Planting and Growing

I love the city of St. Louis.  But one of her biggest problems has been the “every man for him/herself” attitude in the individual neighborhoods.  Each ward or neighborhood (Soulard, Benton Park West, Lafayette Square, McKinley Heights, etc.) governs without considering or weighing consequences on surrounding neighborhoods.  This creates a very ward-centered governance that fractures and interferes with any vision for the city as a whole.  Scott Patterson at Urban Review STL brings some expertise to the conversation with prospective aldermen and mayors up for election this year by including this problem in a survey mailed to all the candidates.  He defines it below:

“Aldermanic Courtesy” is the practice of letting an alderman do as they wish in their ward even though it may not be the best policy for the city as a whole.

One example of this is wards seizing degrading properties with overdue taxes in poor, crime-ridden areas, selling them to developers for $1, and having them rehabb and resell the property for significantly higher prices.  This brings wealthier people and families into communities that (understandably) need more money (property taxes) to fund education and law enforcement.  However, it pushes those poor families and much of the crime in the area to neighboring communities, who are literally racing to keep up with the same practice so that crime and poverty stays out of their back yard.  And this doesn’t even begin to address the divide between city and county… It’s crazy.

The city is in desperate need for people and policies that address the needs of individual neighborhoods, but under a vision for the city as a whole.  In short (and to steal a phrase from a charity concert I started at Truman), we need to “Put Unity back in Community.”  I hope and pray that City Church will be a powerful redemptive agent and a partner with those who are already working toward this end.

See it there on the left side of the page? That’s my “wish list.” If you click on it, it will take you to a page with a list of books I want and/or need. My need for books is so great that I’m going to start asking for them for Birthdays and Christmases instead of other more… unnecessary items! It has gotten to the point that I just can’t keep up with the books I need to really consume for seminary and ministry. This list will include books for class, stuff I’m doing with City Church, and my own personal interest. I’ll differentiate each on by priority.

If you buy one for me, it will automatically be delivered to Hannah at work, so if it is a surprise it won’t be ruined! Thanks in advance!

From Encyclical Letter Deus Caritas Est:

If I have no contact whatsoever with God in my life, then I cannot see in the other anything more than the other, and I am incapable of seeing in him the image of God. But if in my life I fail completely to heed others, solely out of a desire to be “devout” and to perform my “religious duties”, then my relationship with God will also grow arid. It becomes merely “proper”, but loveless. Only my readiness to encounter my neighbour and to show him love makes me sensitive to God as well. Only if I serve my neighbour can my eyes be opened to what God does for me and how much he loves me. The saints—consider the example of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta—constantly renewed their capacity for love of neighbour from their encounter with the Eucharistic Lord, and conversely this encounter acquired its real- ism and depth in their service to others. Love of God and love of neighbour are thus inseparable, they form a single commandment. But both live from the love of God who has loved us first.

Some of you know more than others that I (Brad) have had chronic sinus problems. I used to have 6-8 full blown sinus infections a year. Giving up dairy went a long way to helping this, but it is still a problem. My ENT doc ordered several CT scans, and he is recommending that I get surgery done to open my passages, clean out the sinus cavity in my right cheek (Maxillary Sinus), and repair some damage (scar tissue) from an old airsoft/paintball injury (long story…). It’s pretty routine, but I can absolutely use the prayers! It looks like it will be done the morning of Friday February 27th at 7:30.

Art in general is a powerful mode of expression.  Just look at the cross.  It is so common to us now that we forget that it was the tool by which thousands were executed in such a painful way that the Romans created a new word for pain that severe: “Excruciating,” literally meaning “of the cross.” So many Christians (myself included) wear a cross on our neck, sometimes fashioned with fine metals and stones, without realizing that the modern equivalent would be to wear an electric chair or lethal injection syringe.

Have we lost the power of Christianity’s historic symbols? Do they mean anything anymore?

Many so-called “Emerging Churches” are actively incorporating art as a tool through which to communicate across cultural barriers.  This may be new to America, but it is a big “duh” to the international Church.  I celebrate this emphasis and love that the Gospel can be communicated in fresh, meaningful ways to those who have often been neglected by the Church.

But is art just a tool? A means of communicating? Or is it something more?

I recently took a Jan Term class called “Worship in Today’s Church,” taught by the reknown Scotty Smith.  One of the books for that class, firmly stated that art is not merely a missional tool for communication across cultural barriers, but an essential component of worshipping our Creator. Genesis 3 says that we bear God’s image.  If this is true, and God is a Creator, how can we not also create?

This is huge.  Really, really huge.  We have so closely associated the Christian faith with American ideals of success, that we look down on artists who sacrifice “success” (like a stable 40-hour per week job) for the sake of their passion and craft.  Who established that standard anyway?

Anyway, this post is a bit of a rant, but it is also constructive.  I’m excited because our party Saturday will also host artwork from a local artists named Casey Marburger.  She’s incredibly talented, and we are excited to hang her pieces and transform our apartment into an art gallery.  We hope to “put our money where our mouth is” and serve those who sacrifice much for their craft, which is particularly difficult in this economy.

Some very good friends of ours are trying to spread the word about a fundraiser for another friend with cancer.  Their story is both amazing and tragic, so please check it out!

Did I mention that the prizes include a 7-day vacation in Miami and a 10-day vacation in Maui?

Apparently, blogging is dead, but don’t worry, we’re not shutting this down anytime soon.

Hannah and I are really excited about a party we’re throwing a week from tomorrow.  We call it “Hot Drinks, Cold Nights.”  It’s particularly appropriate since yesterday was the coldest day in St. Louis since December 2001.  And let me tell you… driving a truck with no heat… I could tell.  Anyway, the party will revolve around hot (and doctored) drinks with names like Pike’s Peak, Holiday Hangover, and Hot Haus.  We’ve got some decor to spread the theme out a bit, and so far about 15 people are coming.

One of our goals in throwing this party is that it gives us the chance to build relationships with people in our building… no small task.  For whatever reason, people just don’t talk to each other here.  There is little to no opportunity to even talk to our neighbors, much less hang out for extended periods of time.  The only guy we’ve really had a chance to do that with is the Manager, Jerry, who is one cool dude.  The only subject that garners any attention is the breakins our lot has on almost a weekly basis (we’ve had our cars broken into twice).  But then when we tried putting up community newsletters, noone is signing up for the email alert we tried to start.

So yeah, it’s a mixture of encouragement (15 or so friends are coming) and discouragement (crickets from our apartment building).  It’s kinda tough trying to be a blessing to your community when noone wants it.  I’m starting to wonder if there is anything that such a diverse group of people could find in common.

Pray for the party!

Check this out.

Wow.  You mean Christians and non-Christians can have deep, meaningful conversations?  No way!