MD-HTTF Anti-Trafficking Operations Result in Raid, Arrests

in case some of you are not aware, we at the central maryland vineyard are involved in fighting against human trafficking, both around the world and in our own backyard.

we are heading the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force's Public Awareness team, which has both a MD-HTTF Facebook group and the MD-HTTF blog now

tomorrow, we are leading a public awareness community outreach in two central maryland neighborhoods where the MD-HTTF completed anti-trafficking operations this past week

details from the two-day MD-HTTF Operation:

• operations by MD-HTTF this past thursday and friday, in crofton and glen burnie
• operations resulted in the raid of at least one residence
• operations resulted in the arrest of two traffickers
• the victims services subcommittee did a great job, but we are not giving out any information on victims at-present
• awareness point: Brown van – last seen in the Crofton area – that is suspected of being a mobile brothel; keep an eye out and report any suspicious activity to local police involving a brown van in the central Maryland and Baltimore areas

until daybreak

alone

in this night of (wicked wind)

the (un)familiar haunts my footsteps

rustle, tussle, scrap and scuffle

a momentous clash between (un)equals

as i wrestle until daybreak

(re)emergence like the whisper of dawn

ascend, shine, true and brave

the joy of fresh honor (re)awakens

in this radiance of a (blessed seed)

integrity

the stone weighing in the pit of my stomach

beyond the compartmentalized
vicissitude of unthinking certitude
i arise
from a sticky cob-web vision
utterly off-balance
an instability accentuated
by the stone weighing
in the pit of my stomach
that fiend uncertainty – she who gnaws
at my delicate act of
putting one foot in front of the other
where have You hidden Yourself
O Visioncaster?
have i left You in the deep crevices
of bed-clothes slumber
while i awake to wrestle
mountains and molehills
emerging among the topography of life
courtesy of fertile fears
now set aside by fragile faith
as i am roused
to wonder at the transition
from a sacred moment so profound
to the vague indifference
of the here-and-now
groping wideawake for deliverance
from the grayscale
of living
which tosses me to-and-fro
upon the undulating waves
as i cling to my tenuous conviction

ashes await

ashes await such specimens of survival

soil and spirit mingled by Another

dirt in our wake
as we march together
of earth we are

as we kneel…dust upon dust

a frail finger of ash upon ash

marking me…

a touch felt in my depths

how is it that such as we reside in the heart of Love Itself?

beyond penance...deep preparation

ash wednesday cometh! (well, wednesday next week it does)...and we enter the season christians call lent

lent is mostly celebrated as a forty-day season of fasting and praying in anticipation of easter, yet on a prophetic-pattern level, the 40 days of lent is related to the 40 days after Jesus was baptized and the Spirit comes upon Him like a dove and He is proclaimed as the beloved by the Father...the Spirit then drives Jesus into the wilderness among the wild beasts and He is tempted by the adversary.

historically some have used this time as a time of repentance and penance

[definition: penance - something (as a hardship or penalty) resembling an act of penance (as in compensating for an offense)]

...but i'm looking to go beyond penance...to a deeper preparation

preparation for the rest of my life in Christ

because i'm not looking for a satisfying hardship that thrashes me in compensation for all-and-sundry...i'm journeying with God into a wilderness environment

...not for penance
...not for physical whipping
...not for emotional flagellation

but for:

• something like: taking up my cross and seeking the "sound of sheer silence" in God's Presence
• something that takes me into that liminal space of transition where communitas is born [aside: comments on communitas and limiality by alan hirsch:
  
