Note: significantly edited shortly after posting. I may share
Belinda is pregnant and little baby Liam's arrival is expected on January 3.
As of Dec. 1, we will no longer have health insurance.
This isn't a plea for help. We're going to be just fine financially. That's just my hook to draw your attention to a moral question that Belinda and I have had to wrestle with over the last months.
There is no health insurance plan renewing after August 1, 2012 in the state of New York which will not cover abortion-causing contraception in full. Let me put it succinctly:
If you have a health insurance plan in New York, you are paying for abortions.
That I cannot stomach.
What do you think? Is this a moral dilemma for you?
For those who are freaking out, we've found an excellent alternative to health insurance in a Christian cost sharing program called Samaritan Ministries.
Showing posts with label rochester. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rochester. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Thursday, June 21, 2012
OK, God. Now What?
Have time for a story? This is simplified version of a very complex one.
Belinda and I have been in the process of buying a house. We made an offer for a nice place in the city and very close to our church. The offer was accepted. We have a signed agreement.
We went to closing at the end of May, and told our landlord that we would be out of our current apartment by the end of June.
But when we got to closing, the seller wouldn't close. See, he still had a tenant in the house, and wasn't able to remove the tenant in time. So we agreed that he would have the tenant out by June 15, after which we would do a last walk-through, and then schedule closing.
June 15 came and went. Finally we heard from the seller, 'the tenant will be out July 1.' But he is not able or willing to give us any proof that it's actually true this time around. Well, that doesn't work.
I talked with our landlord, and he already has a tenant lined up to take our place. The seller's real estate agent has listed the property as active again. It looks like we won't be getting the house after all, unless we pay our lawyer to take the seller to court for breach of contract and force him to sell it to us.
Suddenly, we've gone from purchasing our first house to needing to find a new place to live in the next 10 days. OK, God. What are you trying to teach us?
Our prayer is that God would be glorified. He has proven himself faithful in our lives over and over again. He is more faithful than sunrise; stronger than the storm. We know that he will provide.
Belinda and I have been in the process of buying a house. We made an offer for a nice place in the city and very close to our church. The offer was accepted. We have a signed agreement.
We went to closing at the end of May, and told our landlord that we would be out of our current apartment by the end of June.
But when we got to closing, the seller wouldn't close. See, he still had a tenant in the house, and wasn't able to remove the tenant in time. So we agreed that he would have the tenant out by June 15, after which we would do a last walk-through, and then schedule closing.
June 15 came and went. Finally we heard from the seller, 'the tenant will be out July 1.' But he is not able or willing to give us any proof that it's actually true this time around. Well, that doesn't work.
I talked with our landlord, and he already has a tenant lined up to take our place. The seller's real estate agent has listed the property as active again. It looks like we won't be getting the house after all, unless we pay our lawyer to take the seller to court for breach of contract and force him to sell it to us.
Suddenly, we've gone from purchasing our first house to needing to find a new place to live in the next 10 days. OK, God. What are you trying to teach us?
Our prayer is that God would be glorified. He has proven himself faithful in our lives over and over again. He is more faithful than sunrise; stronger than the storm. We know that he will provide.
Friday, April 13, 2012
Would You Move?
My wonderful wife's most recent blog post--Would You Move With Us?--is a perfect follow-up to my last post.
What difference would it make if 5 Christian families moved to two streets (with a total of 50 houses) and committed to praying together for their neighbors? What would the neighborhood look like 10 years later? Are you willing to consider being one of them?
What difference would it make if 5 Christian families moved to two streets (with a total of 50 houses) and committed to praying together for their neighbors? What would the neighborhood look like 10 years later? Are you willing to consider being one of them?
Thursday, April 12, 2012
local church - a misnomer
Belinda and I are contemplating buying a house, and as I am happily an idealist, that has led me through a whirlwind of philosophical questions.
We talk about being like the Good Samaritan. Help anyone you encounter on your path who is in need. But in choosing what house to buy and where, we are quite literally choosing which path we're going to be walking on. I want to be in a place where I can be a blessing to the most people.
One of our top priorities is proximity to our church. While many committed church-goers would consider this in a move, it's usually in the context of balancing commute times between workplace and school and church and family. Our radius is a bit tighter than "anything within a 20 minute drive." We already live within a mile, and we want to get closer.
