If you are thinking about joining Mission Year you need to read this! Yeah, you! The one who has been devouring this website trying to figure out if God could possibly be calling you to take a step of faith. Maybe you have been waiting for a sign from God. Well, this may not be a sign, but it is an invitation. I want to cordially invite you on a journey that can potentially transform you into the person you …
I think we need to stop marketing Mission Year as a service program. It really doesn’t do Mission Year justice. Sometimes people think Mission Year is simply an extended short-term mission trip or service project. You know the ones where you go for a week to work on a house or conduct a VBS with kids. Service is definitely an aspect of mission, and Mission Year, but it is not the end goal. Mission Year is really a relationship program, …
If you are thinking about joining Mission Year you need to read this! Yeah, you! The one who has been devouring this website trying to figure out if God could possibly be calling you to take a step of faith. Maybe you have been waiting for a sign from God. Well, this may not be a sign, but it is an invitation. I want to cordially invite you on a journey that can potentially transform you into the person you …
As City Director I have walked alongside a lot of young adults as they seek to pursue deeper relationship with God. One thing that I hear so often is how hard it is to be consistent in doing devotions. Even those that do devotions rigidly struggle with really connecting with God when it can sometimes feel like they are just checking off another item on their to-do list. I grew up within the evangelical church where devotions were presented as …
In honor of The 15 Campaign, we are sharing Mission Year’s 15 Dreams. Dream #3 is a world where multiethnic communities live out reconciliation. This post (originally published on 7.05.10) by Chicago City Director Shawn Casselberry reveals the major barrier than can prevent harmonious relationships and the revolutionary approach that encourages reconciliation. ______________________________________________________ I was part of a multi-racial church plant that went horribly wrong. The majority white church I attended “partnered” with a majority African American church in our …
Lately, I have not been able to go out in public without being interrupted. This may be a common occurrence for celebrity types, but not me. I’m used to going to a coffee shop or restaurant and having a nice, uninterrupted conversation. If it had been one instance I may have just shrugged it off, but having had three separate incidents over three days has left me wandering if there may be something more. On Friday, I was with a …
“For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and by him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of his blood on the cross.” Colossians 1:19-20 I attended the Summer Institute at Duke Divinity’s Center for Reconciliation and came away with a profound understanding of the reconciliation of God. Christ has reconciled everything to God. It doesn’t say Christ will reconcile everything in heaven and on …
The Barna Group did a study of young Americans perceptions of Christians. The word used to best describe their perception of Christian behavior was “unchristian.” The top six things they used to describe Christians were hypocritical, too focused on converts, anti-homosexual, sheltered, too political, and judgmental. What is amazing is that Jesus was nothing like this. This is not the first time non-Christians have made this observation. Gandhi once said, “I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. …
I was part of a multi-racial church plant that went horribly wrong. The majority white church I attended “partnered” with a majority African American church in our college town to plant a multi-racial church in a nearby city. It looked great on paper: a white pastor and a black pastor coming together from two segregated congregations to give witness to the reconciling power of the gospel (and it looked great on the Billboard the church paid for!). I was drawn …
Boystown is a neighborhood in Chicago with a large gay community. Every year Boystown hosts the Gay Pride Parade and thousands of people, gay and straight, “come out” to line the streets to take part. Streets are blocked off and people wear all kinds of rainbow colored outfits. Although I have been doing ministry in Chicago for many years, I have never been to the Gay Pride Parade. I have only heard stories from friends as to what goes on. …
As City Director I have walked alongside a lot of young adults as they seek to pursue deeper relationship with God. One thing that I hear so often is how hard it is to be consistent in doing devotions. Even those that do devotions rigidly struggle with really connecting with God when it can sometimes feel like they are just checking off another item on their to-do list. I grew up within the evangelical church where devotions were presented as …
A couple weeks ago we got a call from our upstairs neighbors that our house had been broken into. When we got the call we were out of town for our annual staff gathering and would not be back in Chicago until two days later. Needless to say, those two days were difficult as we wondered what the condition of our house would be and what of our possessions would be missing. When we finally arrived home we found that …
One night Martin Luther King had a revelation when he opened his refrigerator. As he stared at all the variety of foods, all from different parts of the country and world, he realized how interdependent we are as people. We rely on rice from Asia, coffee from South America, corn from Iowa, oranges from Florida, etc. This food revelation led to a broadening of King’s thinking on the inter-connectedness of humanity. “We are tied together in the single garment of …
The website change.org is looking for ideas that can change our world. They received 2500 submissions for things we can do to make our communities and nation better. Take a look at the top 60 and vote for the 10 that you think are the best. See what others are doing to challenge the status quo and imagine a different world. Let me know what ideas you think are the best and what these ideas inspire you to do to …
We are all cracked vessels. That is what Dr. Cornel West said this past Sunday at St. Sabina Church. I was reminded of this again yesterday while watching the public apology by Tiger Woods. Tiger Woods gave a somber, sincere apology to his family, friends, fans, and business partners. He confessed to irresponsible behavior and selfishness. He expressed his deep regret over how his actions have hurt others and vowed to never repeat the mistakes. The part of his lengthy …
The greatest acts of love are typically the things we do for nothing. We would do anything for the ones we love. We do not get paid to love our families or care for our own children (you get tax breaks for having children whether or not you care for them). We do it because love compels us. We also do things because it’s the right thing. We’ve all heard of stories where strangers will jump in front of a …
Haiti has been on many of our hearts and minds over the past couple weeks. Since the earthquake, my inbox has exploded with emails from dozens and dozens of organizations appealing for support in their relief and rebuilding efforts in Haiti. Churches and youth groups across the country have been asking for special offerings and raising money to assist those most affected. Television ads and celebrities have called our attention to those suffering in Haiti asking for our generous donations. …
The Kaiser Family Foundation just released the results of a study on the media use among 8-18 year olds. Here’s what they found: Today, 8-18 year-olds devote an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes (7:38) to using entertainment media across a typical day (more than 53 hours a week). And because they spend so much of that time ‘media multitasking’ (using more than one medium at a time), they actually manage to pack a total of 10 hours and …
Ignorance is one of the legacies of racism in our country. Racism has divided us by color and class so that we know little about one another. Ignorance is perpetuated through segregation. Martin Luther King, Jr. referred to Chicago as one of the most segregated cities in the nation. After 40 years, it’s still true. The Chicago Tribune reported in 2008, “Blacks make up about 35 percent of Chicago’s population of nearly 3 million and are largely concentrated on the …
So, I’m sure you’ve seen the book Stuff White People Like and there’s a blog Stuff Christians Like. I thought it would be fun to come up with a list of stuff team members like. I have noticed patterns over the years of things that many team members get into during Mission Year… Please add any others you think I’ve left off! 1. TOMS shoes (www.tomsshoes.com). I heard of these last year for the first time and about a third …
