thinking twice and life on life

This past week has been such an adventure. For those of you who haven't heard yet, I'm interning in inner city Indianapolis this summer with Mission Indy. We just finished our first week of training after a weekend retreat with all the interns.

My mind has been racing throughout our discussions with community members about what's going on in this neighborhood and how I want to live. I've been journaling all week to try to mull over and sort through the questions being raised. I've already been thinking about many of these issues (and thank goodness, otherwise I think my brains would come out my ears). I wrote ten pages today working through my thoughts.

So how, then, do we live?

Life on life. Maybe bells are ringing if you're familiar with the CCDA. One of the speakers this week, Phil Edwards from Hope for Indianapolis, talked to us about what it means to live in a community and have a meaningful presence in the neighborhood. I often fear that this whole movement to the inner cities is a fad that will pass with the incoming of the next big idea. I also fear that well-intentioned people who haven't completely thought through the implications and consequences of their presence might be doing harm even while thinking they're doing good.

Example: here in the city, there was a bridge where many homeless sought shelter from the elements. Well-meaning church groups who wanted to do something to help took it upon themselves to bring clothing and food... and then mattresses and dressers and tables... Pretty soon, life under the bridge was pretty comfortable (relatively), and the town began to respond (and not positively). Eventually, the city government came in and took everything out and boarded up the area under the bridge so that the homeless had to seek shelter somewhere else. One local ministry, the Horizon House, mentioned that if the church groups had been willing to partner with existing ministries who know the challenges presented to the poor and more development-focused methods as opposed to temporary relief... maybe the shutdown could have been avoided.

Thinking through every decision is crucial. Here's another example. Habitat for Humanity is building a brand-spanking-new house across from the building where we're doing our training. However, there are vacant houses all over the neighborhood sitting there empty. A member of the community development corporation mentioned that perhaps that work could have been reconcentrated into fixing up existing homes and preparing them for homeowners. Filling these empty homes would do much more to help the cohesiveness of the neighborhood as well as decreasing crime. So, while I never really doubted the work of Habitat for Humanity... we should at least be thinking twice.

What I have come to believe about this whole thing is that we, I, must be deeply committed to the neighborhood in which I choose to live. I want to put my roots down deep, work in the community, do church in the community, live life on life. I want to live in an intentional neighborhood in which decisions are made together about which businesses we support, how we handle troublesome circumstances, how we direct our finances, how we want our families to be an integral part of the community. We bring our strengths to the community and balance out each other's weaknesses. We build each other up and we seek to pour out into the neighborhood. This is our home; this is where we want to be. This is where we will stay.

It has been incredibly encouraging to see Englewood Christian Church's influence in this community. To be completely honest, my hope in the church had been dwindling prior to coming to Indianapolis. I wasn't seeing churches dedicated to their communities and practicing peace and redemptive living. I wasn't seeing Christians caring about their neighbors. But it's a different story with this church. These people are committed to the neighborhood in which they live, do church, work, and raise their families. They are actively addressing the needs of the community and constantly reevaluating and carefully weighing their decisions. It's beautiful.

I've been practicing patience lately (I know you're relieved...). I've been finding one phrase to be particularly helpful as I try to hold peaceable and edifying conversations with people whose viewpoints are worlds different than my own. "Dost thou consider that soul vile for which Christ was content to die?" Whenever I question my ability to remain level-headed, I try to remind myself that Christ was content to die for both myself and this person whose world seems so different than my own. It helps to put things in perspective.

Word of the day: 2 Timothy 2:23-25 "Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know that they produce quarrels. And the Lord's servant most not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth.."