Food for Thought

Thanks to my friends Donny and Tom for sending me this pictorial representation of the food families consume in one week throughout the world.

The Melander Family of Bargteheide $500.07



Revis Family of North Carolina $341.98



Casales Family of Cuernavaca Mexico $189.09



Sobczynscy Family of Konstancin-Jeziorna $151.27



Ahmed Family of Cairo $68.53



Ayme Family of Tingo $31.55



Namgay Family of Shingkhey Village $5.03



Aboubaker Family of Breidjing Camp $1.23

Wonderfully Made

The Self-giving Love of God

"A genuinely Christian reflection on social issues must be rooted in the self-giving love of the Divine Trinity as manifested on the cross of Christ; all the central themes of such reflection will have to be thought through from the perspective of the self-giving love of God."

                 - Miroslov Volf, Exclusion and Embrace

Meeting Steven Levitt

I had the wonderful opportunity recently to meet with Steven Levitt in his office and talk about the importance and the possibilities of research in the areas of Breakthrough's work. Levitt co-authored the book Freakonomics and is currently the Alvin H. Baum Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago, director of the Becker Center on Chicago Price Theory at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, and co-editor of the Journal of Political Economy published by the University of Chicago Press.

He was, of course, brilliant and very interesting to talk with. One of the comments he made that struck me was that he doesn't feel that most organizations like ours really want research because we don't want to know if we are not being effective. Ouch! It reminded me of John McKnight's claims in the book, The Careless Society, that social programs and social professionals perpetuate an uncaring industry primarily for our own purposes.

So, let me say, I want research. I want to know what works and how we can improve our services. And, while I know professional caregivers can become callous and ineffective, I don't agree with McKnight that professionalism precludes caring. When I need eyeglasses, I don't just want someone who cares about whether I can see or not, I want a trained professional who knows how to give me a good contact prescription. But, of course, the key is to find caring professionals who use their training and gifts to minister with the love of Jesus!

Levitt mentioned the possibility of Breakthrough being able to get some help with research from Sudhir Alladi Venkatesh, which excites me very much since I am currently reading two of his books, Off the Books: The Underground Economy of the Urban Poor, and Gang Leader for a Day.

It was a treat to accompany Levitt after the interview to a box lunch lecture by economist, Dr. Gary Becker, who spoke about inequalities in education. It was interesting to look at education from an economic perspective, supply and demand. People with education are happier, healthier, live longer and make more money. Globalization is increasing the supply of low-skilled workers leading to sinking salaries while driving up the demand and pay for educated workers. Education is a human capital investment with huge return. He asked the provocative question, so why are we not investing more in education?

Here's a practical investment opportunity for you. We found last year that the kids who participated in Breakthrough's Summer Studies Program gained three months in their reading scores, while those who did not participate fell back three months, a six month difference! With four years of participation in the Breakthrough Summer Studies Program reading scores will comparatively advance two grade levels. The Summer Studies Program costs $1,786 per student, or $223.25 per week. This summer we will enroll 50 students, and we’ll watch them take strides toward reading proficiency and so much more.

Click here to donate.

Pray for the Family of Steven Curtis Chapman

Grammy winning Christian singer Steven Curtis Chapman's teenage son accidentally ran over their five year old daughter last night with the family's SUV. His daughter, Maria, was killed in the accident. A blog has been set up for people to write their condolences.

Creativity to the tune of Who Am I by Casting Crowns

Thanks Cynthia for sending me this awesome video...

Meeting Jesus at the Food Pantry

Listen to this beautiful essay by Sara Miles who met Jesus by opening herself to strangers.

Racial Inequality and Drug Arrests

Here's a link to an article in today's New York Times about "Racial Inequality and Drug Arrests". The article discusses large disparities in the rate at which blacks and whites are arrested and imprisoned for drug offenses, despite roughly equal rates of illegal drug use. Black men are nearly 12 times as likely to be imprisoned for drug convictions as adult white men.

O Divine Love

Mystify us, arouse and confuse us. Shatter our illusions and plans so that we lose our way, and see neither path nor light until we have found you, where you are to be found and in your true form---in the peace of solitude, in prayer, in submission, in suffering, in succour given to another, and in flight from idle talk and worldly affairs. And, having tried all the known ways and means of pleasing you and not finding you any longer in any of them, we remain at a loss until, finally, the futility of all our efforts leads us at last to leave all to find you henceforth, you, yourself, everywhere and in all things without discrimination or reflection.

For, how foolish it is, O Divine Love, not to see you in all that is good and in all creatures. Why, then, try to find you in what you are not.

            --Jean Pierre de Caussade
              The Sacrament of the Present Moment

Dear Anonymous

I have an anonymous commenter who has called me "tiresome, trifling and patronizing". Hey, sorry, I don't mean to be. I wish I was smarter and a deeper thinker. I am a very average person trying to make it in the world. Why do I blog a lot about black/white issues? Cuz, I am a rural white woman of German American descent living and working in a community that is 98% African American and I'm trying to understand the implications of race in this context. I know I simplify. I know I have lots to learn. I invite you to a more personal discussion instead of the constant putdowns that I delete cuz they make me feel small and don't really generate discussion. Feel free to email me personally instead of the curt anonymous criticisms. Perhaps you can help me understand why you are so angry. Sorry if that sounds patronizing.

What's your walk score?

Here's a cool link to a web site that calculates your walk score by how far you have to walk to get to grocery stores, parks and restaurants. My walk score is 51 out of 100 and if you click on the street level view you can actually see the front of my house. Amazing!!

The Cosby Crusade

Ta-Nehisi Coates discusses Bill Cosby's journey from genial TV dad to fierce social critic.

We can help stop the killing

I attended a gathering of Christian leaders at Moody Bible Institute yesterday to discuss how we can help stem the tide of the recent epidemic of killing of school children in Chicago. I learned that one very practical thing we can do is to urge our constituencies to volunteer to be "walking school buses" to ensure "safe passage" of children to school and to let our churches and buildings near schools be designated as "safe havens" for children. It is a police sponsored program that volunteers can participate in. The police department trains the volunteers and issues special police vests. To volunteer call 312-747-9987.

