Humble Pie in Hallowed Halls

I was standing in a distinguished chapel at Yale University with towering stone walls under vaulted ceilings sustained by ornate pillars. The architecture was from a distant century - the acoustics like no room I’ve ever played in before. No one so small as me has been privileged to perform in so grand and dignified a place. I was singing but underneath I was reflecting about the significance of the moment. I was thinking that I’ll never forget this occasion - I’ll remember it always - the day that Mo Leverett performed his music in these hallowed halls.

And then it happened. And God seems to always do this to me in the moment I need it most. He fed me some humble pie.

It started with one person, then another, then two more - exiting in the middle of a song. I thought at first…maybe he’s got a night class…and then I remembered it was Saturday. After the second one left I thought…maybe he has another commitment. But then when the two girls left abruptly, I got the message. It was God. And He was thumping me on the head while saying…”Hey you down there! Get your head out of the clouds!”

And so I awakened from my little dream. I finished my little concert and I gave my little talk.

But there was a girl in the back - an uninhibited black girl with dreadlocks that swayed to the rhythm of my music. When I finished, I put up my guitar, gathered my lyrics and licked my wounds. She rushed to the front of the chapel and when I turned around she threw her arms around me, thanked me, gave some encouraging words about my songs and my talk. It seems that I got through to her, maybe others, who knows? But it doesn’t matter. I preached. I sang. God remains sovereign.

I’ve preached in other less dignified places like the locker room at Carver High School or the simplicity of my own living room. I’ve seen those humble places turned into sacred ground as empowered by the Holy Spirit of God sinners turn to the Savior. In truth it matters not what surrounds you when you preach, but who surrounds you when you do. And truth be told, I’d rather be at home teaching and training them.

Nevertheless, my time in Connecticut has been good. I’ve performed and taught at the University of Connecticut, Hartford University, Wesleyan and Yale. I have done a little workshop for urban ministry workers in New Haven. I’ve consulted with a couple of church’s venturing into new works in the inner-city. Tomorrow I will speak in a Presbyterian church’s Sunday school and then hustle over to the Baptist church’s worship service to preach. I’ll then drive to JFK Airport in New York and fly to Orlando to ready myself to teach a week long urban ministry course at Reformed Theological Seminary. I will then sing in 6 or so services the following weekend at Northland Community Church. Between those services Greg Doles and I will record the remaining number of hymns for my next CD project. When I’m done with all these things I’ll fly home the following Tuesday just in time to catch a few beads at a Mardis Gras parade with my Manny Man as well as the rest of the family.

Pray for my family while I’m gone. And pray for me as I miss them all terribly! Pray for stamina for myself until I return. Pray that God would be glorified and His Kingdom advanced. Pray that my many efforts would go a long way in providing the support necessary for the new initiatives at Rebirth! Thank you for your prayers and partnership!

While you’re praying, I’ll be finishing the last bite of my pie. Blessings…

Ministry Update 1/8

Dear Friends,

We’ve had an exciting year of ministry development, consulting and replication - thanks to you. I’ve taken a little break from developing the ‘08 plan to write this letter of thanks to you for your significant contribution to our successful first year of existence. We have the beginnings of a ministry at Clark High School and in the mid-city area of New Orleans. We’re scoping out possible locations for the development of the Center for Rebirth which will house our local ministry initiatives, a church plant and our ministry replication training programs. We are developing significant partnerships in ministry and community development. We’ve assisted many other churches and ministries across the country with training and consultation. Moreover, I’m continuing to travel and advance the principles of urban mission in seminaries and colleges around the country. I should have a new CD coming out in the early part of the year - a compilation of hymns! Ellen and I and the kids are doing well and are excited about continuing in the call that God has placed in our lives. I hope you will pray, support and spread the word about Rebirth in the new year! Again thanks a bundle. I hope to see you all in ‘08!

Yours for the mission of God,
Mo Leverett

Update

Dear friends,

I am doing right now, (and with my wife's blessing by the way), what I had planned not to do. I am traveling. I am traveling a lot.

