Mardi Gras

When most people outside of New Orleans think of Mardi Gras, hundreds of negative images come to mind.....wild streets filled with half-naked women is probably the most common one. What people outside of New Orleans don't realize is that the Mardi Gras they see is the Mardi Gras of the tourists. It's not the Mardi Gras that those who live here love to celebrate.

This is my second Mardi Gras and it has reminded me of the many reasons that I love this city. It's a city full of color and celebration. For five days, families and friends take time to gather and to celebrate.



It reminds me of what is good about this city - that people really care about each other....that relationships are more important than efficiency (which can be seen in how long it is taking to actually rebuild this city)....that traditions matter.



So on the eve of Ash Wednesday, I find myself sad that the Carnival season is over....no more parades to attend or balls to prepare for....no more King Cake on the aisles in stores....no more reason to spend an entire Sunday afternoon sitting outside catching beads and chatting with friends. Well, at least not until St. Patrick's Day! You've got to love a city that can always find a reason to celebrate!

Movements for Everyone

Today our entire staff team went to Southeastern for a day of prayer and Solarium. It was so encouraging to hear from the students all the things that are happening on their campus (this is a campus that is an hour away, so they do everything). God has really been at work in their midst.

As we were wrapping up the day, one of the freshmen girls came and sat with me. She started to tell me that she's in a sorority - always thinking ahead I asked her if she had considered leading a bible study in her sorority. To that question she replied - "I have, I mean there's not really a movement reaching out to them". That answer blew me away. Here's a freshmen gal who understands that not everyone is just going to come to CRU - that she can be a part of bringing a movement to the campus!

I love working with the catalytic style of ministry for this reason - yes at times it's messy but every student, every campus - we really believe that!

Opportunity

Tonight I went to a mission team dinner with my church. Our church often has mission teams in who help rebuild the city. This was a smaller group so we sat around for about an hour just having conversations about life in New Orleans. We were discussing how similar New Orleans at time can seem to be like a third world country when one of the guys on the team mentioned "hey, this is still America - any kid in the lower 9th Ward has just as much opportunity as anyone else". Two years ago that comment would have probably just rolled off of me....of course he does. After working for the past two years with ethnic student ministries and living in an urban environment, I realize just how ignorant that train of thought is. In theory, in this country we all have the chance to make "it".....to live the American dream - but for a group of middle class white folks sitting around the table, that dream is pretty easy to live. I now see the struggle that those who come from the inner city face. They have very few role models. They often have no nurturing families, they have failed schools with no one at home asking them if they've done their homework or encouraging them to pursue a college education. Education isn't valued. There are more African American men in jail in this country than there are on college campuses. Who are the role models for the children of the next generation? We easily complain about how bad the schools are, about how low the work ethic is in the city.....what we don't understand is that there is a powerful cycle that traps most people in a life of poverty. People can overcome but I just think it's wrong of us who have been given so much to sit back and just say "overcome, I made something of myself so can you". I've had to overcome very little in my life to be successful.


When I think of the problems of a city, it overwhelms me. There's so much that needs to be fixed and I think as Christians we often retreat because we can't "fix' the problem. After living in New Orleans for a few years, I'm starting to see that I'm not necessarily the one to "fix" the problem but the way I live and give life to those I encounter reflects the kingdom of God. Everyone matters in God's economy - everyone should be seen through His lens. One of the most tangible examples of this in my life is a friend who lives in one of the world's largest cities - there is much wealth and much poverty in that city. One of the things that I've admired the most about him is the way he treats everyone with respect. I've seen him walk into a meeting with a major influencer in his job and treat that man the same way he treats the guy who walks up to him trying to sell a trinket on the street. He lives the gospel to those around him and people experience life as they interact with him.

I hope that the Christian community in New Orleans will be characterized as people that give that same kind of life. In a city that's marked by crime and violence, that we will cross the line and treat everyone with dignity and respect. That we won't wait for some one else to make a difference but will see our lives as an expression of the kingdom. I hope I will be that person - that I won't rush through my day thinking the things I need to do are more important than the moments I have to care for the people around me. I hope I won't retreat back to blissful ignorance because it seems easier to say that everyone has an opportunity than to admit that I've been privileged because I grew up in a white middle class world. I hope that I will see my city through the eyes of my Savior rather than my eyes that often judge based on appearance or status.

Rainy Day

We had a coastal flood warning today in New Orleans.....it was one of those nasty, cold rainy days that we get this time of year. Even though I had a flight that got canceled and I had to fill my almost flat tire with air while it was raining sideways on me, my feet were dry and warm today. I made the investement into some rain boots and I have to say, I'm very happy with my purchase. I strongly recommend them for anyone who lives in a rainy area or who still likes to go splashing through the puddles without getting her feet wet!

Fully to Him

Why must we give ourselves fully to God? Because God has given himself fully to us. If God who owes nothing to us is ready to impart no less than himself, shall we answer him with a fraction of ourselves? To give ourselves fully to God is a means of receiving God himself. I for God and God for me. I live for God and give up my own self, and in this way induce God to live for me. Therefore to posses God we must allow him to posses our soul.

