The Fall of Jericho

Each week I get an assignment in my Intro to the Old Testament course that challenges me to think critically about a part of the Old Testament we are reading that week. This week's assignment dealt with chapter 6 of Joshua. This chapter tells of the Israelites conquest of the city of Jericho. The archeological evidence overwhelmingly suggests that before the time of the emergence of the Israelites, the walls were gone and the population was sparse. So the question becomes, what does this story do for us? The following is an excerpt from my answer to that question.

The liturgical elements of this story are present in the dilemma of how best to breach Jericho’s impregnable wall. God instructs the priests to walk around the wall once every day for seven days, and on the seventh day, seven times. While they are marching around the walls, seven priests will blow trumpets while carrying the ark. The Israelites believe that God is present with the ark, the ark is God’s literal throne in the world. This ritual shows how intimately God is involved in the conquest of the Canaanite lands as God is carried into battle and God singlehandedly topples the wall. God is clearly favoring the Israelites in this narrative.

This text is important for the liturgical life of the Israelites, especially for the Deuteronomistic Historians, because it elaborates on the significance of the ark. The importance of the ark would be diminished if there wasn’t some sort of example of God working through it. The destruction of Jericho, whether factually based or not, is an example of God working in the world and God’s intimate connection to the Israelites. To them, belief that God is literally on the ark means that God must have some action while the ark is in the Israelites possession. If the story of the destruction of Jericho was what we have archeological evidence for, then what is there to say about God blessing this people and being with them as they enter into the promised land? Today this text still carries theological significance for us because it is still a story about God literally moving in this world. Without these stories we would be missing out on a significant theological claim; that God can bring down the walls of our world for the betterment of God’s people.

Car Seats and Carpet Bombs

I'm currently taking a course called Religion and the American Way and so I've been thinking a lot about what that means. The following is a poem on some recent thoughts of mine...
 
So let me tell you a little bit about the country that I'm from. 
We manufacture car seats and carpet bombs. 
We talk of peace in the middle east and the bomb bomb bomb of Iran.
We fight Taliban bullet with American bullet but combat Taliban education with American missile.   
We have policies like No Child Left behind that leave many children behind. 
We balk at the "drug problem" of our cities and ignore the drug cause of our suburbs.
We say 'give me your poor, your huddled masses" and then give them right back.
We ask for safety from our fears and then fear for our safety.
We pay for homeland security that ensures that we never feel secure at home.
We ask for cheap goods at a great cost. 
We are divided over pro-life and over how long pro-life is.
We espouse Pax Americana and forget Jesus died by Pax Romana.
We ask for a Christ professing leader but find weakness in a Christ following leader.
We pray that God blesses America, but never ask that America bless God.
We trade Lamb for Bull.
We manufacture Car Seats and Carpet Bombs.
And we are a nation of contradiction.  

Holocaust Service Learning Trip

Last year I went on a trip to Poland as a part of the Holocaust Studies Service Learning Program at Albion College. During the trip I wrote a journal to document some of the journey as well as record some of my thoughts about each day. It has taken me some time to get this journal posted because the trip itself had such a lasting impact on my life. Much of it was difficult to rewrite, because of the emotions that the story carried with it. It is my hope that you will learn from what I have written and maybe be moved to explore the Holocaust more yourself.
My fiance, Mallory, was talking to me the other day about something she saw at work and how that simple thing brought back a flood of memories from the trip and she couldn't help but think about the horrors of the Holocaust. We cannot see much of what is common place in our life the same. That trip and the education that came with it, changed us forever. Ignorance is not bliss, it is a curse upon the future of humanity. I pray that you will join me in longing to be changed, to have our eyes opened. I pray that the world would see the relationship we all share and that the "other" would be forever erased to become neighbor, friend, family, brother and sister.
To view my journal, look over to the right hand side of the page (blog archive) and click on May, 2009.

