Catching up with events, the bad and the good

We groan at some current events--but God is at work in ways we hardly see...

Many are commenting on recent events, like the tragedy of Terry Schiavo, and the California court's decision on gay "marriage" (I don't think that word even should be used in that context). I stand with those who see these as undesirable, even ominous, decisions.

I spent much of this week on a trip to New York, though, with a much different tone to it. I took the train there from my home in southeast Virginia; a pleasant enough trip, except for the last few moments in Newark before crossing the river to Manhattan. I've known the city from several previous trips, but this was my first time there since October of 2001, when I visited to help with 9/11 spiritual recovery efforts. The city skyline viewed from New Jersey there, with the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center missing, still seems very wrong.

And yet it was a great trip. I spent all day Tuesday with leaders of Here's Life Inner City, a relatively small group with a huge vision for transforming communities in America. One example is the S.A.Y. Yes Centers for Youth Development (see this description from Minneapolis/St. Paul). These are church-based places of mentoring and nurturing in Christ for poor urban youth. The centers have doubled in number in the past few years. But there is so much left to do...

Here's Life Inner City also seeks to involve the rest of the Church in the needs of inner cities, through a Biblical study called Compassion by Command. I highly recommend it--but be careful, it may change your whole view of God's work in the world.

Does God want to transform cities? Is there hope for change? These leaders believe the answer is yes. Their vision is contagious! New York itself has been greatly transformed in the past two decades. Some attribute the change to a mayor's policies; the fact is, crime was decreasing before Rudy Giuliani was elected--but not before a prayer movement began in the city.

The Bible speaks often of God's work in the great cities of the day. He still has much to do in--and for--the great cities of the 21st century.

Posted: Fri - March 18, 2005 at 09:09 PM |

Thinking Christian by Tom Gilson getCategoryName("<$CategoryUUID$>");

Catching up with events, the bad and the good

Thinking Christian by Tom Gilson