I'm committed to the ideal of a local church that is actually local--one which makes a bigger difference to it's direct neighbors than some additional traffic on Sunday mornings. The question is, if your church picked up and left town, would it's neighborhood notice? And if they noticed, would they be sorry to see you go?
Bluntly, I don't think the answer to that second question is yes for us--yet.
We talk about being like the Good Samaritan. Help anyone you encounter on your path who is in need. But in choosing what house to buy and where, we are quite literally choosing which path we're going to be walking on. I want to be in a place where I can be a blessing to the most people.
One of our top priorities is proximity to our church. While many committed church-goers would consider this in a move, it's usually in the context of balancing commute times between workplace and school and church and family. Our radius is a bit tighter than "anything within a 20 minute drive." We already live within a mile, and we want to get closer.
I'm committed to the ideal of a local church that is actually local--one which makes a bigger difference to it's direct neighbors than some additional traffic on Sunday mornings. The question is, if your church picked up and left town, would it's neighborhood notice? And if they noticed, would they be sorry to see you go?
Bluntly, I don't think the answer to that second question is yes for us--yet.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Christian Community Development
The CCDA poem:
Go to the people
Live among them
Learn from them
Love them
Start with what they know
Build on what they have:
But of the best leaders When their task is done
The people will remark "We have done it ourselves."
relationships.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
you always have the poor with you
Jesus said, "For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them; but you do not always have Me" (Mark 14:7).
It seems to me that our churches (in "our" I include constituents of the mid- to upper-class Western church). have a problem; namely, the poor are not with us. It's not that we intentionally avoid the poor (although that certainly is the reality in some cases), but rather that we do not intentionally seek out the poor.
Yes, many of the passages that have been mis-interpreted to form a doctrine of "social justice" are meant to apply to service of the poor within the Body of Christ. Yet how can we legitimately fulfill these commands if the poor are not with us? Can we legitimately call ourselves the Body? Our society has divided rich and poor by class, and divided class by geography. There's little interaction.
Now, I don't want to suggest that there is some conspiracy among GPS navigation programmers to keep the rich disconnected from the sights and sounds and smells of the American ghetto, but consider this personal anecdote:
Several weeks ago I was driving back to my apartment from the west, approaching Rochester on 490. There are two primary routes which I could take: around the city on the highway, or through the city (one of the highest crime areas). The highway or the hood. I generally choose to go through the city, preferring the more direct route. On this occasion, I had my phone's GPS navigation on, and it told me to take the highway. I decided to experiment. As I approached the exit my phone indicated it would take 15 minutes to reach home. I passed the exit, intending to take my normal city route. The computerized female voice said, "recalculating" in the most condescending tone imaginable ("you went the wrong way, you idiot"). The recalculation occured quickly and suggested that I get off at the next exit (less than 1/4 mile) and turn around. Now it would take me 16 minutes. I ignored that direction as well, and again heard "recalculating." This time, it showed my chosen route through the city, and predicted that it would take 11 minutes.
The whole incident occurred within a single minute of driving time. And I have to wonder, if my GPS is set to pick the fastest route, why didn't it take me through the city in the first place? Is it programmed to naturally avoid less savory neighborhoods?
It seems to me that our churches (in "our" I include constituents of the mid- to upper-class Western church). have a problem; namely, the poor are not with us. It's not that we intentionally avoid the poor (although that certainly is the reality in some cases), but rather that we do not intentionally seek out the poor.
Yes, many of the passages that have been mis-interpreted to form a doctrine of "social justice" are meant to apply to service of the poor within the Body of Christ. Yet how can we legitimately fulfill these commands if the poor are not with us? Can we legitimately call ourselves the Body? Our society has divided rich and poor by class, and divided class by geography. There's little interaction.
