Sweet Video Awesomeness

I just recently figured out some video stuff. In the sidebar you'll see My Youtube and Indy Summer. My Youtube is friends youtube videos I find and add to the playlist. To scroll through just click the left or right arrows on either side of the video box. Indy Summer is series of home videos being filmed here in Indy this summer for our brothers and sisters in the People of Praise. They are our way of sharing life with the rest of the community. The most current one will be up under Indy Summer, but I invite anyone interested to view the rest. Check out other Indy Summer videos.

It Begins

June has arrived and another summer of mission work begins (check out video).

We will be splitting our time between praying and preaching, or talking with the Lord and talking with others. Time to eat and sleep if necessary.

We are two households in Indianapolis with 21 folks and another 2 on the way. I live on the Southside in 1815. We split the household here between 1815 and the duplex next door. People get ready.

Morale is high and the Holy Spirit is moving. We had orientation talks last week and are in our first week of mission work. Pray for us. More mission each day/more days per week this summer means more challenge and more excitement. Going out to do mission for longer, just as praying for longer, the Lord brings up bigger things or at least longer things. I remember last summer bumping into folks that needed more from the Lord or had a lot of stuff to work through when we'd go out for longer chunks of time, and 2-3hrs of prayer always yield new thoughts/work with the Lord. He plans with our plans in mind.

This last week has been a real grace. I always feel a little nauseous before going out and last year it was a fairly constant source of anxiety. You just had to say, 'I feel like vomiting. My King has work to do. I'm not stopping.' You punch through it. Nick, talks about last year feeling this way and having to do some traveling which meant a break from mission. No mission meant no distress, but after awhile he also realized that in the really tough moments the Lord had showed up in power. He returned to mission with a new hunger for it. "Yeah, it's rough, but Our Lord is pouring Himself out on the streets and I want to be with Him." This last week the Lord has been revealing how much He yearns to find the lost and I've found myself a little more moved to go out with Him. Praise be to God.

New Stadium, new fan

Yesterday, while at Lockfield Village Bob was telling me about how much he wants to see an Indianapolis Colts game, especially now with the new stadium almost done. We were sitting with the smokers in a bus-stop-like shelter behind Lockfield. It was 70's and sunny out.

After a while, he told me about a time in his life when he was "going to fast." He got his neck broke because of the life he was choosing. He said while in the hospital, "God was trying to tell me I needed to slow down." While recovering he read Smith Wigglesworth and John Lake, two amazing men following Jesus who had healing ministries.

"One time Wigglesworth laid his hands over a boy's throat that had a hole so he could breath, and not only did he not need the hole anymore, but it healed up right before everyone's eyes. I thought to myself, 'if God can heal them he can heal me.' So I started praying and I was healed."

That's amazing. He said that when he got out he didn't slow down enough and found himself in the hospital again, with a broken neck again. "I don't think I've heard of someone breaking their neck twice," he added. "But that's why I'm in this chair now."

"God is merciful," I said, "do you want to pray again. Right now?" He told me what he needs is to walk again. He's been in there for a couple years and while his right leg is making slow progress he cannot move anything below his left hip. We put our hands on it and prayed. "Lord you make millions of legs everyday, you've got authority over this one. Be healed."

His toes moved. Fred freaked out. We praised God for His wonderful power and mercy. "Bob, you're going to walk to that Colts game." Bob has renewed hope. Jesus saves and He never gives up. Alleluia.

Wandering Day

Relationships are built on decisions. Decisions made for the other person, for the friendship. It's best illustrated in the question, "well, (insert friend's name here) what do want to do?" It might be a movie, a road trip or taking over the world each night (as was the case of a rodent duo in the best cartoon ever).

In our friendship with God it's the same way. Decisions build the friendship. I however, do not experience a wealth of helpful ideas regularly forming on the surface of the standing water that is my imagination. It's one thing to make decisions for a friendship, another to have ideas on which to decide.

Cool side note for fellow pools of swamp water: delight in your friend. Find ways to delight in them. Ideas flow. The Lord pointed this out to me some weeks ago as I was asking Him about this problem. He brought up J-T, a fellow housemate. J-T gave me his wallet when he heard I was organizing my life. He burns me the best mixes I've ever heard. Sends comics my way he knows I'll love. The Lord pointed out how delighted J-T is in me. Delight in your friend, ideas follow.

My wandering day of mission bubbled up as I've been hunting for my delight in the Lord. Check it out.



