Typical Afterschool...

Here is a typical afterschool afternoon for Aaron. He gets home and has a ton of kids in his life. Kids from not all, but a few walks of life. There are only a few walks of life around here... please pray for the boys and girls who are turning into men and women around us. There are major needs for prayer.

What Kids Find

Here's what kids find when they're walking with their Grandma.

Another Wonderful Sunday

Sunday Nights are becoming... they are becoming an important teaching/preaching night. They are becoming a time of praise songs and worship in songs. They remain interactive, and led by the Spirit. There are a lot of visitors coming in. I don't know how many right off the bat, but there are a lot of us... it's been wonderful to have Joe, Kyle, Beedle, Susan, Arsene--just last night. The week before, we shared table with Erwin, Suzeanne (spelling?), Lucy (from Kenya), and Jeannie (sp?). Joe is also a missionary to Kenya, on furlough. JP and Prari are praying about their return to Kenya, as well. Kenya, Kenya, Kenya, Ivory Coast... Africa... again and again.

Kyle and Beedle are students from Chris Deering's alma mater, Kentucky Christian University. They are on their way to England for a couple months of youth ministry. They stayed over last night. We'll all powwow this morning...

We are so pleased by the grace of God among us. It is so pleasant to share in the Spirit and the Scripture together. There is nothing better... not on this side, anyway...

Love one another.

McPerry's Demolished Today

Today they Razed McPerry's. i wasn't sure what to think. I spent a lot of time asking people why it was necessary to destroy this business--revoking their liquor license and driving them out of the 'hood. There were conflicting reports. One gentleman of high standing assured me that they had ties to terrorism. Two people said that they were convicted of selling stolen goods--a claim that wasn't true. they were exonerated by a grand jury. Another said that they harbored the drug dealers when the cops chased them.

I don't know. but i have another question: how will the Church of Jesus deal with the fact that this didn't work? The City is doing its best, but the "Problem" has just moved 2 blocks closer to the Chase House, back on APJones street. It is up to the Church to do this. Not the City. We are the City of God. We are a city within a city... We are His City. How will we live this out?

Queen City Mission Bloggers!

there's a new troublemaker on the block. a brother named Michael Foster. He's started a forum for discussion of Church issues in Cincinnati. He and his wife, Emily are expecting their first kiddo in Nov. They live like 3 minutes from us.

face peeling bible study last night

how was the women's study last night? At the men's we experienced what Paul was talking about when he told Timothy that in the last days people wouldn't "endure" sound teaching. We had to ENDURE the weight of the message from Jeremiah. In Hebrew, the words translated "Thus Saith the LORD" are actually "ne'Um yhwh"-- the burden of yahweh.

the burden.

we were saddled last night with the message of grace. it took endurance as were were being humbled. yet there is our hope--that as the Word humbles us, we await being lifted up. God opposes the proud. Let us then be humbled...

Thanks to all who made last night the togetherness it was. Thanks to Jesus who makes us possible...

5 minute post

i only have 5 minutes to post this... i want to take this opp to say how wonderful it is to experience the love that surrounded and supported me and Judy and the boys while Judy was in Germany. this is a great community to live in... we were prayed for, served through house cleaning, and kid-watching... i was able to study and write and practise music, and counsel and talk theology, and really work the job of ministry among us b/c of the help of you saints... incredible week...

Lucy Gacheru!! This Sunday

Lucy will be with us this Sunday. Please prepare a special offering, everyone. She will share about the orphanage in North Kinangop, Kenya. Please pray for John and Prari, as they continue to seek God about their service to him among the brothers and sisters in Kenya...

As you know, we have sponsored David for a year or so... Let's raise enough support to add a kid this year--$300. that's all it takes... or 2 kids... It's good to be ambitious to do good... Mark your gifts specifically and put them in the basket in the hallway... (basket made in mbita)

click title for link

Scripture for this upcoming Sunday

Here's a scripture for our upcoming Meeting Night... get ready! btw...i got to prayer real late this morning. was anyone else there, besides You, Lord?

Quick Word about Scripture Listing

Hey all,
you know how I keep saying that I'd love to see you copying down the Scriptures that cross the plate in our Bible Studies? To take them with you and incorporate them into your weeklong study, as part of Common life? Well, i mean it, every time. BUT...But i'm also really very very proud of how so many of us know them by heart already. How so many of us are reading and living TONS of scriptures! I am so privileged to serve the Lord in such a flock! I am getting amazed by you guys everyday... i sat down with one of you (three of you actually) and (no, five of you) and checked in on how Sunday night got processed. The depth of your personal study and the intensity of your concern for the Word in your lives is inspiring. Gogogogogogo! Press in. Press On...

It is a joy that my role in Body life is to Affirm, and confirm what God is already at in you. It is a pure joy to be a teacher here. Please continue to pray for me that I be led of the Spirit and faithful to Christ, never giving in to the pull of man's approval, as I teach and preach among us...

