More questions at The District Church
What a week! Earthquake on Wednesday (I lived through five in California and never felt a single one; I move to DC and feel the first one!). And outside my window, Hurricane Irene is making life very, very wet and windy. (But prayers definitely going up for the folks who're getting hit much harder than we are/have been.)
Anyway, I've been meaning to blog about church this past week but that got squeezed out by the events and general busyness of this week. On Sunday, we finished out our "My Most Important Question" series, and got to hear from Daniel -- "Why is it so hard to trust in God's provision?", Heather -- "Is God good?", and David -- "What do you want me to do?" As with the week before, it was so good to hear from folks in our community; and once again, the honesty of their stories, the passion in their telling, and the presence of God in the midst of the struggles shone through. Heather, in particular, is a dear friend of mine; and while I'd heard her story before and talked with her about some of the things she talked about, it was so moving to see and hear her sharing it with the church community.
If you have time--actually, I'd strongly encourage you to make the time to go listen to the podcast; you can find it here.
John Goldingay at Fuller’s Baccalaureate Service 2011
From this past weekend's Baccalaureate Service at Fuller Seminary, John Goldingay speaks of God, "High and Holy, But Present with the Lowly." Goldingay was easily one of my favorite professors during my time at Fuller--I took all of my Old Testament classes from him, and I definitely miss being in the presence of this awesome, humble and brilliant man of God. I hope you are blessed by his message:
Barack Obama, 1990
Found this fascinating article from the LA Times, written in March 1990, on the then-28 year-old Barack Obama, newly elected president of the Harvard Law Review. Twenty-one years ago, he was my age. Now there's a sobering look and a fascinating comparison ...
Snip:
After graduation next year, Obama says he probably will spend two years at a corporate law firm, then look for community work. Down the road, he plans to run for public office.
Looks like he knew what he wanted. 
Easter Sunday, CNN, kids getting shot
Time sure flies, doesn’t it? Next week, I’ll have been serving as the Leadership Resident at The District Church for SIX MONTHS. If you’ve been following/reading along, you’ll know it’s definitely been an adventure—getting to be a part of all the amazing things God has been doing in our neighborhood, in our city, and especially in our church.
April has been a particularly good month. ONE’s Lazarus Sunday campaign worked out extremely well, with churches all over the country, including The District Church, joining in to raise awareness about the issue of AIDS in Africa and the life-saving anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) that are making a phenomenal impact. I even got to be interviewed by CNN! (Full article and video here.)
I got the opportunity to preach on Palm Sunday last week, and then somewhat unexpectedly, this morning. Aaron and Amy had been going through the process of adopting a second kid, and everything came through between Thursday and Saturday morning. So they are now parents of a beautiful baby girl—Natalie Rose; and I was drafted to pinch-preach on Easter Sunday! This morning was a fantastic celebration—we had the most people we’ve ever had at a TDC service, and everything came together nicely!
And here, for your listening pleasure, are my first five messages from the last six months:
- Wanted: Some Joy and Peace, Please (December 12, 2010)
- Getting in Trouble with Jesus (January 30, 2011)
- What Mary Did (March 20, 2011)
- What Are You Expecting? (April 17, 2011 – Palm Sunday)
- It’s Sunday … (April 24, 2011 – Easter Sunday)
Finally, I also spoke at Young Life in the middle of the month, and while it’s hard to know how much ever goes in or sticks with these kids, I was able to say what I wanted to say—what I felt like God wanted me to say—and I guess I’m just leaving the rest to God! Things have been going well with building relationships, but recently, a couple of the boys were involved in a shooting incident and one was hit in the leg. He’s going to be okay, but it was a reminder that there’s still much work to be done. Your prayers would be greatly appreciated!
Wishing you life and peace in the name of the risen Christ,
Jus.