Prayer for Reconciliation

I appreciate Joel Hamernick's thoughtful response to the discussions engendered by the statements of Rev. Jeremiah Wright. I, too, am saddened by the huge racial divide, especially among people who call themselves Christians. I recently received an email indicating that a Breakthrough donor is going to cut off donations to Breakthrough and other ministries that support African Americans because most African Americans are supporting Obama, who has been mentored by Rev. Wright! We have so much work to do in bridging the racial divide and at times, it seems especially now, it is very painful. I grieve. My people can be so cruel and "miseducated". Please forgive us!

I have always tried to lead Breakthrough in a way that unites rather than divides Christians, but I am learning that there are times when we have to simply release people and pray for their reconciliation.

Can two walk together, except they be agreed? (Amos 3:3)

Jesus' prayer...

"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. (John 17:20-23)

Moody Radio Concert of Prayer

I enjoyed being in the studio at Moody radio last week for the live production of their concert of prayer for the National Day of Prayer. It is really amazing to watch Anita Lustrea and producer, Joe Carlson, at work. They are great at what they do! We all felt the presence of God and the two hours of prayer and music by Steve Green flew by. You can listen to the program archives here. I had to right click on "listen" and download the programs to get the link to work. It doesn't seem to be streaming. There were lots of beautiful heartfelt prayers for racial reconciliation.

What's a mother to do?

Thanks to Jimmy Lee for linking me to this article in the Sun Times entitled, Moms, mayor, clergy march against violence. It highlights again the complicated issues that are causing the surge in violence against our children. Daley calls parents to take more responsibility, yet anyone who has raised kids knows how difficult it is to keep a teenager in the house.

One of the kids in our program was struck on the head with a brick last weekend and is struggling for his life. Another youth was killed in the park at Fulton and Albany. It is certainly a call to action for those of us who are trying to provide activities and academic support for the youth in the community.

A Conversation About Race

Structural Violence

Here's a link to a great article from the Tribune by Jamie Kelvin, whose wife, Patricia Evans, was assaulted in 1988 while jogging along Lake Michigan. She is white and her assailant, who was never captured, was African American. Jamie says members of the media who interviewed him expected him to be vengeful and seek "restorative violence". Instead, Jamie moved in the opposite direction and began a quest to understand men who fit the profile of Patricia's attacker. He began planting gardens with residents of the Robert Taylor and Stateway Garden homes and was soon doing lots of justice and advocacy work. Here's a quote from the article.

"There are large violent acts, I have written elsewhere, but no large healing acts. The work of healing is a matter of small acts of attention and care sustained over time. Is this perhaps among the things Dr. King tried to teach us by his insistence on nonviolence in theory and practice? A commitment to nonviolence constantly forces you back to the bedrock realization that structures of inequality and exclusion are enforced by particular blows to particular bodies inflicted by particular hands. And it challenges you to seize the occasions for resisting violence that are all around you. In mysterious ways, more by grace than design, it too has the power to rearrange your molecules—to make you more whole, less afraid, more alive to human possibilities."

The Double Bind

Marcie Curry gave me this book last week with a post it note that said, "You have to read this!" I took a day off yesterday and went to Starved Rock to pray and reflect. I had a great day hiking and praying. At about 2:00 it started to rain so I decided to pick up the book to read for awhile. I read it straight through without putting it down until I finished it at 9:30! I can't really tell you about it without giving it away. I'll just repeat Marcie's words... You have to read this!

Save Our Teens

Our Kids Are Dying

More than at Virginia Tech, more than at Northern Illinois, one by one our boys and girls are dying on the streets, victims of gun violence. Twenty-four Chicago Public School children have been murdered so far this year. Rev. Renaldo Kyles, Interfaith Director for the Chicago Public Schools, spends much of his time going to funerals and consoling the families of the victims.

"My faith gets weak, it gets low. I should be spending more time partnering churches with schools to do more after-school programs, mentoring programs instead of spending my time going to funeral homes," said Kyles. He fears the city has become hardened to the losses.

Over the weekend my daughter, Monica, called me and said, "Mom, you should tune in WGCI. They're talking about the student killings and the kids are calling in to say what they need. They are saying they need safe places to go, to hang out and play basketball and dance."

I'm more motivated than ever to get our Breakthrough FamilyPlex built. That's exactly what the kids in our community need. Safety, activities, educational and job opportunities, sports, music, art and dance lessons. It is a matter of life and death for our kids.

Racism and Chicago Baseball

Here's a link to a Sun Times article about the hottest selling item in Wrigley Field that mocks the Japanese. Very sad!!

"The image feeds not only ugly, arrogant and ignorant Japanese stereotypes, but also the stereotype of the obnoxious, profane, drunken, booing, garbage-throwing Cubs fan."

Justice Revival

The Vineyard Church of Columbus is hosting a Justice Revival with Sojourners.

King's Final Crusade

Thanks to Tawnya for sending me the link to this CNN article about what Taylor Branch, the author of Parting the Waters, Pillar of Fire and At Canaan's Edge, says King was planning when he died. He was planning a Poor People's March on Washington DC.

King called his crusade the Poor People's Campaign. He planned to march on Washington with a multiracial army of poor people who would build shantytowns at the Lincoln Memorial -- and paralyze the nation's capital if they had to.

I like the final statement of the article.

"You can't take a person's life who's already given it up."

A Call to the Church

I'm turning out my lights for Earth Hour

If you haven't heard, it's tonight from 8 to 9 PM. Those of us in Chicago are going to turn off our lights in recognition of Earth Hour.

The Fellowship of His Suffering

I wrote a few days ago on this blog about the pursuit of happiness and how living and working among the poor does not necessarily make us happy. Here's an example of that from Shasta Cole, one of Breakthrough's interns. She writes,

i sit here sometimes and i think, what have i gotten myself into? my heart breaks nearly everyday as i see the pain they go through. my heart broke today as i hear the words, i messed up coming from my bright and beautiful 13 year old girl. and my heart breaks as i walk down the street as i go to church on sundays as i see my teenagers struggle to read as i listen to my kids just talk to each other as i watch my 7th grader and her 9th sister walk down the street cuz they dropped out of school...these things, they break my heart. i dont share any of this most of the time because i want to share the good things that happen. because there are so many small improvements i see everyday. but more often than not, i see pain and i see self-destruction. ugh

Click here to read her full blog entry.

