Mark Scandrette

After I did a Perspectives lecture last week in Sacramento, Jeff and I met up with a young couple who had recently been inspired to move into an impoverished neighborhood. They had read  my book SOUL GRAFFITI and IRRESISTABLE REVOLUTION by my friend Shane Claiborne and thought, “these guys are saying what we’ve been feeling.” As they told their story they inspired me! Two years ago they heard that children in Nigeria were dying every day because of unclean water and they found out that wells could be built for one thousand dollars. They started buying a well each month and after a year they made a trip to Africa to visit a village where they had paid for a well to be built. As they held the children of that village in their arms they were inspired to do something even more radical. They sold the house they had just built and moved in temporarily with family so that they could build more wells. This couple, who are only 22 and 25 years old,  have funded the building of wells in more than twenty villages in Nigeria. They told me, “We think God wants us to make as much money as we can and spend as little as we can—so that we can give away as much as we can. We want to care about the things that God cares about in our at-risk neighborhood and care about the needs of people in Africa at the same time.”

May we be good soil for the seeds of our maker’s dreams for our world!

When Jesus saw the crowds, who were “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” he told his disciples to pray for workers to be sent to this harvest. “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Jesus invites us to pray for workers and become workers who act with compassion on behalf of those who are “harassed and helpless.”

On September 16 we began ABOLITION, a seven-week project to help each other become advocates for justice, inspired by the life and teachings of Jesus.  Our whole family is participating in this project together. On Tuesday nights we have walked, prayed and looked for signs of human-trafficking in various neighborhoods. Many of these establishments are front businesses for enslaving young women who have been deceived by traffickers.

Here’s how we explained the project to the forty-five people who have joined us:

Abolition is invitation into a transformational encounter we like to describe as a JESUS DOJO. Dojo is a Japanese word for “place of the way”—a space for active training. We believe that one of the best ways to learn to live “in the Way of Jesus” is through:

(1) A group experiment; (2) inspired by the life and teachings of Jesus; (3) in which we commit time and energy to a set of practices; (4) in conversation with real needs and opportunities in our society; and (5) reflect on how this experience can shape the ongoing rhythms of our lives.

On the first evening we reflected on what Jesus described as the purpose of his life—to be good news to those in bondage to oppression:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

For this project we are inviting participants to take 8 steps towards abolishing modern day slavery:

1. Wrestle with what Jesus taught about service and advocacy—through weekly reflections on the words of Jesus

2. Become more educated on the issue and scale of human trafficking locally and globally. Participate in mapping/intercession walks. Read Ending Slavery by Kevin Bales & suggested articles. Research local issues

3. Examine how your personal habits may contribute to the problem and experiment with tangible changes in action. Complete weekly homework “experiments”

4. Provide tangible care for victims of human trafficking. Collect items and funds for victim’s safe house.

5. Practice political advocacy for victims of human trafficking. Write letters to government officials & corporations.

6. Raise awareness of this issue through your relational network and public propaganda. Use simple grassroots techniques to raise awareness among friends, family and coworkers. Participate in propaganda night and art show

7. Give time and financial resources to organizations addressing and preventing this issue. Identify your “next steps” beyond this 6-week experience.

8. Fast and pray for victims of trafficking and their oppressors. Adopt dietary restrictions Monday 7 p.m. to Tuesday at 7 P.M. during this project. Write a “poetic intercession”

In September we begin to see the signs of autumn harvest throughout the city. Orange and yellow squash, red pomegranates and ripe apples make their annual appearance at our local farmer’s market. If you happen to drive through one of the many wine regions of Northern California, you can smell the sweet and pungent aromas of “crush” season’s inauguration. Despite the increasing mechanization of our society, the life-giving sources of God’s earth continue their cycles and seasons.

Jesus often used agricultural examples when teaching—in part because they related easily to the daily lives of his audiences, but perhaps also because farming is such an apt metaphor for the present reality of God’s kingdom.

“What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches.”

Eight years ago when we began ReIMAGINE we recognized that “farming” might be a more appropriate description for the work we were being called to than“building”–even though construction was a concept more familiar to us. Farming requires respect for the land and the forces of nature, weather and seasons. Farming is about nurturing soil, planting seeds and cultivating living things that have their own growing potential.  And farming is about recognizing seasons.

Earlier this month I flew to Nashville, Tennessee to help lead a retreat for a group of younger musicians and song-writers, organized by my friend Charlie Peacock, and funded through a foundation. In the 1990’s Charlie was a popular musician and song-writer who has become a successful music producer and author. He and his wife Andi bought an old church, which they converted into a home, retreat center and recording studio. I have admired Charlie and Andi for many years (1) because of Charlie’s music, and (2) because of their commitment to integrating art-making, thoughtful reflection, hospitality and Christian spirituality. So, it’s been quite an honor for me to collaborate with them on several projects over the past few years.

This retreat was designed to encourage and support up-and-coming artists who are people of faith working in mainstream entertainment. Many of these young musicians live in New York, L.A. or Nashville and are part of touring bands, write songs for Sony or EMI or have their music featured in films and television. It was such an interesting group of people to interact with. My role was to help them make connections between their life as artists and disciples of Jesus.

For people called to a life in the arts there are a variety of challenges. Many of these musicians struggle with how to measure success in an industry that has changed so dramatically in the past 10 years. You might put incredible energy into creating good music and touring the country, only to find yourself exhausted and broke in the end.  With success and money there are many temptations to compromise morally or artistically. During the retreat the group had the opportunity to hear from Amy Grant, David Wilcox and Derek Webb—and others who have succeeded as artists and wrestled with how to follow the way of Jesus. My friend Charlie is a wise sage and mentor for many younger artists—and this event was an embodiment of his legacy.

This weekend, twenty of us went to the Dixon’s cabin for a SEVEN retreat. It was four years ago this month that we began as a community. And this place, up in the Santa Cruz mountains, holds many memories of our dreams and history together. In the first year, once a month we took a twenty-four hour “sabbath retreat” to relax and talk about vows and a common rhythm of life. What impressed me this weekend was how many new faces are now part of the “we” that is our community. The hard work of creating a shared identity and values is now benefiting others.