These words were written by Mother Theresa and are recorded in the book, "Mother Theresa: Come Be My Light". The book received a lot of press this fall when it was released so when I saw a copy on the shelf of my local library, I picked it up. I've almost stopped reading it three times - it's challenging me in ways that I'm not really sure I want to be challenged.

Lately I've been finding in myself a longing for something deeper in my relationship with God. American Christianity is so self absorbed - so about what makes us happy and what makes our lives work. I easily fall into that trap. I want life with Christ and life lived on my own terms. I want great faith but I don't want it to mess with what I want to do in life. I want to live a life deeply connected to God as long as that doesn't interfere with my schedule too much. I want to make an impact on a community of people as long as they make me happy. Ultimately what I see, is there's a lot of me in the equation.

As I'm reading about the life of Mother Theresa, I see in her a woman who wanted nothing more than to experience God. She was willing to sacrifice everything for that - her family, her comfort, her position - everything. As I'm reading this book, I'm realizing how little sacrifice there is in my own life and I'm not even sure what that looks like in my life. How do we really give ourselves fully to God in a culture that is fixated on giving ourselves fully to our own pleasure? I don't know for sure but I suspect it's in the way I choose to live each day - either with an attitude that is self serving or with an attitude that sees everything (even the nasty drivers) as an opportunity to know God and make him known. I suspect it has something to do with dying to myself - I'm not very good at that one.

So this is my struggle right now - this is the prayer that I'm begging God to answer in my own life. I don't want to live the "average" Christian life, I want to experience the God who I can only really experience by giving myself fully to him.

Redeemer Christmas Party

The highlight of this past week for me was our Redeemer Christmas Party. We celebrated at Rock-n-Bowl on Wednesday night. Rock-n-Bowl is one of the hidden treasures of New Orleans.....it's an old bowling alley (no electronic score keeping - you do it by hand) with a stage and dance floor. They have live music while you bowl. We decided to make Christmas simple and have the party at there this year.

I've experienced more community at Redeemer than I have any other place in my life. One of my greatest fears as I moved to New Orleans was that I wouldn't have any friends - God abundantly answered that prayer by taking me to this tiny church about a mile from my house. The first Sunday I was there, maybe 40 people were at the service. Redeemer was a small and struggling church before the storm and much of the congregation left after the storm but against all odds, we continue to grow! What I've experienced at Redeemer is real people who don't hide behind the Christian facade but live real lives and deeply experience God. I've been challenged and loved so well through the community of our church.

Since I'm a terrible bowler and my back was hurting from some freaky and torturous position we did in Yoga the night before, I was standing near by our last lane on Wednesday night chatting with people as they arrived. At one point a break in the conversations came and I turned to look at our little crowd. About 40 people had gathered that night. I couldn't help but think that Redeemer is a picture of surviving. The pastor who came said yes to a lesser job (he could have taken a job at a big church in California) and loves New Orleans more than anyone I know. Our church is filled with people who moved to New Orleans to make an impact on the city post-Katrina mingled with a handful of people who were here before the storm and have welcomed us into their city and mentored us in the ways of New Orleans. (I wouldn't know half the things about the city if it weren't for the Moffats). It was such a sweet picture to look out over friends celebrating in this church that had survived the worst natural disaster in our countries history. At that moment Steverson Moffat (one of the folks who was here before the storm) walked up to me. I commented on my thoughts to Steverson and with a big grin on his face he agreed. He said, "I tell Jane (his 13 year old daughter) all the time that we have something special here - having a church like this is rare".

I wonder if I were 13 years old and in Jane's situation if I would realize what an amazing community I able to grow up in. Probably not - I was too self-centered at 13 and would have been looking for the big youth group with tons of conferences to attend. I would want the slick program and the amazing praise band. But now, with almost two decades on Jane, I realize that what we have is indeed rare. Community is more valuable to me now than programs and I am so grateful to experience such an incredible community!

More Driving Saga

Okay, I know, enough with the complaining about the driving incidents. This one was too good not to share. I drove to Atlanta today - left New Orleans around 5 a.m. to miss the Friday afternoon traffic in Atlanta. My parent's life way north in Atlanta so it takes about an hour to get to their house once you hit the city. I arrived around one thinking it would be smooth sailing - it was not. Everyone was heading out of town the Friday before Christmas - still, I was pleasantly surprised. We moved along at a creeping 15-20 miles per hour but no one darted in and out of traffic, no one laid on the horn, no one darted in and out of lanes and no one was drinking a beer as they raced through traffic. I was so shocked that all these people were sitting in traffic with so little road rage. When we hit the Georgia 400, "that guy" showed up - you know the obnoxious one who is in such a hurry that he bullies all the other cars. He was in the far right lane (the lane you're suppose to be in if you're the slowest driver) tailgating people and blinking his lights for them to get out of the way. There were 4 passing lanes to his left. He was weaving in and out traffic - cutting people off like he was the most important person in the world. As he darted around me I saw his license plates - Louisiana of course!