reading through an old interview with Rick Warren, the guy who wrote the book Purpose-Driven Life, among other amazing things. Although I don’t think it would make it on Oprah’s guide to “spirtuality,” I appreciate a few of the things he said in this interview.

Love this this quote and thought to share- “Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you’re just coming out of one, or you’re getting ready to go into another one. The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort. God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy.”

Ok, this is random but I find these types of personality surveys affirming.

It’s amazing the uniqueness of personality and passion God gives to every person as completely unique and detailed in every way. As Jesus says in Luke 12:7, “Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered…”

Jung Test Results

Your type is: ENFJ

Extroverted (E) 60% Introverted (I) 40%
Intuitive (N) 51.35% Sensing (S) 48.65%
Feeling (F) 56.76% Thinking (T) 43.24%
Judging (J) 61.76% Perceiving (P) 38.24%

“You are a “Persuader”. Outstanding leader of groups. Can be aggressive at helping others to be the best that they can be. 2.5% of total population.”

Check out the variety of free online personality tests at SimilarMinds. 

Sunday evening we helped lead a collision of the worlds. A collision of the rich and the poor; of different races; but most importantly a collision of love. One that I pray no one will recover from. An overabundance of love was poured out.  I think Paul describes it best in the letter of Philippians, “Poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.”

This collision occured at the John J. Barton Annex. The John J. Barton Annex is a  government housing facility managed by the Indianapolis Housing Authority. A very diverse crowd ethnically and nearly all of the residents fall beneath the “poverty line.” A group of Jesus followers from IMC and Heartland “poured an offering” of love and service into the lives of many friends and “strangers.” I’m pretty sure no one left the same.

One of the most consistent topics throughout all of Scripture is God’s heart for the poor. There is no way to escape that God desires for people whom proclaim to be active followers of Jesus Christ to be lovers of the poor and marginalized in our world. Whether it was through the breaking of bread together, handshakes, hugs, singing some music, sharing a message of hope available to everyone, Jesus uses it all to bring light into the darkness. 

Proverbs 31:8-9, “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice.”

As disciples of Jesus Christ, our purpose or calling is to help people take steps closer to Him. For the addict to be freed; For the hungry to be fed; and the hopeless to hear about the hope we have in Jesus Christ.

I am tempted to be known for how many Bible verses I know, what my job is, or even what my possessions add up too but the reality is that, “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love” as Paul writes in Galatians.

Perhaps one of the most exciting things for me in the midst of this is having children participate in their own way.  Having children playing and introducing childlike joy is beautiful. As a parent attempting to raise children that spit in the face of a culture that rejects people based on their position in society… its a joy of mine to engage our children in these collisions of the worlds.

Loving God. Loving people. Following Jesus.

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” Proverbs 31:8-9

Sierra Leone is the poorest of the 177 countries of the world. Their average annual income is $142 per person, 70% below the poverty line of $2 per day. The average life span is 41 years. Their homes were torn apart by 10 years of civil war from 1991-2001 and a third of the population was displaced during that time.

This is one churches committment to not talk about it but do something about it…

Every leader can lament of a Cul-de-Sac experience. Check out the summary of what Seth Godins explains as The Dip. This has helped me to process some past experiences, both success and failure. Looking forward to making this read.

“Every new project (or job, or hobby, or company) starts out exciting and fun. Then it gets harder and less fun, until it hits a low point-really hard, and not much fun at all.

And then you find yourself asking if the goal is even worth the hassle. Maybe you’re in a Dip-a temporary setback that will get better if you keep pushing. But maybe it’s really a Cul-de-Sac, which will never get better, no matter how hard you try.

What really sets superstars apart from everyone else is the ability to escape dead ends quickly, while staying focused and motivated when it really counts.

Winners quit fast, quit often, and quit without guilt-until they commit to beating the right Dip for the right reasons. In fact, winners seek out the Dip. They realize that the bigger the barrier, the bigger the reward for getting past it. If you can become number one in your niche, you’ll get more than your fair share of profits, glory, and long-term security.

Losers, on the other hand, fall into two basic traps. Either they fail to stick out the Dip-they get to the moment of truth and then give up-or they never even find the right Dip to conquer.”