  I have come to believe that communitas is thoroughly biblical and is inextricably linked to Apostolic Genius (the latent potency that energizes world-changing Jesus movements). When we survey Scripture with liminality and communitas in mind we must conclude that the theologically most fertile sections where in those times of extremity, when people were well out of their comfort zones. The main clusters of revelation seem to come in times of liminality (e.g. Patriarchs, the Torah, the Prophets, Jesus, Paul, John, etc.) and most of the miracles in the Bible are recorded in situations of liminality. (e.g. Exodus, Exile, the Gospels, and Acts) And when we consider the stories that have inspired the people of God throughout the ages and we find that they are stories involving adventures of the spirit in the context of challenge. In fact that is exactly why they inspire (e.g. Heb.11.) Take Abram for instance, who with his entire extended family (estimated to be about 70 people and their belongings), is called by God to leave house and home and all that is familiar to undertake a very risky journey to a land that at that stage remained a mere promise by an invisible God. And when we look at the various experiences they have along the way, stories that have shaped all subsequent faith (e.g. the offering of Isaac), they are not safe little bedtime stories. Rather they call us to a dangerous form of faithfulness that echoes the faithfulness of Abraham (Gal.3:15ff, Heb.11:9-13.) Or when we explore the profoundly liminal Exodus experience we find that this very tricky journey indelibly shaped the people of God, and continues to do so to this very day. It was also the context of the substantial revelation of God in his covenant with his people. The same can be said of the exile into Babylon many centuries later-this was an extreme situation which changed the whole way Israel related to her God, and still does. The prophets spoke the Word of God into such contexts of extremity. And the fact it was precisely when the people of God settled down and 'forgot YHWH' (Dt.4:23-31) that they had be spiritually disturbed once again by the prophets. To awaken the people to their lost calling, the Prophets recalled the dangerous memories about fires on the mountain and pursuing armies and a God who lovingly redeems a people to Himself and enters into a sacred and eternal covenant with them. This sounds pretty liminal to me. Consider the lives and ministries of Samuel, Elijah, Samson, David and his band, and ask what conditions they encountered and we come up with the consistent themes of liminality and communitas. And when we come to the New Testament we need to look only to the life of Jesus, who had nowhere to rest or lay his head, and who discipled his followers on-the-road in the real dangerous conditions of a occupied land and against a hostile and dodgy religious elite. So much so, that discipleship ala Jesus looks awfully like those risky initiation rites that the African kids have to go through. It was both costly ('deny yourself and follow Me') and dangerous ('if they hated me, they will hate you too') but it came with the territory of discipleship. But to find these themes in abundance, look at the life of Paul. He describes it pretty vividly for us in 2 Corinthians. Whippings, beatings, imprisonment, and shipwrecks can hardly be called 'safe, secure, comfortable and convenient' and yet through these experiences he and his apostolic band totally realign the course of history around the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Book of Acts is so brimful with communitas and liminality that it reads like a rollicking adventure story.]
• something more along the lines that my friend paul mayers points out regarding Jesus: When it comes to the ultimate realisation of suffering and death in the events leading up to, on and through the cross; I get the impression that Jesus chose neither denial, blind panic or enlightened self-interest by suddenly hearing he was needed to do some healing outta town that week. Instead Jesus, it seems to me, set his face on going to Jerusalem, deliberately embracing moments of poignant celebration, radical symbolic antagonism and semi-private agony as he honestly wrestled in prayer over what was to come. In all these moments I've also noticed that Jesus is never intentionally alone, from the temple, to the passover meal, from the garden where his sleepy friends struggle to stay awake - to the cross where the women and John look on there are people he knows and loves him there. The suffering may deliberately have been chosen to be public but Jesus, his friends and family refuse to let it become a private event. So how does that relate to our own occassions where the proverbial crap of life hits us as we carry the cross of our faith? Well I am convinced that having a community of people within church who I can share these moments with is more and more crucial, especially as the rest of the spaces in my life where i relate to people become more and more guarded.

for the last seven years, i have been going to the ash wednesday services at st. john neumann's in annapolis. i look forward to this every year, and it prepares the way for my journey through the season of lent:

• there is something special about rituals
• bask in the glow and power of the ambiance
• there is always a rather meaningful homily
• i always feel touched by God

[final note: i will be posting verse/poetry/wordcraft throughout lent, most every week day, which will be old and new, but psalms of a wandering sojourner making my way through the wilderness during lent...i pray it disturbs/blesses you]

wisdom and formation

you know how the other day we were talking about 'positive deviance and formation' and then 'essence and formation'?