Healing for a Broken World

Steve Monsma's book, Healing for a Broken World, is now available. He interviewed me in the accompanying DVD. Here's what Chuck Colson of Prison Fellowship had to say about the book.

“Steve Monsma avoids the modern-day tendency to believe that the kingdom of God will arrive on Air Force One. Instead he offers a balanced perspective on how Christians should engage in the political process. His solid biblical grounding, as well as his concrete applications of Christian principles to public policy, provides wise guidance.”

Compassion: The Doorway to Justice

I loved the article by Breakthrough's Housing Coordinator, Paul Luikart, on the Just Life web site about the difference between compassion and justice. He says,

I think compassion is probably the door way to justice. I think performing works of mercy helps people to see the need for justice.

Click here to read the whole article.

Are you too happy?

I was journaling tonight and paged back to the summer of 2003 when I was living in a nice three bedroom house in Andersonville, on the north side of Chicago, with my two daughters. The house had a great deck and an above ground swimming pool in the back yard. It was a beautiful old home on a quiet street with nice shade trees. Andersonville had changed drastically since we moved there in 1988. Clark Street was booming and property values had escalated. There was a garden walk in our neighborhood every summer. The neighborhood was clean and beautiful with many great restaurants within easy walking distance. My girls, who are now 24 and 26, talk often about how much they miss living there.

In my journal I read about how much I was enjoying the summer, daily walks to the lake with my dog Charlie, hot afternoons in the pool with the kids, evenings grilling dinner on the deck. It's a sharp contrast to where I'm living now on the west side of Chicago. I love East Garfield Park and my little apartment, but there are empty lots and boarded up buildings everywhere and lots of trash, broken bottles and cracked sidewalks. It can be depressing. I realized as I read my journal tonight that I was happier living in Andersonville and was beginning to feel sorry for myself, like maybe I had made a bad choice. After all, shouldn't I be happy?

Then I watched the film, When Did I See You Hungry, from the San Damiano Foundation. I rented it from Netflix. It shows the poorest of the world's poor, living in squaller, juxtaposed with statistics and quote after quote from Scripture and from Christians about loving Jesus in the poor. I wept at the sight of a leper, a woman, who looked grotesque from the disease, a disease that isolates people because no one wants to look at them. When asked how she was doing, she said, "Very well, Praise the Lord."

And I'm not happy!!

The producer of the film said, after taking pictures all day in the Payatas garbage dump outside Manila, that he went back to his room and cried.

I don't think we are supposed to seek out suffering, but when we walk with the poor, we do suffer. Life is easier when we avoid them and the communities where they live. I don't think everyone is called to move into a slum, but I think it is important that we let our hearts be broken by the things that break the heart of God.

Walter Brueggemann in his book, The Prophetic Imagination, defines passion as “the capacity and readiness to care, to suffer, to die and to feel”. He says, the world’s economy is “designed to keep people satiated so that they do not notice." Its politics is intended to "block out the cries of the denied ones. Its religion is to be an opiate so that no one discerns misery alive in the heart of God.”

I am certainly not suffering by living in East Garfield Park. I may have felt happier in Andersonville, but here, I am growing in my capacity to care, to suffer, and to feel.

"That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings."
                 - Philippians 3:10
.

“The anger is real;
it is powerful;
and to simply wish it away,
to condemn it without understanding its roots,
only serves to widen the chasm of misunderstanding
that exists between the races.”

-Barack Obama

Because Jesus Lives

“I believe like a child that suffering will be healed and made up for, that all the humiliating absurdity of human contradictions will vanish like a pitiful mirage, like the despicable fabrication of the impotent and infinitely small Euclidian mind of man, that in the world’s finale, at the moment of eternal harmony, something so precious will come to pass that it will suffice for all hearts, for the comforting of all resentments, for the atonement of all the crimes of humanity, of all the blood they’ve shed; that it will make it not only possible to forgive but to justify all that has happened with men.”

                 -From The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Obama's Speech on Race

I couldn't listen to Obama's speech this morning, so I was happy to find it on YouTube. Beyond the campaign, this is a historic speech that eloquently represents what we experience in our community on a daily basis.

In the Studio with Michael Card

Michael Card and his host, Wayne Shepherd, had me on their radio show again last week. You can download the entire show at this link to the iTunes podcast. It's program #310. Here's the portion in which they interview me.

Sunday's Comin'

Standing on the Verge of a New World Order

My pastor, Daniel Hill, told me about this message by Dr. Cornel West at Saint Sabina Church on Chicago's south side. He challenges us to look at the world and this present time in our history through the lens of the cross. He says we have been living in an ice age of indifference where the cross has been pushed to the side, but the ice is melting and change is coming! It's a great message.

Maya Angelou will be speaking there on Friday, March 28, 2008 at 7:30 PM.

They're home!!

The guys moved into our new interim housing and employment training facility at 402 N. St. Louis last week after four long years of planning and waiting! There were so many times when we hit what seemed to me like insurmountable roadblocks, but God got us through. It's done (except for the parking lot and landscaping) and it's beautiful. Thank you Jesus!! Come by and see it!

Politically informed

Joyce Caine sent me this video. In the video an interviewer picks a young African American man and questions why he supports Obama. At first, the interviewer seems to assume he is ignorant and crams difficult questions at him. Unrattled, Derrick articulates Obama's positions so well that you have to be impressed. I wish I was half as articulate.

Free Voicemail for the Homeless

Google is providing free voicemail for life for every homeless person in the city of San Francisco! How cool is that!

Segregation, Incarceration and the Middle Class

Thanks to Matt Harris for linking me to this editorial from Clarence Page in the Tribune today. Page discusses the continuation of segregation in our society. He says one of the reasons we don't have riots like we did in the '60s is because we have incarcerated so many African American men. He says, "The most striking difference in today's urban scene is the number of middle-class blacks who have joined middle-class whites in zipping past poor black neighborhoods with their car doors firmly locked." Kevin Gwin posted thoughts on the article as well.

“The greatest battles of life are fought every day in the silent chambers of one’s own soul.” (David O. McKay)

A Gated Community of the Soul

That's an interesting phrase isn't it? I got it from Michael Lindsay in this interview with Tim Stafford of Christianity Today about The Evangelical Elite.

