I think I can say that, in general, the collection of the offering is rarely the high point for people in weekly Sunday worship gatherings. This is usually the time where people excuse themselves to go to the bathroom, get a drink of water, whisper to their neighbor, get their Bibles out, or read whatever… Continue reading Sir, give me this water…
Category: South Central
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
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
Lights, camera, action…
I was just out on a long walk with my kids, and as we crossed Adams onto LaSalle I began noticing fliers stuck onto every gate and door with the letters ER in bold font across the top. Curious, I stopped to see what they were and found out that Warner Bros. will be filming… Continue reading Lights, camera, action…
The view from here
The crew of boys that often occupied the backyard space beneath our bathroom and bedroom windows has been gone for more than two weeks now. These guys were the source of a great deal of fear and vigilance on our parts as they were heavily involved in a variety of activities that made us nervous… Continue reading The view from here
A new motivation to clean my house
You know how people say that you should always make sure you are wearing clean underwear in case you end up in an accident and are taken to the hospital? I have a new one: always make sure your house is tidy in case you have to call the police to come and do a… Continue reading A new motivation to clean my house
Welcome
A few days ago I wrote about how it feels to negotiate travel with two small children, and how I can feel like a nuisance or even an offense to those around me. Like the women seated in the row directly behind us on the plane. As soon as my body turned to begin the… Continue reading Welcome
Mystery
I have always regretted the impact that gambling and the lottery have had on poor communities. It seems, in my experience, that suffering, disappointment and hopelessness breed a susceptibility to “get rich quick” dreams and schemes, and I want to slash the tires on the big casino buses that park in front of the Food… Continue reading Mystery
Mission
Ryan Bolger, author and instructor at Fuller, has a great post on the role of the Sunday service in how churches think about evangelism and life together. Doug and I talk about this stuff ALL THE TIME as we live and breathe the challenge of growing a church in our community. Thanks to Todd Hiestand… Continue reading Mission