Just recently I've been in Corpus Christi, Houston, Dallas, Brookhaven, Gainesville, Valdosta, Macon and Atlanta. I'll be in Birmingham this weekend. I'll be in Chicago the next. I'll be in Orlando the week after. I'll take a couple of weekends off and then travel to the Northeast to speak to a group of students from Harvard, Yale and other Ivy Leaguers. And then I'll round off November with an engagement to speak to a church from Augusta at a retreat in the North Georgia Mountains. (My schedule is blank in December by the way, in case anyone might want to book me, or otherwise desires to send support to keep me at home!)

Ellen and I just had a lengthy conversation about our lives. It was good. But we've endured much in the past few years - like 17 Years of front line urban ministry in one of the nations most challenging communities. Then came a hurricane...the loss of all our possessions...a rough patch in our love affair..the departure from the ministry that I founded and dearly love, not to mention the immense stress, pain, disappointment and anger that severance caused.

We've also experienced much healing though, much confirmation of love and much joy in reflecting on God's restorative faithfulness. And we want and pray for the second phase of our ministry lives to be more meaningful, more beautiful, more fruitful, more impacting and more glorifying to God than was the first.

And so, I reluctantly travel. Partly to invite others to participate and partner with us in this next phase, partly to continue to inspire others to follow Christ in healing and redemptive ministries among the poor wherever they are, and partly to pay the bills.

But we were thinking tonight. We're thinking and praying about putting our West Bank house on the market, considering purchasing a lot back on the east bank of New Orleans and hoping to build a new house for the Leverett's there - reestablishing ourselves in ministry in the heart of the city that we love and have been called to serve.

The city presents so many new and wonderful opportunities. In whatever sphere you can imagine there are exciting yet daunting challenges - whether in the fields of housing, education, church planting, economic development or any other part of urban revitalization, the truth is, New Orleans is where it is at. There is the possibility that our strategies for rebirth in New Orleans would have implications for urban renewal throughout our entire country. Our experiments will be considered and studied by many throughout academia and government halls. It is an opportunity for the church to do more than provide relief but to lead in rebirth initiatives. Thus, the idea I am now calling, The Center for Rebirth.

While this concept is still seminal, we're thinking that all of the expertise that we've harnessed over the years could be critically important to the rebirth of our city and other pockets of poverty, as well. And rather than me traveling so dog gone much, why not develop a center where we can invite and facilitate the gathering, inspiring, training and commissioning of persons into ministry in this city and well beyond it? The Center would be a place that could inspire incarnational works among the poor in every county in our nation, every continent in our world as well as every community in our city. The center could help to reawaken the church to God's heart for the brokenhearted. And the center might rekindle within the heart of the church God's passion for the poor as well as promote effective and proven strategies for transformation and hope. The Center might facilitate many great works that would provide a foundation for rebirth in this great city and beyond.

We are trusting God to continue to provide for us and to lead us in the way we should go. Will you pray for us as well and tell us what you think?

Going deeper,

Mo Leverett

We're Feeling Good

For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Peter, The Apostle of Jesus
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! John, The Apostle of Jesus

I’ve been pulling early mornings and so I was nodding off at nine. My wife gently awakened me to inform me that Manning, my nine year old son, has a surprise for me and wants to tell me something. My wife noticing my preference for sleep and reluctance to be disturbed assured me that I would not be disappointed. Collecting myself, I struggled up the stairs and found Manning under the covers with nothing showing but his glowing and compressed grin. I snuggle next to him, place my arm under his head and say, “Hey buddy, what’s going on?” He paused. Then he said, “I’m ready to accept Jesus into my heart.”

I’ve had some encouraging moments in the past year. But as I reflect back, there are none quite so sweet as this one. My pride in that boy is one of the most cherished parts of my life. To impart myself to him is the world’s greatest privilege. For him to believe that I’m the world’s greatest dad is affirmation at its finest. So after leading him in prayer and exchanging some words of affection, I asked him, “How do you feel Manny Man?” He paused. “I’m feeling really good about myself,” he said.

