May all of your expectations be frustrated, May all of your plans be thwarted, May all of your desires be withered into nothingness, That you may experience the powerlessness and poverty of a child And can sing and dance in the love of God, Who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Benediction by Brennan… Continue reading Quotation of the Week
A reminder
Last night we gathered at the tutoring center for our evening session together after a long day of painting houses and loving kids. Our pastor had invited members of our youth group to join us for the evening, and after he introduced them all, he invited them to answer some questions and share a bit… Continue reading A reminder
Update
Many have written kind notes of encouragement for me after last night’s shooting. Thank you for your sensitivity and kindness. I thank God for the grace of friends near and far who lift us up in prayer. It turns out that there were at least thirty-eight shots fired, but as far as I know no… Continue reading Update
Inspiration
I received this email yesterday morning, and it moved me so very deeply: Erika, Your blog post today was wonderful. And I’ve been toying with an idea that I hope you can help me with – OR maybe you can direct me to someone else that can help me. I’ve been trying to be a… Continue reading Inspiration
A mother’s cry
We just had a shooting down the street. I was putting the kids down when our apartment was filled with the sound of gunfire. It was so loud and there were so many shots: more than I have ever heard here before. Aaron started to scream from his crib and I raced into his room… Continue reading A mother’s cry
Always with us
In discussions regarding economics, poverty and the like, people will call upon the words of Jesus that proclaim that the poor will always be among us. Many people have a sense that, well, inequality is just a result of the nature and function of social and economic systems, and they are certainly right. I have… Continue reading Always with us
He restores my soul
Yesterday was the kickoff for our “Vacation to L.A.” week with Pasadena Covenant Church. We started our day together with morning worship, and we were privileged to have Dr. Soong-Chan Rah and his family with us. Dr. Rah is a professor at North Park Seminary, and was a pastor of a multi-ethnic congregation in Cambridge,… Continue reading He restores my soul
Quotation of the Week
Not too long ago, those of us at the Simple Way were about to speak to a congregation. The person doing the introduction said, “These folks are a voice for the voiceless.” And something inside me hurt. I gently corrected them. Everyone has a voice. I know many amazing people who have used the old… Continue reading Quotation of the Week
That thing you said you would never do
I always said I would never drive a minivan. Maybe it was a result of those years at North Park, cruising around Albany Park in the Ford Aerostar (the Urban Outreach van) all the time. Maybe it was how I felt joining the minivan masses trying to pick the Staub girls up from their respective… Continue reading That thing you said you would never do
Blessed are the feet
Today was our second day standing outside of Mack Elementary School handing out fliers and registering kids for the sports and art camps we are sponsoring next week. Although I didn’t have my two kids with me today (though they were awfully cute recruiters in their balloon-covered stroller yesterday), we still made for a surprising… Continue reading Blessed are the feet