"Don't expect it to happen in the church if it's not happening in your living room!" - Rick Gilmartin on gospel-centered racial restoration
If you heard Rick's sermon Walking in Reconcilationon Sunday, you may have (hopefully) asked yourself, "How do I flush this out?" As providence would have it, I have a set of circumstances unique to me for a week that may be a great first step for all of us. My wife and kids are out of town for the week. Vacationing at Myrtle Beach. From a purely practical standpoint, I'm flying solo for the week.
Me this week ....
So, being at a new church that just had a sermon on racial reconciliation, I figured I'd invite myself "into your living room" for the following three reasons: (I would invite you to mine but I'm a bachelor for the week so the home may not look like Better Homes and Gardens this week)
1. I don't want to waste this unique window of time. I'm at a new church. There are lots of new people to befriend. To top it off, our pastor laid out a challenge to be in one another's living rooms. With me being by myself for the week, this may be the best opportunity I have to grow in relationships with members of this local body.
2. Better race relations for the gospel sake won't just happen. I can think of lots of things that would be more comfortable to do, but I can't think of anything that would be better to do with my week than to take this first step in reconciliation. I want to be available for people to take their first steps. And, as Rick pointed out in the sermon, I need it just as much! I have questions, too!
3. There's also a missional reason. On June 28th, my wife, my kids and I leave for the Bahamas! It's not a vacation. We're going with Young Life. I will be the camp speaker for the week. For five days, I get to tell kids the grand narrative of the Bible. It's a privilege, but I'd also like to give more time to prayer and the scriptures than I would to cooking. (And my refridgerator probably looks like this except maybe not as clean.) I have to be super disciplined with my time this week to get everything done. With all that being said, as I glance through my work schedule, I see I am available:
Sunday dinner if it's after 7'
Monday Dinner anytime
Tuesday dinner anytime
Friday for dinner anytime
I really hope to hear back from people that I don't know so well in the body and people who, after hearing that sermon, are eager to take one small step toward reconciliation. I lost my password on the City (I think) so it may be better to e-mail me (lassiterfam7@gmail.com) or text me (540) 569-0270!
P.S. I wrote this from on an old blog site, but I do have a new blog where I share thoughts from time to time on faith, culture and the gospel. One blog that may be a good conversation starter is the challenge of finding a church for an interracial family.
Paula Deen. Trayvon Martin. The Zimmerman trial. Riley Cooper. Insert next week's incident here.
When it comes to race in America, to borrow a phrase from my main man Bob the Builder, "We've got work to do."
Nothing is worse than a hater; a person who just acknowledges problems but never has given any careful thought to solutions. I think a lot about solutions. Here are some of the thoughts I've had about working on race relations.
In the midst of all the negative racial situations in the media lately, wouldn't it be great if we turned a negative into a positive?
Here are some ideas.
The first one I posted on Facebook a while ago. Instead of canceling Paula Deen's show, I wish they would have changed the format. Canceling was a Public relations band-Aid. I would have loved for the show to be continued with Paula taking four underprivileged young black girls and teaching them how to cook and earn a living in the food industry.
By canceling a show, all Paula Deen learned was to never to say the N-Word again (at least in public). It didn't do a thing to change how she relates to black people. It's not a solution that leads our country in a way of change.
Second, in light of the obvious racial divide that reaction to Zimmerman trial exposed, everyone who wants to be part of the solution could purposefully have a conversation with a person from a culture they are not exposed to very often. In my community, Staunton, Va., there is a meeting on race on Aug. 7. This would be a perfect place to start being part of the solution.
Third, the Riley Cooper thing was awful. But what if the black players on the team voted to keep him on the team and work toward reconciliation rather than waving him good-bye? We could have a real life Remember the Titans story that could show the rest of the country that reconcilation can happen.
Then we would have a model. The culture who is in the position of power (in this case the black players on the Eagles) work toward reconciliation from the position of power, because they recognize the powerless person in this situation (a white teammate who used a regrettable word choice) can't help himself out of this situation all by himself.
That model would work in a lot of situations. And it's not even a new concept. It's as old as the parable of the good Samaritan.
When you have five kids, every season is crazy. But this summer has been especially crazy for me.
Here are the six biggest things that have made my summer absolutely crazy.
One: I'm not in my home church Community Fellowship this summer. I've been interning at Holy Cross. Anyone who knows me well knows that the fact that the local hip-hop influenced person isn't being reached with the gospel in our community grieves me to no end.
This was the first step to see if I would ever want to be part of a church leadership team that addresses that very issue. (The answer will come in a different blog.)
Two: One of the coolest things my wife and I have ever done together is go to Bermuda this summer to be part of Young Life camp there.
My wife and I just clicked with the Young Life staff people in Bermuda, Kevin and Sheree. They were amazingly hospitable, as were Wayne and the rest of the staff. The kids were amazing, and they taught Emily and I how to cliff jump.
We got to teach them about Romans 5, how Christ is the ultimate superhero by offering us a great exchange at the cross, His perfection for our sin (II Corinthians 5:21).
Three: While we were in Bermuda, my first book entitled You're Grounded was released through Moody Publications.
A lot of people at Moody and in my home (especially my wife Emily) sacrificed a lot to help me see this project through. I also made a video explaining the book.
Four : Literally as soon as we got home, we started packing for a week at Virginia Beach, and I covered the all-star games at the beach while the kids had a week of fun and sun at the beach. My brother-in-law Daryl and my sister Kyra hosted us, and they were very gracious and very funny.
Five : I had a chance to go to Chicago again this summer for the Legacy 2013 Conference. Great Bible teaching. Great music. Great atmosphere. Great city. This is my third time going to Legacy, and I actually got to go on Moody Radio on the Chris Fabry Live! show. We got to talk about a gospel-centered response to racial reconciliation in light of the George Zimmerman hearing.
