…Only Family Can
I spent yesterday morning doing some work out in our sunny neighborhood park, pulling weeds and weeding-out trash from blossoming bushes and flowers. There was quite a crew there yesterday too – some folk coming from the far-corners of the city to help out (about a dozen from a global consulting group showed up for “Earth Day.”)
I’ve been given a section of the park with a few patch-gardens! This has been a dream of mine for quite awhile, both to do some real-deal urban gardening, and to break into the neighborhood’s action group (volunteering gardeners, park council, etc). There are more plants than I can give names to, or certainly more than I can spell. There was even a secret stash of mushrooms hiding beneath a bale of hay over in one corner of my garden. It wasn’t until THIS year that I finally saw my first flowers bloom from seed. I planted some bulbs last fall and to see tulips popping up this past week has been tremendous.
Being a part of such a tangible day of transformation in my own neighborhood reminds me a bit about why we’re here – we’re here to see vibrant families of Jesus grown in every people group in Chicago!
Vibrant families centered on Christ is not only critical for individuals living the abundant life, but whole cities are desperate for it too. No city law can make its citizens love each other – only family can. No religious creed can reconcile broken marriages, or end homelessness – only family can. No gang can decrease violence or increase High School graduation rates – only family can.
Watching folks come together for park transformation pointed me back to this truth – that our goal is to see vibrant families of Jesus in close reach of every person in Chicago — but the OUTCOME of that goal is personal and city-wide transformation.
