The Matter of Covenant

I woke up a few days ago contemplating covenant, and why it matters.  With my check-ins with our Dwellers lately, there is a sense of being “done” already, moving on to the next thing, and that seems to translate into some things getting overlooked, ignored, etc.  While I very much understand this sentiment, the need to “get ahead” into the next thing (every spare moment I’ve got, I’m rushing to catch up on email, which means I sometimes forget to prioritize time with my family, suddenly with a new baby dynamic once again.  When I’m meeting with a Dweller, I sometimes find myself distractedly thinking about Discern orientation, or how to re-draft a Discover discussion based on some day’s event.  So, I’m just as deserving of any criticism!)

But, here’s what I recognize about Jesus: Jesus knew all along that his mission on earth ultimately led to death on the cross, then resurrection.  With that looming, I can only imagine that a feeling of “let’s get on with it already” would’ve been heavy in my thoughts if I were in that situation, as preposterous an imagining as that is.  But Jesus stayed present with the people he was with: healing, teaching, loving until the last day.  Loving within and beyond the last supper, showing God’s grace and forgiveness even along the death march. 

There is value, great value, in staying committed, even if things are inevitably changing.  All the people Jesus healed probably went on to get sick again, and of course, pass away.  But staying committed until the end, or the change, is what it’s all about.  For a covenant is easy to maintain when everyone feels invested, but it is of course more challenging, and I’d argue, most important, to practice when people are feeling less invested.  God showed great faithfulness to his followers even when they tired of following in the desert.  God showed great faithfulness to the world through Jesus, offering redemption instead of annihilation, and God asks us to stay committed to one another in the same sort of love.  Daily.  No matter what tomorrow brings.

Now is the time to practice loving transition, loving goodbyes, and building a new kind of commitment.   I will work on this with my new family structure, and I will encourage our Dwell team to do so with one another up until the last day together, and encourage you to look at your own commitments, too.  Where has God placed you right now?

Matthew

A Perfect World, is it Possible? by Nathan

One of the themes of this year of service and learning is that the world is messed up. I had always heard the phrase as a child, "Life isn't fair." That was always thrown around like it's no big deal. So if life isn't fair, why do we try to make it fair? Is it even possible? I'm not so sure it is.

     What sparked my interest in writing this blog is this trip we're on to Arizona and Mexico to learn about the border (Borderlinks).   I've never been opposed to illegal immigrants and I've always thought that our government should not make it so difficult for people to come here. Since we are mainly here to learn about why it IS wrong to have a border like this, I knew that part wasn't going to be the issue for me. What filled me was this feeling of hopelessness. Seriously, what CAN we do?

Nathan, Britney, Jenn, Eva, & Isaiah

     Another thing that I've been hearing throughout the year is about the food industry. Why we should be buying locally grown fruits and veggies and grass-fed meat. I completely understand this issue. What gets me is how expensive it is to live this way. Most people do not have the kind of money to eat ethically. It's pretty hopeless if you ask me.

Tyler and ben adam in Nogales, Sonora

     We can stop the mass production of corn but then I'm sure there is going to be another issue. Can't say what it would be yet but I truly believe there is no such thing as a perfect world. I can't stand it when I try to be a good person and live ethically and then people tell me I'm not doing enough. Not to point fingers (okay, I'm pointing fingers) but I hear that a lot from two of my roommates.  I love them to death but that part of them kind of bugs me. They are good at making people feel guilty. But I'm not sure they have all the answers either. My prediction is that no matter how hard you try to make the world a better place, there will always be another problem that comes up. So do I sacrifice everything to try to make it better with the possibility that at the end of my life I realize it was a complete waste of time and I didn't accomplish anything, or not do a thing and be considered selfish? It is a lot easier to choose the second option because people want to play it safe and make sure that at least THEY are living life to the fullest. I feel like I'm gonna get a lot of flack for that one but I try to be honest. Let's just all be honest with ourselves.

Despite all that I am still trying to make the world a better place. I may not be doing enough but it's at least something. So why do I try at all when I'm pretty sure it's hopeless? I don't know. Maybe I would rather be considered just kind of selfish rather than selfish.


For more photos of the Dwellers trip to Borderlinks, click here.

Collage reflections on the week.

