Lent 2016 Day 20

I am determined not to forget.  I will give up forgetfulness!

Lent 2016 Day 20: Grandchildren--Gracie Bea, Wyatt James, Owen James, Henry Folsom

Horror and Hope

Hope in the Depths

If you find hope in the ground of history, you are united with the great prophets who were able to look into the depth of their times, who tried to escape it, because they could not stand the horror of their visions, and who yet had the strength to look to an even deeper level and there to discover hope.

Paul Tillich
Source: The Shaking of the Foundations

Lent 2016 Day 19

I am determined not to forget.  I will give up forgetfulness!

Lent 2016 Day 19:  My two daughters, Jennifer and Joanna

Lent 2016 Day 18

I am determined not to forget.  I will give up forgetfulness!

Lent 2016 Day 18:  In-Laws--Clyde and Bea; Bill and Judy

Lent 2016 Day 17

I am determined not to forget.  I will give up forgetfulness!

Lent 2016 Day 17:  My grandparents--Hill and Emma; John and Annie

Don't be fooled: race matters

My friend and colleague, Dr. Timothy Bray, Director, Institute for Urban Policy Research at the University of Texas at Dallas, shared the following reality with me about "concentrated poverty" (neighborhood or census tract in which 40% of population live at or below federal poverty line) in the city of Dallas:

• 11% of the 96 predominantly Hispanic census tracts experience concentrated poverty
• 40% of our 48 predominantly African American, non-Hispanic census tracts experience concentrated poverty
• 0% of our 90 predominantly non-Hispanic, white census tracts experience concentrated poverty

Apparently, race still matters.

Lent 2016 Day 16

I am determined not to forget.  I will give up forgetfulness!

Lent 2016 Day 16:   Harding College in Searcy, Arkansas

Glory!

The choir from St. Luke Community United Methodist Church, Dallas, Texas performs at the Local Legends celebration last Sunday.

Wow!  What power!

Lent 2016 Day 15

I am determined not to forget.  I will give up forgetfulness!

Lent 2016 Day 15:  New Orleans and  all it means to me and my family!

Time for a New Way

Here's Dallas ISD 5th Grade Winner of the annual Oratory Competition, Lyriq Turner presenting at the Local Legends celebration. I think you'll enjoy! Amazing young woman!

Lent 2016: Day 14

I am determined not to forget.  I will give up forgetfulness!

Lent 2016 Day 14:  all of the animals/pets I've owned, known and enjoyed in my life.

Lent 2016: Day 13

I am determined not to forget.  I will give up forgetfulness!

Lent 2016 Day 13:  the talented, patient, highly motivated people with whom I work everyday.

Lent 2016 Day 12

During Lent 2016, I am determined to give up my forgetfulness.

Lent 2016 Day 12:  I will remember with enormous gratitude Dr. Jim Howard.

Lent 2016 Day 11

During Lent 2016, I am determined to give up my forgetfulness.

Lent 2016 Day 11:  I will remember Richardson High School and the loving, leadership example of Dr. Jones J. Pearce. 

Lent 2016 Day 10

During Lent 2016, I am determined to give up my forgetfulness.

Lent 2016 Day 10:  I will not forget the place and influence of my numerous communities of faith on my life and my life vision.

NBC TV 5: Tent City dilemma

Lent 2016 Day 9

During Lent 2016, I am determined to give up my forgetfulness.

Lent 2016 Day 9:  I will remember the blessing of a good employment history, often thanks to patient bosses and organizations!

Beyond Charity

Last Sunday, I really enjoyed my time speaking in three morning services at Highland Park United Methodist Church.

 What I posted below is the Cornerstone service at 11:00 a.m.


Beyond 100: Beyond Charity (Cornerstone) from HPUMC on Vimeo.

Lent 2016 Day 8

During Lent 2016, I am determined to give up my forgetfulness.

Lent 2016 Day 8:  I will not forget those oppressed by the very same life systems that benefit me and my family.  Rather, I will remember my spiritual commitment to fight for just, fair and inclusive social and political systems.

Shelters and our homeless neighbors. . .

Lent 2016 Day 7

During Lent 2016, I am determined to give up my forgetfulness.

Lent 2016 Day 7:  I will recall all of the advantages education delivered to my life.

Lent 2016 Day 6

During Lent 2016, I am determined to give up my forgetfulness.

Lent 2016 Day 6:  today I will not forget the family in which I grew up.

Lain de Jong on homeless solutions. . .