well, i stumbled (by way of the amazing jason clark) across a most intriguing talk concerning 'the loss of wisdom' by barry schwartz at TED

• i love how he talks about wisdom - practical wisdom - as improvisation
• as a government bureaucrat (although i like to see myself as a public servant) i appreciate knowing when and how to make the exception to every rule
• "a wise person is like a jazz musician, using the notes on the page, but dancing around them inventing combinations that are appropriate for the situation and the people at-hand"
• "a wise person is made, not born"
• this is about character...about who we are becoming (which for me and maybe for you, is about Christ and being like Him)
• permission-giving and permission-taking: two important aspects of being involved in peoples lives, and having them involved in ours...

leave lazarus

the time draws nigh
for a recompense assured
the reaping of pleasant living
ill-afforded in the aftermath
of a dry season
where a withering wind
drifts along to blister
the scorched turbulent tongues
of widows and orphans
while the shiny and the wealthy
leave lazarus
begging outside the gates

awaiting

wordcraft for the feast of st. valentine:

the rains are complete
yet the deeper moist earth
can still be felt
in the lush gentle wind
that cools the warm skin
of my sultry spirit

i lie among luxuriant fields
deeply breathing this moment
elastic in instant beauty
as time spreads forth
from my hidden perspective
awaiting the arrival
of my very present love

as the full bright moon dances
among the sparse shadowy clouds
meandering its way across the sky
the song of the turtledove
blossoms among the last gasp
of lingering peonies
and their unforgettable fragrance
released as they embrace their measure

such sudden awareness
has unhurriedly stirred me
as bounding over the terrain
unbidden under the elegance of our moon
i hear your approach
in the rustling of leaves
as each step stokes
our tangled flame
enticing me further
my whole being trembles
deliciously abuzz with the new wine
of our ardent adoration
which wholly mimics
the turtledoves tender devotion
through the barest caress of apprehension
as finally we touch
arousing such delight
that delicately endures
between our entwined hands
for we are both faint with love

chosen

a chosen people for God
woven together
lives in the fabric of time

essence and formation

"vision...the destroyer of essence", thus said the sage gordon cosby once.

i've been ruminating over an interview with now-retired leader of church of the saviour here in DC, gordon cosby, and some bits of conversation kevin rains and i had last year.

1. in an old cutting edge interview with gordon cosby, he mentioned that they had initially formed "small groups", but these small groups never ended up doing mission...they were good at being, which was important, but they never got around to doing; thus they re-organized their "small groups" around mission. however the member felt God was calling them in terms of a mission team at CoS, that team also became their "small group"; thus, they all did mission together and then did community together creating this great communitas among them, and they ended up doing both "word and deed" or "being and doing"
2. the second part was a conversation in which kevin and i were wondering if the basic legal status of most new churches as non-profit businesses in the united states affects their "essence", their core, and they just move into being and doing based on that and treat their larger faith community like a "nonprofit business"; [which i think, for the most part, can be true]

...so, my most recent thought, bringing both of these together: what if you formed your church/church-plant, legally, as a 'community development corporation' instead of some 501 c(3) nonprofit charity?

[aside: admittedly, i'm no expert on legal entities under u.s. law, but just the thought of organizing the church counter to the now typical way, seems intriguing. in fact, a few years ago, i asked some friends if, instead of renting out space to meet at a high school (like many, many new church-plants do), what if you rented space at say...a hospital? do you think you might have more opportunities to visit people and pray for them and have more healing in your midst if you met at a hospital??]

• would that change the "essence"?
• would that base model make the leaders and people in it move more outward and missionally, because the baseline is that of a "community development entity" legally?
• would the "community development" understanding form people differently?
• what do you all think?