It’s hard to believe that God’s love for me and Manning is greater, far greater than what we feel for one another. But that is the good news. While I love Manning, it is no trouble at all for me and it is my distinct joy to introduce him to His real Dad - Abba Father. While I am a staunch believer in the theological motif of original sin - and I give evidence to it daily - I believe also that because of the Father’s love, we can truly feel good about ourselves.

It was also my joy to introduce some young men at Clark High School recently to my Father as well. It is even greater encouragement for me to know that Richard Johnson, who I had the privilege of introducing to the Father in the early days of my ministry in Desire, is becoming for these young men a real father figure. It also gladdened me to facilitate the generosity of Greg Jacobs, another one of our students and disciples from Desire who now is a young and successful entrepreneur, who almost single handedly funded the camp these boys attended!

While much of the past couple of years have been difficult, I will testify with much assuredness that I would not trade my life for another man’s life or for anything that you could offer me in this world. You could say that I’m feeling really good about myself.

I have a packed Fall and early Spring traveling, speaking, singing and teaching. We are advancing the principles and theological framework that gives rise to kingdom building among the poor. This is resulting in many new works around the country and world. Thank you for supporting me in this endeavor. My new CD project Of Orphans and Kings will be released this Fall. Pray with me that this CD will help widen the impact that we can have in the promotion of incarnational ministry among the poor stateside and worldwide.

Our vision for the city of New Orleans is crystallizing around the concept of replicating the original ministry package of youth bible studies, leadership development, tutoring and camping in every one of the at-risk public schools in the city. We also intend to plant a church into which those young people can be enfolded, nurtured, instructed and commissioned in the Gospel of Christ.

Never before has the public schools of New Orleans been more open to the help that we can provide. We’re excited about these opportunities for the Gospel’s advancement in the city. We’re feeling good. Real Good.

New Review of Orphans and Kings

Of Orphans and Kings
Review by Pastor Dave Hutchinson
Pastor of Christ the Shepherd Church, Danbury CT There is one thing I have come to expect from any new recording by Mo Leverett: it will be both honest and authentic, filtered through current life experience. It will be grounded in reality which means that there will be more grit than just a tip-of-the-cap to the ugliness of life. There will also be heavy doses of hope in a Mo Leverett recording, because Mo’s Reality is grounded in the God for whom “hope” is a household word.

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (I Peter 1:13).
The 2005 offering, Blades of Love, (Mo’s seventh album) was accurately described as “Mo’s most optimistic record yet.” It mirrored the life and ministry of a man who was basking in the Lord’s blessing. Nearly two decades of risk-taking, heartache, faithfulness, goal-setting, goal-achieving, people-investing, and hard work was paying off. Mo Leverett’s life’s work, the ministry to the poor of New Orleans, was successful by all accounts – new facilities, new school, new athletic fields. Ministry convergence! The pieces falling into place! Most importantly, lives were being transformed. A lost generation had been found! Not only that, but God was using the work in New Orleans to inspire others to step out and take their own risks in their own cities among those formerly forgotten people in pockets of poverty. Mo was an Influencer, an Inspiration.

Then came Hurricane Katrina.

The city was flooded, the people were scattered – and Mo seemingly dropped off the face of the earth.

What had happened? People who had prayed for the Leverett family wondered what they would look like (if and) when they resurfaced. Many imagined we could relate to what Mo was going through – the grief of losing loved-ones, of the devastation of ministry buildings that had been painstakingly constructed, of losing a home, of losing every single possession in that home (a line in one of the ministry updates about the loss of Ellen’s collection of earrings that had commemorated every anniversary was poignant). We imagined that we felt the same pain that Mo was experiencing. It turns out we were wrong. The only person feeling that level of desperation and hopelessness was the one actually walking through it at the time – and the One walking through it with him.

