Street Saints; Renewing America’s Cities by Barbara J. Elliott is one of my all time favorite books.  Elliott has captured stories from across the country that demonstrate the power of the ordinary person who seek to be a blessing to their community.  My favorite chapter is the chapter titled the “Nehemiah Strategy” through which Elliott shows us the power of organizing the efforts of grassroots agencies using the analogy of the story of Nehemiah.  Below are some of my favorite quotes.

“The walls that once kept destruction away have crumbled, and the ruins of broken families, crippling loneliness, and the ravages of drugs and violence are evident everywhere.  There is human wreckage throughout the city, rich and poor, white, black and brown.  Nehemiah asked the kind for permission to go to the city and rebuild the walls.  Instead of hiring construction workers, Nehemiah called on the locals to do the work, who took responsibilities for themselves.  Renewal strategy was a voluntary public-private partnership, mobilizing diverse participants.  He assessed the needs; then they worked together to fill the gaps.  Most of the necessary resources were already in the city, but the people had not pooled what they had because they were demoralized and in disunity.”

Elliott then profiles a number of organizations who have taken a Nehemiah approach to the city.  Robert Woodson “created the National Center for Neighborhood Enterprise to identify and empower leaders of grassroots organizations.  He systematically sought out promising people who are already doing grassroots renewal, are rooted in the community, know its problems, and are working toward their solutions.” Community leaders according to Woodson “were doing the work before there was money for it, make a lifetime commitment to the people they serve, live in the same zip code as the people they serve, believe in the total restoration of people, require something in return for giving.”

I firmly agree with Elliot that the success of the Nehemiah strategy will require that “all these players lay down their logos and their egos and embrace the city together.  If we continue to work in isolation from each other, we will continue to be impotent.  What emerges out of unity is clarity of purpose.  What unites very different kinds of leaders is a passion to unite the church across denominational lines, serve the poor, reconcile the races, and take the whole Gospel to the whole city.”

As I read these words, I pray for a Nehemiah to emerge in Richmond who can help unite God’s very broken family to live out our original call “to be a blessing to the nations” starting in our city.

In his book “The Hole in our Gospel”, Richard Stearns is the president of World Vision U.S., crafts one of the most compelling arguments for the centrality of mission to the Christian Tradition that I have ever read.  Below are a few insights gleaned from this wonderful work.

We have shrunk Jesus to the size where He can save our soul but

now don’t believe He can change the world. - Anonymous

Stearns writes “If your personal faith in Christ has no positive outward expression, then your faith – and mine – has a hole in it.”  He then goes on to describe the gaping hole in the American understanding of the gospel reminding us that “Jesus heart was continually moved to compassion as He encountered the lame, the sick, the widow, and the orphan.” 

The Kingdom for Christ was “not intended to be a far-off and distant kingdom to be experienced only in the afterlife; no, Christ’s proclamation of the “kingdom of heaven” was a call for the redeemed world order populated by redeemed people – now.”  Stearns warns of the dangers of viewing the Kingdom as “focused almost exclusively on the afterlife reduces the importance of what God expects of us in this life.  The kingdom o f God, which Christ said is “within you” (Luke 17:21), was intended to change and challenge everything in our fallen world in the here and now.”  Stearns reminds us of Christ’s words “in the Lords prayer “your kingdom come, your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven” were and are a clarion call of Jesus’ followers not just to proclaim the good news but to be the good news, here and now. (Matt. 6:10)  This gospel – the whole gospel – means much more than the personal salvation of individuals.  It means a social revolution.”

Stearns reminds us of the simplicity of the gospel taken from Matt. 22:34-40 “Love God.  Love your neighbor.  That’s the “Bible for Dummies.”  How much simpler this must have been to the common folk who were being manipulated by the complexity coming from their teachers and leaders.”  Stearns tells the story of a world vision leader who was asked “Why are you here?” by those they were serving.  His answer was simple “We are followers of Jesus Christ, and we are commanded to love our neighbors as ourselves.  We are here to show you that God loves you.”  That is the gospel, the good news. 

Stearns issues all of us a challenge when he states “It’s not what you believe that counts, it’s what you believe enough to do.” 

The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them,

but to be indifferent to them: that’s the essence of inhumanity. – George Bernard Shaw

Stearns recognizes one of the key issues we discovered when working with the poor “The greatest mistake commonly made by those who strive to help the oor is the failure to see the assets and strengths that are always present in people and their communities no matter how poor they are.  Seeing their glasses as half full rather than half empty can completely change our approach to helping….They have hopes and dreams, tragedies and triumphs in their lives.  They need us to love them first and then listen to them.  They need us to see their assets and their God-given abilities.  When we see them as God sees them, we will glimpse His image in their faces – Christ in His most distressing disguise.”