Pray that I live the Word, too... that He live it through me, as is the only way... and that i plough straight furrows in the field of the Lord...

Tuesday Night Bible Study

During Tuesday Night Bible Study, I got the feeling that if we went on a little more in the Scriptures, that we'd break into a prayer meeting, and a revival would start. We were really getting an intense, "firelike", experience over the Word, who is Jesus, together... We were honored to enjoy the company of Jeremy, Michael, and Emily (and their very teeny, little one--PTL), and local house church phenom, John Daley... The Ladies' study went on, even though Judy wasn't here, too! I look forward to hearing about how that went...
We are using the text of Jeremiah as the diving board into other stuff, and ended up in a discussion of the Wisdom of God versus the Wisdom of the World.
1 Cor. 1-2 were talking points, where we started a discussion comparing the wisdom of God with the wisdom of the world.
"how do you recognize wisdom", one asked. We looked at James chapter 3:12 and following... by its fruit... by it's attitude... by peace and righteousness... by submissiveness... by purity...
there was a lot of intense, passionate sharing at the table, around the Gospel,and how we are charged to renew the Church's obedience to it, calling all men to repent and believe, and go to preach... (and by men, I man ladies, too).
On top of it all, the house was a total wreck, and we just dived in anyway, but during the study, Emily and Sheena totally cleaned the kitchen, which freed us up to fix a snack (which we cleaned up after), and enjoy an hour's pleasant conversation...
It was great to get to know Michael and Emily, from Craig Spinx's group over there with Sunell. Hi Craig! I met you once and dumped my heart on your floor... i'm not sure i'm better now, but i still belong to Jesus... Hi Sunell! We all love you over here...
When the economy tanks because we spent too much on our war and our suv's, you can all come live at my house...

Second Funeral For Chris Challis: Friday May 12th

There will be another funeral for Chris Challis this Friday. His Family found us through the blogs! We thank God for this chance to love them and share our memories of Chris. Word has it that Chris' body will be buried in a Harley Shirt. Man, you gotta love that guy.

we look forward to That Day...

Info on the time of the funeral will be provided on the Yahoo Group. Make sure you're a member of that group. Contact JP (john Parran), or just click Yahoo Group on the sidebar and follow directions to join... After that, you'll receive our announcements and have access to photos and news...

Sunday Night Notes (click) Worth Reading

if you were here on Sunday Night, you got a "pin pushed into you".

THIS IS A GREAT IDEA (click)

Special Need: Wallis Family (click Here)

Please, everyone, please join the Wallis Family with your Prayers and Financial support. We're taking up a collection this week during Sunday Meeting to help them with Seth's (from China) adoption. They are certainly worthy of our help, and it is a privilege for us to join them in the Lord's work in their life...
Click the John Wallis and Sydney Wallis links on the sidebar to get the scoop... This is a pic i shot of John Wallis, from his good side... He is one of my all time best friends. Please consider him a brother
worthy of help and support...
and don't forget to lift
THIS GUY
up, too!!! We are responsible to the Judgment for how we love the likes of these. Change our lives! Change our ways...

Youth Bible Study and BBQ

On Friday Nights around here, Jp and Chris, sheena and Prari, and Zach Lawless and whoever else is available, have a time of "church" with our local youth. It's super low-key, and rough around the edges--our "youtes" are really awesome guys--we love them and see in them God's image, and they keep us real b/c they "don't believe the hype".
Mello, Maurice, Monty, Turon, Turine, Carlos, Devante... our local crew is really on the edge. The drug barons are just up the street, providing mentoring, provision, and attention that the Church is simply not present to give... Our current "Bible Study" is just a tiny seed of what we feel we'll be about in the Future... We are praying that Jesus completely overwhelm this darkness with His light. We are praying for power and miracles...
JP and Chris "badger" a Bible study in to the fellas for a while, then they all pray. That's a thing you'll notice: these guys have a lot of prayer needs... they pray very easily. I think that's part training: "that's what makes church folk happy", and part truth: "one thing's sure--nothin else is workin--i might as well pray".
We do this every Friday. Pleaseadd your prayers
to the balance, and pray especially that we would grow in fervency and intensity of prayer, in our community...

Mild Emergency: JUDY IN GERMANY 11 Days

This was unplanned, but CIEE needs Judy to go to Germany, and Lew will need you all to press in around him. There will be a lot of cooking, dishes, and basic household "glue" issues without Judy around. You all know how much she does. Just getting the laundry done will be mountainous... Alert! Alert! there is a danger of being overwhelmed and judy getting back to a ruined house...
Au Secours!

Prayer: Friday Mornings 6AM

Please feel free to motivate and get up early for a time of prayer, Scripture reading, and prayer in the Big Room of the Chase House. It's good for our souls to pray together.

Don't be ashamed...be Changed...