I packed New Testaments and food for IUPUI folks, the shakers who shake their coin jars on the corners in downtown and the southside folks.



Ahh, the UC. It was beautiful out and many students sit outside instead of in the buildings, helpful. I got to speak with a bunch of folks about the Kingdom of God and prayed with some folks.






Downtown was the most joyful. stopped first to meet Ralph and Aman. We sat down and talked for a while, at one point we all stopped to read everyone in ear shot the Good News. The 4 of us Ralph and Aman, Hannah and I were together for about 1/2 hr before we met Don and Don (see above) and Ken Williams (see right). Don and Don were a father and son pair out riding their bikes. Former travelers with the circus, the father now has an apartment and the son is working construction. Ken was a preacher "without a place to lay his head." We stayed awhile with Ken swapping scripture and sharing stories.



We then headed south to the Southside, where we were just in time to meet up with Dalton and his family.

Oh yeah, new post

This last weekend I spent in Albuquerque, New Mexico with Abe, Brian. Brian's brothers Sean and Patrick were celebrating their collective birthdays and Brian's dad works out in NM, so they invited us and the Ganther guys out; Jim, and his two sons Tim and John.

Upon arrival we began with a little basketball - short hoop. And it quickly devolved into "dunk contests."





Afterward we toured the Eclipse jet factory where Brian Sr works and headed up the Sandias Mountains - amazing.



It took awhile to get up to the top.

We ended up getting to see a lot of Albuquerque and even visited Santa Fe, also hiked mountains there, also amazing.

As I walked up the side of the very large rock in Santa Fe, I was struck that I often get to experience my friends' creations: music, paintings, style of decor, etc. It is not often I get to walk in, see, hear and breath my Friend's creation.

You can take him out of the South...

We're here in Louisiana until Friday morning, and we just arrived having spent last week in Minneapolis and the last couple days in Arkansas at house a friend loaned us.

Seeing Dinkytown again was a lot of fun and I got to catch up on the news. There is a new way food is done in Dtown where once a week a team goes shopping for the whole division and then each section (there are 4: Missionary, Management Information Systems, Finance, and Action) goes shopping in the basement of one of the houses where food is stocked.

Friday night John Fidler organized some folks, it was a real joy to see those folks; most of whom I hadn't seen in years.

In Arkansas Mike, Abe and I met Nick, Brian and Nathan, for a couple days of prayer and brainstorming.

And now we're here in Allendale. And Brian is home...

Visiting

Hospitality has been on the Lord's mind. Here in Indy we just received 10 members of the Kane family, and 9 Northern Virgina folks with a few from South Bend people. With the NoVA folks came a 26 foot moving truck filled to the ceiling with their furniture, dishes, appliances and everything else we might need to run a 'center of hospitality' consisting of about 4 houses.

Come and see (let us know, but come and see). We've got beds being made and the rice cooker is hot. The Lord is working hard here in Indy and He's made room for anyone who wants to come and see.

Also, last Saturday we put on a Pentecost Seminar here in Indy and prayed with some folks for the Holy Spirit. It was a real joy to do, because the Lord and I have been talking about teaching. I asked the Lord for a new gift of teaching and a few days later was asked to speak with a group of high schoolers in South Bend and give a talk at the Pentecost Seminar.

Last Friday Brian, Mary, Ellen and I drove up to South Bend to talk about what the Lord is doing in college. Ten high schoolers attended and we shared stories from college, saw a video that Dinkytown Division made (it was amazing) and had a prayer meeting.

Then the next day (last Sat) I had the honor of giving the 2nd talk on what God is doing in our world today.

Going to MN

Abe and I will be headed up to Minnesota next week. Driving up Tuesday, the 26th, and returning on Sunday (click on the week tab at top-right corner of calendar then scroll if needed using arrows at top-left for better view). I thought I'd post my calendar to help coordinate meetings. I'll change it as it fills out, give me a call/email if a time works.

Stopped

A couple days later Ellen, Dan and I are the only missionaries, we make our way up the steps and through the glass doors of the UC.

I'd received a word to preach. God wanted us to tell students He's forming a people who love Him here at IUPUI, but today an amplified student with a guitar reigned over the din of the UC lunchroom that sat strangely vacant.

"You could just ask to have his mic," Ellen suggests. I really wished I'd at least asked, but instead we left. We headed across the quad, entering the the hotel food court. Often we'd find individual/small groups of folks, but today we would attempt our first hotel preaching.

