Uffizi Mission Project

A friend of mine who leads the blessing charge on the West Side, mentioned to me a few weeks ago that he saw a little girl at the Carrillo apartments jumping with an “invisible jump rope.”

This leads me to wondering, is the family so poor that she cannot afford a jump rope?  Is that a real possibility in Santa Barbara?  Sadly, I now realize that it is indeed a reality.

 If you drive by the apartments on the corner of Carrillo and San Pascual, the Carrillo apartments are indeed in a sad condition.  Since I work at the Village apartments now, I get to see these other apartments several days a week.  I have done several prayer walks through the area.  A few of us mapped out the many ways that we could bless the apartments.  Many have no screens, ancient doors - all settled in the midst of a setting of dirt (no lawns, play area, pool, community center).

What does it take to get a new jump rope to a girl with an invisible one?  Is that the question that might open the way to greater blessings?  How would you find her such a simple thing, and get it to her?

Meanwhile, good things are happening on the West Side.  In the past month we have witnessed a baptism, a new Christ follower this past Wednesday, and a prayer gathering of community members and Village dwellers.  The prayer gathering asked for a weekend of complete peace on the West Side, and they got what they asked for.  (If you want to find out about the Village apartments, you can click the link on my website)

But there are still areas of “invisibility.”  What I mean are things quite possible but not yet realized, and with the power of God these things can come into being.  I believe God would have us partner with Him in this.  After all, I don’t know if an angel is going to appear with a golden jump rope and give it to the child we are considering here.

There are “invisible” better jobs needed - there are “invisible” father figures for children without dads - there are “invisible” addiction cures - there are “invisible” friendship builders - there are “invisible” prayer walkers.  The list could go on…

 God is creative - creates out of nothing.  He is the master of miracles and most of the time these miracles are quite practical.  Let’s do away with dualism.  Dualism might say that giving a girl a jump rope is not a spiritual act - but Jesus does away with this by his comments on the power of giving someone a cup of cold water.  But someone, some community, must be committed to the simple work of being there.  I continue to invite you all in, to make the invisible visible.

Please comment on this - how would you find this girl and get her a jump rope?  Can this simple act be essential to the larger idea of redemption and salvation?

I can remember walking into a pastors’ prayer meeting, holding a copy of the Bible and another book, The End of Poverty, by Jeffrey Sachs.  I have to admit that I was equally excited about reading them both (though the one of poverty was on top that day!)  Another pastor wandered over, gave me a bit of a condescending look, and said, “You know, Jesus said the poor would always be with us.”  I got the message - “don’t get too excited about the social justice bit…”  I know this because he did not stick around to talk about it.

Could that be the kind of Jesus we have - telling us not to try too hard because the poor will always be here, so get used to it buddy.  Sounds a bit depressing to me.  Especially since you can go back to the gospels and see at the announcement of his birth (the song of Mary) and see God’s heart for the poor, you can find it in His message (the beatitudes), and you can find it in who he associated with on the streets.  God loves those who are poor, and in fact aligns Himself with them.  If you really want to get pressed, start reading Everything Must Change by Brian McLaren.  (It gets good more in the middle for me…)

Now, I spent a good amount of time in Deuteronomy 15 today, praying through it, considering it.  You should read it for yourself… but in it God flips you around like a rubix cube (do they still make these things?)  He says that if you follow Him and His commands, you won’t have poor in the land, while at the same time He tells us indeed the poor will always be with us.  So, which one is it?  Well, to me I think His thought that the poor will always be with us is more like a call to move in compassion toward them.  He specifically says for us not to “close our hand” toward those who are in need.  So I would suggest that there is a plan, a loving strategy, to move toward those in need and work side by side with them for their welfare.

 You know His first message, tied to Isaiah 61, was that He came to bring “the favorable year of the Lord.”  This is tied to the idea of “jubilee,” which in turn is connected to forgiving debts and equalizing the financial playing field.

The Uffizi Mission will continue to work hand in hand with Jesus in bringing the favorable year of the Lord, and determining what that means in a 21st century culture.  New things are in the works - partnering with new churches, developing a commission to understand and meet the needs of the poor through the Turner Foundation.  Please join us of course.  Jesus invites you in.

I want to consider the top three issues in Santa Barbara, specifically related to the poor.  If you have thoughts on what those are, please leave a comment - or comment on other things.

It was a lively one on San Pascual Street on the West Side.  Monday - a car of West Side girls and a car of East Side girls clashed and one literally crashed right by the The Village apartments.  Tuesday - someone takes a beating outside a local grocery mart.  Wednesday - a mother comes by our sharing stories group and fills us in on her missing 14 year old daughter, who had been missing for two days (she has ultimately been found!).

We live in times of local and global war - and we expect that we will continue to do so.  Should we?

The idea is challenged this morning when I hear from Psalm 46 that “He makes wars to cease.”

I join with Him in wanting wars to cease, in wanting peace, in learning to become a peacemaker.

I am concerned about us (the church) when we do not get beyond the message of our “individual” salvation.  It seems that our culture has excelled in talking about our own individual salvations, and now we need to move into the mode of our community/city/world salvation.  We need to expand our vision.  Babies and children are concerned for their own needs and increase toys - men and women move beyond that to seek the good of others, whether it is family, tribe, community, world.  We create a salvific way for others.

Salvation is a grand biblical epic - salvation of people groups in really the heart of God.  I believe maturity moves us beyond thinking of ourselves to thinking of our neighbor.  And salvation is freedom now and freedom coming… so we must be concerned for the salvation of our city - for the safety of the East and West Side (so that some day there will be no “sides” at all!).

The sad thing is that we do not have a corporate strategy… and so I work to develop one.  Honestly, I hope to make a way in the desert - where streams of men and women will generously follow.  The strategy is coming.

 It comes down to “tribes” and “Tribe.”  When Israel entered the Promised Land, they were “tribes” and a “Tribe.”  Santa Barbara has tribes and a tribe as well.  We need to learn to become one larger tribe of love, compassion, holy ’spirited’ empowerment, etc… that will believe that Jesus makes wars to cease.

There should be no more East Side and West Side.  There should be no more missing children.  There should be no more violence on San Pascual.  I say this because it is not so in the kingdom of God, and that kingdom is promised as coming.  We have to literally follow Christ and stop talking about it - for in following Him we will make the war to cease.

Christianity is not an intellectual argument, philosophy, or religion.  It is a way of life. 

In May you can join the peacemaking way on Wednesday Night, May 14 at 7pm at the Village Apartments community center on 524 West Canon Perdido.  It will be gathering for those who want to “ask for peace” and pursue a way of “ending war.”  Doesn’t matter who you are, we can pursue peace together.