Youth Councils '07

We just returned from the North and South Carolina Youth Councils. Where we danced upon injustice...the army seems to be doing a lot of that these days. TYI, Roots, and various Youth Councils all have had that theme, and it's awesome. Things that are done in secret are being revealed in the light and eyes everywhere are being opened to the truth that injustice is more than someone not going to jail for committing a crime he or she committed. The kids from our neighborhood had the opportunity to attend youth councils for the first time this year and they loved it; we have a number of people who see the injustice in our neighborhood and want to do something about it, but the most amazing thing I saw this weekend was a family that went to the altar and they all came together and started to weep over each other. They saw to disunity and brokenness in the family and they knew that it's not meant to be that way and they made a decision to change it; A few of them rededicated their lives to God and they decided that there had to be a change in their lives first before they saw a change in their family or the community, and I can already see evidence of that in their lives and I can feel it in the community already feel a lot calmer and subdued. I no longer feel like I'm living in a world where ADD is a way a of life, which can be fun but it can start to wear you down real quick. So, now I have an even bigger family than when I first arrived here in Charlotte. I mean we already were a family, but after youth councils it doesn't seem as dysfunctional, which is good. We are being held together with cords of human kindness and with ties of love. Praise the Lord.

O' Canada

I just got back form a long trip to “Beautiful British Columbia,” to quote the license plates. It was beautiful. The smell of urine soaked alleys, needles, clothes, and trash littering the sidewalks, constant rain, elevators that sound like they could drop to the basement at any time, and $1 pizza. For those of you who are completely confused, because we only communicate in the blogosphere, (still a weird word to me) or maybe thats the only way you know of me (no I don't really look like Keith Green...now) I went to Vancouver, Canada for a week. Most of you still are probably confused because in my last few blogs I was talking about Starbucks Pins and being a human shield and fireworks and all that stuff. A few weeks after that everyone at The War College here in Charlotte took a trip up to Vancouver for reading week (spring break...during winter). I got a chance to see some old friends and not so old and make some new friends. I got to see the apartments where the phase two students are staying, and I saw the mountains again and I realized no matter how many pictures I take and no matter how good they are those pictures can't compare with seeing them in person (I'll get some pictures up soon...hopefully) even if they are on the other side of the harbor they're still b-e-a-utiful. On Thursday night we had Knee Drill as usual, and Rob was at the mic again, and it was an amazing time of worship; we were dancing and jumping around and yelling and we had a blast, and a good number of Revolution students weren't there (most of them went home or somewhere outside the DTES for reading week), but we had a blast without them. It was almost like a Death and Glory, Martyr, and Holy session reunion at knee Drill and we topped off the night with a trip to Red Robin (BOTOMLESS FRIES!!!). Nine students from the Martyr session was there at Knee Drill and nine Holy Students and six from Death and Glory.
I became a tour guide for the first two days. I took Leo and Duane around the DTES through China town and showed them the Lizards on a stick, and then we went to the high class part of Vancouver around the high rises and the shopping areas and Starbucks and more Starbucks (there were lots of those) and along the sea wall. We went over to GM place where people were getting ready for the Canucks game, we saw all the parts of the city that are way too expensive for us. The last few night we ate at Ken and Melinda house and Aaron and Cherie house, we hung out with there kids and had fun with them. And I went out for Street Combat after I had dinner at the White House (Aaron White and Cherie White for all you Homeland security people who are reading my blog) only to find out that the start time had been changed from at 9:30 start time to 8:30.
I noticed the look of the DTES had changed a lot too. Buildings were missing (obviously demolished) and new and nicer places were being put in their place to get ready for the 2010 Olympics. So close but still so far away. It looks like they are trying to push all the addicted and homeless as far away from the inner city as possible so that they aren't noticed when the Olympics arrive. They'll try to cover up the problem and pretend it doesn't exist for a few months, but when all the medals are won and handed out and they hype is over with and all the tourists are gone the people will still be there and be in the same situation they were in at the beginning. Some people might call what they are doing (hiding an issue) progress but to quote C. S. Lewis “We all want progress, but if you're on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive”. I just have one question when is it too late to turn back? And What happens if you don't turn back? The consequences can't be good.