     

The Gospel of Interaction, by KC Wahe

One of my extracurricular ministry things I do in my life as well as pastoring a wonderful church of Christ followers in Littlerock, California, is that I serve as a board member of the DOOR Network in Hollywood. I’ve only served on the board for a short few months. I’m still a little wet behind the ears when it comes to the whole “board” thing. I have some cool history with DOOR that goes way back before DOOR ever came to Hollywood and some of that history stems from a church that I was part of for several years and that God used in transforming my life for Christ.

Eduardo at Homegirl Cafe

This past week I got to witness with my own eyes why the DOOR Network exists. Part of the DOOR mission statement is, “DOOR invites our Discover, Discern and Dwell participants to See the face of God in the city.” This was played out during a reflection time with a group of kids and adults who were from that cool place north of us here in the states called Canada. As Eduardo, our guest Director from San Antonio for the week, was leading the reflection time, (Matthew and his wife are about to have their second child), my friend Marvin, who is also a board member and I got to be observants of a group of kids who really worked hard at discerning what it means to truly see God’s face in the city.

As the students shared their experiences from the task they were given that evening, one student in particular stood out to me the most. As he was talking and sharing about his experience at an agency, I couldn’t help but notice this kids transformation right in front of my own eyes. It was as if God had come down and was holding this kids eyelids literally “wide open.”

This student was telling the story about a conversation he had with someone at the agency he helped at earlier in the day and how he was blessed by this conversation and how this particular someone gave him a gift that blew him away. As the student described the exchange, the student began to talk about his own “preconceived” notions about what homeless persons were like and that he just assumed they were all “jaded” individuals. As he finished sharing, he said something that sounded like, “I came to the city thinking I had nothing in common with the people I’ve met and I’m leaving knowing that I have lots in common.” (My paraphrase).

This is what DOOR does. It changes the gospel from being about just “fixing” to a gospel of interaction. Too many of us in the church hear the words of Jesus in John 13:34 as “A new command I give you: fix one another. As I have fixed you, so you must fix one another.” Groups  who have the chance to participate in something like DOOR, don’t come to a place like Hollywood just to fix homelessness. They come to interact with Jesus and to be in the presence of those who are just as broken and in need of God’s grace and mercy as we are. They come to learn what it means to go into the world and love as Jesus loved. They leave having learned what it means to also receive God’s love through the gift of relationships. This is life changing and has the ability to turn around any church and it wouldn’t cost a church a single dime to implement a gospel of interaction, a face to face, no holds barred kind of love that Jesus gave to us in the story of the cross and in the post resurrection story of how Jesus calls us to be in the world.

“Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.” John 13:34-35

-by Reverend KC Wahe, a member of the DOOR Hollywood Board.  Follow his blog here.

Life After Hollywood, by Alayna

Alayna, one of our Dwellers from 2010/2011, reflects on life after a year of intentional Christian community:


Since ending my year in Hollywood, I’ve been struggling to come to grips with “regular life.” I’ve learned this: I don’t really like “regular” that much. I sought out the challenge of moving to California to become part of an intentional Christian community in an effort to explore a different way of life. I fell in love with what I found there. It wasn’t the city or the excitement or the glamour of Hollywood. I fell in love with simpler life. I fell in love with a more communal way of living. I fell in love with work that put me in contact with hurting people every day. It wasn’t perfect. But for the first time in my life–even on the toughest days–I felt like I was exactly where God wanted me to be doing exactly what I was supposed to be doing.

I don’t feel like that anymore. Here, as I begin regular life again after a completely un-regular year, I feel sort of lonely, a little purposeless, and kind of sad. As I settle into a life of hanging out with friends, going to the gym, taking part in church activities…I’m overcome with a profound sense of “missing the boat.” Don’t get me wrong–I love being close to old friends again and beginning new friendships. I treasure those relationships.

I just can’t shake the feeling of discontent. It plagued me through college, and it haunts me now. I’m trying to figure out what it would look like to bring LA here–to rediscover the “New Normal” I wrote about here (http://alaynahyde.wordpress.com/2011/06/23/the-new-normal/) .

What do I miss most? What elements of that life made it so purposeful? What changes can I make to my new life here to find the same kind of fulfillment?

Getting "Ready" for the Academy Awards

(an excerpt of Tyler's recent blog, to read the complete article, view www.tamostul.wordpress.com)

I now work at a shelter in Hollywood, which is still a part of PATH just a different location.  There are two main functions that go on here.  Outreach and case management.  Outreach is where we go out onto the streets of mainly West Hollywood (which is the really nice area and its weird to see people suffering there), and talk to those who are living outside.  We ask them how they are doing, ask them if they would potentially be interested in shelter, and give them socks and a sack lunch.  Once someone chooses to come into shelter, or expresses an interest in housing, case management begins to help them get there.