In Of Orphans and Kings we get an album to tell us Mo’s story of the past two years. It doesn’t tell us every detail of Mo’s life but it tells us what we need to know and it gives us a point of reference for our own struggles. Of Orphans and Kings was nearly named Like Hell Inside. A little time spent with the album reveals why it was such a tough decision between these two potential titles. (I’m glad that Of Orphans and Kings won out – the worst is behind and God is moving Mo forward.)

Musically, this is what one would expect from a Mo Leverett album. Like other craftsmen, from The Innocence Mission, to James Taylor, to John Hiatt, to the late Rich Mullins, you know what you’re getting – a few but not a lot of musical surprises, because with Mo’s music there’s something better. A conversation with an old friend who has a new tale to tell. Mo is not going to musically “weird out” on his long-time listeners. What we get is a well-organized, with great musicianship (including backing vocals from the great Ashley Cleveland), collection of songs – a body of work – that demands to be heard several times for the themes to work their way into the listener’s soul. This is not a made-for-iTunes album where one can lift a favorite song or two out of their context and throw them into some randomly generated “music mix.” It’s an album that tells a story. What sets this album apart from its predecessors is not the music, which is reliably good and listenable. Rather, the most jarring thing about this album is that the lyrical content is even more personal and disturbing than the pictures of the Desire Street neighborhood that Mo painted on prior albums.

Picture yourself by a comforting fireplace, sitting down to have a conversation with an old friend whom you haven’t seen for awhile, looking forward to a familiar conversation. You’re expecting to enjoy the conversation, to be challenged theologically and practically, to listen and to be heard…. And you’re eager for the hours ahead because you know what’s in store; it’s the kind of conversation that you don’t get to have often enough.

It starts on that familiar note – “Thank You Lord.” And you nod your head and you think, “Yes, there’s a lot for which to be thankful. Thank you, Mo, for reminding me to be thankful to the Lord for being my shelter. Yes, I’m thankful that the Lord saved my life. Yes, I’m thankful for the family the Lord gave me. Etc. Etc. Etc.”

All of a sudden, however, the conversation takes an unexpected turn and you sit up and listen. You lose track of time and your coffee gets cold as your mind is forced to process phrases like these:

…walls collapsing in….
…men with masks and rubber gloves were claiming all I’d lost…..
…the commotion and rage inside of me….
…when a hole up in that levee blows a hole up in your heart….
…Do you know how it feels to wound those you love, to wound them and then to wipe up their blood?
…Do you know how it feels to give up your power for vapors and mists that fade in an hour?
…never thought friends would abandon him there and leave without words or even a prayer….
…poisonous tears from an embittered face….
…I’ve lost everything I worked to keep….
And you keep listening even though a part of you would rather not hear what you’re being told. You’d like to give advice or interrupt the flow of pain by giving consolation. You’d like to lambaste those who left your friend in the ditch. You’d like to protest that you wouldn’t have done that if only you’d known he was in the ditch (at least, you don’t think you would have done that; not intentionally, anyway). But you just keep those thoughts inside your head and you simply listen. You silently pray and you try to learn something about God and pain and suffering and redemption and life. You think, “This could be me someday. No, it will be me. Listen up!”

This album is painful for those who want to dive in and explore it. I could only think of Ecclesiastes, especially 7:2-5:

It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of face the heart is made glad. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. It is better for a man to hear the rebuke of the wise than to hear the song of fools.

In the midst of the pain, however, there is Hope. The theme of prayer runs throughout the album. Mo’s plea in “Pray for My Home”, in which he asks us to pray for his child, his wife, his friends, and the poor is convicting. While I want people to pray for me, how willing am I to return the favor? The song, “Watch and Pray” picks up where the title track left off: So I turn now to higher things and seek my solace there. The storm has made of orphans kings when they return to prayer.
My current favorite song is “The Ditch,” mostly for its abrupt ending of grace. The man in the story is surprised to find himself in the ditch. He’s abandoned by his friends, he’s helpless to get up even though he tries, and he is bleeding internally though continuing to feed his dark (and hidden) sin. The man has descended into hell.

