Luke Parrott

The Plight of the Poor in America Today

A few weeks ago I was in Kansas City down on the Plaza killing some time. As I walked around I noticed all these homeless people posted up on these storefronts up and down the street.

So I introduced myself to one of them. Billy Ray was his name. And I just asked him to tell me his story. His story led to his thoughts on homelessness today, especially as it pertains to those who are trying to help.

He told me one day his bike was hit by a Mercedes flying through town. The man jumped out of the car and Billy Ray thought he was about to get a mouthful from another rich man who is ticked that his car was scuffed. Well, the man surprisingly felt bad. In fact, Billy Ray was shocked that he even stopped! What shocked him more was that this man went and immediately bought him a $500 mountain bike to make it up to him. You might hear this story and say, "Wow, what a kind man he was."

But Billy Ray was making a point. A $500 mountain bike was the furthest thing away from what Billy Ray needed. He was making out fine with an old beat up 10 speed. His new fancy mountain bike lasted him a week before it was stolen. Although the rich man in the Mercedes had good intentions, he failed to meet the needs of a man he knew nothing of.

That is the plight of the poor and homeless in America today.  We are so far removed from the voice of the poor that we haven't a wrinkle of an idea of how to truly help.  We need to listen to their needs and join with them to see real change.

I stumbled upon this website and video today on CNN. Invisiblepeople.tv is a platform for the voice of the homeless. You need to check this out.  It is a start, at the very least, for people like Billy Ray to be heard.

Into a Broken World

The world is broken.  No one ever needed to educate us into that observation.

But as I've been reading through Mark it is interesting to observe how Jesus addresses the world within it's brokenness. 

He calms a storm.  There is brokenness in the natural world.

He casts out a demon.  There is brokenness in the supernatural world.

He heals a diseased woman.  There is brokenness in the human body.

He raises a girl from death to life.  There is brokenness in human life.

(see Mark 4:35 thru all of chapter 5)

But Jesus came to address what was broken.  He came to restore all things to their former self.  That being the way God originally created them to be.

He will restore all creation.

He will shackle up all supernatural evil.

He will heal the body of disease.

He will rule out death all together.

Jesus was showing us what the new kingdom of God would be like.  He was showing us the new creation, the new resurrection, the new heavens and the new earth.

The Best Christmas Gift

 

Let the Christmas shopping chaos begin.  With everyone clamoring to find the perfect gift, consider giving your teenager an opportunity to relax, reconnect, be refreshed, and find lasting friendships this summer at KIVU.

KIVU affords 13-18 year old students a mountaintop experience in the Colorado San Juan Mountains as we kick back and enjoy all the outdoor sports it offers.  Students also spend time discovering how to build real relationships and real community.  It is a place where they learn what is they believe, how to behave, and where they belong in this global community.

All Registrations between November 27th--December 15th receive a special Christmas gift for you to add to the stocking!  Register now at www.campkivu.com.   

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! My brother and sister and I got up early this morning to join 17,000 people in downtown Cincinnati for a 10K. Take a look!

On Interdependence

To further add to the conversation of my previous post.

Please read this sermon by Oscar Muriu on "The Global Church".

Or watch it right here.

"I Need Africa More than Africa Needs Me"...I Disagree.

What do you think of the message in this video?

It's a moving experience that perfectly captures the shock one feels in a first time visit to Africa.  When I returned from my first trip to Rwanda, I realized there were some aspects of the Rwandan culture that I desired, especially as it pertains to materialism and community.

But while I walked in thinking Africa needed me, I didn't walk away thinking the polar opposite.  I walked away realizing WE NEED EACH OTHER.

It's not about exchanging one dependent relationship for another.  It's about finding the beauty and tragedy in both cultures. 

If we are encouraged to function as the "body of Christ".  Then one part is just as important as the other.  On an international scale, one country is just as important as the other.  One nation, one culture, one people group is just as critical to the masses as the other. 

It is not independence or dependence that we should seek.

It is interdependence. 

May I suggest a better slogan to adopt.  "I Need Africa and Africa Needs Me.  We Both Need Each Other."

Who is this?

"Who is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him."

It's a story at the end of Mark 4. I've heard enough sermons that make this story nothing more than a personal Jesus who calms the personal storms in our personal lives.

I don't think it has anything to do with that.

It's about a man who was a whole lot more than the disciples thought he was. Even after hanging out with him for awhile they were shocked by the way he tamed this stormy sea.

Who is this?

For those of us who have followed Jesus for awhile, have you recently asked this question of the one you follow?

Has he shown himself to be more than you ever thought he was?

Little do we know how great he is, the one we follow. Little did the disciples know that the creator and keeper of all creation was sleeping in the stern when that squall arrived.