At this point, I have been mainly just learning how things work.  I don’t have any direct responsibilities that are mine yet, other than to help out where needed and try to learn as much as possible.  Earlier this week, I went with the LAPD as they did a “sweep” through Hollywood, basically kicking all of the people who they deem not presentable out of the area because the Oscars and other award shows are coming up and the streets have to look nice.

My co-workers had been telling me about these sweeps that happened once in awhile.  Apparently, every year around this time before the Oscars the police tell all the people living on the streets to leave, they run their information and arrest them if they can find a reason to.  The police want PATH to be there to offer people services and shelter if they want it. 

I went with two of my colleagues to join the police.  We called and they told us where they were.  When we got there about 6 cops were surrounding two men, one was in handcuffs.  The cops told us to talk to the man that wasn’t in handcuffs.  He was either high on Meth, or needing to be I am not experienced enough to tell the difference.  He wouldn’t look at us when we were talking to him, and you could barely hear him when he spoke.  He was definitely not interested in services.  The cops then told us to talk to the man in cuffs.  They took off his cuffs when we spoke to him but made him keep his hands on his head.  His pants were around his ankles, because they didn’t fit.  We will call him Dave.  Dave smelled and needed a shower and something to eat, so he came with us.  I am not sure why he was originally in handcuffs, but he was now with us sitting in front of me in the van.  His choice to come with us possibly saved him from going to jail.

We then followed the police car to the next spot.  I also need to mention that with the police was a full blown garbage truck and a 5 man “Hollywood Beautification Team.”  We pulled up to an encampment where at least one person called home.  Nobody was there.  There was a lot of stuff at this encampment, whoever’s home this was had obviously been there awhile.  I then watched as the cops ordered the dumpster lowered, and the “Hollywood Beautification Team” which was mostly high school students thinking they were doing something awesome in preparation for the Oscar’s, proceeded to throw away everything.  Treating a person’s belongings as if they were worth nothing. 

As I was observing this horror, I saw a man with a dog walking down the street.  As he got closer, I realized that this was the man whose home and possessions were being thrown away at about the same time that he realized what was happening.  I was too far away to hear exactly what was said as he began yelling and flailing his arms.  I saw the cops point and tell him to go to the opposite sidewalk.  He then sat on the curb and started crying recognizing that all of his possessions were just thrown away by the police and there was nothing he could do about it.  As the man was crying, I couldn’t help but notice a woman who lived in the apartment complex across from this man’s now destroyed home and stolen possessions rejoicing and thanking the police for what they had done.  She no longer would have to worry about the eyesore, and the man would be forced to leave her direct view and be homeless somewhere else. 

 

I was very overwhelmed by this experience.  I have never seen such blatant discrimination and dehumanization take place.  Hearing about things like this, and actually seeing it occur are two very different things.  The reason this was happening was so that the high profile actors and actresses, media, and the world wouldn’t have to see the poverty and hopelessness that exists in Hollywood.

I understand people not wanting to see poverty and people living on the streets, I wish I didn’t have to either.  We should be disturbed when we see people living in poverty, I wish there was no such thing as poverty and homelessness.  However, the reality is that hundreds of people in Hollywood have nowhere else to go.  When we complain about this, or the state makes people at least temporarily move from sight we are not asking why this person is living on the streets or helping him change that reality.  We are simply wanting them to go live on somebody else’s streets so we don’t have to see them.

May we recognize that events like the Oscars and the gentrification of our cities mean displacement and violence against the poor.  May our lives seek to liberate the oppressed, instead of celebrating and enjoying the accomplishments of the oppressors.  May we begin to spend money and resources on things that bring life and not death.  May our disgust for poverty lead us to compassion and change; not hatred, judgement, or worse, nothing.

Vocation Exploration in Seattle, by Britney

This weekend five of us from Hollywood attended a conference in Seattle called Volunteers Exploring Vocation. While it a was a short retreat, the time was spent doing some serious reflection and discussion on what vocation means and how to discern vocation.  Before the conference, I simply associated the word vocation with a career path. I expected to attend this conference and learn about different ministerial and social justice vocations. Instead, we discussed vocation in a way that I never considered. Vocation is more than just a career; it’s your lifestyle. Throughout the weekend, the definition of vocation revolved around this central theme: where your greatest desire and the world’s great need meet.

