2012: Congrats to Our GED Recipients

To support this work, go to www.tinyurl.com/givetoAdvance. 

Andrew and Mike Memphis: 2012 Rap

Each time a Jobs for Life class begins wrapping up for graduation, recognizing the amount of work that the class has completed, Andrew allows them to give him one homework assignment. This rap was his assignment for the last class of 2012, and he performed it at their graduation. The beat for Andrew's rap -- and the second wrap -- were written and performed by one of that days graduating students: Kenneth Chalmers, AKA Mike Memphis. The lyrics to both raps are below. 


Andrew's Rap
This is the last class of twenty twelve
I know this whole class is feelin' themselves [slang for proud]
Mr. Gerald is always the very best dressed
And you know Mr. Charles is too blessed to be stressed
James Cross be keepin that coffee pot hot
I'm proud of all yall that quit smoking pot
I know yall be thinkin my rhymes are lame [slang for uncool]
But com' on, I'm white, and the class is to blame
Ptosha be matchin from her head to her toe
From far away she looks like a rainbow
Terrance started class with a terrorist beard
Martrecia on a bad day is a thing to be feared
LTD, he got his female haters [slang for a person who cannot be happy for another]
Joscelyn and Andre were his chief motivators
Latasha already got her GED
And Nichole brought us a hundred honey buns for free
Valerie looks like an eskimo in that jacket
Andre's so quiet he never once made a racket
Terrika be cheaing cause she already had all the notes
Xavier got shoe strings on the back of his coat
Ms. Barbara went ham in lunch line [slang for being tough]
4 of yall forgot to pay your class fine
Deborah she got caught ghetto dancing in class
Mike and Jamaine they sit on the....same table.
This is the last class of twenty twelve
I know this whole class be feelin themselves!

Memphis Mike's Rap: Roadblocks
written and performed by Kenneth Chalmers (Mike Memphis)

They don't want to see my ball [slang for how I get things done],
they just want to see me fall
I'm go get to where I'm going 
even if I have to crawl
You can handcuff me and put my back against the wall
No matter the situation I'm going to make it through it all
I aint never been a quitter, was born a survivor
Got the heart of David when he took on Goliath
Not a shaky bone in my body I'm a rider
Before gold can shine you gotta take it through the fire
I been there...I done some things in my life brought me pure hell
A couple years ago was sitting in a jail cell
I done some things in my life brought be pure hell
But now I'm out here doing good so you can't tell. 

Crime and Poverty: Part II

give me neither poverty nor riches;

feed me with the food that is needful for me,

lest I be full and deny you

and say, “Who is the LORD?”

or lest I be poor and steal

and profane the name of my God.

  Do not slander a servant to his master,

lest he curse you, and you be held guilty.

There are those who curse their fathers

and do not bless their mothers.

There are those who are clean in their own eyes

but are not washed of their filth.

There are those—how lofty are their eyes,

how high their eyelids lift!

There are those whose teeth are swords,

whose fangs are knives,

to devour the poor from off the earth,

the needy from among mankind. (Proverbs 30:8-14, ESV)

In the last post, we saw the wisdom of the sage who humbly prayed “give me neither poverty… lest I be poor and steal…” The prayer (one of the only prayers in the book) is surely close to the heart of Jesus since it echoes the way he taught us to pray: “Give us today our daily bread…and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Mt 6:9-13). The author knew that temptation for the poor is uniquely complicated and severe, and he knew the depravity of his own heart; thus, he concluded that if he were poor, he himself would likely be a criminal.

If we are wise--if we are biblical--we will conclude the same thing: the reason you and I are not sitting in jail right now has more to do with our economic status than our character and love for Jesus. 

In case we miss this point, in case we actually think there is something superior about ourselves that keeps us from toting guns (or using our bodies, etc.) to make a living illegally, the rest of this passage should sober us, if not embarrass us.