Pushing through the doors, we entered the food court. I instantly realized how much louder and larger this room was. Extending back it will hold 3-400 students at a time and with much higher ceilings and lots of concrete, sound echoes off the walls. Long lines had already began bisecting the room snaking between packed tables and structural columns.

Dan, Ellen and I positioned ourselves to the side of the lines so that as many folks as possible could see and hear. "Good afternoon everyone," our welcome echoed down to the end of the long room and returned. All heads stopped and with a motion almost audible, turned to see what was happening.

I had been talking now for about 2 minutes about how love calls us to do some crazy things when out of the hotel this 220 lbs 45 year old man in a suit complete with clear ear bud enters the room. Seeing us he turns and starts heading straight for us. I notice him. Usually when we are asked to stop the person stands off to the side, but those were students and in the UC. He walks right up to me and stops directly in front of me and in a voice lower than even Dan or Ellen could hear he commands me to stop and come with him.

"Just a minute I'm almost done, sir," I reply," SO LOVE CAN MAKE US DO CRAZY THINGS," I shout over his shoulder.
"No. You will stop and come with me. Now." It was final.
"Alright," I tell him and again shouting over his shoulder," GOD BLESS Y'ALL, WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK." I tell the court and head
outside.

He takes our names, tells us we cannot proselytize in there, and was really a nice guy about it. We'd been standing in front of a glass wall and in view of the whole food court. As we're conversing, a student emerges to inform our detainer that she really likes what we do and has heard us a few times. She really doesn't want us to get in any trouble, she tells him.

Dan and I glance at one another, mouths agap. No student has yet defended us, this is really remarkable. But the hotel manager assures her we are in no trouble and will only receive a warning.

Thank You Lord

As I walk through the University lunchroom I pray 'Lord, who do you want me to talk to,' under my breath. A pair of guys at the end of the table closest to the cashier caught my eye. The word this afternoon about the resurrection came to mind, so leading with "have you guys ever heard of the resurrection" we were off.

"OH! I do NOT want to hear about this!" Guy number 1 replies. Number 2 nods.

"Well, alright. I'll leave y'all alone," I assure," but sometimes the Lord wants to tell us stuff even when we don't want to hear it." I pause, asking the Lord for any words.

"YOU NEED TO RESPECT THEM," this 30-something guy begins demands. "STOP FORCING PEOPLE TO BELIEVE WHAT YOU THINK. YOU'RE FORCING YOUR BELIEFS ON PEOPLE," now finished packing he gathers his pack and marches in my direction still yelling.

A little taken aback, I try to explain that I can't force anyone to believe anything and that these two are free to believe what they will. His shouting only escalates, but he soon decides he's repeated himself enough and stomps off. A dissonant silence resumes. Watching from their lunches, students picked up their pizzas again. "Well, God bless y'all," I say to the silent two. I depart.

I sat down with Park next. He's a graduate student from Japan and unfamiliar with the Gospel. Honest and transparent he permits me to sit and share the Good News with him. Meanwhile, the two and my accuser have regrouped, but I try to ignore it as Park asks about what Jesus preached.

"So, Jesus said that the Kingdom of -"
"What's your name?," said the accuser now standing beside us.
"I'm Rus. How about you?" I replied.
"NO. What's your full name?!" he demanded, yanking a paper out of his pocket.
"I'm Russell Lyons. Two s's, two l's. L-y-o-n-s." He scribbles this down and again marches off, my "God Bless" on his heals.

Park and I finish up with little progress and this concludes another day in the UC.

Get a Job...

Thought I'd post a bit on employment here in Indianapolis. Give us today our daily bread, we're taking as relying on the Lord for our day-to-day items. Namely our bread, and beans. We've decided 'tent making' to pay some our expenses is important to our missionary way of life.

Hence Substitute teaching...

However, others are involved in nursing, waitressing tables, sub-contracting, teaching dance and voice lessons, mowing lawns, nannying and I stuffed envelopes for a while.


Mary and Naomi went to St Marys and U of Portland for nursing and took their Boards at the end of the summer. After passing and applying for jobs they now both work for IU Hospital. Naomi in an Oncology Unit and Mary in a Bone Marrow Transplant Unit.

