The Great Composter in the Sky

"Since then, you've been cleaned up and given a fresh start by Jesus, our Master, our Messiah, and by our God present in us, the Spirit." -1 Corinthians 6:11, The Message

If you’ve ever seen the movie Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, you’re well aware that Murphy’s Law (or that everything that could go wrong, would go wrong) can be very funny to watch from the comfort of your theater seat or couch. We laugh when luggage spills open during a futile chase after a taxi because we’ve all been there at some point, and, we’re relieved it’s not our predicament at the moment!

Click on any photo to see more from the week!

Well, this week was our “planes, trains, and automobiles" week, in that, quite literally, we had moments where each mode of transportation held us back. One of our Discover groups, from the Grand Rapids area of Michigan, became drastically delayed as tornadoes ripped through the center of the country, causing their flight to be re-routed through Houston. Upon finally arriving to LAX, they would find themselves delayed even further by a slower-than-molasses rental car desk clerk and car accidents on the 405. Holding to a tight schedule, I attempted to bounce around town on Tuesday, from food banks to skid row missions, and found myself completely boxed into south central LA between two trains that had literally stopped on the tracks for about 40 minutes. And that was only the beginning: pots and rags were misplaced, tires would go completely flat, a cell phone went missing, a toilet exploded, I forgot how to count, and on and on and on….

However, Pastor Cal, leading a group from northwestern Illinois, made a witty observation that lingered and encouraged me all week. As Alex, Kenna, Lou-Trice and I worked alongside his team in the Dweller’s community garden, we discussed the design of the path and how it was meant to represent a chapel door. That is, with the exception of one small off-shoot that leads to the compost pile (within what once was a baby crib!). Cal pointed out that the little path reaches up “to the great composter in the sky.”

Hmmm, I thought. Yes. God’s promise is a bit like composting. We can wholeheartedly step into the kingdom as broken, rotten, run-down, hurting, spent, used-up, and exhausted as we are and still experience transformation. We can be changed into something fertile, nourishing, healthy, rich, beautiful. It truly is beautiful: that deep, black, soil on your knees, in your fingernails, brushed on your sweaty cheeks. And, of course, what can spring forth from that dark richness is nothing short of miraculous. From small seeds to lime trees, strawberry patches, morning glory vines. Incredible.

So it may have been an exhausting week with smatterings of drawbacks and disappointments. But as I watched the two groups climb up the mountain to Griffith Observatory, carrying and caring for one another in more ways than one, I reveled in how God took this imperfect week, distilled it down to its most important elements, and ultimately allowed it to blossom.

Blessings to these Midwesterners, to Christi, Blain, Mark, Cal and the young people they guided: they gardened, packaged tons of food, sorted clothing distribution spaces, and served many, many folks living on the streets. All with a smile, all with joy, all with cheer.

I am grateful for this week.

Amen,

Matthew

Dumpster Diving, Markdowns on Hugs, and Glorious New Pennies!

River fountains splash joy, cooling God's city, this sacred haunt of the Most High. God lives here, the streets are safe, God at your service from crack of dawn. - Psalm 46:4-6, The Message

Praying in the rose garden. To see more photos, click on any of the photos here!

Here in the midst of our first summer Discover group, I am reminded how much God is here: God of the past, God of the present, and God of the future. This wonderful team from Indianapolis Mennonite Church has brought joy and service to our streets, and in turn, God is showing them how faithful and loving God is. The streets ARE safe, only because God protects us. God is at "our service," but we must be challenged to dedicate our own service to loving God's people and spreading the light and strength of God's kingdom.

This week, we learned about the adventures of dumpster diving, that the fair-trade value of a hug in Los Angeles is somewhere between 25 cents and nothing, and that pennies never looked so shiny! Though this is the language of inside jokes, or humor-that-you-had-to-be-there-for, what is easily seen is the fact that when we put ourselves out there in love and service, God meets us and completely satisfies our expectations and hopes. And usually, they are exceeded tremendously!

This week also marks the welcome to Lou-Trice, our Discern intern for 2010. Lou-Trice is currently a student at Fuller Seminary and comes to us from Sugar Land, Texas. She is literally jumping into the summer with us, learning as she goes, and we are already blessed by the perspectives and leadership she brings to the table. Please pray for a challenging and fulfilling experience for her this summer!