Now, I don't want to suggest that there is some conspiracy among GPS navigation programmers to keep the rich disconnected from the sights and sounds and smells of the American ghetto, but consider this personal anecdote:
Several weeks ago I was driving back to my apartment from the west, approaching Rochester on 490. There are two primary routes which I could take: around the city on the highway, or through the city (one of the highest crime areas). The highway or the hood. I generally choose to go through the city, preferring the more direct route. On this occasion, I had my phone's GPS navigation on, and it told me to take the highway. I decided to experiment. As I approached the exit my phone indicated it would take 15 minutes to reach home. I passed the exit, intending to take my normal city route. The computerized female voice said, "recalculating" in the most condescending tone imaginable ("you went the wrong way, you idiot"). The recalculation occured quickly and suggested that I get off at the next exit (less than 1/4 mile) and turn around. Now it would take me 16 minutes. I ignored that direction as well, and again heard "recalculating." This time, it showed my chosen route through the city, and predicted that it would take 11 minutes.
The whole incident occurred within a single minute of driving time. And I have to wonder, if my GPS is set to pick the fastest route, why didn't it take me through the city in the first place? Is it programmed to naturally avoid less savory neighborhoods?
Monday, October 25, 2010
relevance
The middle class in the US is slowly becoming more and more racially integrated. More and more young people go to college and then work in increasingly racially integrated environments.
The primary areas where we remain segregated are in housing/neighborhoods and in religion.
I'm fairly convinced that if nothing changes the white, middle-class church that has been the foundation of US evangelicalism will be irrelevant within a few generations. My grandchildren will enjoy the diversity of their school and work environments, and will look for that in their church.
It's also interesting to note that while white evangelical churches in America are for the most part declining in attendance over the last decade (with notable exceptions, such as my own church), attendance of multi-racial and non-white evangelical churches (particularly Asian, African, and Latin American immigrant churches holding bilingual or non-English services) are growing.
The primary areas where we remain segregated are in housing/neighborhoods and in religion.
I'm fairly convinced that if nothing changes the white, middle-class church that has been the foundation of US evangelicalism will be irrelevant within a few generations. My grandchildren will enjoy the diversity of their school and work environments, and will look for that in their church.
It's also interesting to note that while white evangelical churches in America are for the most part declining in attendance over the last decade (with notable exceptions, such as my own church), attendance of multi-racial and non-white evangelical churches (particularly Asian, African, and Latin American immigrant churches holding bilingual or non-English services) are growing.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
a divided nation
Check out these startling visualizations of the racial make-up of two cities I love:
HT: MattMarsh
Detroit, MI
Rochester, NY
To match his map, Red is White, Blue is Black, Green is Asian, Orange is Hispanic, Gray is Other, and each dot is 25 people. Data from Census 2000.
HT: MattMarsh
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Practical Ways the Suburban Church Needs the Urban Church
Alternate Titles:
On church and neighborhood (Part 2) [See Part 1]
Jamaica, in further further review [See review and further review]
How can Darliston Baptist Church in Jamaica help its North American partner, Northridge Church? How could my Detroit hood church New St. Peters help a potential suburban partner from the metro Detroit area? How could a church from the city of Rochester help Northridge?
Often its clear how help can be passed one way in those partnerships. One church is far wealthier than the other, and usually far better resourced in many ways.
What practical ways can the under-resourced church (URC) help the over-resourced church (ORC)?
I give away one of the answers by using the word "over-resourced." In partnership the URC serves the ORC by providing an opportunity to be generous in a connected, relational way. Whenever Christ talked about serving the poor, it was always in the context of being with them, or relationship. I'm also reminded of Paul's praise for the Philippians (Phil 4:10-20, particularly v.17).
The URC had been among the poor and knows how to serve its neighbors effectively. It is easy for the ORC to be tempted to view themselves as reaching down from on high to lift up the weak. The URC can teach humility by leading the ORC into service and outreach in their community in ways that are culturally relevant and effective for them. The last century of missions has proved the damage of outsiders coming into a community and trying to do things their own way.
The URC can teach the ORC a deeper understanding of the gospel. In many ways I believe the poor know the truth of the gospel better than we do. It's hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. We don't really know what it means to trust God only, and have nothing else to depend on (no money, no social network, no government). Even if we consider the Jamaicans, of whom the majority are not suffering in dire poverty, their lives are much more simple and close to the land than ours, and I believe we have something to learn from them that sheds light on the gospel, particularly in issues of justice for the poor and oppressed (Luke 4:16-21; 6:20-31).
