Finding Home

"Home.  What kinder place could there be on earth, and why did it seem to them all like exile?  Oh, to be passing anonymously through an impersonal landscape!  Oh, not to know every stump and stone, not to remember how the fields of Queen Anne's lace figured in the childish happiness they had offered to their father's hopes, God bless him.
"She had to speak to neighbors in their gardens, to acquaintances she met on the sidewalk.  Strangers in some vast, cold city might notice the grief in her eyes, even remember it for an hour or two as they would a painting or a photograph, but they would not violate her anonymity.  But these good souls would worry about her, mention her, and speculate to one another about her.  Dear God, she saw concern in their eyes, regret...
"That odd capacity for destitution, as if by nature we ought to have so much more than nature gives us.  As if we are shockingly unclothed when we lack the complacencies of ordinary life.  In destitution, even of feeling or purpose, a human being is more hauntingly human and vulnerable to kindnesses because there is the sense that things should be otherwise, and then the thought that what is wanting and what alleviation would be, and how the soul could ever be put at ease, restored.  At home.  But the soul finds its own home if it ever has a home at all."

-from Home by Marilynne Robinson

Praying for Christmas Joy

"Glory to you, O God!  Peace on earth!  Good will toward all people! 

My spirits sag, my voice stammers, as the angel song rings out once more.  For there is all too little of your glory to be discerned through the murky disarray of these times.  Surely there is no peace on earth.  Goodwill is thinned out and spread lightly upon the surface of human relationships.  The nations growl at one another, and the peoples of the earth shudder beneath the threat of annihilation.  Will the spirit of peace and goodwill prevail, O Lord?  Will the nations beat swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks?  The hope comes surging back as the angels sing against the skies of Christmas once again.
But even as I hope once more, I examine myself.  And in the light of the Christmas star, my spirits sag to half-mast and my voice stammers into confession of my own inadequacies.  I do not feel much glory in life right now.  I say "Merry Christmas," but it lacks much of a shine.  I am hurried and harried, my nerves all ajangle.  I take a time of peace and sing about it, while my nervous system screams protest against the pressures of the season. 
Sometimes, even when my good will is forced, and my jolly words are pushed through clinched teeth, I wish the whole thing were behind me so that I could be my cranky, crotchety self again, without feeling guilty.  Yet when I stop to think, I do not really wish it were all behind me.  I know there is a beauty I must not miss.  So relieve my mind and relax my tension by your Spirit, O God.  Take the pressure off and let me feel the Presence of the Child of Bethlehem."

-Rev. Dr. Kenneth Phifer

I really do like to feel what I'm supposed to feel at a given time.  At funerals, it is much more convenient to feel sad than to giggle uncontrollably at a wonky line in a hymn.  On birthdays, I want to feel upbeat about life.  In a class or workshop, I'm supposed to feel studious and inquisitive.  I think holidays carry a double-edged stress because there are so many idealized "supposed-to's" involved.  Christmas is king of that, with a trouncing religious celebration accompanied by family gooshiness by the ton.  And yet... we try to celebrate the birth of the savior of the world in the midst of troublesome people.  Those people get sick and they get short-tempered and their problems don't go away just because we're in a holiday season. 

Nor should their problems be sufficient to smother the beauty that we must not miss.  Even when I don't feel like pasting on a smile for bells and reindeer, there is a song to be sung-- a song that cries out for Emmanuel to come, that cries out for a world that needs the hope of Jesus, that cries out for all of us feeling the wrong things and looking for what's right.

Call for Connections

A way to test the connectivity potential of the web... =)  Driving a route from Nashville to San Diego, I'm looking for a few friendly places to stay as the year turns and I move west (Dec. 30 - Jan. 4).  Obviously with driving, I have some flexibility.  Know anyone along a route that hits Texarkana, Dallas and Tucson?  (Basically jumping down interstates 40, 30, 20 and 10!)

Let me know!

Ch-ch-ch-changes!