Thanks for reading, amen, and hope to see you here in Hollywood sometime soon!

-Matthew

Together Because of Me

Kyle, from Tennessee, Dweller 2010-2011

"When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I'll be there." - Matthew 18:19-20, The Message

Robert, from North Carolina, Dweller 2010-2011

Dwell is, literally, all about coming together in service and community in the name of Jesus. Trusting in the Word, all Dwellers can celebrate that if they surround their coming together in prayer, God will also be there. God is already here, and God will be here for these new young people when they arrive in the fall.

Our current Dwell unit is adjusting to the early departure of Curtis, and we are united in prayer for the new possibilities in his life. Alex, Will, Wendy, Kenna and I also prayed for Kyle, Robert, Alex, Alayna, & Brady, and the potential others who still might join this upcoming unit. It was a profound moment for me, as it was last year with Alison, Sara, Steph, and Mary, to envision this growing family of recent and current Dwellers united in prayer for one another. That God might be present for each group, and will also be present as a bridgebuilder from one team to another. It really enhances my understanding of what it means to be a part of the body of Christ.

Alex, from Pennsylvania, Dweller 2010-2011

So we ask for your prayers for all Dwellers, for God to be molding and shaping them whether they be in preparation to step out of this life of service on 5486 Gregory or in preparation to step up and into it.

Alayna, from South Dakota, Dweller 2010-2011

If you would like to find out how you can be more involved in prayer and other support, please click on any of the photos here.

Blessings and thanksgiving. May God continually bless these young people and this neighborhood through what it means to come together.

-Matthew

Brady, from Indiana, Dweller 2010-2011

Reunion, Again

"Oh, we'll be walking on air! And then there will be one huge family reunion with the Master. So reassure one another with these words." - 1 Thessalonians 4: 17-18, The Message

Three "generations" of Dwellers: Alison, 08-09; Steph 07-08; and Kenna 09-10

Reunions can be exciting, strange, encouraging, and discouraging all at once. We come back together for a time, just a time, and reconnect, share stories, see how much we've grown, (or haven't). But really, earthly reunions are just small glimpses of the true re-unification that God promises to us all, if we devote our lives and trust to God.

The second half of May brought Alison, Mary, Sara, & Steph, our Dwellers from last year, back to visit Hollywood. From what they told me, all of these feelings were present at one point during their stays. It was a reunion, in that they got to reconnect with one another, the neighborhood families and children and the place they called home for a full year. It was also a chance to meet Alex, Wendy, Curtis, Kenna, & Will, our current Dwellers. Reconnecting and making new connections.

And it was, no doubt, painful and complicated to depart from Hollywood once again, reminding us that the best we can do with reunions are long weekends, or sometimes full weeks. But last night, as Mary, Sara, & Steph cooked dinner for everyone, I heard hope in the laughter and the joy of the evening. I caught an image of heaven: the ultimate reunion, with God and one another. I caught myself doing something I rarely find space to do: imagining all of us as the eternal beings that we are. It's so easy to get caught up in our day-to-day struggles, wishing for relief, wishing to "move on." But every once in a while, moments happen that seem frozen in time, just sitting there and glowing. Joking, storytelling, making fun of one another, and breaking bread together seemed, to me, like a slice of eternity.

It allowed for a reunion within my heart and a reminder of why this work, why reaching out in fellowship, love, and service, is so very important. Indeed, it is what we were created to do.

Blessings and peace,

Matthew

Who would Jesus deport?

The question is profound enough. Think about it, really think about it.

That's what our Dwellers did, amidst our spring retreat in San Diego that centered mostly around fellowship, fun, and reconnecting. They took time to attend a May Day rally in Chicano Park, mostly a gathering to protest Arizona's new law. But more importantly, marching with others was about learning, listening, and finding common ground.

It's what Dwell is all about.

Being Led While Leading

7:57 am in the Skid Row area of downtown Los Angeles.