[ps, on the subject of CoS, here is a more recent washington post article on the future of CoS]

a confession at the cathedral of nonchalance

nonchalance
is the pose you strike
as an undercurrent of insecurity
sweeps me off my feet
and the sound of my sincere submission
[a deeply disturbing divulgence]
reverberates in the casual absolution
i cannot hope to believe to be true


apprehension
is the façade i invoke
after our equally inscrutable encounter
wallowing in my own
awkward attrition of atonement
[a perpetually perilous penance]
such contrition that has chosen me
so that i cannot elude my petty pretense


concurrence
is the mess of our collusion
both riveted by habitual rituals
a going through the motions
yet even with our elegantly inadequate admission
[a continually conflicted confession]
we are both in need of accountable liberation
a return to the root of our common christian cause

australian firestorm and prayers

this is the latest from our friends scott aitken and ranges community church in australia...pray for them and all those caught in this australian firestorm:

"I knew things were odd when we got asked to check the number of stretchers, wheel chairs and turn off all unnecessary lighting in the hospital. When I left my shift I drove up to the T intersection at Ferntree Road and could see flames. The sky was dark and the air was thick. Tasting with every breath the burnt offering of the Australian bush. The toursit road was shut off, so I headed towards the City. It was a harrowing feeling. Relief that Christina and the kids were off the mountain.

It was strange at Church; somber. People knew others who had lost property, remembered towns which we had been to.

Prayer came easily. Spontaneously.

Lord hear our prayer, for those who have lost, in sorry and pain."

beyond deviance...deep formation

...i'm reading reJesus by michael frost and alan hirsch (good book!), which is mostly about re-centering the Church on Jesus, or reJesus-ing the Church...

something struck me the other day...and i found myself reflecting on my new circumstances in the midst of reading [being a mostly single-parent with three small girls as my wife (no she hasn't abandoned us!!) is following God's call into nursing school (go chaundra!)]; reflecting on that and the 'oikos' of God

[definition: 'oikos' - an oikos was the basic unit of society in most greek city-states, and included the head of the oikos (usually the oldest male), his extended family (wife and children), and slaves living together in one domestic setting. large oikoi also had farms that were usually tended by the slaves, which were also the basic agricultural unit of the ancient economy.]

...too often we can develop a concept of the people of God/family of God/Church as a 'social club' or a 'volunteer agency' or a 'political interest group'

but when we are "born again" in Christ Jesus, we are borne along by the Spirit into a new, deeper family...the problem is, we don't act like it, nor does the Church seem very family-like...unless we're a fairly dysfunctional family (which may be the case)

[admit it: you don't want me showing up at your house and begin scavenging through your fridge and making myself at home like your family would...do you?!]

we separate and categorize "family" and "church"...in fact, i was chatting with friends just after new years, and talking about re-prioritizing our busy lives and seeing each other more often, and one person, reflecting what most people were thinking, said: "yeah, i need to put God and family first, but i still need to make time for friends and church."

as if all those were utterly separate categories...but for most of us they are!

...as a leader in our little local faith community, i have gotten busy out there on the streets, yet when i return from the streets to the time and place where my local community has its main worship gathering...i have recently felt estranged somehow. maybe that's not the right words...i'm having a little trouble putting this feeling into words.

but i think i think a couple things:

• i think even though my mantra this year is "less is more", i am feeling somewhat stressed by the unknown as i re-define my role in this church family. the past few years i was leading lots of outward-focused mission stuff and doing justice and compassion ministry, but my new season at home has me engaged in lots of laundry and lots of cleaning the house and lots of cooking [admission: i am truly delighted to be the 'top chef' in the household again...there is something sacred about preparaing meals]...yet, like the carrie newcomer song - holy as a day is spent - i am finding God faithful and present...in the mundane just as i found Him in the advent-ure;
• i think i am convinced and convicted by joe boyd's teaching on formation and the inner life from last weekend at the vineyard in cincinnati, and i need to reverse the flow, so-to-speak;
• i think i have not been engaging and being family to most of the people in our community...yet i wonder how to even begin to do that, how to make people family and act like family make it more than just a few meetings every month;

but the fact remains that i am guilt as charged: i have gotten away from being with my faith community like family...and even more difficult, they don't seem to treat me that way either, unless its as a distant cousin or perhaps deviant, adventurous uncle.

so i feel the need to reFamily my Jesus people...but how?

