Quotable Monday

"How can I order my life to consider justice and not "just-us"?"

Just a question that crossed my mind today.

CCDA New Orleans Day 3

Dr. Michelle Alexander presented a compelling case that charges mass incarceration in America as the new Jim Crow of our time.  

St. Roch Community Church was a church plant in the Ninth Ward post-Katrina.  I spent the afternoon there on Friday learning about their church and their Christian Community Development corporation that launched alongside of the church.  You can read more about St. Roch by clicking here.

St. Roch CDC has a 9 month artist residency that was fascinating to learn about.  An art professor at Tulane (far left) leads this program, and the four seated at the table are all past or present artists in residence.  

Chassidi is in the CCDA Leadership Cohort #4 which was introduced on stage Friday evening.  

CCDA 2014 Day 2

CCDA Immersion alumni met for breakfast today. This is a few from our great crew that spent a week together in Chicago in April 2011.  

Coach Wayne Gordon and John Perkins are tag teaming on the morning Bible studies this week.  Talking to us about being Christ's Church as we look at the churches addressed in Revelation.

Barbara Williams-Skinner facilitated a panel of practitioners in a discussion about indigenous leadership development.  Important and challenging conversation.  

I went on this "Go and See" field trip to a new mixed-income development modeled after East Lake in Atlanta.  

 Columbia Parc is 53 acres, 685 units of housing...1/3 public housing, 1/3 low income, and 1/3 market rate rentals.  

This development at Columbia Parc was very well thought out in the planning!  A great story of redemption in Post-Katrina New Orleans!  

Merrsadiz is our group's youngest participant.  When Leroy Barber spoke a challenge of commitment last night for young people to go back into their communities as servant leaders, he called people to come up front if they wished to commit.  Merrsadiz rose to the challenge!  Yay!  

Pizza at Roloco's around the corner from the hotel.  

CCDA 2014 New Orleans

Nine of us from the Cedar Valley have traveled to NOLA for the 25th annual national conference of the Christian Community Development Association.  This is my seventh conference, and I'm so grateful for the family of CCDA and the Kingdom charge embodied by my brothers and sisters in Christ here.

Arrived Tuesday night and embarked on a 20 minute walk from our hotel to the  French Quarter.  Lots of great art in this city!

Also a lot of great food with great friends in the Quarter!

Cutie-Patootie Violet made her first flight and is with us in New Orleans this week.

Chassidi and I sat for a spell in the Stage II Exhibit Hall at the CCDA info table welcoming people and posing as well-informed volunteers who could answer questions people might have.

Listened to some wonderful soft jazz in Stage II after the opening evening plenary session.  Our own George Marshall joined Dave Clark and the band for some tremendous tranquil tunes.  

Quotable Monday

"I'm going to have to be paid the same as the white help, or I'll be moving on." -Cecil Gaines in Lee Daniels'movie, The Butler.

I went to see this movie today and recommend that everyone see it.  If you care to read a review, click here.

moving forward toward the dream

Our community hosted a march on Saturday to commemorate the March on Washington and today's 50th anniversary of MLK Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech.

Mrs. Willie Mae Wright grabbed my children's hands as the march began.  What a fitting gesture as we walked for peace, reconciliation, justice.  It will take the linking of arms and lives in the power and grace of Jesus Christ for such transformation.  

Thinking today about a quote that has been real helpful to me:
If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time.  But if you've come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together."  -Lilla Watson

last gasp of summer

Harvest hosted a fun evening for young people before they head back to school tomorrow in Waterloo.  On the menu?  Sweet corn and water balloons!  A perfect night for both; check out the pictures....

This last picture shows Clarence...he kept coming back for more....he ate 6 ears of corn!

It was great to see our partnership in action last night.  Harvest worked hard to set up a fun night of water balloons with students.  Orchard friends brought sweet corn from their farm to the party for all to share in a wonderful corn feast.

We pray for all the youth heading back to school...that God would grace these young people with a strong education, a growing faith in Christ, and a healthy home life.