Moving Out-In-On-Beyond

Today as I write, I am listening to the rain fall gently outside my kitchen window. The rain has made the house unusually dark for 2 o'clock in the afternoon, so I decided to take advantage of the atmosphere, light some candles, pour a fresh cup of coffee, and turn on some ukulele Jazz. I am now moved out of Detroit and am preparing to move out to Chicago. This move has proved to be thought provoking for me. When I move this time, it will be the first move that I've made where I can definitively say that I will not be moving back to the house that I've called home for the past 22 years of my life. As I pack for Chicago, I pack with the understanding that I'm packing for a longer stay than the three years I'll be in Illinois. It is with that understanding that I have begun to place all of my belongings into three separate piles: one for what's coming with me, one for what will stay behind, and one that I will permanently part ways with.

This past weekend I was staying at my fiance's place and I was looking at all of the little trinkets and things that she had on her shelves and that's what got me thinking. I thought about how all of this stuff was a marker of where she had been, who she was, and what life was once like for her. Those are all experiences that she and I will never be able to share. That moment opened up parts of her that I'd never really seen before. And it made me sad that I would never share in that with her. Now as I pack, I look around at everything in my room. It all has a story, it all has a place in the history of me. Much of it, Mallory will never experience with me, and maybe never understand. Now I know that all of these possessions don't really represent who I am, but my experiences with them tell little pieces of me and that gives them meaning. 


What gives me hope about the future and what gives me strength in the unknown is knowing that, while there may be innumerable parts to each person's life, those pieces all become expressed when we come together. When we gather communally in relationship with one another, we become something more. I am given confidence in the road ahead knowing that what comes next for Mallory and I runs deeper than all of the little pieces we leave behind. Those things will have influence over us and though we never shared in those individual experiences, together we are shaping them into something new; a story of us. Next comes who WE are, and that is far more significant than the man I am alone. 


So as I stood there in her room I realized that all of those things are a part of the story of her, and they will become a part of my story as well. For that, for shared experience, for shared love, and for the sake of following the voice that calls all of our hearts together, I am forever thankful. As I pack I do so knowing that the two most important pieces of my life will be coming with; my faith and my love, and in those pieces I'm called home.

Prayers for the City

In the coming weeks, Motown Mission's website will be releasing an art project that is the symbol of all of the work our volunteers have been doing this summer. At the end of each week, we ask the groups to join into a collage of prayer. When they are all done, their prayers make up a house, a symbol of the work that they've done. On the site, we've compiled many of these prayers into a virtual collage.

Check it out here

Each prayer represents a hope for the future of the city, the individual, and the love that God brings to the world. Many have brought insight and inspiration to my life, and so I've compiled a few for you. The following is a look at some of my favorites:
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"Dear heavenly father, this trip has reminded me of why I became a part of this church. I know now that I can’t do it without you because I’ve tried and it never worked. Lord I thank you for this week, it really refreshed my faith. “when the world hates you, remember that it has hated me first"

"I pray that the hope we have ignited burns long after we leave... and the change in our hearts spreads awareness of those who need us to be God's hands and feet"

"Father, your children here are hurting. Let them feel your presence surround them and your love hold them. Give them the ability to hold onto hope of a future better than they have dreamed. Christ have mercy."

"Just Peace and Love."

"I pray for Detroit. I pray for all the lives we touched this week. But I also pray for the lives here we did not get the chance to touch. I pray that their lived will be touched soon. Changes are being made. I pray things keep changing. I pray for each child and parent we helped by making it safer. I pray for all the things that got done and also all those that didn't That they will be done soon. You are changing things. Thank you."

"Thank you for the unity of Spirit that took place with the team."

"Lord, pour out grace and healing upon Detroit."

"Holy Spirit, restore the city to its place of prosperity, that the glory of the Lord falls upon us. Lord break the spirit of poverty, fear and shame within its walls."

"Lord, use the Church to bring your light into the darkness."

"Thank you for this week. You have been doing so much in this city and love this city. Thank you for putting it on the hearts of those in charge to put on this trip so we can visibly see what difference one person can do. We were able to be your hands and feet, serving others. It didn't seem like much work for us - but to those living in the neighborhood it made a difference and brought hope. Thank you for Brick. For his sister and family - for the refreshment we were able to bring them in simply cleaning a yard. Let him know you through that. He saw you though us. Thank you that we were able to be You to him. Thank you for our group who came, for those who grew this week and know you more because of it. Let us not forget what we have learned and experienced this week."