Elite evangelicals have very conflicted feelings. And yet it's not a debilitating emotion. For many of them it lights a fire in their belly to try to do something. That's why a lot of these folks are what we would call "cultural entrepreneurs," trying to do something for the common good. Their faith gives them a compelling sense of activism to make the world right. It also gives them a more positive outlook. They're more hopeful about their ability to make a difference.

Seeing Clearly Through Tears

Here's a link to a great article that was posted on the Christianity Today website today. Al Hsu began to see clearly while singing God of Justice.

Live to feed the hungry
Stand beside the broken
We must go
Stepping forward
Keep us from just singing
Move us into action
We must go

Grace Through Suffering

I just learned of Makoto Fujimura through Michael Card's podcast. Makoto says, "Art is about being honest before God about things that I'm struggling with. Painting is about prayer to me, focusing on the beauty of God's reality and my own brokenness." His paintings create an "arena of grace".

Brennan Manning on the Love of Jesus

The long version. This one is about an hour, but so worth the watch...



The short version...

Demographics

Here's a link to ZIPskinny a web site that provides demographic information by zip code. Here's how my zip code 60624 compares to the rest of the state and the country. Our median household income is $22,426!

In the Studio with Michael Card

Michael Card had me on his radio show today. Here's the link to the streaming audio and the iTunes URL. He is a musician, song writer, author and a genuinely nice guy who clearly loves Scripture and represents Jesus well.

The Link To Michelle Obama's Speech

Here's the link to the outstanding speech by Michelle Obama that I mentioned on Thursday. She describes her experience growing up on the south side of Chicago and the low expectations people had for her. It was very inspirational for those who love to see people rise up above the odds and become models for the younger generation.

Don't Burn A Hole!

Those of us blessed to live in areas that get real winters have heard it many times, some fool trying to get out of a parking spot who doesn't know how to do it and refuses to get help. They rev their engine and accellerate until they burn themselves into a huge rut that makes it even more difficult for them to rise out.

We got about a foot of snow overnight in Chicago. Since my early morning appointment was cancelled I laid in bed for awhile this morning and read about half of Dan Allender's Book, To Be Told: Know Your Story, Shape Your Future. One of Allender's points was that we need to join with God in writing our story and not let the curcumstances of our lives keep us in a rut.

Then I carried out a potato chip bag clip to use to shovel out my car because I couldn't find my brush and scraper. The street was busy with guys from the neighborhood shoveling out cars and sidewalks. One of them offered to shovel out my car. I showed him my chip clip and told him I would love it if he would clear off my car for me and offered to pay him. He and his friend adamantly refused to take any money saying we are all neighbors and this is what neighbors do.

I got in and started warming up the car as they cleared off my windows and shoveled a path for my tires. I rolled down my window to thank them as I rocked my car back and forth to get out of the parking space. They joked that I clearly knew how to drive and it dawned on me, "Life's alot like that", I quipped. Don't burn yourself into a hole!" We can burn ourselves into a life rut that's hard to get out of. We choose the security, refuse to face change, and end up stuck in boring routines devoid of real meaning. So, my word for today is, DON'T BURN A HOLE!

And by the way, I LOVE my neighbors!

Michelle Obama's Speech in Deleware

I just watched Michelle Obama's speech on C-SPAN and it was incredible. What a great speaker! If anyone finds it on video somewhere let me know so I can link to it. Here's a summary from the Daily Kos.

Ending Poverty in Chicago with Social Business

Can social business and micro enterprise end poverty in Chicago? 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Muhammed Yunus, thinks so. Here's a link to a Crain's Chicago Business video about it.

The Starfish and the Spider

I just finished a good book, The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations, by Ori Brafman and Rod Beckstrom. It reminded me of books like A New Brand World and The Tipping Point. It is about the power of leaderless organizations such as AA, eMule, Al Queda, and the internet. They are unstoppable because like starfish, if you cut them in half, each half will regenerate into a whole new starfish. AA just continues to grow wherever someone decides to start a group around the twelve steps. There is no spiderhead that can be cut off to stop it from growing. In order to move in a different direction a starfish arm must convince all the other arms to move in that direction. Hybrid organizations incorporate centralization as necessary to ensure trust and security, while maintaining decentralization to harness the contributions of the wider population. Skype is used as an example of a decentralized system that is revolutionizing the phone industry, P2P music sharing is changing the music industry and Craigslist, Ebay and Wikipedia have overtaken traditional ways of doing business and sharing information. Catalysts have the ability to bring people together around a shared ideology and then get out of the way to let it grow. The book really stimulated my thinking.

HELPSudan

I am honored to participate in the HELPSudan Birthday Party for the Lost Boys at 6:00 PM Saturday night at the Swedish Museum at 5211 N. Clark. HELPSudan is an organization founded by four of the Lost Boys to restore the dignity and hope of the people living in the Bor Region of southern Sudan. Their mission is to establish learning facilities, recruit teachers and provide school supplies as well as provide health resources and clean water.

If you are unfamiliar with their story you really need to read about their incredible journey. These boys who are now in their twenties are a true inspiration. Below is a video of Jok Kwol Wel, who traveled back to Sudan with several board members last year and was reunited with members of his family who had assumed he was dead. Jok told his story today on Chicago Public Radio.

The four Lost Boys who founded HELPSudan pooled their own money to start a school in southern Sudan by hiring one teacher. In less than a year 11 volunteer teachers and 1,000 students joined him. Our goal Saturday night will be to raise enough money to build a permanent school building.

Tilghman, Woods and Sharpton

Here's a link to a post from Ed Gilbreath about the Tilghman racist remark about Tiger Woods and Al Sharpton's demand that Tilghman be fired. I appreciate and respect Ed's comments expressed below.

While I believe it’s right for Rev. Sharpton to remind us of the gravity of this situation and the weighty power of our words, I think he also needs to remember his call as a Christian minister and learn to balance his crusading activism with a spirit of grace and forgiveness. If instead of condemning this woman Rev. Sharpton were to say, “What she said was wrong, and we need to understand why, but we should forgive her and pray that we all learn from her mistake,” imagine the impact that could have on a jaded and cynical culture that lives by a code of tit for tat.