I haven't posted raw facts for awhile, mostly because I've been in a sort of neutral gear.  Not that things haven't been moving, but the motor hasn't been revved for any hills or rises.  That's good for me, I think-- as a person who loves to work and strive and get over the next hill and around the next bend.  As I putter along in the quiet of a stalled engine, God does astounding, wonderful things.

1.  Funding.  Wondrously, miraculously arrived at 93% funded.  Because nearly half of that came in one-time cash gifts that will parse out to see me through part of the year, I know that I'm nowhere close to being able to put up my feet and call it done, but it's still a fantastic thing to see.  Particularly because it gives me the go-ahead to...
2.  MOVE!  I have begun looking at maps and routes, and the current plan is to start driving right before New Year's, attend a dear friend's wedding in Texas, and roll into San Diego in the first week of January.
3.  And I will live in City Heights!  Thanks be to God, I have a place to live confirmed, with 2 housemates who've been living there for awhile (both women who work for InterVarsity in community colleges, who have also been on the Global Urban Trek-- fun connections).  The short version of the story is that a friend connected us in August, knowing that I was getting ready to come to San Diego... at some point.  Unfortunately, I had to keep pushing back my relocation date as I continued to raise support.  In October, I gave up trying to hold on to this living situation and assumed I was back to square one.  Along came the end of November, the plan to move SOON, and the need to find housing.  I began asking around again, and the room was still available!  Hooray!  The landlord hadn't charged rent on that room, simply praying that "the right person would come along to fill it." 

What peace-filled, wonderful gifts.  Many, many answers to prayer are woven through all the developments of the past few weeks, and I give thanks and praise to the God who is the author and giver of all good things.

Keeping Facebook

Great to hear from several folks in reaction to the last post in criticism of Facebook and similar media.  To confirm my flip-flopping non-alignment with the previous post-er =), here I'll share a Twitter bit in favor of using social media for the good of the gospel (thanks to Hannah for sending this to me!).  John Piper puts it eloquently:

Yes, there is truth in all of that, but instead of boycotting, try to fill these media with as much provocative, reasonable, Bible-saturated, prayerful, relational, Christ-exalting, truth-driven, serious, creative pointers to true greatness as you can.

I agree with Piper that not everyone is called to that-- it's for each person to work out how they will glorify God.  Not all of us should write books (or blogs!), any more than all of us should preach - or build buildings - or tend the sick - and so on.  I'll admit that some days when I log into facebook, my thoughts are centered on what a random person would perceive about me: what do my pictures and posts and interests and quotes say about me?  Those are days I'm not proud of; those are days I'd be better off writing a letter!  My hope is that the corrective is discipline, rather than amputation.  It's a discipline-- and a joy-- to exalt Christ and express love to my friends and acquaintances through various media.  I fondly think of a friend who, in reference to Christian responses to proliferating technologies, said that it seemed plausible that Jesus would have used a cell phone for its advantages-- and the Apostle Paul definitely would.

I think of that often in these fierce musings about whether we twitter or blog or call or email or send a status update.  I love the image of Paul with a cell phone, perhaps angrily pacing around while on the line with Corinth.  But it's true!  Paul thought it was vitally important to be in touch with the people he loved and the churches he had invested in.  As a man of integrity, he did what he could to minister to them over distances and through his sufferings.  Likewise, sorting through our menu of social outlets, will [facebook/ blackberry/ twitter/ etc.] advance our work and mission, or will it drag us down?  It's closely linked to questions of what it means to choose to live simply-- and to what end?  That's a much bigger discussion!

In the meantime, I'm content to do what I can, reaching people how I can-- with a patchwork of facebook and email, phone calls and meetings, skypes and texts and good old fashioned cards every now and then.  Be well, do good work, and keep in touch [by whatever means necessary]!

Leaving Facebook?

