Hermon

So today, we were working with the youth group team from Tri-Village Church in Columbus, OH. We had them make PB&J sandwiches and then go around and give them to the homeless. We encouraged them to talk with them as well. I see at least 5-10 homeless people every day, if not many more. I don't really count. Whether it was the loss of a job, a drug addiction, divorce, or something else, many people have lost hope and live as homeless, thinking that they can never recover. So they ask for money on the streets. They really are everywhere, so New Yorkers quickly learn to ignore them as best they can. They don't get looked at in the face, listened to, hugged, touched. They get used to being seen as insignificant. It reminds me of when the leper ran up to Jesus in Matthew 8. He was an outcast, untouchable, freak of society. But Jesus came close to him, looked him in the eye, and went so far as to touch him. And Jesus healed him. This morning we didn't want to just hand out sandwiches, but to help restore dignity to the homeless. They are people created in God's image too. They are loved by him too. God sent his Son to die for them too.
As the team from Tri-Village spend time with the homeless, I decided it would probably be good to practice what I preached. There was a man sitting at a picnic table close to where we were meeting, and he had been there for quite a long time - obviously he had no where to go. So I offered him a sandwich that we were giving away, and we had a nice conversation. He grew up in NYC, in Brooklyn. We talked about how apartment rent keeps going up. We talked about cars, and how no really needs them in NYC. His name is Hermon. He's in a program where he's staying in a shelter and recovering from a drug addiction. It sounds like things were going well for him. He even got one of the free newspapers that the previous team handed out two weeks ago!
Tomorrow, we are going to be feeding the homeless breakfast at "Father's Heart," a local soup kitchen. I invited Hermon, and I hope he can make it. I pray that Hermon will know that he is greatly loved by God. Are there any homeless people around where you live. I bet there are. They may not be asking for money on the streets like in NYC, but you will always have the poor with you. Help restore the dignity to those who have fallen on hard times by sharing a conversation, and even your possessions (Acts 4:32, 34).

What am I doing this summer?

Some of you may be wondering what exactly I'm doing this summer in New York City. I'm doing "some church thing, right?" Well, something like that.
I am one of the three interns at Forefront Church in Manhattan, NYC. I'm working directly under the community outreach pastor. Our main job is to lead several missions teams in service to the city that will be coming to the city throughout the summer. They come from various churches in the U.S. - some will be all adults, some will be high school students. We will lead each team on servant evangelism, service projects, and prayer walks in the city.
Servant Evangelism - this is a way of sharing the love of Jesus with someone by serving them (profound definition, huh?). Since many have preconceived ideas of Christians (that they are right-wing Republicans who love Bush, hate homosexuals, and love war), service is a way to break down those barriers. We pass out free bottles of water, granola bars, gum, or newspapers on the street - completely free. We also give a small card that says we hope that the gift brightens their day and lets them know that God loves them. On the back, it tells when and where Forefront meets. Most people are pleasantly surprised the it's completely free, though some are skeptical.
Service Projects - these are more specific ways to serve the city of New York. We take about an hour and pick up all the trash down 23rd St., or another street (with gloves of course). We partner with Father's Heart, a local mission, and help serve a free breakfast to those in need (this week 450 people showed up!). We make PB&J sandwiches for the homeless.
Prayer Walks - these are focused prayers for certain areas on location. We go to the United Nations building and pray for the flags of every nation, for the purpose of the UN (peace and human rights), and for Christ's message to be proclaimed to the nations. We go through Union Square Park (a popular hangout in midtown) and pray for the thousands of people there. We go to Wall Street and pray for the companies and our nation, that we would use our wealth for God's purposes. We pray where Forefront meets, that the church would "live by faith, be known by love, and be a voice of hope in the city."
We'll also do some other random stuff, but that's the bulk of it. There's a LOT of planning and preparation that obviously must go into all this. We also lead in some devotions and debriefings. Last week we had out first team from Connection Point Church in Indiana. They were a high school group, and they had great servant attitudes from the very beginning. They were effected as they brightened many peoples' day, learned humility, found a heart for the lose in the city, and prayed. One guy we gave a granola bar to was at church on Sunday. They were a great group to start out the summer with.
We'll be able to reach thousands in the city with a simply message - God loves them and there is hope. We're just doing this work as it seems to work in this context. We trust in God to bring the increase. Thank you to those who have been praying for me. I am only worthy as a servant of Christ. Thank you. To Him be the glory!
(Oh! I also put a bunch of pictures online. Just follow the link on the left of the blog)

Is Anyone Listening?