Don't Break the Chain!

I admit it! I am a glutton for tools that help me keep me on track with my goals. I so easily fall off the wagon when I don't take time to plan my use of time and energy. So, here's another one, Don't Break the Chain! It was brought to my attention by a website story about Jerry Seinfeld. He was asked how he managed to be so productive and he said he started using an annual calendar to mark the days he performed his daily writing goals with a big X. He noticed a chain of X's developed, so his challenge was to not break the chain. Someone has developed a web site to take the place of having multiple physical calendars. I love it. I have six things I am tracking everyday. I have a few broken chains so far, but its fun to watch the chains grow and to start over when they are broken.

Ben Franklin had a similar tracking system by which he monitored his thirteen virtues. He developed it when he was in his twenties and was still using it when he wrote his autobiography at age 79. He committed to tracking his success in each of the thirteen areas and gave special focus to one each week. He developed a table for each virtue, reviewed them each evening and placed dots in the square for the days he faulted. After thirteen weeks he would start over moving through the virtues four times per year. He was motivated by Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things."

Real Estate Development in East Garfield Park

Here's a link to the plans for the vacant land around the el stop at Kedzie and Lake, down the street from Breakthrough.

The Last Word on Suffering

Here's a message I preached at LaSalle Street Church three years ago, right after the Tsunami.

Happy New Year My Dear Acquaintance!

Here's a free iTunes download from Regina Spektor! It's a beautiful New Years wish that was just released.

Here are the lyrics...

My dear acquaintance
It's so good to know you
For strength of your hand
That is loving and giving
And a happy new year
With love overflowing
With joy in our hearts
For the blessed new year

Raise your glass and we'll have a cheer
For us all who are gathered here
And a happy new year to all that is living
To all that is gentle, kind, and forgiving
Raise your glass and we'll have a cheer
My dear acquaintance, a happy new year

All of those who are hither and yonder
With love in our hearts
We grow fonder and fonder
Hail to those who we hold so dear
And hail to those who are gathered here

And a happy new year to all that is living
To all that is gentle, young, and forgiving
Raise your glass and we'll have a cheer
My dear acquaintance, a happy new year
Happy new year

This is how I spent the holidays!

The History of Garfield Park

I'm reading this beautiful book about the Garfield Park Conservatory and Chicago's West Side entitled, Inspired By Nature. There are photos of the horse track that used to be in the south part of the park. It was designed as a park in the 1870's and has gone through numerous alterations. The conservatory itself was designed by Jens Jensen in 1904. The introduction was beautifully written by Alex Kotlowitz. He captures the soul of the community. The book quotes some prominent west siders such as Mary Nelson, the founder of Bethel New Life and Mrs. Nettie Bailey, my next door neighbor.

Miniature Earth Video

I got this from Chris Brooks blog. It puts our economic status in perspective. Thanks Chris!

Can You Do This?

The Jesus Cordova Story

Here's a link to a four and a half minute audio from NPR which aired on November 30th. It's the heart gripping story of Jesus Cordova, a Mexican bricklayer, who was just outside of Tuscon, Arizona, on Thanksgiving Day, and was well on his way in his quest to disappear into the United States illegally, when he came across a nine year old boy, alone in the desert, shaken and bloody. His mother, who later died, had driven off a cliff and was trapped inside. Cordova lit a fire and stayed with the boy until they were rescued, knowing it would mean his deportation. "I'm a father myself and have kids of my own," he said. "I wouldn't want my kids to be wondering alone and have someone just leave them there."

Midday Connection

Here's the audio of today's Midday Connection. Yolanda Fields and I were on with Anita Lustrea talking about the Christmas story in light of poverty.

Last Minute Christmas Gifts

Here's a link to Christmas gifts that help people in poverty. Or you can buy a pig for a needy family at Heifer International.

Police in Paris drive out the homeless

This is not a good time to be homeless in Paris. Even the Catholic church supported those who protested the actions of police who destroyed a tent village for the homeless along the banks of the Seine.

Church Under the Bridge

Here is an interview I conducted recently for Moody radio with Jimmy Dorrell, Executive Director of Mission Waco, Instructor at Baylor University, author, and pastor of Church Under the Bridge.

Racism vs. Gracism

Ed Gilbreath, editor of Today's Christian and the author of Reconciliation Blues: A Black Evangelical's Inside View of White Christianity and David Anderson, founding pastor of Bridgeway Community Church, a 2,000-member, multicultural congregation in Columbia, Maryland, discuss race relations in this article on the Christianity Today website entitled, Racism vs. Gracism.

Anderson says "gracism is the answer to racism". What is gracism?

Gracism is the positive extension of favor to people, both in spite of and because of color, class, or culture. It's not affirmative action but intentional actions of grace and affirmation. So whenever we see a racist act, instead of responding in a way that is punitive, gracism calls us to respond in the way that God—that Jesus— might respond.

Gracism turns racism on its head. It reaches out to people in a way that desires true understanding. It means thinking positively about others, in spite of the labels and stereotypes that have been attached to their skin color, economic status, or cultural background.

David Anderson's new book, Gracism: The Art of Inclusion, includes 7 sayings of a gracist.

1. "I will lift you up." Lifting up the humble among us. (Special honor)

2. "I will cover you." Protecting the most vulnerable among us from embarrassment. (Special modesty)

3. "I will share with you." Refusing to accept special treatment if it is at the detriment of others who need it. (No special treatment)

4. "I will honor you." God, as a gracist, has given greater honor to the humble. (Greater honor)

5. "I will stand with you." When the majority helps the minority, and the stronger help the weaker, it keeps us from division within the body. (No division)

6. "I will consider you." Having a heart as big for our neighbors as we do for ourselves. (Equal concern)

7. "I will celebrate with you." When the humble, or less honorable, are helped, we are to rejoice with them. (Rejoices with it)

Who's to Blame?

Like the inquisitive disciples of Jesus who were confronted with a man born blind, I want answers. “Whose fault is it Rabbi, that this man was born blind?” Why are children born into poverty? Why is there so much pain and despair in the world? Whose fault is it, Rabbi?