This post will focus on the flipside of the wise man’s prayer: “Give me not riches.”  Before we can understand what we need to learn from this passage, we must understand that as modern day Americans, the middle ground, which the author requests, is not likely.  The prayer is  for “daily bread” (NIV) as an alternative to poverty and wealth, so that if we have enough food for today and tomorrow, then by biblical standards (not American consumer standards which makes us all feel like we don’t have enough), we are rich.  And if we are rich, this means that while we may not all struggle with stealing, we will struggle with something that’s ultimately (as we will see) more pathetic.

The basic sins attached to the wealthy are over-consumption and overconfidence.  “Give me not riches… lest I be full and deny you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’” Of course those of us who have more than our daily bread aren't robbing people--we don’t need to rob. We don’t even need the Lord! Or at least this is what our lives usually imply. We may not flat out reject Jesus literally through our words, but we do so practically when we live for more money under the pretense of living for God. Based on the structure of this passage, we must see that to the degree that the poor are prone to steal, we are as likely to become addicted to the things money gives us, making wealth ultimate instead of God.

So how well are we fighting the good fight?  A good indicator of whether we've fallen into our demographics’ unique temptation is to think back to the last time we prayed this prayer: “Give me not riches, lest I get too comfortable and reject the Lord.” If it hurts to pray this prayer, we are guilty of idolatry. 

Ouch… I don’t know that I’ve ever prayed against obtaining more money. While I'm being honest, I should also confess that gluttony and skepticism (a form of denying of God), the two sins the author immediately attaches to the wealthy, are two of my biggest ongoing sin struggles. While my poor neighbors are more likely to be caught up in theft, I'm taking pills to combat my high blood pressure and cholesterol because I love food and drink more than honoring Jesus' name.

Now, here’s what’s truly pathetic about those of us who have more than our daily bread. The problem isn't that we tend to struggle with gluttony and/or materialism and self-reliance. These things are bad, but our real problem is that we think our sins are not as bad compared to theft and other kinds of poverty-driven sins.  The author places the sins of the rich on par with the sins of the poor, but with our tendency toward self-righteousness, we actually fool ourselves into thinking our problems aren't as bad.

If we were being truly honest, we would have to admit that we often think there’s something about us--or perhaps something about them--that makes us better. “Well sure, we’re all sinful,” we say, “but these people really need help.” And if we are really blind, we might even go as far as saying “these people need my help.” 

Ever think this? I have, and that’s why the rest of this passage is so humiliating.  Read verse 12 carefully: “There are those who are clean in their own eyes but are not washed of their filth.” Unfortunately, modern translations are produced by members of middle and upper class society and offensive passages like this one are tamed for our polite, cultural preferences.  “Filth” is accurate, but it’s not literal. The Hebrew word צֹאָה either means excrement or vaginal discharge with a focus on the foulness or odor of the organic matter.*  Since even I’m uncomfortable talking about the latter of these two options, I’ll gladly accept this translation: “Wicked progeny judges itself righteous, but did not wash off its anus” (A New English Translation of the Septuagint). This is what the bible says we are like when we think we are superior to others.

Verse 12 is extremely ironic, especially reading it in its context of wealth and poverty. Those of us who are economically self-sufficient struggle with sin just like everyone else. Our depraved hearts may manifest in different ways depending on complex sociological factors; however, in the final analysis, these differences are only superficial--our hearts are all the same. We all need Jesus. If we think differently, if we hold on to the belief that we are somehow different or better, we are like someone who after scrubbing and examining himself, and pridefully thinking he’s done a meticulous job, walks away judging the appearance of others but not realizing his backside is covered with smears.

Along these lines, Jesus criticized the Church of Laodicea: You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked” (Revelation 3:17). We think we are better, but as it turns out, we are the ones who really need help.