Living in our community, being exposed to the daily warp and woof of intense, shared, missional life... I'm struck by the fact this morning that it is the kindness of God that leads us to repentance.
When I was speaking to Brother Aaron's class, I was struck by something that I said(that must sound terribly egocentric--welcome to my world. all the tools i have to measure this world are related to my self, and i take him with me everywhere. I listen to myself speak, and i learn from myself, too...is that such a crime?)...

Here's the setup: I asked the class numerous questions, trying to get an idea of how well they knew the scriptures...
They were a bit timid, so I knew they knew more than they were letting on, but it soon became clear (remember this wasn't "quizzing", it was a conversational type of sharing) that they didn't know the Scriptures anywhere near as well as they will after Mr. K's class is done shaking them out...
I felt shame settling on them like a foggy dew. You could feel it. They were getting ready to be browbeaten (probably "again").
and I said something like, "Don't be ashamed! Whatever you do, Don't be ashamed! That's too EASY. Be CHANGED!!!" It's a powerful thing to simply admit and accept that we are not put together and all that... to look square in the face that we are small, often evil, and soooooo limited... to confess honestly that we want to do better, but we do what we don't want to...

then to look upon the love of God in Christ, calling us to receive him--Love. To be loved is our religion. to freely receive it and freely give it... this is abiding in the vine...
...meditation on our own sin, god's holiness, our fall, his call...works its best work as we meditate on and dwell in His love for us... behold how much he has LOVED us!
hard truths about our sin, neglect, evil, laziness, ignorance, limitation, etc... serve best when the listener comes to an amazement at the Love of the Father.

That is what Jesus did... He LOVED as he spoke hard truth about us, to us, for us... He loves us now... He invites us to a life that with an invitation that draws the truly humble and broken, and repels the hard-hearted and proud...

Look how broken that woman at the well got when Jesus called her out...and the woman who broke the perfume over Jesus' feet. Look at how Zacchaeus admitted his faults.
All of these were overjoyed at Jesus! He brought them Joy! In their honesty, confession and repentance, they found RELIEF!!! Amazement! childlike Joy! Prostitutes, Tax-Collectors, Sinners--even Gentile Centurions engaged the Kingdome of God more readily than the well-trained religious elite. In fact, examine closely how the well-trained religious elite treated Jesus and his followers... are you so sure you want to go there? is that what discipleship is about? expertise? No.

It's about an obedience that comes by trusting. A righteousness born of the amazement of believeing the impossible message that god really really really DOES really really LOVE...even a sinner like me...
How could we praise the love of the Father enough?
not a love that winks off sin, or leaves us in darkness. No. All who believe will bear fruit. We tremble at His judgment--and run to Him.

the shame was dispersed and gone... we could go on...

Serious Police Issue: We Wrestle Not With...

there is a controversy arising in our end of the neighborhood with the police and some of our local families. Please lift this up in prayer. One of our local families has had numerous negative interactions with local law enforcement (one officer in particular) that have included inexcusable behavior on both sides. The officer(s) are, frankly, FED UP with our neighbors' behavior. The neighbors routinely abuse our local officers with curses and "crazy stuff".

For example, it's not rare for the police to arrive at our dear friends' house and request audience with the son. The mother then comes out, yelling and carrying on about how they "have it in for" him... then she swears and curses and waves her arms... then she yells crazy threats... onlookers egg her on, and the kids think it's a riot.
Then the officer loses his cool (usually this one guy in particular--we'll call him "officer Brinkley") and really lays into her with a bunch of threatening "command presence" talk, telling her that her son is a criminal and that the whole family would be in jail right now if it were up to him. Meanwhile the son, a 6'3" monster of a 15 year old, sheepishly grins, receiving sympathy and accolades from his peers...

the whole time, the kid really did something very wrong. That's the typical thing. Happens about every month or so... at least... right on the street...

well our big buddy (we'll call him "Lenny") really crossed the line a while back. He got snide with the officers and brandished his cell phone like it was a gun. They knew it wasn't a gun, but he's been in so many little spots of trouble that they didn't care. They jumped on him and booked him...

tomorrow is his court date.
So far, no controversy. It's regular cincinnati so far (pardon the cynicism). But one of our guys (we'll call him "George") mixed up in it. You see, after the cell phone/menacing incident, things were pretty tense between the police and "Lenny". "George" was driving his car, taking "Lenny" on some errand, and "officer Brinkley" pulls JP over, tickets him for running a red light, and boom 100+dollars...

JP is busy contesting the ticket--gonna take about 4 court visits. He didn't run a light. That's that. It was all about "Lenny". That's the way the thing rolls, around here. So JP is in the middle of contesting, with almost no hope of a good result--Cincy is legendary for never siding with the people on these. OOOPS, I mean George...
Meanwhile, facing a serious menacing Charge, "Lenny" and his mom show "George" the police report and it appears to be "fishy". It features testimony and an official signature from Officer Brinkley, who was not on the scene... We are prayerful that "George" will not go to jail. We hope that OB didn't do anything here out of spite. We hope that we can be a part of providing "george" with an alternative...

Please pray, beloved ones...