What inspires you? What leads you to think you can conquer the world? I think we all have moments where we just let ourselves enter a place beyond ourselves. I am admittedly a big-time dreamer, and I have many moments where I am in “dream mode.” These dreams usually lead to ideas and projects. I am also a starter, so dreaming is only the beginning – implementation is also something I have come to enjoy. What, then, is the difference …
A few years ago, Donna and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary with a trip to Italy. It was the trip of a lifetime, and so inspirational. The part of the trip that remains strongest in my memory is our time in Florence where we got to see Michelangelo’s David. I had a decent appreciation for art up to that point, but this experience took me over the top. It was an awakening. I stood there in awe as I …
I have never watched The Bachelor, a popular show that has been on for about ten years, but apparently they have never had an African American as the main character on the show – the person choosing from a group of eligible women to marry. The creator of the show was interviewed and quoted as saying he would love to have an African American but he could not find anyone. Really? This statement sounds very familiar. In fact if I …
In this moment, how can I best love God and love people? This is a question we ask our team members to keep in their minds as they move through the year. This question is meant to cause them to stop when confronted with a dilemma in their lives throughout the year and make good decisions based on how God can best use them in that moment. It is meant to keep team members in the present, to keep their focus …
Donna and I have known each other for a very long time. We went to church together as kids, served in the same youth group, and went to the same college. We started dating in college and married very young. We have started businesses and ministries together, had incredible vacations and intense struggles. We have five children, and have loved raising them together. I have known and loved Donna for a very long time, but I have never loved her …
Five new team members have joined the work of Mission Year this month in Oakland, CA. These new volunteers are urban high school students who have gone through an application process and joined together to serve their cities, learn together, be accountable to a mentor, and love their neighbors. This new endeavor addresses an issue on my heart for a very long time. Since Donna and I answered God’s call in our lives 22 years ago, we have been painfully …
The Kingdom of heaven is at hand. Join the move! Celebrate people, lift up Jesus, establish justice, institute the sacred, and overcome evil by doing good! Over the next two weeks I will be doing some incredible stuff and would love to connect with friends along the way. If you can participate, please join me. The work of the Kingdom is so exciting and people are connecting in all kinds of ways to represent God’s work in the world! Saturday …
“But the end is reconciliation; the end is redemption; the end is the creation of the beloved community. It is this type of spirit and this type of love that can transform opposers into friends. It is this type of understanding goodwill that will transform the deep gloom of the old age into the exuberant gladness of the new age. It is this love which will bring about miracles in the hearts of men.” from “Facing the Challenge of a …
I am so excited to be celebrating 15 years of loving God and people this year, and even more thrilled about the next couple of months! We kicked off the year’s celebrations last month with over 70 alums at a dinner during the CCDA conference in Indy. It was a great evening with alums representing all 15 years. It was a night to remember as we traded stories and memories. This year, we will pass the 1.5 million mark for …
In October of 2005 I walked through the city of New Orleans and the images of that day have been burned into my memory like a brand. The devastation was overwhelming as I saw houses literally moved off their foundations, cars flung about like toys, trash and debris as far as the eye could see. My heart was torn while I helped an elderly gentleman in the 9th ward try to recover some pieces of his memories in his water-damaged …
The theme that has been constant over the past 15 years has been the joy of seeing relationships built that change the lives of our team members as well as the neighbors we meet while serving. The awe-inspiring moments, I think, are when I get the letters that celebrate ongoing relationships, the moments that go beyond community service, newsletters and curriculum — relationships that last and people that love each other beyond the boundaries of missions. The following is one …
Over the next year, Mission Year will be celebrating 15 years of serving the poor in urban communities around the U.S. and Argentina. This year we have young people serving in 6 cities. What you will see over the next year, through 15 stories I will present, is that Mission Year has been the first step in many lives that now serve the world. Please enjoy this year of celebration. Four years ago this month, I arrived in Chicago. I …
“The King is dead.” This is the announcement that comes when a monarch has just died. “Long live the King!” refers to the heir who immediately succeeds to the throne upon the death of the preceding monarch. Although this saying in many ways seems cold and void of relationship, and seems to be insensitive to the king that has just died, it immediately honors the new king and the continuation of the monarchy. Our year has just ended, and we …
This is a hard week in my neighborhood. Father’s Day is not a holiday that brings good feelings for a lot of people growing up in the city. There are a large number of families where dad is missing, so Father’s Day becomes a source of pain rather than a celebration. I can relate to this feeling as most of my teenage years were without my dad in the home. Father’s Day was usually spent watching other families and listening …
Some nights you don’t sleep. Those are the nights when the weight of the world is on your shoulders and you just can’t let it go. Tonight I lay in bed trying to get some rest, but I can’t. I don’t know if it’s the Holy Spirit trying to speak to me or if I am just carrying too much on my shoulders. All I know is that on these nights, I don’t sleep. I just pray. I pray my …
Growing up in the city has always been a pretty positive thing for me so when the term hood was created by those that live in struggling urban neighborhoods as a way to offer self identification with a particular place and culture, I embraced it as a good thing because it was a way of self identifying. The term hood is, for me, a response to the negative connotation of “inner city”. I learned most of what I know about …
Have you ever thrown a rock in the center of a lake? The rock makes a splash, which is exciting in and of itself. But something else occurs after the splash – little ripples that flow out from where the rock entered the water. These ripples are even more engaging than the initial splash, because they linger and create wonderful waves that move out in every direction. It gets even more beautiful when you throw in several stones. Each creates …
President Leroy Barber wrote a guest post for our friends over at PlywoodPeople.com. We’d love for you to visit them and check out their work. ____________________________________________________ I have met with a number of young leaders over the years that are starting non-profits, churches or community houses in neighborhoods of need. These young women and men are eager to change the world and are not waiting for permission to start. They are choosing to act on their beliefs with passion, vision, …
I was incredibly saddened earlier this week as I read an article by Christine A Scheller titled “Who Gets The Money?” on urbanfaith.com. Although I have lived with this reality swirling around me for over twenty years in ministry, it was still shocking to see it documented in print. The fact that organizations run by African Americans suffer simply because they are at the helm is quite an indictment on Christianity. The feelings caused me to tear up as I …
Harold is a team member in Atlanta who has dedicated this year to serving. He is from the city of Chicago, and he shares his experience and heart with us this month: This year, I live in a mostly Latino populated trailer park in a predominately African American neighborhood. I volunteer with a ministry called Moncrief Community Ministries. Moncrief Community Ministries seeks to impact the East Point, Georgia community through community care, education, social entrepreneurship, and partnerships. Our team helps …
