Tuesday, November 7, 2006
Rebirth International Exploring Ministry Launch in Mobile, Alabama
Please pray for Mobile, Alabama. There are specific impoverished communities we are interested in targeting in partnership with local church networks for an incarnational ministry launch. I intend to update you soon regarding the status of this initiative but in the meantime I am soliciting your concentrated prayers for this area. Pray especially for the identification of a courageous leader after the heart of God and His Kingdom priorities among the poor. Pray also that God would already be preparing hearts for the harvest. Pray with us that a real opportunity for community transformation might be presented to us there by the Lord of the Harvest! Thank you for partnering with us toward that end.
Update on Mobile
I just had a very productive meeting with a special PCA pastor within the Mobile community. We talked about the ways in which rebirth international can help to serve the cause of his church and vision for ministry expansion within Mobile. We are likely to plan a weekend workshop at his church and intend to offer an urban ministry class through his church to the Mobile community. We are also working together to locate a potential leader for a new ministry launch in the Pritchard area of Mobile, AL. The Pritchard community is an area of concentrated poverty, vast housing projects and urban problems. We also talked about how we might help his church to engage the poverty and unique ministry opportunities surrounding their new church location on Airport Road. Please pray for all of us as we seek to do the Lord’s will and follow Him in His work.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
The Greatest of These is Love
When Jesus was questioned concerning the greatest commandment, a most familiar passage but seldom practiced, his answer was simply stated: love toward God. In other words the greatest obligation we have is to love God. We are commanded to give to God our chief affection. To reject every other affection and desire until we have fixed Him as first and originatior of all others.
Subtle and implicit in his answer, however, was the underlying principle of pre-existing, infinite, permanent, sacrificial and enduring love that God possesses and expresses toward us. In other words, we are able to make Him our chief affection because He made us the object of His. Unless God lavishes us with His love - our cupboard remains bare, our well is stone dry - and thus we have no will or capacity to love. But because, as the disciple John reminds us, God first loved us, He has made us capable of love. He has rebirthed in us a strange capacity to put God first in our lives and to love Him with an intensity never felt before. But it is not just love for God that is birthed in us, who in some ways is easy to love because He is so intrinsically and undeniably loveable, but love also and even especially for those who have injured us, have wounded us, even have hated us. And for some of us who have injured even ourselves, experiencing an immersion into God’s love for us makes us capable of forgiving and loving even ourselves!
I remember when I was a youth minister in Chattanooga, TN there was a young and beautiful Christian girl in our youth group. Late one night her house was broken into and her life was tragically and brutally taken from her. Her mother, when given the opportunity, visited the man who murdered her daughter while in prison. Amazingly, she pronounced her forgiveness toward the murderer and shared with him the eternal love of Christ for his soul.
The recent story of the forgiving Amish community in Pennsylvania toward the lunatic who went on a murderous rampage in their children’s schoolhouse is another example of mysterious grace and love. The natural man is incapable of such charity. Only the man who is baptized into a deeper perspective, and is existing on a higher plain because of his awakening to the redemptive love of God for sinners, can enter into this level of mercy.
This is why Christ said to us to love our enemies. Only the person who deeply understands how much enmity he possessed toward God can appreciate this principle. We are called to something greater, deeper and higher than most, if not any men and women ever accomplish or achieve. We are called to love. We are called to receive it then to spread it. However, the receiving of this love is not a single act or event in the life of the Christian. Only until recently in my spiritual pilgrimage have I come to more fully appreciate the need of my soul to crawl up into the lap of my heavenly Father on a continual even hourly basis. I have to remind myself to fall into the loving and outstretched arms of Jesus whenever situations beg for me to become distraught, hurt or bitter. I must be filled more than daily with the perspective of Christ’s conditionless affection for me. As the hymnist said, “I need thee, oh I need Thee. Every hour I need thee.”
What about you my friend? Who do you need to forgive? Have you taken the time to crawl into the lap of your forgiving Father? Only then can you forgive. Only then can you love.
Subtle and implicit in his answer, however, was the underlying principle of pre-existing, infinite, permanent, sacrificial and enduring love that God possesses and expresses toward us. In other words, we are able to make Him our chief affection because He made us the object of His. Unless God lavishes us with His love - our cupboard remains bare, our well is stone dry - and thus we have no will or capacity to love. But because, as the disciple John reminds us, God first loved us, He has made us capable of love. He has rebirthed in us a strange capacity to put God first in our lives and to love Him with an intensity never felt before. But it is not just love for God that is birthed in us, who in some ways is easy to love because He is so intrinsically and undeniably loveable, but love also and even especially for those who have injured us, have wounded us, even have hated us. And for some of us who have injured even ourselves, experiencing an immersion into God’s love for us makes us capable of forgiving and loving even ourselves!
I remember when I was a youth minister in Chattanooga, TN there was a young and beautiful Christian girl in our youth group. Late one night her house was broken into and her life was tragically and brutally taken from her. Her mother, when given the opportunity, visited the man who murdered her daughter while in prison. Amazingly, she pronounced her forgiveness toward the murderer and shared with him the eternal love of Christ for his soul.