"Lord, a house is broken, a house is in disrepair, a house is ugly. Your love, Your servants changed a house that's fixed, a house repaired, a house that is beautiful. Your love changed our hearts, your love changed the hearts of those with the house, Your love made a garden grow without weeds, your love made people happy and gave them hope."

"Here in Detroit there are wounds, deep cuts that are leaving deep scars. So even though I believe that we touched so many people in this week, all of the people need assistance not just a select few. So please God love these people and send them your strength, so it will help heal this city. This city is all so filled with hopeful people. Please give them courage. Love. Love. Love."

"Help us to remember that through you, we can be the hands and feet, the light and hope for a world in need. Give us the courage and strength to stand up to and fight injustice wherever we might find it."

"I pray people realize how beautiful the city of Detroit is already, and how wonderful it can be."

"Lord, make me an instrument of your peace - let me be an answer to someone's prayers, as Detroit has been to mine."

"Your love is all we need to change a life. Thank you Lord for Your abundant love."

"I pray for great communities, strong families and places of love and safety."

"Every kid in this city has a place to come 'home'"

"Detroit is Your city and thank for reminding me it's my city too! When we work with you we can make a difference in a big problem. Help is to keep making a difference and help everyone living here to have hope and have your love and peace guide them."

"I pray that the joy I saw in the people of Detroit will be contagious; that it will spread throughout the neighborhoods and among the people, young and old. I pray they will have hope. Enough to take action to carry on the work I now have to leave. I pray for an army of joyful, hopeful people who are energized to recreate this beautiful city - and make it better than its ever been."

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I want to thank each and every person who has been a part of Motown Mission this summer. Your work and love has made a tremendous difference in the lives of so many people. We all hunger for to be closer to one another, to something or someone that can anchor us in when the world seems to slip away. By participating in Motown Mission, you become that anchor for someone else, a beacon of light to the love of God. I can only hope that ministries like this will continue to grow and foster real relationships with God out of love and bravery through the abundant need of God's people.

Set Free

For so many people around the world the standard of living in the United States is an unobtainable goal. This shouldn't be too surprising, especially when we tend to think of starving children on the streets of Kenya, beggars lining the walkways of India, the shanty towns of Peru, and small fledgling villages in the heights of Katmandu, when we hear about folks who can't afford to be American. What tends not to cross most folks minds is that the standard of living of the United States is unobtainable in many places WITHIN the United States. All across the nation, in every city, there undoubtably exists a population that is beyond the brink. In the city of Detroit, this is true for so many, and the thing that always gets me is that it doesn’t have to be that way.

When banks foreclose most of your neighborhood, you are left with depreciating property value. As homes are foreclosed, the rate of crime, poverty, illness, poor nutrition, and death, increase. When banks refuse to lend to perfectly qualified folks in your neighborhood, you are left with an ever increasing rate of foreclosure and abandonment, and the cycle continues. That’s what I find so ridiculous about folks who believe that poverty, crime, and illness are endemic. For some people, that may be true, but to the vast majority of folks who find themselves left out, they are left with no choices. There are more than a few people I know of that have suggested that the best way to “solve” the poverty problem, in the United States, is to simply remove or “eradicate” all of the nation’s poor. This follows the same logic as some other folks who suggested that the best way to cure the AIDS epidemic was to round up all of the victims and separate them from the rest of society until they died off. This line of reasoning denies the possibility that there may, in fact, be something wrong with the way the problem is treated from the very beginning.

Most debates I have ever listened to, about who/what is right and who/what is wrong, ignore the one constant for all time; the past. I have friends who would say that many of the homeless I had worked with two years ago, were products of their own err. During that same time I had colleagues who were working with elementary aged kids in another part of the city. Several of their kids came from single parent homes, where their mother/father had abandoned them and whose remaining parent was a drug addict. The area is so poor that the existing school system is 20 years behind the one I was brought up in. The kids live off of a diet of highly processed food, with little to no fresh foods. Their parents are mostly out of work, so there is little money to buy much of anything as it is. One of the kids had become addicted to meth. He was 10 years old. When he grows up and walks into the office I used to work in and sits down with someone to talk about his needs, what would my friends say about him? Is he the product of his own err? Did he have a choice? 