"My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God's Spirit!" - Galatians 5:16, The Message

In my time as Hollywood city director, we had yet to welcome a weekend group to Hollywood until a small, 6-person team from Kingsburg ventured down from California's Central Valley this past Friday night. And technically, by DOOR Discover group standards, this wouldn't even qualify as a traditional weekend group, because they were only to stay for one night instead of two. During planning, I decided to ask some basic questions about what the group was seeking and prayerfully shape their experience around the answers I got back, as we had no actual protocol for how this should look.

The leader mentioned that they wanted to really spend time in fellowship and care for homeless individuals, and if we could find a service project that allowed for that, that would be best. During a typical workweek, no problem, that's what we're all about here in Hollywood. But in the few weeks leading up, I learned that it's actually quite tough to schedule with agencies on Saturdays. Either they are closed, or, they have been booked for months ahead of time. Ironic in a good way: that in a town known for it's exclusivity and red-carpet, velvet rope, A-list events with scores of people vying to get in, there are homeless shelters and related agencies that get so much interest from potential volunteers, they also have to turn many requests away. One way the face of God is revealed here in LA, amen!

But after digging around a bit, no pun intended, we found that a local homeless shelter had been wanting to join volunteers and residents in the kick-off of a community vegetable garden. And, in fact, our phone call helped to crystallize the event into actually happening. So that was set, and then the leader asked, two days before their arrival, if they might be able to sleep on Skid Row the night before. While I wouldn't send volunteers to sleep on the sidewalks, as they can be a very volatile place throughout the night, I had heard that one of the downtown missions in the heart of Skid Row allowed people to sleep on their roof while they were free to spend as much time as possible both with people congregating near the building and folks sheltering inside. Sounded like a good idea, though I had little awareness about how to prepare the group for exactly what to expect.

And that's where the title of this blog applies: for the first time in awhile, I actually felt more led than leading. The animated spirit of this group, the exuberance to gently meet with people and share God's love, in spirit more than in words, was infectious. Though I was stressed upon meeting them down in Skid Row, because it seemed like things might fall apart on account of misunderstandings or miscommunication on my part in the last-minute planning, turned into something quite peaceful, calm, and lovely. After eating dinner, praying, and talking some about our conceptions of the homeless versus the reality, we found out there was a young girl's birthday party going on, and they'd love to have some help celebrating and playing games with all the kids in the shelter. What an outpouring of the joy of God's spirit.

The next morning, over breakfast, I learned a little about the group, some elements of their youth and what they do for fun, and some elements of the deep and difficult challenges they've been through. And, in listening, I learned even more things about my own city. Apparently, there is a functioning Christian radio station in LA, (I had given up after years of fruitless searches). They taught me that, along with helping me to learn of other options for volunteers in the future, just because they were willing to serve, felt God calling them to act boldly and uncomfortably, and they asked the questions to make that happen.

Living freely. Living animatedly. Living for Jesus. The powerful blessing of that reminder. Amen.

Matthew

Click on any photo to see more:

Why "Tiny Advantage", by Kenna

Today I was playing basketball with one of the boys who came over to hangout. We were playing a fun game of him trying to make baskets as I was running after him trying to steal the ball. As we were playing, Wendy, one of my roommates, came running by and got the ball just as he was about to shoot it and stated, “I got the height advantage”. Soon after, the ball got knocked and Wendy and him went running for it and he proclaimed, “I got the speed advantage” as he got to the ball before Wendy. As we were playing, he was coming up with all different kinds of “advantages” that he had and the one he was most proud of was his “tiny advantage”. Later on that night I was reflecting on the day and that phrase, “tiny advantage” kept coming to mind. In a game of basketball, having the tiny advantage helps to get in the tight places and steal the ball almost unnoticed. Living where the community house is on Gregory Street, is also a “tiny advantage”. The community house to the neighborhood is a place for the kids to go and feel safe. It's a place where there are people who are interested in talking with you and playing games. It's a space to run around and you don’t have to be quiet. It's a place that older kids can go to and hang out without being questioned by the police. The community house is a place that the neighborhood comes together for holidays and parties. It is a place to connect. By being a dweller and being associated with the community house I have the “tiny advantage” of trust. By fostering this trust and showing that I am worthy of it, I am able to build connections and friendships with the kids and the neighbors and for this I am blessed.

To hear more from Kenna throughout her year of service, visit her blog, "Tiny Advantage," at www.kennakoch.blogspot.com