Why are there pockets of hopelessness in the inner city? Why are there young men on the corner with their phones chirping when the police come near? Who sinned, this man, his parents, or society? Why are children in the city stuck in neighborhoods with failing schools and no economic and social skills that will ever enable them to achieve in the market place? Why are their homeless beggars with plastic grocery bags huddled over heat grates, sleeping under bridges, pillaging through dumpsters, walking laboriously over broken sidewalks in search of food and shelter? Why are there lines outside of shelters and soup kitchens in the wealthiest country of the world? Whose fault is it Rabbi?

The closer I have gotten to the soul of the city, the louder the questions have resounded? Who can we blame for the problems of the inner city? Some blame the individual. “Why don’t they just get a job, just say no to drugs and alcohol, take responsibility for their own lives?” Others accuse the fathers and mothers for the breakdown of the family or the government for the lack of funding for social programs that might make a difference.

Conservatives tend to blame the individual and his or her family citing personal failure and the lack of appropriate family values. Liberals blame systemic racism, social inequalities and structural evil.

We might blame the church for being silent on social issues and for not being more compassionate. Followers of Christ in the city are often stuck between unbelieving activists and inactive believers. We might even blame God for not caring enough to act on their behalf.

“Every year we have the same discussions over and over and nobody has any answers,” complained a teacher friend as we explored solutions to the dilemma of the failing educational system in the inner city. “How are we supposed to teach kids who are living in a shelter or who have been up all night without supervision? Of course they haven’t done their homework! They don’t even know where their backpacks are! It makes me want to tear my hair out! You’re tempted to feel sorry for them, and let them off the hook, but you know that excusing them will only perpetuate the problem. They need to be told, ‘stop your whining and do your homework.’ If they don’t put out the extra effort they will be hopeless victims trapped forever in the cycle of poverty.”

The blaming seems to spiral down into cycles of anger that leave us wanting, scratching our heads over the complexity of the issues, overwhelmed by the magnitude of the structures that must be confronted. Is there any system of thought that can move us forward? Is anything working? Are there solutions anywhere?

Jesus’ response to the disciples’ question about who was at fault for the blind man’s troubles is an interesting one. He doesn’t enter into the blame game at all. He doesn’t even attempt to answer the blame question. Instead he claims there is a bigger story, a glory story that is about to be experienced. There is a healing that is about to take place that would never have been experienced apart from this man’s great need.

The man’s difficulty becomes an opportunity for God to act. The negative circumstance is turned into a positive experience by the gentle hands of Jesus. A miracle would unfold that would bring healing to the nameless man born blind. It would involve the work of God being displayed in the man’s world for all to see. His story would be remembered forever.

“This happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life,” says Jesus. “As long as it is day,” he said, “we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

The Great Light of the World, the Lover of Mankind, the Model Kingdom Worker, spit his saliva onto the ground and with the same dust from which he created mankind in the image and likeness of God, he formed a muddy compact and gently placed it against the dark unseeing eyes of the man born blind and re-created his eyes. For the first time in his life the light broke forth like the dawn in the man’s life and he exclaimed, “One thing I do know, I was blind, but now I see!”

While I am growing in my understanding of the root causes of poverty and the complex issues surrounding its ugly face, I am not as concerned with knowing who to blame as I am about recognizing the glory stories, the stories of the miracles that erupt when the light and love of God meet the deepest needs of mankind.

Perhaps doing God’s work in the world means we need to spit against the night, to let our hands get dirty in the muck and mire of the city as we join the Creator in the re-creation of the world, that the work of God will be displayed and the world will take notice. The city, in its profound need, is a great laboratory of the love of God.

Mortgage rate relief

My friend, Malcolm Bush, of the Woodstock Institute, sent me this information...

The recently announced White House plan to offer systematic interest rate relief for some home borrowers with adjustable rate mortgages about to reset to a higher rate, is a modest, but worthwhile approach to a growing crisis. Whatever the debate on the reach of the plan, some homeowners with mortgage payments set to jump from barely affordable to unaffordable will benefit––so long as they act quickly and apply before their scheduled rate hikes.

We urge you to encourage borrowers to call the HOPE NOW Alliance hotline immediately at 1-888-995-HOPE to see if they qualify and what rate relief options are available.

Woodstock Institute will continue to work on additional strategies to cope with this crisis including the passage of Senator Durbin’s (D. IL) proposed amendment to the Bankruptcy Law to permit the renegotiation of the terms of mortgage contracts.

I appreciate the work of the Woodstock Institute. It is a 33-year old Chicago-based policy and advocacy nonprofit that works locally, nationally, and internationally to promote community reinvestment and economic development in lower-income and minority communities. The Institute's goals are to increase the assets of targeted families and communities and, in particular, increase the supply of affordable rental and owner-occupied housing, and promote small business development, and access to fairly priced and appropriate financial services.

Tithing Backlash

Here's a link to an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal about what the writer calls a "Backlash Against Tithing". People seem to be reacting to some of the extravagant spending of churches and want more accountability. If that is the case for churches it is certainly even more so for other not-for-profits.

Jesus not only advocated for tithing he seemed to indicate that the tithe was just the start and we really should give more than the tithe of 10% of our gross income, and to do it out of joy and not legalism or obligation. He said in Matthew 23:23, "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices--mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former."

Of course, that doesn't preclude fiscal responsibility and accountability. Anytime we are asking people to release their hard earned resources for our cause, and I think especially when it is the work of God's kingdom, we should expect the utmost transparency and integrity.

We're on Prime Time America This Week

Yolanda Fields and I are on MBN's Prime Time America every day this week about one hour and ten minutes into the program. You can listen to the audio archives at this link.

Homeless in the Suburbs

The Arlington Heights Post has been running a series of articles about homelessness after the shocking death of a homeless man who stepped in front of a train in August. I am hearing from suburban pastors that homelessness is becoming more of an issue for their congregations as the poor are being displaced from the city by gentrification and foreclosures. While groups like the Chicago Low Income Housing Trust Fund are making great strides by providing rent subsidies within the city of Chicago, we still have people on our waiting lists at Breakthrough who are not housed and can not even get into our shelters, let alone permanent housing. I am not surprised that people are trying to find help outside the city. I serve on the board of the Chicago Low Income Housing Trust Fund which distributes more than $10,000,000 per year to landlords to subsidize the rents of homeless and low income residents. If you know of landlords of multible unit buildings who are open to working with Breakthrough to provide subsidized housing for our guests, please give me a holler.