The biggest conundrum that I think we will someday find ourselves in, is reconciling the benefits gained by some, through the losses of others. I may not be an active participant in what happened to that kid, but because I do nothing to stop it, and that I benefit from it, means that I passively accept it. Life inside the system is a life of either active or passive participation in other people’s oppression. Life outside of the system that so many American’s enjoy is a life of resistance. It is resisting the pressures to fail, the pressures to give up and quit. For far too many, there is no way of getting in. Once you’re out you’re out, even if that means you were born out. Every day is a struggle to see how you fit in the world. Every day is a test of your will to stay afloat. Every time you lose your job, or your kid’s school closes, it is a trail by fire. That is why every day that ministries like Motown Mission and JSCDC send people out to work, there is victory. Every day that someone is able to keep their home, who is on the brink, there is victory. Every time a neighbor mows the lawn in the vacant lot next door, or replaces a boarded window on a foreclosed home, there is victory. Every time the farmers market sells out of produce, there is victory. Every family that manages to stay together, there is victory. Every child that graduates high school, there is victory. And every time there is victory, the chains forced upon someone by the world around them are loosed, and every victory brings us all one step closer to being set free.

Gifts

Almost every night we do an evening worship session with our groups to give them a space to digest what they experienced during the day and relate those experiences to their faith. Tonight we asked the groups about gifts, and how their service relates. My coworker said something that I found to be very thought provoking. She said, “You guys have come here for a week and your experiences will last a week. But what you are doing, Ken will be living in that house for the next 3, 5, 10 years. The work you are doing in this week will be with him for a long time.” In other words, the actions that we carry out, the decisions we make, or even the gifts we give, may only last with us a short time, or in some memory. However, those same actions will continue to have an effect on someone else for a very long time. 

As I think about this revelation it reminds me of worship last night, where we talked about how God asks us to be a light and to do good. One of the questions we asked the youth was, why? Why does obeying that matter? Why should we do good things? If my coworker is right, it is because the effects of our actions last far longer than we may anticipate. God is asking us to act out of love because the choices we make will stick with others for a while and therefore the effects of our actions become magnified.

When folks come into the city and take pictures of all the abandoned buildings and then call them the “face” of Detroit, that has a lasting impact on the image of the city. When shows like Detroit 187 go on the air and claim to be the “real” Detroit, that has a lasting impact on the “safety” of the city. (By the way I know some folks who walked by one of the “murder” scenes from the show, all while being perfectly safe and enjoying their day in the real Detroit). When people talk about the “race riots” of the 60's and forget the race riots of the 40's, that has a lasting impact on the race relations in the city. 

When we go to work in the neighborhood and mow a few abandoned lots, that has a lasting impact on the safety of the neighborhood. When we are able to make a formerly unlivable house, livable again, that has a lasting impact on the quality of life in the neighborhood. When we till the land and successfully grow a crop of corn, that has a lasting impact on the hunger of the neighborhood. Because we do all of these things, instead of what so many other people do, we have a lasting impact on the faith of the neighborhood. It never ceases to amaze me when people see what our groups are doing and then come out and help. It also never ceases to amaze me, when I have a conversation with someone who stops by in the neighborhood and tells me that this work has restored their faith in God and what small acts of kindness are capable of doing.

We are to be lights in the world and do good, because a small act of kindness can go a long way, but so too can a small act of selfishness. That is why God is so good, because God allows us to minister to one another through love. Every group that comes in takes away the knowledge that they gave something of themselves, and that something will continue to grow and spread for a very long time.

Witness

You can drive down any block in the neighborhood that I work in and find a mixed bag. The average block has about 6 abandoned/foreclosed/burnt-out houses for every twenty that exist. Some have far more, some have far less. The Cody-Rouge neighborhood is on the West side of Detroit, just south of Brightmoor and just north of Dearborn. The average income is around $5,000, and the state of the economy and rate of joblessness isn’t helping. The stories that I hear from folks are all the same: “We were doing fine, but now that I’ve lost my job, I’ve got no where to go. We’re stuck, and the bills and repairs keep piling up.”