We've all been brainstorming how to make this work with missionary schedules. We want to be free to spend as much time as we'd like doing mission work and so decided to work 10 hrs/week (except the RNs who have full-time jobs). However, we also figured we'd need jobs that pay about $12/hr. Which got us thinking what can we offer.


Ellen is teaching dance and had her first class today. She's working with her former dance teacher from Servant Branch to formulate a lesson plan and working with Indy branch kids. Molly just got a job at a local private school teaching choir classes. Apparently there were only 2 students signed up for the class initially, but when one of the gals in the branch who attends this school realized Molly was teaching rounded up her friends and assembled 15 students to give up lunch time for choir class with Molly. Praise God.

Hannah and I have both been doing substitute teaching, though we now have better paying jobs and are looking at other options. Hannah waitresses at Bistro Chopstix downtown and I sub-contract for Carl Horlander, member of the branch.

I just ended work at a Direct Mailing company, Proto-Type - stuffing envelops and helping to reorganize the warehouse, though I still cut the lawn (which I'll be doing tomorrow morning). It was great, I could get up and get to work at 6AM, by walking across the street and they'd break at 7:30 so I'd still get to eat breakfast back with the household. Here you can see the blue warehouse from my desk. Amazing glimpse into life in the Kingdom.

Ah, and I must finally inform that the beard has been downsized. I could no longer afford to pay it's salary and was forced to let it go.

Mr. Lyons

INDIANAPOLIS - At approximately 8:30AM one Russell Lyons recieved a phone call from Kelly Services requesting his person report to an area middle/high school for a emergency substitute job.

Upon arrival he was handed a list of class times and shown his room. "We told him he'd be the music teacher for the day and that the previous teacher had been let go over weekend with a few others due to budgetary concerns," said the Assistant Principle.

"I was informed there would be no lesson plan for the day and then shown my classroom, which is more commonly known as the bilingual room," Mr. Lyons said. What ensued was 7 hours of the most intense chaos he said he'd ever experienced.

After discovering the instruments in the back room half way through the first class, it wasn't long before fat beats and trumpet blasts could be heard throughout. A hall monitor put down this operation and Mr. Lyons turned to a rhythym-based curriculm featuring clapping circles, pencils on tables/chairs, stomping and beat-boxing.

"I gotta say it was just what ever I could do to keep them from yelling at each other and running out of the room to 'go to the bathroom.'" At one point the 8th grade class was told they'd be realised 5 minutes early if 3 students could recite the subject matter - "Henie ma tovue." They did and he did, for which a swift reprimand was recieved by all.

But the final bell rang and with bone-deep fatigue Mr. Lyons plopped his report in the office, gathered up his belongings and piled into the car to return home by nearly 4PM.

Another day making-tents brings new levels of exhaustion and great piles of joy.

Today

Hey Tom, liked your post. It brought a lot of light. So, here's a snap shot of the Indy life.

Today was a little different. It's Friday, which is usually our day off, but 3 guys Justin, Joe and Zach came down with Walt Seale for the weekend. They got in late last night so we had a late start.

10:00 Do some personal prayer down stairs in common office - all rooms full up

10:30 Coffee happens with household. I just get up and walk across porch to over side.

11:00 Chores: Joe mows side-field (God bless him)

12:00 NoVA guys and I head to IUPUI for tour of hotel, UC, the quad, library, etc. Talk about what it's like to preach right where stand to do it in UC. End up under shade trees in hotel courtyard about how to start a conversation.

1:30 Return early. Abe picks us up, and we get back with enough time for Justin and I to talk a walk. Solid senior, I think God's got some plans. Upon return we figure out the Iliad and Martin Luther before dinner.

2:30 Dinner! Praise God. Women have packed and will leave directly for Women's Retreat, but we all eat Hannah egg salad sandwiches on donated Panera (God be praised) and Loughrin cookies and Ellen's carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. Amazing.

3:50 Abe and I - dishes.

4:15 Head to Southside for evening o' mission.

4:30 Hour of mission prayer. I was talking with Holy Spirit about our future and wanted to set higher expectations. We talked about Paul's imprisonments and His directness of communication through visions.

5:30 Zach and I head hit the streets. Meet some new and old folks. Repentance and the book of Acts was a part of conversation today. Zach preached Paul's first vision to a few people (as that's what he got in the hour of mission prayer).

8:00 Missionaries gather from all the corners of the Southside for quick debrief before headed back.

