Multi-Ethnic Church Planting....

Last week i had the opportunity to participate in the National New Church Conference, otherwise known as Exponential... it was great! Under the banner of the Mosaix Global Network, my Senior pastor Mont Mitchell, along with Mosaic of Central Arkansas' Mark DeYMaz put together a teaching track on Multi-Ethnic Church planting.

The story behind our connection with Mark and Mosaix Global Network is pretty cool...
Our family over the past few years has traveled to different parts of the country and stayed in various resorts that are part of a network we first found out about from very good friends in Indianapolis. Over the past several years we have traveled to resorts in Florida, the Poconos, Fox Valley in Illinois and a few years back for the first time ever, we traveled to central Arkansas. We were thrilled to go to Arkansas because we knew we would be able to "sneak" school in on our kids, without them even knowing it! The part of Arkansas we were in was fairly close to Little Rock. In addition to being the capital of Arkansas, Little Rock was "ground zero" of the Civil Rights struggle in our nation back in the late 1950's. It was here that the Little Rock Nine entered the previously whites only Central High School on September 27th, 1957. We took some time to visit the school and tour the museum across the street that chronicled the history of the school and the role it played in the events of the fall of 1957.

As we were leaving the city of Little Rock that day to head back to our resort, we turned down Colonel Glenn road.... (ok, i'll admit it i had no idea where i was) and looking to my right, i recognized a sign advertising a church that i recalled seeing online. i had spent some time before we left on vacation looking for churches committed to multi-ethnic ministry and suddenly there was Mosaic of Central Arkansas! After freaking my family out due to the 90 degree turn at 40 miles per hour into their parking lot, i had the opportunity to meet Mark and several of his staff.

That ultimately led to a connection with Mosaix and a growing network of churches committed to multi-ethnic ministry! It has been a great connection and i am thrilled about the future of multi-ethnic ministry not just in our nation but around the world in the coming years!

What Did You Just Say?!?

Are we really "cowards"?

Is it truly that "everyone" is cowardly?

Is it fatigue...

Is it frustration...

Is it disgust...

Is it confusion...

Is it denial...

Is it anger...

Is it shame...

Well, it's 2009 and it seems in many ways we aren't much further along, in terms of having difference making discussions than we were in 1969...

Please notice, i didn't say we weren't further along in terms of legal rights or equal access, much of that has been addressed (rightly so) through state and federal legislatures and our court system...

But there is something still "missing".....

But then again, maybe the attorney general has a point....

What do you think?

On the Threshold of History...

Last night i watched American history being made..... and while i must admit i do not agree with most of the policies of either of the remaining candidates for President of the United States, last night was an evening for the history books. For the first time ever, one of our nation's main political party's placed into nomination for the highest office in the land, the name of a person of color, Barak Obama.

As someone who has a great affection and appreciation (and literally has family "skin" in the game) for all of the struggles of those who have gone before me, those whose blood flowed in the streets of our nation, those who were mauled and attacked by police dogs, those who refused to give up their seats at lunch counter or on a bus, those who toiled in cotton fields but knew the day would come when the bitterness of slavery would be wiped out by the sweetness of freedom... what i witnessed last night in many ways is what is one of the things i consider truly amazing about our nation. This undeniable ability to, even in the face of continuous self condemnation, self-doubt, internal rancor and disagreement do that which seems implausible, impossible and unthinkable.

Please do not misunderstand me, i do not think for one minute that the nomination of Barak Obama as the Democratic candidate for president has made (or will make) our long history and ugly struggle with regard to racial issues and racial justice simply disappear (i do have some ideas on that issue but that is for an other blog) ... but for this one moment we can and should celebrate this victory that is yes symbolic but it is also very, very real.