A while back I wrote about our single “star” encounter since living here in L.A. Well, Friday afternoon the kids and I were coming home from Pasadena on the 110 after a doctor’s appointment for Aaron. We reached this point right before Dodger’s Stadium where there is a break in the hills and you have… Continue reading Lasting impressions
Category: Culture
A problematic location
Two things I read this week troubled me. The first was an article on gentrification by urban ministry practicioner Bob Lupton where he considers how those doing urban ministry should think about the different issues raised by increasingly gentrified urban cores (thanks Anthony Siff at MereMission for this link). Lupton writes: “Resisting gentrification is like… Continue reading A problematic location
Ouch
I have two small children (wow, I can’t say that I have two under two anymore!), and getting out of our apartment is at times a physical feat. We have a back door that exits to where our cars are parked, and this is the door that Doug and I have always used to come… Continue reading Ouch
Mix tape
I often write here about the sights and sounds of my neighborhood. It is a lively place that surprises and intrigues me, and while there are occasionally things that shock me there are many more things that begin to feel quote normal and expected. Like loud parties with lots of Mariachi or hip-hop music that… Continue reading Mix tape
Preaching: A meal for the whole family
I preached yesterday on the subject of “testimony,” or telling our story. We are beginning a series at our church that looks at our spiritual growth through different aspects of our Christian life: prayer, fasting, racial righteousness, reading the Bible, etc. My sermon was the first of the series and I explored the reasons why… Continue reading Preaching: A meal for the whole family
Some thoughts on growing up
I was just reading something about the future of youth ministry in the church, and it made me think about what the things were that made a difference for me as a young person growing up in her faith: 1. Christian Camp: All of the “Jesus Camp” press aside, I was deeply affected as a… Continue reading Some thoughts on growing up
A product of her environment
In our neighborhood, there is a significant population of young and old who push shopping carts around. For most of these folks, the carts are filled with their belongings–they are their “homes” so to speak. For others, they are more about commerce, filled to overflowing with the recycling they are able to collect from the… Continue reading A product of her environment
Liability
This week I have had two separate instances where something that I expected to have done could not be because of liability concerns. The first was when I contacted the Salvation Army to come and pick up a mattress we had purchased on Craigslist that ended up not being usable (long story). When the guys… Continue reading Liability
Black and white
I am not known for my love of the police. This dates back to a now infamous encounter my senior year at North Park with two of Chicago’s finest WHOM I FLAGGED DOWN one night a few blocks from my apartment. I had left my apartment to catch a cab when a creepy man started… Continue reading Black and white
Needed: perspective
Often I feel like life here is filled with sacrifice and costly choices. I can even focus on this at times and feel like the joy and life embedded in those things is not accessible or believable. It has been a strange season for me here in many ways. Having lived without many comforts and… Continue reading Needed: perspective