What’s so Sexy about Social Justice?

Social Justice is sexy.  At least that is the way it is presented today.  On the internet, from the pulpit, and in the classroom, it seems like social justice is the most attractive thing out there.

I’ve read plenty of articles, heard enough sermons, worn enough t-shirts, and seen the publishing of too many books that capture the sexiness of social justice.  Don’t get me wrong.  I’m not against social justice.  I’m riding the same wave.  I am energized by the same call.  I’m captured by the same scriptures.

I just think it’s being sold as sexy. 

And that is misleading.

Anyone can give a rousing speech to harness the masses towards humanitarian work.  Phrases like “Make Poverty History” or “End Human Trafficking” are sexy ways of accomplishing this.  But it is empty jargon.  It’s utopian idealism.  Yes, it is the hope of all humanity but it is still a broad generalization for a complex, systemic problem.  

The reality is that when you really decide to do something about injustice, you will get thoroughly frustrated when you arrive in the trenches.  Once  you get off the couch, step away from your computer, and put down your cup of coffee, you begin to realize why such an injustice still exists.

One, you aren’t the first one to have ever tackled such an injustice. 
Two, you start to realize how complex the issue is at hand. 
Three, you realize how much of your own precious time and resources this will take to really get involved. 
Four, you start to understand that it involves real people with real hopes and real dreams and real problems.
Fifth, you realize you don’t have all the answers to the problem. 
Six, you realize you are not the savior to the situation.
Seven, you experience countless frustrations and set backs as you enter the learning curve of the issue.
Eight, your utopian optimistic perspective may get broken and bruised up.
Nine, you discover that from within is better than from without.  Bottom up is more effective than top down.
Ten, you realize that social justice is not sexy.

There is a reason that poverty continues to plague our world.  There is a reason that human dignity continues to be disrespected, abused, and oppressed by the power system.  There is a reason the human heart universally struggles to love. 

It begins with each human heart.  The root of injustice lies here.  It is a seed of hate.  It is a  storehouse of selfishness.  It is a sea of pride.  It is a sanctuary of lust.  It is a breeding ground of greed.  It is a harbor of brokenness.

Into this stormy ocean Jesus Christ set sail.  There was nothing sexy about what he came to accomplish.

Should we expect it to be any different for us?  

KIVU: "It's Just What We Do"

I love the culture of KIVU.  Everything we do is about getting below the surface.  It’s about being open-handed, vulnerable, relational, and brutally honest.  It’s about erasing notions of hierarchy within our business structure and allowing people to fly freely with the gifts God has given them.

You see it played out in the office.

But you see it more so on the road.  Our traveling schedule is a little backwards and haphazard if you haven’t noticed.  We will drive out of our way to meet people where they are.  But that is what we want.  To meet people where they are.  To live life WITH people.

One of the reasons KIVU is so unique is that we afford high school and college students a place where they can kick back, take life a little easier, but give them the freedom to wrestle and think through their faith.  So when we get to see our friends and staff on the road, we all dive right into conversations of significance.

Last night I was at restaurant in Waco with 20 incredible KIVU staff.  And we were debating our world of social justice, talking about the kingdom of God, and brainstorming whether it’s even possible to make poverty history.  We were in 1 on 1 conversations hearing about graduation hopes and dreams, wedding plans, and future desires.  It was iron sharpening iron.  It was hearts sharing hearts.   In a culture that suffers from loneliness, its great to see a culture of community growing in pockets around the country.

Thanks WACO for screaming the truth of Psalm 133.  “how good and pleasant it is when brothers (and sisters) dwell together in unity.”

Kivu Travel Team

Andy, Tamara, and I have had a great week in Oklahoma.  It began in Enid with a wonderful family and a great local christian school.  The whole week we found ourselves bouncing between Tulsa and Norman.  We found ourselves in Edmond and Mustang and Stillwater along the way.  It was great to catch up with old friends/staff and meet up with new ones.  Lots of laughs, good conversations, and well needed face to face, heart to heart chats.

Today, we leave Oklahoma and journey down to Waco, Texas for a little staff reunion.  We'll be eating dinner at Ninfa's at 5:30pm on Saturday for those who want to join.

Then we jump on a plane to Kansas City on Sunday and begin a week of travel in Missouri. 

Here's our schedule next week:

Monday and Tuesday in Columbia

Wednesday at Covenant Chapel in KC

Thursday at Kansas City Christian

Friday at Blue Valley North High School in KC

For those of you pondering the KIVU Gap Year, I came across another worthwhile article to read.  check it out right here, "Why Teenagers Are Growing Up So Slowly Today"

Just a quickie blog update to let you know are comings and goings!