Things I love about our church

This week I had to make a form so that our congregation can sign up for which service they plan to attend, which area they will serve in, and what LifeGroup they will attend.

I was so happy that after I completed the form that looks like this...




I also had to make one like this for our integrated Latino population...



LifeGroup...........GrupoVida!!! Love it.

Where to live?

After much research by my wonderful wife looking at schools, areas, prices, etc, we had really two options on where to live in Little Rock.

Option 1 - A nice but affordable rental town home in a fancy mostly white neighborhood just down the street from Fulbright, the 90% white best school in Little Rock. We were shown around the school by a volunteering grandmother. We asked her... "We hear this is the best school in town... what do you think?" She snootily answered, "Why do you think my grandson is here?"

Option 2 - A comfortable, affordable rental house near my parents in Otter Creek with a backyard that backs up to the playground of Otter Creek Elementary. Otter Creek's school test scores are pretty low compared to that of Fulbright. The school and surrounding area are increasingly diverse.

As much as we liked Fulbright from a pure education standpoint, it just wasn't us. It's not that we don't want to give our kids every opportunity to succeed. We just don't think a fancy, uni-racial, educational powerhouse approach is needed to foster the version of success we desire for our kids.

When we told our 8 year old daughter that Fulbright is 90% white, she said quickly and with her own conviction, "That's not good." We don't want to force the work of multi-ethnic ministry on our kids. But, I think they are already catching the dream anyway.

Another meaningful moment on our house-hunting day was at Popeye's Chicken near the fancy Fulbright school area. Thankfully, some have the ministry of reaching and helping the well-dressed businessman who was eating there. Our hearts, though, are to encourage, raise up, and minister to the girl behind the counter who probably drove in a ways to make 6 dollars an hour ringing up chicken orders.

We picked Otter Creek. It's the place we belong. It's not intense diversity culture shock, but enough diversity to stretch us. It seems to us personally that we have to immerse increasingly with all people in both life and school to feel like we are doing what we are called to do with multi-ethnic ministry.

Beautiful Collision

Please visit www.thearnnfive.com to learn more about what we are about to do. We've got a long way to go in ending racial and economic segregation and discrimination. Will you help us?

Baby Dolls

While our kids were with my parents the last few days, they went to the store so that each kid could buy a few little dollar toys. I was happy to see that Susie had picked out two dark skinned baby dolls. I'm so proud of our family that no one said anything silly to question her choice. It's a little thing, but it is encouraging to see our deep desire for our family to love all people lived out.

Together with all the saints

I've been familiar with this passage for along time and I at one time even wrote a song about it. But, I had missed the importance of one key phrase.

Eph 3:17-19
I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

I guess I had thought "together with all the saints" meant "together as the global body of Christ, with all its races and ethnicities in congregations all over the world." That's fine for all over the world, but what about the people of different ethnicities just down the street?

I've come to believe that we can "grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ" better when we are actually sitting in a room "together with all the saints".

Online Photo/Video Montage Maker

I'm testing out an online tool I heard about...www.onetruemedia.com

these are some pix from the recent multiethnic church conference Debbie and I attended...

Make an online slide show at onetruemedia.com

Reunion Church

I said a little about Reunion Church yesterday but I wanted to say some more.

I think that is a beautiful group of people.

1. They are so friendly; when people have decided to defer to others and to intentionally reach out to people of all races, classes, backgrounds you naturally have a very warm congregation.
2. They interact authentically every Sunday as they pass a mic around the congregation to hear praises and prayer needs. (This is a large theater with probably 200 in attendance.) One lady praises God that her nephew is feeling better, a man tells of his car accident and how God is getting glory through the trial, a couple announces thev've set their wedding date. It's raw and real and up-to-the-minute.
3. The meet-and-greet time is 7 minutes long so that everyone can get to know new people and catch up with friends
4. Their pastor is truly blown away at what God has done for him personally in saving him and it shows
5. After the service I was standing in the hallway with my parents while Debbie went to get the kids. Evidently my mom must have not looked overly happy because an African-American woman wearing a very happy face came up to her and said "Oh honey...honey... SMILE!" and gave her a kiss on the cheek and a hug".

Ministry to people of diverse ethnicity, age, and socio-economic level is hard. It is messy. It is an attitude of constant service to others instead of constant comfort for self.

But, it is right. It is fun. It is interesting. It is life-giving. I was alive in church yesterday.