Wrapping Up

As you probably noticed, I didn't write on Friday or Monday. There is no grand or glorious reason why, except that I'm trying to finish well. Which meant focusing on what was going on rather than writing on my blog.

The last few days have been full of last-minute contacts, goodbyes, and handling the process of passing our baton to the next runners on the track. Kevin, Marlee, Dwayne, Pastor Edwards, and Berlin will be the ones to carry on the work that we've began. In some ways, I'm sad because our relationship building is just starting to pay off, in that neighbors are trusting us, engaging with us, and even coming out to play and grill out with us. One guy, Darrell, has even helped out with the kids camp this week. However, with the sadness comes joy: joy from all that I've learned, joy from the fruit that we've seen, and joy for what the future holds here in Cleveland.

The common denominator between all of the Christian brothers and sisters that we've made contact with is that they all feel the Lord working to disband the spiritual darkness that has so long held this place captive. I can truthfully say that I've seen the people of God begin to stir this summer, pressing into Jesus and seeking what they can do to advance the Kingdom and bring glory to God. When I say 'I've seen,' that's what I mean, as in this is an observation, not something that is a result of anything Stacy and I have done. If anything, Stacy and I have simply been a small part of the force that God is mobilizing to do His work, and we are excited to see what else the Lord is going to do in Cleveland in the coming years. Like rain in this Lake Eerie air, we can smell revival coming. Not a revival that originates from man's attempt to gather people together and preach; rather, a true revival that is beginning in the hearts and lives of the Lord's people.

As I cram books and clothes in my suitcase to head back to Georgia, I can rest in one sound fact. As Rebekah told me: "The most important thing is that God is in Cleveland. He was there before you got there, He's been there while you've been there, and He'll be there after you leave." No matter what it looks like to us, God's work never fails.

I'm sure more lessons that I've learned will emerge in this blog soon enough, but for now, I believe I'm done. God has once again carried me to Cleveland, and now it's time for Him to carry me back home.

Today's Prayer Place: Simple enough. Put in "Cleveland, Ohio" in Google maps, and pray that God's presence will emerge stronger than ever. Cleveland may be known as the 'Mistake on the Lake' to many. But with Jesus, every mistake can turn into something unimaginably beautiful.    

Just Throw the Frisbee

If I've learned one thing about church planting this summer, it's this: When in doubt, just throw the frisbee.

Oftentimes, God uses the simplest things to bring about the most surprising results. Simple things are those that ring most with who you are or how you naturally connect with people. For me and Stacy, one simple thing is to stand outside, toss the frisbee, and have a good time hanging out. All summer long we've done that on the street outside of our house, and periodically some of the neighbors would come out and play with us. Saturday, however, was different. 

Couple intentionality with simplicity and you have a powerful force. Saturday, Stacy, Marlee, and I held a free sno-cones party in the neighborhood. It was a hot day, and word spread quickly down the sidewalks and streets that some people on Lee were giving out free sno-cones. As the kids came, we broke out the frisbee and just tossed it back and forth. Soon, not one, not two, not three, but four families were represented in our little frisbee game. They started talking and laughing and being a community, and things seemed different than they normally do. People were smiling and together, and that's pretty rare for a street like Lee. 

During all of this, one older neighbor made a comment that made me smile. He said, "Man, this is like the old days!" THAT'S what we want. We want people to remember that not all neighbors are bad. In fact, the vast majority are really good neighbors. The problem is just that nobody knows who to trust. 

Yesterday, we had the biggest group yet at Barnabas. One of the families from down the street (they had been at the grill-out on Friday and the sno-cones on Saturday) came, and Adam, my friend who we've been doing the Bible study with, came as well. Four children were in the family, so there were ten of us in all. We had a great time! Food and fellowship came first, then we discussed the story of the prodigal son, and we ended by singing "Amazing Grace" and praying together. Afterwards, we played some frisbee in the street and four more kids showed up, one of whom was a tenth grader. Julio was his name, and we had a pretty deep spiritual conversation about who Jesus was. So overall, Barnabas on Sunday was a great success. Much different than we imagined 7 or so weeks ago, but God often seems to work through the unexpected! 

Today's Prayer Place: 1514 East 115th Street, Cleveland, OH 44106. This is the house of a guy named Doc. He's a hip-hop artist/gardener who moved into the neighborhood 7 years ago and has since been working on a youth internship program called Fresh Camp. At Fresh Camp, they learn how to write wholesome hip-hop lyrics, speak out against crime and drugs and violence through hip-hop, and promote healthy choices. They also learn gardening skills in order to promote community gardens and organic food. Doc is a believer, and we were privileged and excited to meet him. God is using him to reach out to many kids in the neighborhood, and we think that he may be a key link in a network of believers who have all moved into this neighborhood independently and without knowing that the others were coming. We even learned of a man who bought another house a couple of streets east who wants to start a house-ministry. All of this is new information to us, but we want to know more! We think God is putting together something here in this neighborhood. Pray that everyone will be able to connect and work together for His glory!