Cheeto Counseling

These two things really did happen on the same night:

1. I ate a cheeto, soaked in tub full of water, moldy salsa, chicken poo and hot sauce.

2. (on a van-ride home) One of our youth shared with me that she was incarcerated by the age of 12, raped by an auntie's boyfriend, separated from a biological brother because of his mental illness, and deeply affected by the murder of a sister she had never met.  

As to the first, our Fear Factor club was wild and crazy, just as we hoped.  The Orange Avenue building surged with intermittent laughter and squeals.   Laughter is good medicine for hurting people.   And it's hard not to laugh at people eating fried chicken feet, drinking spit-mixed lemonade and enduring the sting of bare feet in tubs of crushed ice.

And to the second, I have a few thoughts.  I hurt deeply when I hear what some of our youth face at such an early age.  I hurt with them.  I pray like crazy that God will bring more adults to walk these rough roads with our students. I am faced with a reality that a 10 minute message about God's love is just the speck of a beginning of a magnanimous healing process.  And, I am left looking for a day when healing is assured; when dignity and innocence are restored, when pain and self-doubt and fear are cast away, when pure love, acceptance, and rightly directed intimacy abounds.  

For her, come Lord Jesus.

Straight Up. Outreach.

In case I forgot somewhere, between the cheese pizza and slurpee stops: this is OUTREACH.

I was vividly reminded of this fact last night in a small group discussion with 11 of my guys.   Together (loosely defined), we read the story of Thomas, whom doubted Jesus rose from the dead and was in front of him.  Not until Thomas touched the wounds of his side, did he believe. I acknowledged that we all have some level of doubt.  My question for them was simple and related:

"What gets in the way of you believing in God?"

The answers were as follows:

"I don't believe in God.  I think it's all bullshit."
"I can't see how God would allow poor people to suffer.  They probably try to follow him too."
"I am a Muslim.  Allah spoke to Jesus, but my sheik told me they are always adding stories to the Bible."
"I just don't believe the things that the Bible says, that thousands of people were fed from 3 fishes, that Jesus walked on water."
"I just think that everyone is bad when they are young and that they follow God when they get older."
"I think God scares people into believing in him.  People only come to God once everything is bad in their life.  You never see it the other way around."
"I just can't believe in something you cannot see."
"I don't believe in anything."

There wasn't a single dude that said, "I'm in.  This is for real."  Not even close.
My guys keep coming.  My guys hear about a God that loves them radically, unconditionally.  I am sure that they are intrigued.  Now God has to do his thing.

I am excited to see how this story unfolds.  We are hanging with the right crew.  They are the ones God longs to show up for, to express his acceptance of.   But the chapters are going to play out over years, not weeks or days.  I'm just happy that I get to be near the action.

UrbanLife Explained

In this short Video, I introduce you to the work of UrbanLife. Enjoy. Props to Danny Kim.

Colts Hoops Camp

Marvel at our developing leaders.  They spent their Spring break planning and running a basketball camp for the younger kids in the neighborhood.  In it, they experienced the joy that comes with serving others.  I am proud of them.