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Philippians 3:10
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MATURE • MENTOR • MINISTER • MAINTAIN •
INVESTING IN BLACK FUTURES THRU STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
Z'up, Hep!
By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established;
through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.
A wise man has great power, and a man of knowledge increases strength;
for waging war you need guidance, and for victory many advisers.
Proverbs 24:3-6 NIV
Greetings again in the wonderful Name of our soon-coming King, the Lord Jesus Christ. Back at ya again with the latest on what's been doing here in this little but awesome part of the Lord's vineyard. Again, I trust the Lord Jesus will bless you somehow some way with something from the following material and that you'll pray for some one!
This is rough...
Delighted
to catch up with Dr. Elijah Anderson (now teaching at Yale) at an event
connected with his latest book,
The Cosmopolitan Canopy: Race and Civility in
Everyday Life (U. Penn Bookstore, October 20, 2011).
Photo by Robert Alsbrooks (one of the young men chronicled in
Anderson's Code of the Street)
PR
ESENT PURSUITS / PRAYER PRE-VIEWBIBLICAL THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY - Back at it for the 2012 Winter term, again teaching two the same two ESLPlus classes at Biblical as during the Fall 2011 semester: "Introduction to Worldview and Philosophy" and "American History and Culture." We're zeroing in on the subject material and using each session to simultaneously foster speaking, listening, writing, reading and thinking proficiencies. Once again, great students and wonderful classes!
CENTER for URBAN THEOLOGICAL STUDIES - The Spring 2012 semester also is well under way (kind of like going sailing) and I'm again teaching the same three courses as during the Fall 2011 semester: "Foundations of Christian Thought," "Ethics" and "The Gospel / The Street: Bridging the Gap between the Church and Hip-Hop Culture." And again, great students and wonderful classes!
WESTMINSTER THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY - After submitting my revised ministry project, I'm now working on the Biblical and theological foundations section of my project (drawing largely from passages in Genesis, Judges, Job, Jonah, Matthew, Acts, Philemon, Colossians and Revelation. Really enjoying it.
AIM INTERNATIONAL - Things are going to get a lot more challenging in the realm of finance as my two key supporting churches are facing difficult financial challenges themselves and as a result will no longer be able to provide support. I and all those who have been the beneficiaries of their gracious generosity through all these years are eternally grateful. True, times are getting really hard for everybody, but ain't it cool that the Lord's deigned it that we live, move and gave our being in such times — and provided so many well-matched challenges for us to handle. Not to worry: the Lord's got this — and, more importantly, us — in His capable sovereign hands.
TASKER STREET MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH - The Lord's provided an opportunity to get back to playing the piano and accompanying choirs at this fine church in south Philly. Thank you, Dr. K-lee Johnson, for putting me in the mix!
PAST PERAMBULATIONS
( listed in reverse
chronological order )
HAWTHORNE GOSPEL CHURCH - It's been a few years since I last reconnected with the saints at HGC (my bad), but had a wonderful reunion and time of fellowship at their Fall Festival from October 14-16. Thanks to Pastor Dave Schuit and the all the saints for everything — your love, your patience, your prayers and your loving support through the years. Also had the opportunity to return to speak with the women's group Serving Hands on December 9th.
BIBLICAL THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY - Taught two ESLPlus classes at Biblical during the Fall 2011 semester: "Introduction to Worldview and Philosophy" and "American History and Culture." We zeroed in on the subject material and using each session to simultaneously foster speaking, listening, writing, reading and thinking proficiencies. Wonderful classes!
CENTER for URBAN THEOLOGICAL STUDIES - The Fall 2011 semester finished pit at CUTS I'm teaching "Foundations of Christian Thought," "Ethics" and "The Gospel / The Street: Bridging the Gap between the Church and Hip-Hop Culture." Really enjoyed the students in each class and getting some great feedback from them.
WESTMINSTER THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY - Yep, I'm still "pressing on the upward way / new heights I'm gaining / ev'ry day" at W.T.S. on my D,Min. The good news is: it's pretty much paid for. The other news is, I elected to re-start it this past summer as the new urban mission program has undergone some serious revisions after some key faculty left. I know. I can hear you saying, "At this rate, he'll probably get his degree posthumously." Mebbe.
A BLACK MAN
Do not look into my face
and see the color of my skin,
and not see the content of my character.
Do not look into my history
and see the darkness of my past,
and not see the brightness of my future.
Do not look at the losses of my mistakes
and not see the profits of my achievements.
Do not look at the distance I have yet to travel
and not see the origin from which I have come.
Do not look at the foolishness of my youth
and not see the wisdom of my older age.
Do not look at the poverty of my family
and not see the riches of its love.
Do not look at the child I once was
and not see the Black Man I have become!
Michael E. McKinzy, Sr. © 1993
Nataka nimjue Kristo na nguvu ya
ufufuo wake na nishi riki mateso yake,
niwe kama yeye katika kifo chake;
na hivyo, kama ikiwezekana,
niufikie ufufuo kutoka kwa wafu.
Philippians 3:10-11 (Kiswahili)
All eyez on Him: Get to know the One Who watches
over the 'hood, 'burbs, fields, forests, seas 'n all creation ...
Winslow Homer's "The Gulf Stream" (1899). Looking around, it's not good. Looking to Christ, there's deliverance.
When the foundations are being
destroyed, what can the righteous do?
Psalm 11:3 ESV
The LORD is exalted, for he
dwells on high;
he will fill Zion with justice and righteousness,
and he will be the stability of your times,
abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge;
the fear of the LORD is Zion's treasure.
Behold, their heroes cry in
the streets;
the envoys of peace weep bitterly.
The highways lie waste;
the traveler ceases.
Covenants are broken;
cities are despised;
there is no regard for man.
The land mourns and languishes...
Isaiah 33:5-9a
ESV
SEA
CHANGE!
(Don't ya know!)
P
EOPLE to PRAY for:
Regardless
of how you feel about war, please join them in prayer . . .
Photo by Romeo Gacad / AFP
RANDALL M. LASSITER - Got a phone call on a mid-January Saturday afternoon from Pastor Lassiter, who's pastoring a church on Elm Street in Paterson, NJ. It's been years since we last talked (probably 15-16 or so), and it was most encouraging and truly grand to hear about what the Lord's been doing in his life, family and the life of his church. Hope to get up to Paterson sometime soon and re-connect.
HEY, HEY! My dear niece and goddaughter, Chelsea, got engaged to Joshua!
THREE of HEP's URBAN MISSION JOURNAL ARTICLES NOW ONLINE - Although they may be a bit dated (they were written in 1989 and 1992) they still got 'feet' regarding the street — enough so that Efrem Smith and Phil Jackson saw fit to quote from them in their 2005 book, The Hip-Hop Church: Connecting with the Movement Shaping Our Culture (InterVarsity Press).
"Penetrating an Urban People Group."
Bob Hepburn, Urban Mission, Mar 01, 1989, Volume 6:04, pp. 33-42. http://www.strategicnetwork.org/index.php?loc=kb&view=v&id=15652
"Rap Music: A Window into a Culture." Bob Hepburn, Urban
Mission, May 01, 1992, Volume 9:05, pp. 6-19. http://www.strategicnetwork.org/index.php?loc=kb&view=v&id=15780
"Rap Music: Give Me My Respect, Man!" Bob Hepburn, Urban Mission, Sep 01, 1992, Volume 10:01, pp. 16-28.
http://www.strategicnetwork.org/index.php?loc=kb&view=v&id=15789
Thank you for your faithful love, prayers, patience and support,
His ‘n yours, with much love ‘n respect,
HEP
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