The recent story of the forgiving Amish community in Pennsylvania toward the lunatic who went on a murderous rampage in their children’s schoolhouse is another example of mysterious grace and love. The natural man is incapable of such charity. Only the man who is baptized into a deeper perspective, and is existing on a higher plain because of his awakening to the redemptive love of God for sinners, can enter into this level of mercy.
This is why Christ said to us to love our enemies. Only the person who deeply understands how much enmity he possessed toward God can appreciate this principle. We are called to something greater, deeper and higher than most, if not any men and women ever accomplish or achieve. We are called to love. We are called to receive it then to spread it. However, the receiving of this love is not a single act or event in the life of the Christian. Only until recently in my spiritual pilgrimage have I come to more fully appreciate the need of my soul to crawl up into the lap of my heavenly Father on a continual even hourly basis. I have to remind myself to fall into the loving and outstretched arms of Jesus whenever situations beg for me to become distraught, hurt or bitter. I must be filled more than daily with the perspective of Christ’s conditionless affection for me. As the hymnist said, “I need thee, oh I need Thee. Every hour I need thee.”
What about you my friend? Who do you need to forgive? Have you taken the time to crawl into the lap of your forgiving Father? Only then can you forgive. Only then can you love.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Where Are They Now?
The children of Desire are now men and women of God. We will post the locations of some of these persons. Keep checking back as we periodically update the list!
Richard Johnson Richard was a key indigenous leader with Desire Street Ministries and his vision for ministry in New Orleans has only increased since Katrina. He has been an effective evangelist and advocate for the priorities of Christ’s Kingdom. Many of the young men of Desire owe their spiritual lives to his faithful ministry at Carver in years past.
Richard and his wife April are living in New Orleans in a formerly flooded home that they are renovating. He has started his own real estate company and is volunteer coaching at McDonough 35 High School with head coach Wayne Reese. We are working with he and April to assist them in launching a new outreach to the boys at McDonough 35 and establishing a ministry in the surrounding community. Please pray for the Johnsons marriage, for their continued recovery from Katrina, for the resources necessary for their exciting new business opportunities and for their continued spiritual pilgrimage.
Kedrick LevyLevy was at the center of almost everything we built at Desire Street in these previous years. He led many young men and women to Christ and became their surrogate father and pastor. He grew to love the Lord, the word and theology and we know the Lord is going to use him in even greater ways in the years to come.
Levy and his wife Nina (of over 11 years) and their four children have stationed themselves in Dallas, TX after Hurricane Katrina. Please pray for them as they settle down and rediscover the purposes of God for them in the years to come.
George Angeletti George was one of the first young men who came to Christ through our ministry in the early days. He was also one of our first staff. Coach George, as he and the kids in the neighborhood prefer to call him, and his wife Shanita and new baby girl Geovanna moved back to New Orleans in January of 2006 after leaving DSM at the turn of the year. George has since launched his own company called Committed Janitorial, LLC. George, as you may remember, was central to our ministry at DSM and is now putting his strong work ethic to some personal and professional reward. George is helping the city rebirth by cleaning up houses and businesses in order that folks can return to business and life as usual.
We are proud of his entrepreneurial efforts and his tenacity to get his life on the best track possible. If you have any need of his services or would just like to renew acquaintance, please contact him directly at (504) 913-8187. He would be overjoyed to hear from you!
Greg JacobsMany of you will remember Greg as the quiet, stablizing and positive force to our team at Desire Street. Greg served as the business manager, athletic coordinator and as a coach within the ministry’s recreational initiatives. Many young people were touched by his quiet, caring but resolute approach. Greg was a real hero on behalf of the children of Desire. He once led a large two-bus-load group of children to a summer camp in Missouri when the bus driver fell asleep at the wheel driving off the side of the road. No one but Greg was injured and even today Greg struggles with a severe back injury even after many surgeries and procedures to attempt to resolve the problem. Moreover Cajoya, Greg’s wife, suffered a broken nose once while trying to break up a fight after a similar summer camp experience. As he and Cajoya had bought a house on the West Bank of New Orleans prior to the storm, they had incurred no flooding as a result of Katrina. Since leaving the staff at DSM, Greg has been active in his church and is working on the entrepreneurial venture of launching a Subway in New Orleans East. We are really proud of Greg’s continued commitment to the city and his entrepreneurial spirit. You may reach him to congratulate him as well at (504) 234-4896.
Have You Been Looking For us?
After Hurricane Katrina many changes have occured in my life and ministry. After helping DSM to survive the devastation and relocate its headquarters and operations, it became necessary for me to do some work and reparations in my own personal life and family after 16 years of ministry in the Desire Community. There are times when unresolved issues and personal neglect catch up with you and require of you a radical self-examination and renewed commitment to spiritual healing and growth. I am very thankful to the board of Desire Street for extending to me the necessary time and support for this process.
Upon returning from my sabbatical the board felt it necessary to take Desire Street Ministries into a new direction and with new leadership, and so with much reluctance, disapointment and sorrow I resigned. I have many fond memories, many valuable experiences and much personal enrichment for the privilege of serving the Desire Community through DSM. I am happy that DSM is continuing its effort after the storm and I am praying that God will bless, preserve and expand its efforts.