In the immortal words of Fiddler on the Roof-- "Unheard of!  Absurd!"  But in reality, I've heard more and more murmurs of discontent with the social network leviathan recently.  Whether from my peers' discontent with how much it's changed since we were in college, or from deeper philosophical sources like the blog excerpt below, that discontent raises good questions.  I've just pulled a tiny bit of Dan's writing on the matter:

so why did i leave facebook? haha. all in all it was a personal decision. all the arguments above weighed heavily on and largely influenced the train of thought that led me to now. which is why i spent so much time explaining them (hopefully i did it coherently enough). for the most part facebook was full of conversations about nothing. it’s a metaphor for narcissism among other things. we’ve recreated ourselves anew in the image of our ego. or rather we are created in the image of our technology. so we create our own gods. so perhaps all this is a really perverted form of vanity for we are idolizing ourselves. obviously this was not mine or anyone else’s intent upon first entering the medium but that’s why its significant to understand the metaphor. on facebook, you can be a new person. you can be a different person. you can be you! of course a person can seemingly use it responsibly but it still doesn’t justify how one imposes upon oneself a meaningless and impotent metaphor for being.


there’s also the argument for facebook being a rolodex of sorts, enabling us to keep in touch with people despite time and distance, you know, social networking. to this, each his/her own i suppose. but again i would set forth the argument of the impact of globalism. back in the day people’s communities were local. they sent letters to those far away or they didn’t and that was that. their narratives were stronger in that the wellness of their community was contingent upon the intimacy and proximity of its members. by stronger narratives i mean they had stories to tell. this idea of narrative warrants another post in and of itself but by and large its power is lost on us today. we no longer tell stories because there’s no need for it in a globalized community. which is why keeping in touch is a weak excuse when we do not even know our neighbors next door. unfortunately its all things local that suffer and the idea of ‘neighbor’ is fast becoming a social artifact. and of course the ramifications of such runs deep and wide especially when that jesus guy mentions a lot about it..neighbors. we have to wonder whether its the words that need redefining or if its something larger and systemic that needs fixing.


 if one is honest with themselves it is in fact a lie and a selfish thing to think facebook provides a way of community. at least this is what i found to be true for myself. sorry, i shall try my best not to universalize my experiences. the people i care about that are not local to me i already keep in touch with through means other than facebook. but i know i can do better. but i have not in the past because there was always the ease of facebook. it is in fact a crutch to genuine relationship. not quantity but quality. an example. recently someone sarah and i know and love became pregnant. instead of learning of it on facebook, we were graced with a call from the source herself. of course, if we were on facebook, we would’ve learned about it all the sooner but by eliminating the medium that stood between us, it made the learning of that knowledge and the experience of it that much more visceral. that much more poignant. that much more real.

Baby of the Family

Jack brought home his new puppy almost 2 weeks ago, and "Leroy" is definitely the first, favored grandchild.  He can't lift a paw without a chorus of "awwwww".  He'll be 8 weeks old in 2 days... we'll see how long the extraordinary cuteness lasts.

They love each other.

Will You Conspire?

I am adamantly opposed to Christmas trees, lights, and carols before Thanksgiving.

However, because many start discussing family strategems for the NEXT holiday while gathered for this one, I am conceding and sharing this video, because it's a powerful invitation to reconsider Advent/ Christmas/ the coming of Christ.  I know: it's not always fun to buck traditions.  But it might be right to buck some traditions.  Think about how much of commercial Christmas is designed to make you feel worse if you don't consume enough, buy enough, or spend enough.  Consider.  Conspire.



Disclaimer: I find it very difficult to run against the grain even in my own family, where holidays aren't extravagant... but the giving is still generous, and it feels like rather uncertain territory to take the focus off the THINGS that we want/ give/ receive. So I'm just saying, I found this video inspiring. It makes me want to keep trying. Keep seeking. Start seeing in Christmas the world-changing, light-bringing event that it is.

Changing Season

Yesterday I looked around, and the scene was suddenly bare and brown.  The glowing orange trees along the driveway, whose color I had savored with each early evening sunset, were done. 

At that moment, it seemed profoundly similar to my "sudden" switch as I begin to plan for life on the west coast, now aiming to move with the first of the year.  How can a transition be sudden when you've had your eyes tracking it for almost a year?  (Why is it a mild shock to see trees bared for winter?)  Yet, realities like health insurance and housing have a way of making it real!