The Vegetable Orchestra

This is cool...

Racial Microaggression

"The phrase describes the subtle indignities and insults directed at minorities during everyday exchanges. Their ambiguity is what makes them so vexing—the recipient doesn't know for certain whether it is a deliberate slight, making it difficult to know how to react."

My daughter, Teri, experienced it tonight. She waited in the loop for forty minutes for a bus to carry her down Martin Luther King Drive to her south side apartment while four busses went by to carry people to the yuppy (young urban professional) northside neighborhood. She was the only white person on the bus traveling south and it was packed with weary African Americans trying to get home. Is it because they are black that fewer busses were serving their needs? Hmmm. Don't really know, but when that happens over and over again you experience "racial microaggression".

Thanks to Jenn Billingsley who is participating in our River City BUILD group for this link to an article in today's RedEye entitled, The Racist In All Of Us.

Foreclosures

Click on this link to see how many homes are being foreclosed on in our neighorhood! YIKES!

The Demise of the Religious Right

Steve Monsma, of the Henry Institute for the Study of Christianity and Politics at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has visited Breakthrough a couple of times, most recently in September to film me for a DVD that will be issued along with his new book, Healing For A Broken World: Christian Perspectives on Public Policy, to be released in February. He is someone for whom I have a great deal of respect.

I just got the latest Capital Commentary and read his thoughtful response to recent books and articles such as the one in New York Times that claims the Religious Right is falling apart. Monsma's concern is that conservatives will swing from the right to the left on issues instead of developing "distinctive policy positions shaped by a biblically based worldview." We will consequently "miss an opportunity to be the salt and light that the world desperately needs and that our Lord has called us to be."

In Monsma's view...

The great need is to apply a Christian worldview to today’s contentious public policy issues and thereby come up with something new and distinctive to contribute to current public policy debates. As we do this, we will find ourselves not walking in lockstep with the public policy positions of either liberals or conservatives.

Key to a Christian worldview is commitment to biblically rooted principles such as justice, solidarity with all those in need, and the integrity of independent civil-society institutions such as families, churches, and nonprofit social-service organizations.

Oh Lord!

Random experiences like this that bring people together across multiple barriers is one of the reasons I love the city so much! Riding the "el" keeps me in love with Chicago.

Whose Fault Is It?

What Would Jesus Buy?

A Thousand Splendid Suns

My Thanksgiving holiday reading was A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. By the end of my reading this evening I had to find a mirror to put my left contact back in place on my eye because of my tears. Hosseini has such a gut wrenching way of weaving hope and tragedy. I couldn't put it down. It's a very engaging way to learn about life in Afghanistan during the rule of the Taliban. It also made me very grateful for my freedom to learn and explore the world, especially as a woman. I read The Kite Runner a few years ago. It was also a great book.

This Is No Joke

"This is no joke. People are dying," a Breakthrough staff member told me. Every once in a while God reminds me why the work of Breakthrough is so important. Today is one of those days. I learned that a friend of ours died a few months ago. The word is that he died of a heart attack, but those of us who knew him know that he was using drugs again. Now he's gone.

Our parks have become a testing ground for new mixes of drug chemicals. Neighborhood addicts know they can hang out in the parks and get drugs for free. The pushers are competing to claim that their dope gives the latest, best high. To test new products they hand them out in the park. It's like Russian Roulette for the addicts. They might get the best high ever, or no high at all, or they might die. They are dying. They die quietly of heart attacks and strokes. They don't make the papers or the nightly news. One would think that no one really cares. Is there any hope? Does anyone really care? Breakthrough is a lifeline. Our work must grow.

The Porcelain Doll

Anita Lustrea played this 98 second audio clip on her Midday Connection show yesterday. You can listen to her entire show with Elizabeth Styffe, director of Saddleback Church's HIV/AIDS initiative, at this link.

Drama in the Night

Saturday night I went to bed at about 10:30. I awoke at 1:30 AM to lots of voices shouting and screaming using the most explicit words imaginable. Charlie (my dog) and I sleep in a bedroom in the back of the apartment. We hear lots of yelling, sirens, cars screeching and trains going by. Both Charlie and I have grown accustomed to it so that even with this extreme shouting that sounded almost like a riot, neither of us got up. Charlie didn't even bark. But when I heard about five gun shots, I decided to go to the living room window at the front of the apartment and see if I needed to do anything. There were about fifty young people embroiled in a huge fight in front of my apartment. Several of the young men were wielding baseball bats and two by fours and they were beating each other up. Evidently someone had shot a gun into the air and some of them were beginning to scatter.

I wandered what it must be like to be the mother or grandmother of one of those kids, knowing they are out there and not knowing how to stop them from being there. Anything could happen.

A 21-year old boy from the neighborhood recently was released from prison and has been hanging out at our offices. Today Bill and I were trying to find out what dreams he has for his life. He couldn't think of anything. I finally asked him when in the last week he had felt the most positive about himself and hopeful for the future. He said it is when he is with us at the Breakthrough Joshua Center. You can almost sense the fear in him that if he goes back out there it is only a matter of time, statistics indicate less than 90 days, and he will be back in prison. I told him that he should keep coming by and helping out around the center. It's a safe place for him, a place where he is beginning to feel hopeful.

Please pray for him and for the young people who were out there Saturday night. I really believe many, if not most, of them would not be hanging out on the street if there were alternatives for them. They just need safe places where they can begin to dream for their future and experience positive life change.

A Whale's Gratitude

I'm not sure if this story is true, but it is beautiful none the less...

A female humpback whale had become entangled in a spider web of crab traps and lines. She was weighted down by hundreds of pounds of traps that caused her to struggle to stay afloat. She also had hundreds of yards of line rope wrapped around her body, her tail, her torso, a line tugging in her mouth.

A fisherman spotted her just east of the Faralon Islands (outside the Golden Gate) and radioed for help. Within a few hours, the rescue team arrived and determined that she was so bad off, the only way to save her was to dive in and untangle her... a very dangerous proposition. One slap of the tail could kill a rescuer.