* Swanson, J. (1997). Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Hebrew (Old Testament) (electronic ed.). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

Andrew Vincent
andrew@advancememphis.org

Crime and Poverty: Part 1

We're going to post a short series exploring the links, and perceived links, between crime and impoverished people and their communities. The first post, below, is written by Jobs for Life Coordinator Andrew Vincent. Comments, feedback, and questions can be directed to andrew@advancememphis.org. 

...give me neither poverty nor riches;

feed me with the food that is needful for me,

lest I be full and deny you

and say, “Who is the LORD?”

or lest I be poor and steal

and profane the name of my God.

  Do not slander a servant to his master,

lest he curse you, and you be held guilty.

There are those who curse their fathers

and do not bless their mothers.

There are those who are clean in their own eyes

but are not washed of their filth.

There are those—how lofty are their eyes,

how high their eyelids lift!

There are those whose teeth are swords,

whose fangs are knives,

to devour the poor from off the earth,

the needy from among mankind. (Proverbs 30:8-14)

This passage has a lot to teach us about the links between crime and poverty, and between hypocrisy and wealth. There’s too much to say in one blog post, so I've divided my original post in two separate posts. This one focuses on the prayer of vv.8-9 and the second focuses particularly on vv.12-13. 
---

This passage has always puzzled me. Does the author not believe in personal responsibility? Read it again and catch what’s really being said: “give me neither poverty….lest I be poor and steal”; “nor riches…. lest I be full and deny you.” The assumption seems to be that wealth automatically leads to being puffed up and rejecting God, and poverty automatically leads to criminal activity. 

Well, surely the author isn't arguing that all poor people steal and all rich people are atheistic gluttons; however, we can’t dismiss this verse as simply an exaggeration while we overlook what seems obvious to the inspired writer. He prays the way he does for a reason. 

First, he realizes that if he was poor he would be faced with a very unique and difficult set of temptations. Second, he knows that his own heart is no different from that of anyone else, and that if he had to face the temptations of the poor (or the rich), he would probably succumb to them just like so many others do.  

Therefore, he begs God: Don’t let me be poor; I don’t want to be another statistic. Does this prayer seem strange to you too? The reason it has always puzzled me is because thievery, like most other criminal activities for financial gain, seems so evil and so foreign to me. I've prayed hundreds of prayers that God would protect me from lust, but stealing!? My mind goes to pictures of men in ski masks, carrying sawed-off shotguns, terrifying innocent victims for goods they worked hard to earn. When I picture this, I think, who could possibly commit such an evil crime? I honestly can’t imagine myself doing such a thing. 

However, while I can’t imagine myself committing crimes like armed burglary, I also can’t imagine what it’s like
to be hungry and too broke to buy a meal.

I have come to know many people in the inner-city who have both of these experiences as part of their past history. And sadly, I know of at least a few people who, after trying to leave the crime, have gone back to it because of concrete realities of their poverty.  

What’s the difference between me and them? Is it that I know Jesus and they don’t? Is it that I have better character? Am I more strong willed and more resistant to temptation? Are they more depraved?  Biblically speaking, I think the answer is a clear no.  But if I’m being completely honest, it’s really easy for me to slip into this mindset. Thankfully God’s Word reproves my mind and reveals just how much of an arrogant, self-righteous fool I am for thinking that I am somehow different than my neighbors. 

In the last four years of working at Advance, I have had the privilege and the horrific experience of counseling others through times of difficult temptation. I can’t tell you how many graduates have sat in my office crying because they don’t want do sell drugs, break in houses or sleep with a man they don’t love.  They absolutely hate their lifestyle, but they don’t know what else to do. During a lot of these kinds of conversations, the person sitting in my big brown chair is in crisis mode: the landlord just put all their possessions on the sidewalk, the electricity just got turned off, they don’t have any food in the fridge. Then what they say next is really burdensome: “When I got accepted into Advance I knew that this was my chance to change.  Since the first day of class I was determined to quit doing the things I was doing, but since I've been living right, I haven’t been making any money. I’m afraid because I can pick up the phone and have $200 by tonight, but I want to change. I don’t want to do these things anymore. What do you think I should do?”