in reflecting, this has lead me to that deeper current/theme in sacred scripture that many mystics have given attention to: doing and being; word and deed; which has to do with spiritual formation...becoming christ-like;

...but what would i actually do??

well, all this got me thinking of one recent podcast that is still stirring and engaging my mind is the praxis podcast from dg hollums and kevin rains on positive deviance...something kevin said about not teaching new knowledge but encouraging new beahviour struck me. i think knowledge follows bahaviour...here is kevin's post on positive deviance:

"positive deviance is a relatively new field of research. The main body of work is coming from a married couple, Jerry and Monique Sternin. The basic idea is to make sustainable and rapid change in difficult contexts by looking for what IS working as opposed to analyzing the problem and coming up with proposals from outside the immediate context. It arose when the Sternins were commisioned to work against starvation in Vietnam. They needed reals solutions, real fast. They decided to look at a small majority of kids and families that seemed to be beating the odds. As they studied these 'positive deviants' they discovered they were engaging a few crucial but simple behaviors that others were not like feeding their kids even when they had diarrhea, feeding their kids smaller meals more frequnently, and washing their hands more. As they discerned these simple practices they encouraged and taught others in the villages to mimic these beahaviors. Through this simple process they were able to save thousands of lives.
There's a great article in Fast Company that stretches this research into business but I'm wondering what the implications would be for testing it in fields like spiritual formation, leadership development and urban ministry. There are so many things I like about this methodology. Seeing and amplifying the good (Barnabas approach, Acts 11,13), trusting that the answers to difficult challenges are already IN the context, and outsiders are in a servant role (servant leadership).
Are you a positive deviant in your context? Monk up!
I'm becoming more convinced that positive deviance is a reliable model for change in many and varied situations. It isn't hard to see how it could be utilized in areas like urban renewal or even spiritual formation. It might worth considering how this could be used in your context. i have some ideas for mine that I hope to share in future posts as I give it a go via some short cycle time experiments in my context.
Below is a summary of the process. As i read them again i was struck by 2 things. First, it begins with listening. That is always a reliable starting point. That is where St. Benedict started his famous Rule for his students/monks. The Apostle James reminds us to "be quick to listen." Proverbs is loaded with admonitions to listen well. listening is a good starting if you need one for almost any situation.

The second thing was the focus on behaviors. It is easy and sometimes fun to the point of intoxication to caught up in a good theoretical discussion. Often however they end up going nowhere and lead to deep frustration and sometimes angst. The emotional equivalent of "blue balls" if you'll pardon the crude analogy. PD however focuses on outcomes and small, doable, repeatable, simple behaviors. Practices that can actually be practiced and tested. There are some obvious connections here to spiritual disciplines and formation that need to be explored. I will be a guinea pig. KR = lab rat of PD.
There are basically 8 steps to the process of positive deviance. These are just a summary and I'll explore each one one in future posts.
Step 1: Don't Presume You Have the Answer: Approach the change issue with a beginner's mind, ready to listen.
Step 2: Don't Think of It as a Dinner Party: Involve only those that are a part of effecting the change, instead of a broad, diverse audience.
Step 3: Let Them Do It Themselves: Set up a situation in which people can discover, on their own, a better way to do things. Raise questions but the let the group come up with its own answers.
Step 4: Identify Conventional Wisdom: Establish the norms and associated boundaries.
Step 5: Identify and Analyze the Deviants: Allow the positive deviants to emerge as it becomes clear that they have found a better way.
Step 6: Let the Deviants Adopt Deviations On Their Own: Don't teach new knowledge - encourage new behavior.
Step 7: Track Results and Publicize Them: Post the results, show how they are achieved and let other groups develop their own curiosity about them.
Step 8: Repeat Steps One Through Seven: Make the whole change process cyclical.

+++ May your day be filled with positive deviance and may you and I become the positive deviants the world needs. Be the change! +++"



so, would i be a positive deviant by being with the family of God like i am with my own family? what would we actually do? how would we treat others? "hey bro, can i borrow the keys to your car?"; should i just show up and say it's my turn to wash the dishes?