8:45 Night ends with more cookies from the Loughrins - thank you Jesus - and we sit and tell stories from the day. It was really wonderful. John and Justin prayed with a Vet for his girlfriend who's in the hospital. She called a few minutes later just to say she was feeling quite better. WOW. And we end with evening prayer. Abrazos all around.

Tomorrow I'm getting up for 4 miler with Joe at 6:00, we'll all pray at 6:30, then breakfast and painting all day. This will be payment for staying in house on Southside until December. Lord's Day dinner with all guys in Indy branch at Center.

What a life the Lord lives.

The Hippie Grows a Beard

The summer gone, and a new semester ahead calls for a new introduction to Indy 2.0 and quick update on news.

During the summer of 06 I took a Philosophy class on the Southern planes of Minnesota. We lived on a farm, cooked our own food, lived with our classmates. I picked up book binding in some free time there, and have recently been able to restore two books; my own Christian Community Bible and Ruth's Grandmother's Bible which had lost it's cover, the spine and was in the process of shedding pages. All were able to be restored and it looks/feels like a usable book again.


In putting these books back together it struck me how I'd never really cared that much about a book before and how easy it was to just purchase another. But now what was manfactured - probably by massive sewing/glueing/cutting machines is a new creation. Instead of one more uniform product spat from the mouth of factory half way around the world, its someone's. This got me to thinking on clothes, furniture, and food - how we in the People of Praise are a people and how the pots and pans, the books and tables of different culture are wrapped up in who they are, what they're about, and how they live. Some day we might have our own architecture or form or communication. What does the People of Praise style/genre/worldview/lens look like in the normal, the everyday?

This last week we completed our move from 1444 Rembrandt into the Duplex across the street. We had been renting the Rembrandt house for these last 8 or so months and now our contract has come to an end. Looking from front, the guys have right-side, women have the left. Upstairs are private, 1st and basement floors are common. As you walk in to the guys side from our wide-shared porch you have to walk through the office, then our common study to get up the stairs to stuff rooms and sleeping floor-space. Right now the guys kitchen, which is behind the stairway is torn up, awaiting some more work.

The gals got the common living room, dinning room and soon-to-be incredible kitchen. The two sides' floor plans are laid out as mirror images.

And speaking of mirror:

Shalom.









photos by Mary Seale

Weekend

It's the end of the last Sunday night here in Indy this summer. The warmer months are valuable treasures, yet each year I'd often arrive at the end surprised it was over still stuck with a long list of things left undone. However, this summer was different. I think after careful analysis I'm declaring this summer the best yet. I know it's bold, but I'm convinced. Coming out of the IUPUI work, plunging into the Near Southside, preaching, teaching, praying with countless for Holy Spirit, prayer meetings, not to mention the Lord's Days, the volleyball, the beans and rice, tri-tip, 4th of July and all the folks who made up the Indy household. It's offical this summer wins.

Early May, 8 of us descend on Indianapolis - Northside, Broadripple, Eastside, all over. Nathan and Jon get lost looking for a portion of the southside and decide to just get out and start. We'd gotten a word that day to preach whether or not folks listened. A lot of folks didn't care to listen, but that night Nathan and Jon would end up praying with a woman for the Holy Spirit and see God's Kingdom breaking out there in the Near Southside. It's been ballooning ever since.

We'd go all over the neighborhood in the following months; running into folks who'd prayed to God to send someone, a lot of folks who'd heard the gospel, drugs, some wicca, humble folks, a ton of confusion, some door knobs (slammed in our faces), people asking for the Holy Spirit and the Kingdom of God breaking out. It was real, and often exhausting but the Lord went before us and continues to call us to run harder each day, and discern on our feet.

Friday we did a prayer meeting with the neighbors after our guerilla dinners. For the last few Fridays we've been assembling dinner at our place (thanks to Cook Brummer) on our free Thursdays and sticking it in the frig. Then we pray for people to eat with and show up with a ready meal. Shortly after Beth Couch, Naomi Caneff and I set up a dinner with John and Krissy, we learned that one of our friend's relatives had been shot some months back and was still recovering. She and her niece decided to repent of the their anger, pray for forgiveness, and begin anew with God. God be praised. John, Krissy and the rest of us devided to eat over there. At 5 the food was dropped off, we had a great meal, shared stories of the Lord, and His work in the neighborhood with about 10 folks crammed into that living room. The light shone in the darkness.