It’s that moment, faced with the question, “What should I do?”, that snaps me out of my foolish pride and helps me understand
the sincerity of the prayer in Proverbs 30:8-9. 

Because when I realize that the motivation behind these horrendous criminal acts is bound up in the love of a mother or father and a sincere desire to provide for the needs of their children, I don’t know what I would do if I were in their shoes. I can’t imagine having to make a choice between robbing someone and seeing my children go without.

None of this is meant to excuse another’s sin, and I have no illusions that all crimes are committed in order to provide for children. The proverb still equates stealing with profaning the name of God. In the moments when someone is crying about whether or not to make illegal money, regardless of whether or not it’s for a sincere need such as having their kids have a place to sleep, there is still a right and a wrong decision. There is still personal responsibility to say no to temptation. However, if I think that I would always make the right decisions if I were in someone else's situation, I’m a fool.  

I’m thankful that I don’t have to make the same kinds of decisions many of our neighbors have to make. At the same time, it’s quite unsettling to realize that entire neighborhoods of people have to make these kinds of difficult choices every day. 

There’s a reason why so many of our city’s poor are sitting in jail while the rest of us can’t even imagine ourselves doing the things that got them there.  And the reason is NOT that we are somehow superior.  The only real difference between us and our neighbors is that we aren't the ones who suffer from the poverty; we aren't faced with the same temptations.  

Andrew Vincent

Jobs for Life Coordinator

andrew@advancememphis.org

A Poem from a Graduate

Graduate Wendell Mass wrote two poems (one is below) to honor Advance and his classmates at today's graduation. He says he worked on his writing skills throughout his time in prison, constantly writing songs and poems. We're honored that he brought his creativity to graduation, and we're excited to see what Wendell accomplishes in the coming weeks and months. He is a smart and determined man.

I Appreciate You

There comes a time in everyone's life,

When you are lonely and friends are few.

As a part of Advance Memphis, my days are bright

I want you to know that I appreciate you!

I had begun to feel that no one really cared

Your commitment immediately changed that view

I am so thankful for the time that we shared

I want you to know that I appreciate you!

I am truly blessed that our paths did cross

You have helped to make my gray skies blue

You have made up for everything that I had lost

I want you to know that I appreciate you!

I will miss this class and the instructor's concern 

About my life and the things we go through 

I am so amazed by the things I have learned

I want you to know that I appreciate you!

Since taking this class, I have made new friends

Whose compassion is unconditional and true

With Advance Memphis help, I am sure to win

That is why I will always appreciate you!

This is Not a Success Story

We all love to hear success stories: A junky with a 20 year habit and a criminal record sheet that’s 6 feet long, struggling to eke out an existence with 9 kids on food stamps…one day enters the doors of Advance Memphis, meets Jesus, has all his guilt removed, gets a job, goes to college and has all his problems solved. What a beautiful story, we love to say -- isn’t God good!    

We love to tell these stories for obvious reasons, and for good reasons. We love to spread the news about people whose lives have truly changed. We love to dwell on the victories. 

But the truth is, for every story like this there are a dozen other stories that make you feel pretty dang hopeless.

Sometimes working at Advance Memphis is like getting paid to ride a roller coaster. We have really high, highs and really low, lows. The highs can last for a month or for a few minutes, but eventually, at some unexpected moment, the ride drops so fast that you literally feel sick to your stomach. 

This week was one of those weeks for me. I won’t go into all the twists and turns, but suffice it to say that I’ve had my share of whiplash. (A lot of bad news about people I really care about).  This week I’ve felt like my head was pounding against the padding of the cart and that I couldn’t take another moment of it. All I wanted to do was exit the roller coaster. Thank God it’s now past 5:00 on a Friday because that’s what I have the privilege of doing this weekend: getting off the ride even though many of our neighbors ride it every hour of their life 'til the day they die. 