I am forming Rebirth International with the intent to continue in the calling of God on my life to present the word and work of the gospel of Christ in New Orleans and beyond. The effort to build an organization from scratch once again was not what I had desired but my family and I still feel passionately called to the revitalization of urban pockets of poverty in New Orleans and world-wide. To that end we have committed ourselves and solicit your continued support.
Will you keep us in your prayers and stay in touch with us as we are continually seeking the will of God in these matters. Feel free to contact me if you’d like to talk further.
Upon returning from my sabbatical the board felt it necessary to take Desire Street Ministries into a new direction and with new leadership, and so with much reluctance, disapointment and sorrow I resigned. I have many fond memories, many valuable experiences and much personal enrichment for the privilege of serving the Desire Community through DSM. I am happy that DSM is continuing its effort after the storm and I am praying that God will bless, preserve and expand its efforts.
I am forming Rebirth International with the intent to continue in the calling of God on my life to present the word and work of the gospel of Christ in New Orleans and beyond. The effort to build an organization from scratch once again was not what I had desired but my family and I still feel passionately called to the revitalization of urban pockets of poverty in New Orleans and world-wide. To that end we have committed ourselves and solicit your continued support.
Will you keep us in your prayers and stay in touch with us as we are continually seeking the will of God in these matters. Feel free to contact me if you’d like to talk further.
The Future of New Orleans
The future of the city of New Orleans is the buzz, not only here, but all over the country. Every family in New Orleans faces the issue at least weekly if not daily. The halls of congress and even the oval office are consumed with it. Some have questioned the wisdom of rebuilding a city that is sinking and already below sea-level. The conditions of the city have worsened to an extent where those of us who remain appear either to be economically trapped, mentally imbalanced, fattally attracted, addicted to good eating or on a mission. At least four of those five apply to this member of the Leverett clan - you can try to figure out which ones.
Truth is, despite prevailing conventional wisdom and deductive reasoning or logic, now is not the time for us to pull anchor and leave. While no one can blame those who have left and put their roots down elsewhere, we have undoubtedly felt the call of God to stay and to finish the work God began through us.
Sometimes the Lord and His ways makes no sense to us at all. And let’s admit that those who are committed to fully pursuing the will of God appear a little looney to the rest of the human species. Take Paul who in obedience to the call of God re-entered the city of men that stoned him and left him for dead. Take Mother Theresa who chose the slums of India as her home and place of purpose. Or more convincingly take our Savior who for joy set before Him, endured the cross. All of the aforementioned were consumed by an unmistakable call to a particular mission that came from above - but none of their decisions made sense according to standards of this world.
When I originally came to New Orleans I remember hearing more than once the comment softly spoken and under the breath of onlookers, “Man, that’s one crazy white boy!” Well I can’t deny it. I am crazy for the city of New Orleans and I’m crazy for the mission of God here. It’s not that I don’t care for other places, I do. But there’s no place on earth like New Orleans and I believe whether others see it or not, Katrina made a way for us to better achieve our goals. And I also believe that it is the best headquarters for a replication movement. It is the center of the country’s attention and what works here can work anywhere. True we were wiped out. True I lost my position at DSM. But things are never as they seem and despite our human frailty God is still at work in and through us.
Until such time that God makes it obvious that we are to move on, that we’ve been called elsewhere and that our work is finished here…you know where to find me. I’ll be somewhere in the city dreaming of and planning for and working toward New Orleans rebirthed. Will you pray with us toward that end?
Truth is, despite prevailing conventional wisdom and deductive reasoning or logic, now is not the time for us to pull anchor and leave. While no one can blame those who have left and put their roots down elsewhere, we have undoubtedly felt the call of God to stay and to finish the work God began through us.
Sometimes the Lord and His ways makes no sense to us at all. And let’s admit that those who are committed to fully pursuing the will of God appear a little looney to the rest of the human species. Take Paul who in obedience to the call of God re-entered the city of men that stoned him and left him for dead. Take Mother Theresa who chose the slums of India as her home and place of purpose. Or more convincingly take our Savior who for joy set before Him, endured the cross. All of the aforementioned were consumed by an unmistakable call to a particular mission that came from above - but none of their decisions made sense according to standards of this world.
When I originally came to New Orleans I remember hearing more than once the comment softly spoken and under the breath of onlookers, “Man, that’s one crazy white boy!” Well I can’t deny it. I am crazy for the city of New Orleans and I’m crazy for the mission of God here. It’s not that I don’t care for other places, I do. But there’s no place on earth like New Orleans and I believe whether others see it or not, Katrina made a way for us to better achieve our goals. And I also believe that it is the best headquarters for a replication movement. It is the center of the country’s attention and what works here can work anywhere. True we were wiped out. True I lost my position at DSM. But things are never as they seem and despite our human frailty God is still at work in and through us.
Until such time that God makes it obvious that we are to move on, that we’ve been called elsewhere and that our work is finished here…you know where to find me. I’ll be somewhere in the city dreaming of and planning for and working toward New Orleans rebirthed. Will you pray with us toward that end?
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