The picture gets worse and then God intervenes:

Poisonous tears from an embittered face Darker the fears from a darkening place But startled by light that broke from above Startled within by a vision of love
So what’s next for Mo Leverett? Phase One, the Desire Street Ministries phase, is behind him. At least, it is as behind him as it will ever be. God did great things in and through Mo and Ellen and then God shut the door. Phase Two, the Rebirth International era of Mo Leverett’s life is beginning.

God used Mo to teach and inspire many of us who serve as pastors and teachers, even as Mo was God’s tool to reach into a pocket of poverty and draw people to Himself. I can only hope, pray, imagine, expect, celebrate, and anticipate that God will take this version of Mo Leverett – the one who is older, more tired, mature, wizened, and more dependent on God than ever – to do even greater things. And it will be all the more glorifying to God because Mo will always have the identifying limp of a man who has wrestled with God and has won and lost at the same time.

When will the next album be released? How will it sound? What lessons will be embedded in great-sounding music? That’s up to the Lord. Right now, I’m going to be impacted by this one, and I know you will be, also.

For those who entrusted their trust unto me
May they turn around now and trust only Thee
And help me to learn how to patiently wait
And see the return of reward and estate

First Review of Orphans and Kings

Here is a short review of Mo’s newest CD which is available for download at http://www.justiceroad.com/.
“The soul, struggle and hope on this record is truly astonishing. Mo’s been making good music for a long time, but this is by far his finest work yet. It is a disturbing and inspiring bit of Americana, with musical and lyrical stains from the waters of New Orleans and vocals as rich and guttural as anything I’ve heard this year. If Nick Cave, John Hiatt, Pierce Pettis and Mark Heard had spent the last seventeen years serving the poor in the deep south I can’t imagine them coming up with a batch of songs any better than these.” John J. Thompson, Gyroscope Arts

Orphans and Kings

Well, I’m standing in the C Group, about to board a Southwest Airlines flight to Nashville, hopefully for the last time for some time. We will be mixing down the new project which is now officially titled Orphans and Kings. We should have downloadable versions of the project somerwhere on the internet very soon - I’ll keep you posted. We are also in the process of designing the CD jacket and such for those who simply have to have their own copy of the project.

Thanks for your patience. It’s taken longer than I thought or hoped it would. I hope you will be pleased with what we came up with. I know I can count on all of you to help me promote the project and thus keep the work of Rebirth International going! Blessings!

Mo

Untitled Project

We are nearing the end of this musical sojourn. It has been an incredible experience. As I’m writing this post I’m in the Love Shack Studios on Music Row, listening to Ashley Cleveland, a Grammy-award winning vocalist here in Nashville, as she performs gut-wrenching backing vocals on The Ditch. I’m just enjoying the heck out of this. But I’m also aware that though it’s cool to have accomplished musicians play along me on a record, it’s still my record, my songs and my story and that sobers me and keeps my feet on the ground.

Please pray for things as they wrap up. It is my prayer that this music minister to folks at newer depths and for wider audiences. My hope is that proceeds will continue to fuel a movement of God’s Kingdom among the poor. I also pray for a platform to inspire the people of God toward the heart of God among the poor. If you pray along those lines, you can’t go wrong.

We have considered two different titles for the project. We are presently polling for opinions. The choices are between (1) Orphans and Kings, (2) Like Hell Inside. Let me know if you want to chime in on this issue.

Blessings to all!

Mo

Campus Outreach Was a Great Audience!

Special thanks to everyone involved in allowing me to come and perform for the very special young men and women at Campus Outreach Christmas Conference. Your encouragement during this time was meaningful beyond your possible understanding. As we are being re-established in the ministry of Rebirth International we will always remember the special role you guys have played in filling our sails with wind. Special thanks to Mike Hearon for inviting me to come and allowing me to play a role in the significant cause of Campus Outreach. Your ministry is a real standout in a country that so desperately needs spiritual leaders for the next generation. God bless all of you and lets pray together that 2007 is a year of great fruitfulness in His Kingdom’s purposes for both our organizations!