When I moved to Hollywood, one of my main goals was to find purpose. I thought if I moved away from home to do a year of service, God would illuminate the neon sign pointing directly to my “calling.” Honestly, I wanted to take the easy route…you know, let God make the decision of what I should do with my life, and then, I would just do it. I mean that is what we all think, right? God gives a calling. He grants us gifts and talents, which determine the path we should take. But, what if adherence to that mindset is just laziness? What if God’s call is for us to just do what we choose to do and do it with purpose?

Jenn and I at the original Starbucks!

I have decided for my life that purpose is not given to me. Purpose is a reflection of the praise and servitude that comes from being a follower of Christ and by doing what I am most passionate about.

While I’d like to say that the conference on vocational exploration concluded with that neon sign or an enlightened answer as to what I’m suppose to do with my life or what my life purpose is, I can only say that it reaffirmed this idea that I live in a constant state of discernment. It’s a lifetime journey that should NEVER have a conclusion.

This weekend, I began to truly reflect on what my vocation looks like at this moment. During my time in Hollywood, I am facing a lot of challenges. My job as the Neighborhood Partnership Coordinator asks me to step out into a very uncomfortable place that forces me to evaluate my own identity and awareness of intercultural competency. My intentional community asks me to be vulnerable and sensitive in ways that reveal my deepest flaws and my selfish demons. My city asks me to see the face of God in the not so glamorous and not so rich Hollywood that gets portrayed on television. All of these features collectively make this journey a place of discernment. In this place, I am forced to question, reflect, and discuss who it is that I am and who it is that I want to be.

Pike Place Fish Market

More than just the recognition of my present circumstances and the impact they have on discerning my vocation, VEV and the fellow volunteers that I met in Seattle helped me realize that this is not a journey I am willing to cease after one year of service. I want more, I need more, and God deserves more. If I am in search of an authentic relationship with God, then I must be willing to continue my devotion to seeking vocational discernment for the rest of my life.

Now, am I clear on what my deepest desire is? No. Am I clear on what the world’s greatest need is? No.

What I am clear on is my need to seek the answers to those questions whole-heartedly without ceasing.

Whether I become a teacher, stay a social worker, or join a circus, my hope is that it will  be done with purpose.

Just a side note: Pretty sure I fell in love with Seattle! Must get back there soon!

Greetings from Normally Beautiful and Sunny Hollywood! by Jenn

Today it is raining and reminding me very much of a November day in North Carolina, albeit quite a bit warmer.  I first want to thank everyone for their greetings last week.  It is such a nice surprise to get both e-mail and “snail” mail out here!  This week will mark 3 months since I left Clemmons for this year long journey and I can’t believe that it is almost ¼ of the way over.  I am still working with P.A.T.H. (People Assisting The Homeless), however, as of October 1^st, my job title changed to Navigator Intern instead of Outreach Intern.  This doesn’t sound like a huge difference, but I am now an actual Case Manager for clients that are currently experiencing homelessness and staying in our shelter at PATH Hollywood.  The negative side of this is that I feel like I am woefully underprepared for helping my clients find the resources they need to progress through our program and that is so frustrating.  The positive side is that I am getting to know clients on a much deeper level and learning so much more about homelessness than I would otherwise. 

Last weekend I went camping in Joshua Tree National Park with the young adult group at First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood called City Lights.  In my head, this weekend was going to be warm, sunny and relaxing!  Boy was I wrong!  Instead it was cold, rainy, and I didn’t have a tent or sleeping bag that was quite appropriate.  I was lying on cold ground Friday night shivering and really angry at the world.  Then I realized that many of the clients that my roommates and I are encountering on a daily basis would be in those same elements without any tent or any sleeping bag.  Trust me when I say, it didn’t make it warm, but it did serve to remind me why I am here. 

Things have been far from easy since I left Clemmons, but there are times when God’s message is so very clear that it could be written across each of our foreheads.  We are here to help one another, to be in community with one another and to have a relationship with God. There are times that the clients help me more than I help them.  There are times that my roommates comfort me when I don’t even know I need to be comforted.  There have been so many times when I have felt God’s hand on my shoulder, walking with me and God’s power underneath me carrying me that I am mesmerized by this experience and all it has to offer that I haven’t even found yet.

A few Monday’s ago we walked a labyrinth for Community Day in Palos Verdes Estates California…

The few from the labyrinth.

This picture is from a community day a few weeks ago where we spent the day at the old LA Zoo that was abandoned in the 60’s I think…it was a super awesome day also.