It was two years ago that we last visited our families here in the Pacific Northwest in the winter months. I was very pregnant last December so we could not do our usual travel north for the Christmas holiday. After that last trip two years ago, I put three of my favorite wool sweaters into… Continue reading Lessons from my closet floor
Category: Culture
Priorities
At our Servant Partners staff meeting yesterday, we spent some time discussing how community organizing and church-planting can relate to one another. We talked about a holistic view of people and salvation; we talked about redemption that is both physical and spiritual; we shared stories about how our work in community organizing in urban poor… Continue reading Priorities
Can I have a witness?
I just enjoyed a few rare daytime minutes alone with my husband (thanks Lauren!) out in Pasadena. As we were walking past the Fuller Seminary student parking lot, Doug made a comment about the collection of hulking SUV’s, the smattering of luxury vehicles, and the presence of lots of shiny, new, good-looking cars. (Are we… Continue reading Can I have a witness?
How do we deal with Cinderellas in church planting?
One thing I have learned about parenthood is this: you have to pick your battles. When you have a baby, you likely have in your mind a set of ideals for how you, and your child, will relate to one another and to the world. Then you discover that your child is human. And you… Continue reading How do we deal with Cinderellas in church planting?
There’s no crying in church planting
A couple of things have provoked me this past week to think about church-planting and being a “missional” church, both in my particular situation here in L.A., as well as in a more general context. There is much discussion, some good books, and a few quality blogs that tackle the question of what it means… Continue reading There’s no crying in church planting
Bullet holes and breast augs
There is a van that sometimes parks in front of our house. It is your typical ghetto minivan, and I say typical for two reasons. One is that, in the back window, there is a large sticker proclaiming: “Jesus es Dios. Lea la biblia” (this is a bumper sticker campaign from one of the largest,… Continue reading Bullet holes and breast augs
Quotation of the Week
Through violence you may murder a murderer, but you can’t murder murder. Through violence you may murder a liar, but you can’t establish truth. Through violence you man murder a hater, but you can’t murder hate. Darkness cannot put out darkness. Only light can do that. From “Where Do We Go From Here?” by Martin… Continue reading Quotation of the Week
The homefront
It is horrible when you hear that there has been a killing in your neighborhood. There are times when we will get the news that one or two or even three people (almost always young men) have been killed in a matter of days. I feel so strange when we get this kind of news… Continue reading The homefront
Inconvenienced
My sister came over yesterday for an impromptu play date (actually, she was out of coffee at her house and I was in possession of some very yummy Peet’s Holiday Blend), and we spent some time talking about our plans for our small group. My sister is our leader, so she had some questions for… Continue reading Inconvenienced
Our five seconds
I recently posted our second crib on Craigslist since Mercy has moved on to the world of big girl beds. Some friends had given the crib to us, and it was a cool, antique brass crib. I really loved it, but obviously not enough to have it hang around another day in our bedroom. I… Continue reading Our five seconds