So, the seasons change in that mysterious methodical way.  The sun slants differently.  Life shifts gears. 

Bright Shining Glory

ARISE [from the depression and prostration in which circumstances have kept you--rise to a new life]! Shine (be radiant with the glory of the Lord), for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you!
- Isaiah 60:1 -

God loves you.  God knows you.  When God's attention, gaze, and concern fall upon you, though, what's it like?  With a sharp intake of breath and a slight squirm, I realized how acutely uncomfortable I felt about that.  Thinking of God paying attention to me directly felt like standing on a stage in a glaring-hot spotlight.  Embarrassed, afraid, wondering why there wasn’t someone else who could be standing there to act/ dance/ perform/ whatever.  In my mind's ear, there was a mortified sizzle as I melted onto the dark stage.  Lord only knew who might be watching from the black space beyond the stage-lights, but I sure didn't want to be on display for them.

Yet, I am coming to realize that God wants that light of his glory on his people—it is a thing intended to be GOOD—and as I slowly accept God's brilliance and my place in it, it begins to feel more like a warm, enveloping kind of glow in which to dance (or do whatever) confidently. No longer a place of danger or fear but of God’s love and pleasure.  God's light-- God's glory-- isn't too much for me.  I don't need to duck into the wings, or shield my eyes, or desperately push someone else onto centerstage.  I was made to be radiant.  If the light has come, ain't no shame in it.

"Glory of the LORD."  Collage of paper & mixed media.  Nov. 2009

Where are all the Exorcists?

Wanted to post a fabulous sermon (download free, or if you don't have iTunes, you can listen online here) by Brian Blount, president of Union Presbyterian Seminary.  He preached it last spring at Duke's Martin Luther King, Jr. Lecture Series.  In it, Blount takes on the brief story of Mark 9:38-39, where the disciples proudly come to Jesus with something to say: "Teacher," said John, "we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us."

Is the most important thing to be "one of US?"  The in-group, Christians, holy huddlers, disciples.  Or is the important thing to cast out demons?  To call on the power of Jesus' name, to be FOR the good things that God is doing.  And what would it mean to be both a Christian AND an exorcist?  I can't do Blount's argument justice, so you should really listen yourself.  But for a peek at the sermon's climax:

"To be a Christian exorcist you've gotta be a sojourner of truth wherever you encounter a lie.  To be a Christian exorcist, you've gotta be able to declare 'I have a dream' and be ready to live out that dream in this nightmarish world.  To be a Christian exorcist, you must be willing to change the world in Jesus' name even when the people who run this world and claim allegiance to Jesus do everything in their power to shut you down.  We need exorcists who will raise their voices in unconventional ways."

Challenging Abundance

About this time last year, I was desperately doling out produce. We had had a mild autumn here in Tennessee, and in spite of an extended drought, tomatoes and apples in particular produced in droves. For me, it was a dramatic manifestation of reaping where I did not sow—house-sitting and taking in the harvest. Week after week, I battled to find ways to eat and share bushels of food before losing it to rot and mold. I was generous (carrying bags of fruit everywhere with me) and I was creative (apple crisps, tomato sauces, freezing, drying…), but it seemed like the supply would never run out.

As cold weather began to set in, over 30 pounds of apples remained on the porch. No one at church wanted any more. Neighbors had their own apples to eat. I had made enough apple pie. And then we had our house painted. I cautiously told the painters they could take as many apples as they wanted. The next day, we found the empty sack on the porch. What an incredible relief!

I thought a lot about that experience last Thanksgiving, and I find myself remembering it again now in the final days of the church stewardship season. I remember how thankfulness for home-grown tomatoes turned into dread of rotten tomatoes. The thrill of picking apples by the bagful became guilt over piles of softening apples. But without mold or worms or decay, what tells us how much is too much? What triggers our switch from gratitude to guilt? I can’t think of any other resource I’ve ever sought to share as desperately as I did those fruits last fall. The gravity of the country’s economic recession was becoming more obvious, and I had more than I possibly needed. I learned in tangible terms the problem of too much and its relief-filled solution of abundant generosity.