 My favorite segment of the book was titled “The Hole in the Church” in which Stearns states “We can pray, give, volunteer, and become effective personal ambassadors for the gospel.  However, our greatest power to change the world is released when we come together in collective action to organize and focus the resources of the whole body of Christ.”  That is the vision behind Unity-Works; unleashing the power by bringing people together around a common mission. 

“Faith and works were never meant to be in dichotomy.”, Stearns points out, “We are saved for a purpose: to do the good works God actually prepared beforehand for us to carry out.  Simply put, we are:  saved by faith ,saved for works….Faith is the fuel that powers the light that shines in darkness.”

Stearns reminds us “Our world, like Nehemiah’s, also lies in ruins, and we, too, need a fresh vision.  Nehemiah’s vision was to rebuild the broken places and to lift up God’s righteousness to a scoffing world.  Our vision should be the same.  If we can capture the vision, then we, too, can accomplish the impossible – one stone at a time.”

I encourage you all to read this book and share your insights here.

Below is a new idea that was shared with us about teaching and involving people in the community. Read over it and share your ideas about what you think of it.

The “Circle of Courage” developed by Larry Brendtro, Martin Brokenleg, and Steven Van Bockern is just one of hundreds of models for explaining why people do what they do and how we should treat others and educate students (especially those with emotional and behavioral problems).  It is based on a Native American/American Indian orientation toward life (specifically how the Sioux Nation might view life), but agrees with the models of other cultural groups.  It matches up nicely with the views of Western psychology (as promoted by William Glasser and Rudolph Dreikers, among others), East Asian views (the Ying-Yang, all things in balance and harmony orientation), and the African-American belief system as espoused by writers such as Ogbu, DuBois, Kunjufu, and Hilliard.

    The Circle of Courage model can be used to identify the source of the behavioral problem, and guide our rehabilitation or “reclaiming” efforts.  The model is presented visually as a wheel with four spokes or supports that keep the wheel “true” and strong.. 
      It is believed that all four parts of an individual’s “circle” must be intact to have a self-secure, prosocial approach to life.  A lack of strength in any of the four areas of development can result in emotional and behavioral difficulties.

    The most important component, upon which the other three are based is a well developed sense of “Belonging“.  Humans have a need to feel valued, important and protected by others…to feel comfortable and welcomed within a group: family, friends, colleagues, etc.  Of course the family and close community are the most important influences on the original development of this area of self esteem.  Those who have weak senses of belonging due to a disrupted or non-supportive upbringing are often able to rebuild or strengthen that area by developing close allegiances, friendships, and relationships later in their lives with positive people and groups.  However, those who do not repair that broken area of self concept may show one or more of many problems in relating to others.  They may join into or identify with negative groups that promote crime or religious hatred or some other distorted views.  This connection with negative influences is done in an attempt to feel important and be accepted within a social structure.  They may become non-responsive or resistant to the efforts of good people and groups (including counselors and teachers) because they do not feel worthy of inclusion, or for fear of being rejected by positive people at some point in the future.  In essence, they scare off those with whom they most want to be connected.

         If one has an impaired, distorted, or absent sense of belonging, it will probably effect one or more of the other areas.  For example, those who have a strong sense of “Generosity” (because those in the groups to which they belonged when they were young shared time, work, play, resources, and knowledge) are empathetic toward others and want to help others.  They give of themselves or their possessions in some way.  They truly have the “joy of giving”, receiving pleasure from helping others in need.  Folks who have a distorted or absent sense of generosity will be “stingy”, lack concern for the welfare of others, be callous in their interactions with others, and “take” rather than “give”. 
        Those who are strong in the quadrant of “Mastery” feel competent in their abilities, seek more skills and knowledge, and are willing to fail or look unskilled when they try new things.  Those with an impaired sense of mastery have a low self concept, fear failure, may refuse to try a task for fear of failure, give up easily, are dependent on others, and/or may devalue and ridicule schooling or the efforts of others.

Persons with a strong sense of “Independence” feel in control of themselves, their behavior, and their lives.  They have a well-developed sense of autonomy, and accept responsibility for themselves and their actions.  On the other hand, those who have a lessened or absent sense of independence are likely to engage in “scatter-brained behavior, be easily swayed by others, and blame circumstances/others for their actions.