And finally (and dearest to my heart), both churches help each other battle racism. Rasicm (not overt, individual malice but systemic and structural oppression of minority ethnic groups) is in the air we breathe in America. When Northridge sends teams to Jamaica, they can help us breathe air that is a little different for a time. And cooperation between churches of primarily different colors in the same geography can lead to overcoming ignorance and anger. Here's a poem I wrote last summer that describes some of my thoughts about race.
To me this is a crucial issue for Northridge in particular. Looking at the location of the church (see the map below) and considering the demographics of the attendees, we have a problem. Perhaps it is youthful idealism, but I believe Paul when he writes that Christ has destroyed the barrier between people of different ethnicities, and has made the two one (Eph. 2:11-22). And though racial reconciliation it is a very difficult issue, the challenge makes it no less our responsibility.
On church and neighborhood (Part 2) [See Part 1]
Jamaica, in further further review [See review and further review]
How can Darliston Baptist Church in Jamaica help its North American partner, Northridge Church? How could my Detroit hood church New St. Peters help a potential suburban partner from the metro Detroit area? How could a church from the city of Rochester help Northridge?
Often its clear how help can be passed one way in those partnerships. One church is far wealthier than the other, and usually far better resourced in many ways.
What practical ways can the under-resourced church (URC) help the over-resourced church (ORC)?
I give away one of the answers by using the word "over-resourced." In partnership the URC serves the ORC by providing an opportunity to be generous in a connected, relational way. Whenever Christ talked about serving the poor, it was always in the context of being with them, or relationship. I'm also reminded of Paul's praise for the Philippians (Phil 4:10-20, particularly v.17).
The URC had been among the poor and knows how to serve its neighbors effectively. It is easy for the ORC to be tempted to view themselves as reaching down from on high to lift up the weak. The URC can teach humility by leading the ORC into service and outreach in their community in ways that are culturally relevant and effective for them. The last century of missions has proved the damage of outsiders coming into a community and trying to do things their own way.
The URC can teach the ORC a deeper understanding of the gospel. In many ways I believe the poor know the truth of the gospel better than we do. It's hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. We don't really know what it means to trust God only, and have nothing else to depend on (no money, no social network, no government). Even if we consider the Jamaicans, of whom the majority are not suffering in dire poverty, their lives are much more simple and close to the land than ours, and I believe we have something to learn from them that sheds light on the gospel, particularly in issues of justice for the poor and oppressed (Luke 4:16-21; 6:20-31).
And finally (and dearest to my heart), both churches help each other battle racism. Rasicm (not overt, individual malice but systemic and structural oppression of minority ethnic groups) is in the air we breathe in America. When Northridge sends teams to Jamaica, they can help us breathe air that is a little different for a time. And cooperation between churches of primarily different colors in the same geography can lead to overcoming ignorance and anger. Here's a poem I wrote last summer that describes some of my thoughts about race.
To me this is a crucial issue for Northridge in particular. Looking at the location of the church (see the map below) and considering the demographics of the attendees, we have a problem. Perhaps it is youthful idealism, but I believe Paul when he writes that Christ has destroyed the barrier between people of different ethnicities, and has made the two one (Eph. 2:11-22). And though racial reconciliation it is a very difficult issue, the challenge makes it no less our responsibility.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
On church and neighborhood (Part 1)
In looking for a place to live I came upon the 2000 census data for 14621, the zip code that we are moving into, and where our church is. Out of curiosity, I compared several of the statistics that stuck out to me to the same census data for Irondequoit, our neighbors on the north side of the church.
Sorry the table isn't in the greatest format. But you get the picture.
| 14621 | 14617 (Irondequoit) | |
| vacant housing units | 13.40% | 3.00% |
| renter-occupied housing units | 68.20% | 13.00% |
| high school graduates over 25 | 60.90% | 89.50% |
| college grads (bachelors or higher) | 8.00% | 37.30% |
| people with disability status | 30.80% | 13.60% |
| Median household income in 1999$, compared to $41,999 nationally | $22,107 | $53,929 |
| individuals below US poverty line | 31.80% | 3.00% |
Sorry the table isn't in the greatest format. But you get the picture.
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