Saturday was the one of the coolest Lord's Days ever. Wanting to eat in Southside at our new rental, we had to think creatively to cover enough food for the neighborhood. Again Cook Nah hatched a food plan. In pairs, we knocked and invited folks to dinner while asking for the food needed to preapare it. It was amazing. People gave us yellow cake mix, Bush beans, noodles/pasta, hamburger and even 6 Salsbury steaks. After only an hour we had more than we could eat, and Hannah with her crack team of sou chefs began Macgyver-ing the feast. The rest returned to inviting, preaching, and teaching. That night's feast brought neighbors, a TONAGE of kids, Missionary and visisting V&B crew together for the first of many Lord's Days to come.

Sunday's prayer meeting capped us off at 45 people. It was huge. Chairs filled, kids on the floor and still more leaning against the walls. Soon though some kids began squirming so an exodus led by Laura Ficker engaged the kids outside while Nick spoke on troubles with the rest inside. It was exactly what the Lord wanted to say. The talk on perservering and doing something turned to prayer as folks asked for God's help and direction in their lives. We prayed against addiction, money problems and one 20-something year old gave his life to the Lord. God be praised. God is gathering His people and writing His WOrd on their hearts.

Pray for this last week, to "leave it all on the field" and the coming semester.

Update

People. With the sun set, missionary work done for another day, I thought I'd blast out a post. Some familiar things happened today. Got up this morning with a little extra snuff from an early down time last night (God be praised), personal prayer yielded a more of discussion with the Lord on how to serve.

I've recently learning a lot that you can't read about, you know, you've got to live in it. The realizations like, 'ah that's what Jesus is talking about.' This morning was about Christ being our food. It came a live as I've been hungry a lot recently. Wow, food that makes you full forever - it just made sense when hunger is a part of the day. Probably much more like Jewish life. The Lord was also sharing with me about if we want the places closest to Jesus, we must serve each other. It really struck me that in fasting, we can get caught up in the hunger and not grow closer to the Lord in the same way we can serve others and end up thinking only of our own service rather than growing in love for those we are caring for. In this He's been talking about how I need to be hungering for more of Him and His body of Christians. Hunger for more of the Lord and His People, for His Kingdom come and His Glory proclaimed and if I want more of these I must serve Him and His Body. Praise God.

Then PT (9:43 on the 1.5 mi), I'm coming for you Allendale Junction - the sword is coming to Indy next. Breakfast o' oats - fantastic as usual. And then work began with work teams. I was heading up the Real Estate Research which continues here in Indy, and dinner happened at 2PM. Then a Spiritual Exercise and off to the Southside for mission work.

Tonight's mission became sorting clutter. Many of us experience a lot of spiritual clutter in folks lives, like someone whose been collecting stuff for years without ever sorting it. So a lot of the work of listening for the Lord is about trying to find the light switch and discern what's actually in the room. Taught 2 folks how to do forgiveness and reconciliation, 1 got down on her knees and prayed the sinners prayer - giving her life to the Lord and deciding to start a new relationship with her creator. God be praised.

Also, face update on the rabbi-action...


Now, it's time to sign out and grab some square footage o' flooring. God Bless y'all.

Shalom

Hey y'all.

My Bday just happened (sweet) and with it a web cam (also sweet). The Bid deuce-deuce was great. Nick and I celebrated our Birthdays the weekend before (June 23rd) and had a cake race. I won, though I did have a few less candles to blow out.

Today we had 2 mens and 2 womens groups over on the Southside. I got to play 'oboe-shinatin-totin' and blob tag with the kids, while their parents were meeting.

Tomorrow is the 4th and the Indy household will be traveling to a state park half way between South Bend and Indy. The one:ten household will be meeting us there for some realization (immediately followed by total volley ball domination).

In other news I've decided to officially begin work on the rabbi beard. More on this later.

Vlogging

Last night marked the first vlog of the summer. Building on last summer's experiments, the Citybuilder vlogs '07 are shaping up to be another summer of increased presence, a look into missionary work and technology that rides the wave of the learning curve.

Last night's broadcast was a combination of talk, interview and Q&A. We highlighted some of the things we've really been 'relearning' as missionaries. Stuff that has new meaning in light of living missionary life, namely Christ as King. And while I don't want to ruin the talk for you who haven't seen it yet, this foundational understanding is necessary for missionary work to make any sense. God created/knows/owns everything/everyone, but in a world that colors authority as a 'necessary evil' God's authority gets glossed over. It isn't just that God has a set of laws and you're good if you just don't break them, GOD has a plan - a specific one. One for each of us. So it isn't just about not doing certain things, but discerning what what He wants to do. And there is a lot in the world He wants changed.