Cody-Rouge is a neighborhood that is struggling to keep its head above water. The good news is that it is succeeding, but not without its share of struggles. The other day I sat down in the JSCDC office to review applications for the next week’s projects. One of the hardest parts about the work I’m doing right now is that there are so few funds to spread around. When I looked through the enormous stack of applications I was overwhelmed with the size of many of the projects. My job was to pick a few that a group of unskilled volunteers could work on, that could be priced out at around $500 a project. Unfortunately, most of the projects required massive roof work, or plumbing, or electrical. The roof work is incredibly expensive and the plumbing and electrical require skilled labor. Many of the applicants will be left waiting until those gaps can be filled. This was the first time I was able to actually take a look at this seasons applications since I started working for Motown Mission in June. I knew the need had been great, but I was finding myself overwhelmed with the information in front of me. Each application is filled out by hand, so each one is incredibly personal. There is a lot you can tell about a person from the way they write, what they ask for, and how they ask for it. Each application is a hope, a prayer, a chance at a better reality. Each application represents a real person, who had committed the unforgivable crime of falling on hard times, only to look up and find no one there to help out. JSCDC is often a last line of defense in some parts of the neighborhood, the only barrier that is left between a real community and an abandoned section of city property. 

That’s why the work that the volunteers do here is so important. Every day that they are out working, breathes new life into the community. Every day that they are mowing a lawn, painting a house, playing with some kids, mortaring new front steps, painting a swing set, praying with a homeowner, planting some corn, or trimming an overgrown bush, awakens neighbors to the realization that there is something about this community worth saving, worth fighting for. Just today while the group was sitting out in front of the house, taking lunch, three different folks walked or drove by and thanked us for the work we were doing, saying how much they appreciated the difference we were making.

Part of my job over the next few weeks will be to review how we can improve over the next couple of years and help connect those folks with some greater needs to some folks with great heart. As we finish up this summer, the pile of applications still exists, and it keeps growing. But the neighborhood has come alive, and for every application that comes in, more hands from around the block come out to help. If that isn’t the power of the witness of God at work, then I don’t know what is.

New Beginning

This past week I was working with a group of high school students on a house that had been firebombed in February. The homeowner, Ken, had thought he had made a good investment for his daughter and himself when he bought that home, only to have it burn up on him. There are limitations to the work that we can do, mostly due to budget constraints. So for Ken we were told that we would be able to insulate his house, put up drywall, paint, and add some kitchen cabinets that were donated. The problem was that the entire house needed to be redone because it had been stripped after the fire. When groups arrived to work, the home was nothing more than a shell.

However, Ken had faith that his house would be reborn. Our first group put in all of the insulation, the drywall, and two exterior doors. Things were looking pretty good and, when we got our second group in at the beginning of the week, we were excited to get to work. As our group pulled up to the house, a different story was beginning to unfold. The doors were gone. As well as a bunch of tools and the kitchen sink. As Ken put it, "they took everything, including the kitchen sink." 

This is the hard part of this job, knowing that sometimes, no matter what your intentions, there will be someone who does not care, who chooses not to see the good in the neighborhood. (That same week, with that same group, a few young guys walked by and told the group that white people weren't welcome and their help wasn't needed.) It was tough watching Ken and his daughter pull up to the house, knowing that once again he was getting knocked down. Ken was noticeably upset by the situation but after a few moments by himself in prayer he was back to his old self, helping out and joking with the group.

A little later in the day Ken was able to find another door and that's when the good news started rolling in. JSCDC decided that Ken's house would be a perfect example house because it was a complete rebuild. That means that funds that were previously unavailable for the regular jobs were now open. Ken would be receiving an entirely redone home. 

That's the beautiful part of this job, knowing that, no matter what, God will care, God will see the good in the neighborhood and choose to do something about it. I'll be working on Ken's house more this coming week, trying to finish more of what we started, and I know Ken is grateful for a new beginning.