I don't know if you could imagine all of the people who have influenced you from a distance all sitting in one room, but that is kind of what Legacy is like for me. I try to make it every year I can, and I hope a bunch of people come with me if I get a chance to go back in 2014. I hope to have a better video for y'all later, but this will give you one-minute taste of the video.
Six: I am taking major steps to recalibrate to make sure my lifestyle is consistent with what the Lord says my priorities should be: Christ-follower first, husband second, father third, and everything else after that. As I examined my life, I knew radical steps were needed to make that a reality. We're still in the midst of those major changes. And the results of that will have to be in another blog : )
I am excited to be back in Staunton for the foreseeable future to see what the Lord has for me next.
After attending the Legacy Conference in Chicago twice, I could literally give you hundreds of examples about what is great about it. Instead, I'm just asking you to think about coming with me this year. Just below is a six-minute video of my experience last year at Legacy.
I've always been the type of person that when I find something great I want to share it with everyone else who might think it is great, too. If I go to one event a year, it would be this. The first time, I went with my wife. Last year, I went solo. This year, I would love to go with a whole team of people.
I had a chance to talk with a lot of my favorite Christian hip-hop artists as well as my heroes; people who are making disciples for Jesus Christ in the urban context. I got to meet John Perkins, in his 80s still going strong for Jesus and working for reconciliation in the South.
I also met ESPN's Chris Broussard. I wouldn't tell you to go if I just thought you could just take some cool pictures with people well-known in the Christian community. I think it could be life-changing for you.
Dear friends in the Staunton, Waynesboro & Augusta County community, we are wrapping up the tail end of our annual "Mulch Madness" sale through Valley Young Life. It's a really simple way to get quality mulch delivered to your home while helping area teens pay for Young Life Camp this summer (we're heading to Lake Champion in New York in June).
Here's how "Mulch Madness" works. Place an order through Valley Young Life for brown, double-ground hardwood mulch from Blue Ridge Lumber. The prices are: $50 for a half-load, $75 for a full-load and $125 for every two loads.
On March 16, we will deliver your order straight to your home. You do not have to home at the time of delivery. We thank you for your support in advance. If you've been a long time supporter of Mulch Madness, please consider sharing this easy, mutually beneficial fundraiser with your friends and neighbors. For more information, you can e-mail me, Chris Lassiter, at lassiterfam7@gmail.com or call or text me at (540) 569-0270.
Wow, 2012 was an adventure for me. I crossed the both the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans, and both trips came to me as a surprise. In May, I went to Hawaii. In December, I had a chance to go with my church, CFC, to Kampala, Uganda.
Why was I there? I went with two pastors from our church, Clay Sterrett and Brian Fitzgerald, to help teach the Bible to approx. 500 youth leaders from all over Uganda.
What was it like? Kampala is a huge city, with around 3 million people. I did not see lions and giraffes. It's like an American city except they drive on the other side of the road, and cities in America are much wealthier.
The Ugandans I met were all very warm and welcoming. Prepaid cellphones are popular, and they know a lot about American pop culture ( Drake and Chris Brown) as well as the English Premier League in soccer.
What did I eat? Nothing out of ordinary. A lot of rice, potatoes, pineapples, watermelon and the Ugandans' personal favorite, matooke (Mu-Tok-E). They take a special type of bananas and make them exactly like our mashed potatoes, and they often top them with a special peanut sauce.
What story best describes your experience? Tolkien's The Hobbit. I would be the hip-hop remixed version of Bilbo Baggins, and Ugandan pastor Joel Bukenya would be Gandalf. Joel was in Staunton eating with our church leadership at Kathy's when he suggested I join the team coming to Kampala.
I'm not huge on travel or adventures. I just like to chill at home. By God's grace, the opportunity to play a part in encouraging Christ's church globally was a greater motivator for me than my love of comfort. God's grace is changing me.
Was it dangerous? Anything has the potential to be dangerous, but I never felt like I was in any danger at any part of the trip.
What did I learn?I learned that I look like a western Ugandan. And, more importantly, I got to spend time with some Ugandan pastors. They relayed to me how they had seen God move in amazing ways, and that was very encouraging. The pastors we met were also all involved in the care of orphans. That was really special.
What was the hardest part? It's very hard to be away from your wife and kids for that long, especially knowing that you have put the responsibility of five kids on your wife for a week. Also, the time difference was crazy, too. The second night I woke up at 11 p.m. showered and got dressed because I thought it was 6 a.m. FAIL!!!!
How did it change me? It's probably the most I've ever been aware of the amazing privilege of living in America, and it made me want to manage that responsibility well.
So what happens now? I am trying to teach my kids the biblical principle of preferring others over themselves. In Uganda, I visited kids orphanages that are home to hundreds of kids. The schools function with the bare necessities. I thought it would be cool for my kids to find a way to raise enough money (10 bucks or so) to mail one of their books to the orphanage. When you mail a book, hundreds of kids get a chance to read a book.
And, of course, I want what I saw to change me, too. One prayer that is the Lord will continue to increase my love for the church locally and the church globally.
I love my job. It's a great privilege to walk aside my teen friends at Lee High in the formative years of their life as their Young Life leader. I spend a lot (actually, a whole lot) of time with Lee High kids, but I don't do it alone. Everyone who helps finance Young Life at Lee High is a partner with us. That's why I am writing today about a specific need we have.
The kids are working hard to raise money for camp right now, but they won't raise all the money they need. That's where you can help. In order to help kids pay for camp, we ask our community (i.e. you reading this blog) to provide financial support. Please watch this 90 second video.
This is a great investment opportunity investment into a great cause. Thanks so much.
To make donations, you can send checks or money orders to:
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