In the center of the city
The frenetic finds a rhythm—
A hum—
Brick moldings, black shutters,
Leafy green tree tops, boutique street shops,
Audis and awnings,
Testify
Justice for the oppressed

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As I mentioned in a previous post, I’ve been reading Misoslav Volf’s book, Exclusion and Embrace in search of theological resources to help make sense of a series of contemporary crises in which followers of Jesus have become deeply divided along tribal (Kenya) or national lines (U.S., specifically the passion generated by the conversation about “illegal immigrants”). As a Croatian, Volf sets his book against the backdrop of another contemporary crisis of social identity – the ethnic hostilities between various groups within the former Yugoslavia. But he uses the stories of scripture, especially the cross of Christ, to shape his reflections.

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If someone had told me years ago that my life would be what it is now, I would have told them they were crazy. I have been with InnerChange in San Francisco since the summer of 2007, and everything has changed. Everything…

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The story of Jesus’ healing of the paralytic in Bethesda never fails to bring healing and hope in Skagit County Jail and other places we at Tierra Nueva minister. Jesus heals a man who for many reasons cannot succeed. This inspires me as I feel drawn to people who the world has given up on. Jesus heals him by knowing him, respecting him, believing in him and calling him to do something humanly impossible: to stand up and step out of his debilitating circumstances into a new life.

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Fear of Intimacy
Fear of losing all
Afraid of giving
I push away my home-coming

doubting Thomas of relationship
detective of suspicion,
yes,
cynic of certainty.

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There is something special about a woman living in a transitional housing facility for the homeless who picks up the tab for a meal.

Twice a month a group of women gather for conversation and life-giving companionship. They aren’t just any group of women – they are residents of Joshua Station. Their stories compiled would bring about enough visions of pain and suffering to overwhelm any optimist. But they find themselves in a place of healing in this group whose name is an expression of hope: N.A.N. –Never Be Fake, Always Feel Pain, and Never Turn Down Healing.

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Jeff’s post on the roots of the divisions that are ever so apparent at this time in Kenya has prompted me to share further questions we have been wrestling with over the past few weeks as we sit with friends from various ethnic communities here in Nairobi.

The questions that have been keeping me awake at night sit at a different tier—not one that asks how and why divisions were formed in the first place, but why and to what extent do people identify with those divisions now. This is a tricky area for me to maneuver in, as the community that I come from sits at the top of the totem pole (a white American male). It requires attention to how I advocate for power in the midst of division.

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We’ve spent
too much time
on semantics,
not dogmatics.

The semantics of salience
vs the dogmatics of death.

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We gawked in sorrow at the remnants of what we were sure was once a vibrant community. The pain in East St. Louis was everywhere as we saw a deserted downtown, condemned and falling houses, boarded up housing projects, burned out buildings, crumbling streets, gas stations in dangerously unsafe conditions, and much more. We guessed there must be beauty present as well, but as newcomers we had a hard time finding it.

We were in St. Louis to reflect on the suffering of God.

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If you are a regular reader of Geography of Grace, then you know that we have been following the distressing story in the wake of Kenya’s disputed presidential election closely. In the month since the results were announced, violence has continued unabated. What initially appeared as a political conflict soon was exposed as something deeper—reaching deep into ancestral roots. But how deep?

Our network in Kenya includes a group of young leaders who gather every few weeks for prayer and reflection. Though they are activists, community developers and pastors, they have come to value the importance of shared theological reflection to help sustain their work in such challenging settings. They have become friends and coworkers, though they represent a variety of churches, denominations, and neighborhoods – and most significantly now, tribal/ethnic communities.

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