Lenten Confession

Lord Jesus, Judge of the nations: We confess that we have not seen your face among our neighbors in need. We have not shared our food with the hungry; we have not offered clothes to the destitute or shelter to the homeless. We have not welcomed the stranger, not have we visited prisoners. We have not paid attention to these, your sisters and brothers. In our neglect we have failed to serve you. Lord forgive us; open our eyes to recognize your beloved family, and give us the blessing of sincere repentance that we may know the joy of eternal life with you and all the saints in this world and in the world to come. Amen.

lent 2016 Day 5

During Lent 2016, I am determined to give up my forgetfulness.

Lent 2016 day 5:  I will not forget my automatic access to nutritious food in a world of hungry brothers and sisters.

Lent 2016 Day 4

During Lent 2016, I am determined to give up my forgetfulness.

Lent 2016 day 4:  I will not forget the love of my family.

Giving up not caring. . .

Giving UpIndifference for Lent
by Jim Wallis

Here is what Pope Francis said to the world in his Lenten message: "Indifference to our neighbor and to God also represents a real temptation for us Christians. Each year during Lent we need to hear once more the voice of the prophets who cry out and trouble our conscience."

Instead of giving up chocolate or alcohol for Lent, the pope seems to want us to give up our indifference to others. He continued: "We end up being incapable of feeling compassion at the outcry of the poor, weeping for other people's pain, and feeling a need to help them, as though all this were someone else's responsibility and not our own."

Lent 2016 Day 3

During Lent 2016, I am determined to give up my forgetfulness.

Lent Day 3:  I will remember the enormous blessing of my home.

Women and poverty in Dallas, TX

To live above poverty in Dallas, a woman needs to make more than $44,000. In Texas, the average woman makes $35,363.

Gender Wage Gap:

o   The average Texas woman is 1.2% more likely to live in poverty than a man, and generally makes $9,158 less per year than her male counterpart (.79 to a $1)

o   A woman who has some college education or an associate degree makes less money than a man with just a high school diploma 

o   This earning power also affects how women are able to pay for child care, health care and housing. With the median income for single mothers at $23,870 throughout the state, many mothers are paying 21%of their income toward health care, more than 30% toward housing and with little money left, more than 1/3 of Texas women and girls don’t have health care coverage.

 

Lent 2016 Day 2

During Lent 2016, I am determined to give up my forgetfulness.

Lent day 2: I will not forget my enormous privilege as a white man.

4 Greatest Needs in "Tent City" under I-45

During the 2016 "point in time" homeless census, we asked our homeless neighbors in "tent city" what were their four most pressing needs. The graphic below makes the answer very, very clear.

  Imagine if this were you and me.

Lent 2016

The Christian observance of Lent is not a tradition with which I grew up.  But, I find it significant to my faith today.  Remembering the 40 days and nights that Jesus spent in the wilderness prior to the launch of his public ministry, Lent hopes to engage his followers in repentance and sacrifice for the 40 days leading up to Easter Sunday, March 27.

Lent 2016 begins on Ash Wednesday, February 10, a day of penance and reflection that begins the Lenten season. 

Traditionally, Christians give up something for Lent.  The idea is to do without or to forego for the sake of reflection, personal growth and discipline. 

Since I've failed often at giving up food groups or certain drinks, this year I intend, beginning today, to give up forgetfulness. 

So, during Lent 2016, I will not forget, rather, I will remember.

First day of Lent 2016:  I will not forget my friends who sleep under the I-45 bridge near my office--my ashes will remind me of my friends.

Priorities and substance

Concern for the Poor

To speak of a ‘preferential option for the poor’ is not to speak of an ‘exclusive’ option for the poor, as though God loved only the poor and did not love anybody else, especially the rich…. In responding to the concern that God has for all people, we start toward the fulfillment of that long-range concern by an immediate and initial concern for the poor, working with them and for them. To the degree that the cries of the poor are given priority over the complaints of the rich, there can be movement toward a society that is more, rather than less, just.

Robert McAfee Brown
Source: Saying Yes and Saying No

Reciprocity

In Both Directions

The church has a long history of serving people at the margins…. At the same time, however, an older problem has been intensified. The modern self’s blindness to the other as part of the self has led to an increasing perception of charity as a one-way street, something that originates with the charitable self and leads to handouts for those in need…. Fresh encounters with people on the underside of history introduce a critical change. In solidarity with the marginalized, the modern one-way street gradually begins to bear traffic in both directions.

Joerg Rieger
Source: Remember the Poor

Dallas, Texas: Poverty "snap shot"