They worked for hours with curved knives and eventually freed her. When she was free, the divers say she swam in what seemed like joyous circles. She then came back to each and every diver, one at a time, nudged them, and pushed gently, thanking them. Some said it was the most incredibly beautiful experience of their lives. The guy who cut the rope out of her mouth says her eye was following him the whole time, and he will never be the same.

May you, and all those you love, be so fortunate... to be surrounded by people who will help you get untangled from the things that are binding you. And, may you always know the joy of giving and receiving gratitude.

Stop The Killing

EX 20:13 is a movement to stop the killing in our neighborhoods based on Exodus 20:13 which says, "Thou shalt not kill". This Saturday Garfield Park is the focus. Marches start assembling at 10:30 and step off at 11:00 AM at four locations:

• 325 S. California
• 3555 W. Huron
• 4301 W. Washington
• 718 S. Independence

All four marches converge at Hamlin and Jackson at noon for a tent rally.

Want to help make Thanksgiving more meaningful?

Here's a link to learn how you can help Breakthrough provide Thanksgiving baskets for struggling west side residents.

Cromer says Affirmative Action is too little too late

Dr. James Cromer, Maurice Falk Professor of Child Psychiatry at the Yale University School of Medicine’s Child Study Center and the founder of the Comer School Development Program, is a respected writer about education and child development. In an interview with Carolyn Nguyen he was asked if affirmative action has failed its stated purpose. He replied...

"Affirmative action is too little, too late. It has been carried out in a way that missed its very purpose. What we are trying to create is equal opportunity that takes into account many factors, not just numbers. We were not searching for a way to have certain percentages of marginalized individuals in certain careers or schools. Yet affirmative action did not create that focus. What we should have done was create programs that enable marginalized families and schools to help prepare children to participate in mainstream society. There needs to be a systematic effort to connect marginalized students into the mainstream, an effort that today is almost nonexistent. The natural connections that mainstream students have do not exist for their less fortunate counterparts, who often struggle to make ends meet. Through the manner affirmative action was implemented, there have been incredibly negative responses on both sides."

"A systematic effort to connect marginalized students into the mainstream", oooo, that sounds like Breakthrough's network model of ministry. We are trying to surround the students and the homeless guests who come into our centers with a network of support that connects them with people who care.

Monkey adopted by a village dog

A flood in northern Mozambique in 2002 left many orphaned animals. Here is a heartwarming video of how an orphaned monkey found maternal love.

Why Jonathan Kozol hasn't given up on education

Johnathon Briggs captured an interview with Jonathan Kozol about education in the Perspective section of the Tribune today. I read Kozol's book, Shame of the Nation, last year and have recommended an online article by Kozol from Harpers Magazine entitled Still Separate, Still Unequal, which serves as a good condensed version of the book, to my Wheaton students and fellow BUILD participants.

This interview of Kozol was especially interesting to me because I really agree with him that we need to advocate for systemic change in our education system. Kozol says in the interview that No Child Left Behind has driven away "superbly educated, high-spirited teachers" who leave, not because of the kids, but because of the "absolute decapitation of potential in children that is the unintended consequence of an agenda that strips down the curriculum in order to teach only isolated skills that will appear on an exam."

About charter schools he says, "Despite their claims that their schools are not selective in the students they enroll, the kids whose parents even hear about these schools and whose parents know how to navigate the application process are inherently self-selective."

I know of parents in Chicago who start when their kids are two and three to research the system and to position their children to be accepted into the best schools. The children of uneducated parents or those who have recently immigrated to this country are left behind in increasingly disfuntional schools.

Kozol's suggestions...

• Give standardized exams less often and rely instead on diagnostic tests.
• Require that states certify that class size in an urban district is at the same level as the size in an affluent suburban district and that every child receive the same years of preschool education before a standardized exam is used.
• Amend the transfer provision to require that states facilitate the right to transfer across district lines to enable the parents of inner-city children who are in chronically failing schools to place ther children in high-performing and better-funded public schools.
• Get rid of the property tax almost entirely as the basis of school funding or pool the property taxes into a common pool and distribute those funds equitably to every single child in the state.

Kozol doesn't lose heart about education because "there are far more marvelous teachers in these urban schools than you would ever guess if you listen to the politicians who condemn them... The high morale of our teachers is our most precious asset. If they lose their delight in being with the children, they won't stay, and we'll lose everything."

Committed to the Cause

Here's an audio of my speech at the Breakthrough Benefit.

Jump Rope Song

A group of young girls were jumping rope in the street in front of my apartment when I got home yesterday afternoon. They were great at it so I watched them for awhile. I was surprised to hear their jump rope song. It went something like this...

Where's the baby?
Here's the baby.
Who's the momma?
I'm the momma.
Who's the daddy?
Don't know.

How sad, that not knowing one's "baby daddy" has become so routine that it is being sung by little girls as they jump rope. I had a chat with them about making sure that they keep themselves for a guy who will stick around. The statistics don't look good for them however. More than two-thirds of African American new mothers are unmarried.

"Eight to 12 years after birth, a child born to an unmarried, teenage, high school dropout is 10 times as likely to be living in poverty as a child born to a mother with none of these three characteristics."

From the "Kids Count" report, an analysis of data nationwide from the Annie E. Casey Foundation

The "Shug" Crossover

Here's a video about how Raymond Young used his network at Breakthrough to transition from the basketball court to a paid corporate internship.

The Making of a Shadow Show

This year the Breakthrough Benefit included a unique form of art called a shadow show. Scott Parker wrote the script and gave it to Frank Maugeri of Red Moon Theater and he pulled together a group of artists and musicians who drew sketches and painted on transparencies and developed an original score with vocalists and sound effects to illustrate the story with overhead projectors. The video below by Scott Parker gives a behind the scenes view of the creative process.

The Opportunity Gap

Here's an article from Catalyst Chicago that states that Chicago's top schools are becoming less diverse.

African Americans account for half of CPS students, but only 29 percent of those in selective high schools, down from 37 percent in 1995. And the biggest drops are in the highest performing schools—Young, Jones, Lane, Payton and Northside—where the black student population has declined by 10 percent since 2000.