The Destruction of Ignorance

I had spent a lot of time struggling with my calling. Not in the sense that I didn’t want to be called by God, but in the sense that I wasn’t sure if I could reconcile the two very distinct lifestyles that I have grown up in. On one hand, my life has been surrounded by wealth, prosperity, and a kind and loving environment. On the other hand, my heart has grown to love those who are surrounded by poverty, despair, oppression, and a suffocating and subjugating environment. I had a difficult time seeing where I fit. I have always been inclined to follow my heart, because I believe that that is where God speaks to me the most clearly. So I grew to be agitated by the decisions and prosperity of the people and area I grew up with. Part of me knew that if I were to pursue a particular track in ministry it would lead me to be a leader to people that I increasingly could not identify with. However, my experiences in my education and in the work that I have pursued over the past couple of years has reconnected me with reality and restored my patience. The conflict still exists, but the feelings of frustration and anger are far less intimately connected with a particular income bracket and are now directed at specific situations and circumstances.
For example, the volunteers that come to us at Motown Mission are all unique but they all share a similar sense of the unknown. Many groups have had people drop out at the last minute out of fear of the city. The ones that do arrive do so for many reasons, but the struggle for me has been to recognize that each person who comes, comes bravely. I have learned to recognize that each individual has had different life experiences and many of those experiences have not been so blessed as mine. So I have grown to see my role in ministry as one that rights the wrongs of a life of privilege. So many people live in blissful ignorance of the struggles that surround them. For me that focus has been primarily on the struggles of the poor and oppressed, but I have learned, from my fiance, that that ignorance can extend to a great number of things, including the environment and rest of God’s creation.
At Motown Mission we focus on the “slow motion Katrina” that is the economic disaster that plagues the city of Detroit. Within that we try to show our volunteers that the people they are serving did not choose this. The city did not collectively decide to become one of the poorest in the nation. What many of the neighborhoods have collectively decided is to reclaim what is rightfully theirs. In my eyes the city is like any other oppressed group of people driven to the brink. It is taking what no one will give it. There are neighborhoods in the city that have decided that they are fed up with the current system that exists, because that system treats them like they don’t exist. So neighborhoods take charge. No grocer will move into the city to provide fresh fruits and vegetables, so the people grow their own. No bank will lend to give them money to buy a vacant house on their street, so the block maintains the yard to keep the crime down. So few people want to help out with the task of, literally, cleaning up the streets that the job becomes impossible to handle, so when people do come out to clean up, local businesses offer discounts and a helping hand. There is so little money available that people can't afford goods or services, so some local business owners will barter the skills that are available.
It is because of all of that that I have loved working for Motown Mission. This job has given me the opportunity, every week, to help right the great wrong of privilege. This job has given me the chance to open peoples eyes, to see the world a little differently, to walk away a little less afraid, and a little more angry for all the right reasons.

Motown

For the past seven weeks I have been working for a non-profit organization called Motown Mission. I am the Project Coordinator, someone who arranges all of the work sites that our volunteers will be sent to, as well as work with Joy-Southfield Community Development Corp, assisting volunteers on site with construction and redevelopment. A much smaller part of my job has been to live in the community in which I’m working, so I’ve been living in a small four bedroom, one bath house in West Detroit, on Warren, with six other interns. Some of my house mates have jokingly called the area we live in Deartroit because of the close proximity to Dearborn. Our neighborhood is a mix of the Middle Eastern flavor of Dearborn and the often harsh realities of suburban Detroit.

My schedule has been crazy this summer, one that I had not anticipated by any measure. Every morning has been an “early” wake up call around 6 am. Closely followed by driving across the city of Detroit to Metropolitan United Methodist Church to prepare breakfast for our campers. After breakfast and devotionals I inform the groups of where they will be working that day. From there it is a drive back across the city to JSCDC to work with our volunteers on any of the construction jobs that JSCDC has planned for them. After working with the groups on the job site from 9 am until 3-4 pm, I have a break until dinner, when I drive back to Metropolitan eat, help out with the evening worship and whatever other activity is planned for the campers for the evening. Then it’s back home in West Detroit for a little relaxing before bed.

I’m entering into the last week of my job here at Motown Mission and I realized that there are somethings that should be said about the work that my coworkers and I have been doing. So I have rebooted this blog to share some of the lessons I’ve learned and experiences that I have had.