The vlog will be posted on the Citybuilder site sometime later today for free viewing, but check out next Wednesday night the 20th at 8PM Eastern/7PM Central for the next live feed.

Sing

Thought I'd bring some folks up to speed. A little boy has died. He was a 13-year-old student in the class of friend. He was down here at Riley Children's Hospital for GI problems, so we got to visit him. We prayed, talked, drew a little bit, he would write down his responses. Around his room are notes from the missionaries, his Lion King toys and water bottle, a few books and movies. His nurses worked around the clock and his grandmother was always at his bed or down the hall, having fallen a sleep. His teacher was at his side for nearly 2 straight days and we would all sing while we were there.

Please keep his grandmother, and his family and friends in your prayers.

Lived Contrast

It's been a while since my last post, but this is honestly one of my first real breaks since I last posted. Right now I'm sitting in Racklin, in Sean's office on Paul Kane's computer - these last few days have been nuts. I spent last week in MN catching up with folks while Nick/Brian were in Phoenix and Jon celebrated his sisters' graduations. Coming back to Indianapolis I got stuck in South Bend, but have stayed busy researching for Budget Meetings, helping with the move into the Colfax house and reading.

I just finished reading the Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne. Shane is part of a stream termed the New Monasticism and lives in a something similar to a hospitality house -think Dorthy Day's Catholic Worker Movement - in North Philidelphia, called the Simple Way community.

The book talks about Shane's desire to know Jesus the guy and where this leads him. It is quite interesting, and Shane is a good writer. Of his stories one really grabed me as we've explored preaching. A few months ago, we heard the Lord ask us to preach. Though we'd heard street preachers before, and the 'turn-or-burn' tactic seemed to do more damage than conviction and converstion. So, we did it differently and since then I've been wondering about how else we might spread the Gospel.

After coming into some money, folks at Simple Way decided to throw a Jubilee Celebration (Lev 25) on Wall Street. They wanted to give the money away and thought they'd have some fun doing it. Jubilee was celebrated every 50 years by the people Israel and during which all slaves had to be liberated, and all mortgaged fields/hosues would return to their owners without payment involved. It was a time for reconcilliation not only among the Israelites but also with God, who was also invited to cancel our debts - Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. It's really quite remarkable.

On the appointed day folks gathered from all around the country, other house communities had been notified and jumped in to help plan and participate. Folks came dressed as business men and women, beggars, tourists and some were - you couldn't tell who was who. Until Sister Margaret and Shane stepped out and in a loud voice, said:

Some of us have worked on Wall Street, and some of us have slept on Wall Street. We are a community of struggle. Some of us are rich people trying to escape our loneliness. Some of us are poor folks trying to escape the cold. Some of us are addicted to drugs and others are addicted to money. We are a broken people who need each other and God, for we have come to recognize the mess that we have created of our world and how deeply we suffer for that mess. Now we are working together to give birth to a new society within the shell of the old. Another world is possible. Another world is necessary. Another world is already here.

And with that Sister Margatet blew the ram's horn to annouce the beginning of the Jubilee Celebration. It had been working for months to set it all up. Using Wall Street as a contrast, folks in the balconies began raining down paper bills, while "the streets turned silver" as everyone invited began pouring out their change. It was contagious. Some folks brought out sidewalk chalk and bubbles, and everyone joined in. This Jubilee Block Party on Wall Street was a lot of fun, gave directly to many folks in need, and provided a contrast. It was a big 'what if' for a lot of people.

Augusto Boal is big on this Street Theater. A contemporary of Paulo Friere in Brazil, Boal worked in Theater as an educational tool where folks could analyze their world. His Street Pieces were sometimes done without anyone knowing it was acting - called Invisible Theater - and was bent on bringing into folks normal routines the opportunities to reflect on the problems of society. On Wall Street it was about the ills of money and what if we really did share, at IUPUI is extreme isolation - what if we waltzed in one afternoon and threw a Lord's Day Celebration right there - invited everyone to join us for lunch, said a modified version of the prayer and ate together. It's not theater in the sense that we're acting - we're just being us in a different place, but it's also preaching in a sense. Ultimately, that's what it's all about. Friendship is an experience and words don't always cut it.