I don’t think it would have made me nearly as happy if the painters had taken a small bag of the apples, leaving me a little stash in case I wanted another batch of apple sauce. The thrill was that they were all gone—taken off my hands.

Can we accept the challenge that abundance brings? Are we up for knowing when enough is enough, working to put it to good use, and being delighted when it’s gone?

“Jesus looked him hard in the eye—and loved him! He said, ‘There’s one thing left: Go sell whatever you own and give it to the poor. All your wealth will then be heavenly wealth. And come follow me.’
“The man’s face clouded over. This was the last thing he expected to hear, and he walked off with a heavy heart. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and not about to let go.”     -Mark 10:21-22

Drop Everything

Mixed Media, September 2009

It had been awhile since I'd done much art, and I tried diving back in this fall-- as a discipline and a joy.  This was a first attempt, after a few other paper-and-glue creations. 
What happens when we stop juggling and let the balls stay in the air?

Strains of False Fellowship

Been thinking a lot lately about being known by people and how completely, incredibly different it is to be known by God. We need both; we were created for both; yet sometimes it seems so much easier to hold back to ourselves. And then this devotional was yesterday’s soothing word from the book I mentioned a few weeks ago: Jesus Calling by Sarah Young.

“Come to me with your defenses down, ready to be blessed and filled with My Presence. Relax, and feel the relief of being totally open and authentic with me. You have nothing to hide and nothing to disclose, because I know everything about you already. You can have no other relationship like this one. Take time to savor its richness, basking in my golden light.

One of the worst consequences of the Fall is the the elaborate barriers people erect between themselves and others. Facades abound in the world, even in my body, the church. Sometimes, church is the last place where people feel free to be themselves. They cover up with Sunday clothes and Sunday smiles. They feel relief when they leave because of the strain of false fellowship. The best antidote to this artificial atmosphere is practicing my presence at church. Let your primary focus be communing with me, worshiping me, glorifying me. Then you will be able to smile at others with my joy and love them with my love.”

On the Map

Travel:  heading out to Bear Trap Ranch (Colorado) for InterVarsity Global Debriefing through the weekend!  Excited for the opportunity to be with other directors who were overseas this past summer, to retreat, to meet, and probably to see some snow.  =)

Funding:  now at 71%!!!  That leaves only $1,000 to raise in monthly support.  Please continue to pray for God's provision with new and growing partnerships of support.

Me:  doing well, staying busy between church, Spanish translation, and fundraising.  Last week for the first time I began to feel truly content and trust-ful about the process.  Feeling the need to be more brave and adventuresome in my support-raising conversations, but also feeling ready to do that.  Praise God.

Blog Laryngitis

I’ve been tweaking the blog, figuring out some HTML and brushing up on color and graphic, proportion and line. But really, deep down, I’ve been hesitantly trying to find my voice. Trying to find what tone suits a corner of cyberspace and its virtual readers.

That comes with added expectations in the support-raising process, as I’ve learned (and keep learning!) what people need to hear to connect with me. Whether it’s the vision, the biography, the budget or the timeline, we’re all looking for something that clicks or intrigues. It’s as though we each carry around a trembling tuning fork, ears tuned for a matching note somewhere.

Perhaps as a manner of clearing my throat, I’ll at least put aside what I don’t think this blog will be. I’m not an information sorter, so I don’t think I’ll be a stunning, resourcing, RSS feeding info machine. Nor am I keen on Twitter-style narrative documenting my latest misteps with bread-slicing, run-ins with bank-tellers, or otherwise brainless data. (Sorry to those of you who are all about ambient intelligence.)

What I do want (and how I got talked into doing this) is to have a place that you can find me. (Is it sad that a virtual self is more reliable than my presence in any given living room or even city?) I want present and pondering and potential supporters to be able to get a taste of who I am. I want friends and family to keep up with what I’m thinking and doing. I want the ministry that I’m a part of (loving God, the Church, and people) to multiply as others think and go and do likewise.