As a preacher, I sometimes think during a sermon, "Is anyone really listening?" - not just hearing my voice. I've seen my share of droopy eyes and the sounds of heavy breathing. But to those who are awake, am I really communicating with them? Since I've been in New York, I've seen quite a few evangelistic efforts by Christians. And you really can find just about every flavor in New York City. Yesterday I saw three.
First, walking down the sidewalk there was a man with the classic sandwich board over his shoulders. I don't remember exactly what it said. Something like "Repent Now." I know it said "repent." He was handing out tracts that were "miniature Bibles," the contents of which basically said: "you're a sinner and need to repent now or you're going to Hell", with a few KJV Bible verses thrown in. The man who handed it to me didn't have much of an expression, and I just kept on walking. Was anyone listening? (I didn't)
Second, I attended a small, old church for their evening Bible study. It seemed like a time/culture warp. The 15 of us sang out of hymn books, sat through a disjointed Bible lesson, and ended with prayer. I could tell pretty quickly that this church had been doing things the same way for a very long time. Was anyone listening? (I hardly listened)
Third, in the subway on the way home, two women stood up and sang a gospel song about victory in Jesus. People often sing or play instruments on trains for money, so that wasn't anything too unusual. But then a third woman stood up and started preaching to the people in the train! She told us that we needed to call on Jesus, and he would answer our prayers. She spoke as if she was in a black church. She was definitely not. My stop came before she was finished. Was anyone listening? (I tried to ignore her)
Now I don't want to say that these evangelistic efforts did not produce any fruit. God is the one who brings the increase. However, I doubt that many responded to these efforts, as they all were presented so poorly. I'm sure that there are a lot of opinions out there, and I encourage you to make a post if you want, but many of our evangelistic efforts completely ignore the people to whom we're speaking.
It makes me think of Jesus. How did he share the good news? I usually don't see him with a condemning attitude (unless he was speaking to the already "religious"). I see him giving sight to the blind, making the lame walk, casting out demons, and bringing good news to the poor. The crowds were drawn to him. Did Jesus speak of sin? Yes! But he also brought a kingdom of freedom from the effects of sin.
When Jesus spoke to people, he used idioms and illustrations that they could easily understand: a field, soils, a woman kneading dough, a vineyard, two sons, a rich man and a poor man. When the apostle Paul preached, he was strategic as well. He first went to the synagogue of a city, and if the Jews would not listen, he would move on to the Godfearers and Gentiles. In Athens he started his sermon by talking about creation, not exegeting scripture that his listeners didn't know or care about. He spoke in a way that people would understand and listen.
Those who I saw yesterday and many others in the city are my brothers and sisters in the Lord. We are all part of Christ's body, and He can use us all for his kingdom. Do some people need to be confronted with Hell? Yes. Do some people need the old church they remember? Yes. Do some people need to be preached at? Yes. But I believe that MOST won't even listen. I pray that we would be relevant in the way we speak. Let us communicate in a way so that people will really listen and understand.
The hardest part about writing this blog is that the three I saw yesterday were actively sharing their faith with boldness. For much of my life, evangelism has been my weakest discipline. Pray for me this summer, that I would grow in the area of evangelism. And pray that both of us would do it in a relevant way so that people will listen and truly understand the good news of Christ.

Homeless Guys

On Sunday night, I got to spend the evening with some homeless guys. I don't know a lot about the shelter, but Jacob (the outreach minister) often volunteers at the small shelter and spends the night there. There were about 1o homeless guys that showed up. Most of them were older and may have jobs, but either way they don't have a place to live. The cost of a place to rent is extremely high here. We had some sandwiches and cookies for dinner, and most went to sleep quickly. Most of them were easy-going guys. A few of us stayed up a little to watch some of the Yankees game. I didn't spend the night, but I'm hoping that I can go back a few times over the summer.
Jesus often hung out with the poor. I realize that I rarely do. I remember a sermon where the preacher talked about 1 Timothy 5:6-10.
6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
The preacher said to keep from falling into the trap of wealth, we must constantly be giving our wealth away, and we must constantly be around the poor.
I think that's good advice. I definitely need to spend more time with the poor and hopefully this summer will stretch me.

Chexican

So some of you may remember the short-lived restaurant in Joplin called "The Chexican." It included a combination of Chinese and Mexican buffet. It sounds like an amazing idea! I was never able to go though, because it was only open for a few months. Well, in Midtown Manhattan I have discovered a similar anomaly. Last night I ate dinner at "The Taco and Tortilla King," a Mexican restaurant run all by Chinese. Yes that's right, you didn't misread. A mexican place run completely by chinese. Well, it was actually pretty good, though I wonder how long it will stay open. Apparently there are various types of restaurants like these in the city, and I have only yet to find them.

The UN Building

Well, there it is: the United Nations Building. We were able to go to it yesterday to go on a prayer journey around it. It took forever to get there though. I don't think there are any trains close by. I recognized the building pretty quick, perhaps because it seems to be on the Simpsons so often. Anyway, were walked through and prayed for different nations. I hope that as we do this with teams that come in, they will be reminded of the global impact that the Forefront can have, especially in New York.
Across the street from the building was a stairway with an inscription in it from Isaiah 2:4. The whole verse is: "He [God] will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore."
Pretty powerful to have across from the building. In the end, I know that true peace will only come from the gospel of peace, but the UN can still be used by God to bring war, poverty, and violence to an end in many places. I pray that God will use the UN, corrupt as it can be, to bring peace, and open the way for the gospel in places all over the world.