Maybe it starts with a croak. Then a sip of water. Ahem. Hrm. Here we go.

Going on the Map

First update time!
Where in the World... hometown, Duplex, TN, at home, except for occasional weeks and weekends house-sitting in the vicinity.

Doing What? 

• Raising support with CRM/ Urban Mosaic (appointments, letters, phone calls) - now 65% funded.  Yay!
• Spanish translation-- spending a few hours helping an early childhood development program connect with Spanish-speaking families.
• Serving on a Stewardship Task Force at my home church: help members cast vision for the ministry of the church and respond with their own commitments to that ministry.
• Reading, praying, preparing, trying to be patient...

 So, In the Books...

• Just finished In Her Shoes (Jennifer Weiner)- a light, funny novel with moments of depth.
• Working through God of Old (James L. Kugel)- a look at the Hebrew conception of God seen in the Old Testament.
• Daily devotionals in Jesus Calling (Sarah Young)- okay, I hesitate to admit how much I love this devotional book, because it has one of those cheesy Christian book-covers and it was on a display at Barnes & Noble.  BUT its words have unique power as they're written to the reader in 2nd person ("you"), as from God/ Jesus/ Holy Spirit.  As there's a prayer or reminder to YOU each day, there are also references to the scripture verses on which they're based.

Always feel free to comment or email with suggestions of other info that would be fun to know!  It'll grow.  :)

Frequently Asked Questions

All actual questions, asked by multiple people.

So what will you really do, from day to day?
That's a hard question to answer, as I believe that much of what I do will have to take shape as I go along.  A day could involve hands-on service with an organization or church as I learn my way through the community.  It could mean meetings in coffee shops to encourage individuals, to offer mentorship to other young adults, to dream and plan with pastors, and to get to know the struggles and promises of people trying to serve Jesus.  It could be filled with research and preparation to teach a workshop or seminar at a church.  It could have me communicating about what I'm doing and learning to people like you!  But what every day should point to is the goal of empowering the church be the church-- specifically helping the church in the city to engage in urban ministry.

Why would a church need you?/ How will you help? 
 Here I like to clarify how I see my role.  Though I do have skills and tools for evaluation and program development, I shy away from seeing myself as a consultant to churches.  Consultants come in as experts with answers.  I am not an expert, nor do I carry a package of ready-made answers, but I do bring clarity and straightforward questions to the table-- more like a counselor.  Churches sometimes need a nudge in the right direction, or perhaps a fresh perspective on the things they've been trying to do.  Other times they simply need to know where to turn.  I help by being a bridge and a connector, a person who asks questions, who cares, who looks for the bigger picture and the patterns churches/ Christians find themselves in.  I've done this in a faith-based organization in Miami, FL and as a layperson in my home church.  It's yielded such great opportunities to see God at work!  It's also shown me the need in very clear ways. 

How do you get matched up with churches and their leaders? 
It's a such a relationship-based ministry that I'll really have to get to know people by knowing people.  I get help in this from my supervisor, who's been working in San Diego for about 8 years and knows lots of great folks who are in on these kinds of conversations.  I also pray that God will use connections I have with InterVarsity staff and students in the region to take me in new directions.

Why do you need to go to San Diego to do this if there are churches and cities on the east coast?
Believe me, if I had found an organization that I resonated with this clearly in almost any eastern city, I would have gone for it!  I believe God has drawn me specifically to Urban Mosaic for this time and season, and I feel that this is an important opportunity to learn and serve in the midst of some incredible things God is doing-- and it happens to be in San Diego that I have a willing supervisor.  =)  It also ties in nicely with links I have with Mexico over the past few years.  Certainly, though, this work could be done ANYWHERE in the U.S. for the strengthening of the body of Christ.  My initial commitment is to learn and discern in San Diego for 1-2 years, open to where God may lead from there.

Didn't you get a college degree?  So why don't they pay you for doing this job?
Now, I'm not just saying this... I really do believe that I have the unique opportunity and privilege to rely on the Lord for my financial support.  It is an incredibly humbling, thrilling, grating, revealing roller-coaster kind of experience to depend on God so radically.  Don't you all want to do that? ;-) But seriously, I raise support because it's Biblical that those who work for the gospel be supported by those who believe (1 Corinthians 9:13-14).  Much as a pastor receives a salary from the giving of a congregation-- I just have a really potentially large "congregation" of sorts that stretches around the world!  The absence of a "provided" salary is not an indicator of my intelligence or value as an employee.  All of CRM's field staff raise their personal support. 

When are you moving to California?
This is dependent on my funding.  I want to be able to focus on settling in and fully committing to ministry with Urban Mosaic when I get to San Diego, which means that I need a solid funding base before I go.  My goal is to be at least 90% funded to receive approval to relocate.  I pray that this happens before the end of 2009.

Ask more questions.  =)  I'm happy to answer.

Setting Out and Keeping Going

"Missionary work is like a pair of sandals that have been given to the Church in order that it shall set out on the road and keep on going to make known the mystery of the gospel."

-Johannes Blauw

Some of you join me anew, while others have been "on the road" at my side for years now.  Regardless, we are here, right?  It has been my honor and privilege to walk with dear companions for the past few years, travelling in North and South America, working in non-profits and churches (and a few agricultural patches), praying, discerning, and letting God be my one true home.  In that journey, certain things have clearly emerged from my cluttered talents and discernment static: 

• I am often most fully alive when at the margins of this world-- surrounded by doubts and hopes and parties and tragedies; in places forgotten, ignored, avoided; among people called "poor", oppressed, blessed, or beautiful. 
• God keeps calling me back to the Church: to know and love and speak with God's people.

What would it mean to love the Church AND help the Church to love the world?

THAT is part of the question that launched me to the Urban Mosaic team within Church Resource Ministries (CRM).  There, I found others in ministry to the Church in North America.  There, I found people who could guide me into this kind of work.  There, I found encouragement and affirmation for my skills and passions of working with non-profits and churches, of coordinating, administrating, and building bridges among the body of Christ.  And God nudged me THERE, to a team of kingdom-dreamers in San Diego, California.

Working with Urban Mosaic enables me to build relationships and invest in Christian leaders committed to mission in the complexity of an urban setting. Thinking creatively and offering support through group trainings, friendship, counseling and prayer, my hope is to equip individuals and groups to work for the transformation of their community into a place where justice rolls like a river, and righteousness like a never-failing stream (Amos 5:24). Particularly in San Diego, there is the opportunity to encourage people to work together from numerous churches and backgrounds—and even across national borders. I look forward to participating in ongoing ministries in San Diego/ Tijuana, getting to know the people, churches, gifts and needs of that region. In sum, I will TEACH about God’s heart for mission and the city, ENCOURAGE those who are already putting together pieces of knowing and serving Jesus in their context, and PARTICIPATE in ministries of compassion and justice in San Diego.  All with the hope and prayer for the Church to BE the Church.

That's still a big picture, one that I hope will come into focus with posts to come!  In the meantime, the task that stands immediately before me is that of gathering the prayer and financial support that will sustain me in this ministry.  I have already raised over half of the needed $3,700-per-month (for salary and ministry expenses) and gathered a number of prayer partners; would you consider whether God might be leading you to join me in this work?

• PRAYER - please contact me and/ or keep an eye on this blog for ways to pray.
• FINANCES -
• I am praying for:  10 new monthly donors, giving $100 a month;
• for : 15 new monthly donors, giving $25-50 a month;
• and for: lump-sum annual and one-time gifts
• Simply request materials by mail or e-mail, or donate online.
• CONNECTIONS - do you know someone else who would be inspired/ excited/ intrigued by what God is doing in this ministry?  Help us meet one another!
• [CONTACT] - Get in touch with me: LaLee7(at)gmail(dot)com.   

I am excited to share more with you individually and "globally" as we connect (steps above) and as this blog takes shape-- more to come on how it will be a part of bridging service, reflection, self and supporters.  Thank you for stepping onto this road with me.  It is a deep honor and a vibrant joy to venture onward with you!

-Laura Lee