My whiplash has reminded me just how much of an anomaly stories like the one above are. This week has also reminded me how much of a struggle it is for an adult from the inner-city to live a new life- a life free of anger, stress, crime, addiction, etc.  I often hear people tell me, “All I want in life is a steady job so I can provide for my kids” (When I start asking questions, I find out that this is code for, “I hate selling drugs to keep electricity in the house”).  When I hear this, I often think, “Really, is that ALL you want?” It’s because such a life seems so simple and normal to me, but in reality it’s a goal that is completely intangible to many of our city’s residents.  It seems crazy to me that someone could have this as their only goal in life and yet find themselves trapped in the same old routine.

This week I’ve found myself thinking about those 

who didn’t make it out of the streets... 

I’m reminded of my first experience with Advance Memphis, when Steve manipulated me (just kidding, sort of!) into volunteering as a Champion. One of the men in my small group was Lil Herman.  I remember the earnestness in his voice as he talked about getting out of the street life. Right after he graduated from Advance he got a job at McDonalds. Man, he was so proud to have this job.  The excitement didn’t last long though.  He never got full time hours and once child support was taken out of his check, he was living off less than a $100 a week.  Soon he was working two jobs: a burger flipper by day and a crack dealer by night.  He was completely honest with me about what he was doing, and asked “what do you think I should do?” Of course I advised him to stop selling drugs, but I didn’t have an answer for how else he could take care of his family. A couple days after he cried with me about feeling stuck, I heard that he was in a shootout and one of the stray bullets he fired hit a random kid walking by in the neck. Herman’s now serving a life sentence for murder.

I’m also reminded of Tyree. After he graduated he would come to Advance just to take out the trash and serve. He and his girlfriend cooked dinner for Haley and I and had us over for dinner. He’s now serving a 15 year sentence.

I’m reminded of Dewayne who is probably the most fruitful relationship I’ve ever had. For about a year he walked to Advance at 6:30am to have 1 on 1 bible study with me. He got involved in the church I attended, spent the night at my house numerous times, met most of my extended family, and painted my house. He’s also being sentenced for 15 years in federal prison.  

I’m reminded of Karey, Lakendric, Parrish, Honey, Larry, and plenty of others who are currently in jail. And I’m reminded of many, many others who are headed to jail or in a casket if the Lord doesn’t intervene soon.  

These men are by no means innocent victims of their environment, unable to control their decisions; however, they all have this in common: they came to Advance desperately desiring to escape the streets only to find themselves back in them in one way or another.  I’m not going to pretend like I fully understand why this is the case; I don’t get it most of the time.  I’m also not pretending like I know all the practical solutions for guys like Lil Herman whose chief ambition is to have a place for his kids to sleep at night (“Get a job” always sounded like sound advice till I realized it’s not that simple when you’re a black man with a criminal record).   I wish I had all the answers, but I don’t.  I do know, however, that God has called me to “always be prepared to give an answer for the hope you profess; do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15). And I know that I can’t fulfill this charge if I don’t get back on the roller coaster and carry some of their burdens. 

And so this is my resolve this week: Get back on the ride. Scream and laugh and cry with my neighbors as I travel with them through the twists and turns of their lives, all the while calling them to have hope, that there is a way out because of Jesus.  

Won’t you join me? You don’t have to have all the answers; you just have to be willing to get on the ride.  Are you willing? 

Andrew Vincent
avincent@advancememphis.org

Standing in the Gap

Seems like I have ended up in court a lot lately. For anybody waiting for Jesus to bring His kingdom in all of its fullness, experiencing the justice system in the “kingdom” of America always creates some tension. What does it mean to seek civil justice in light of God’s gracious kingdom justice? What does it look like to live in the kingdom of God, with all of its cheek turning, enemy love, and free forgiveness, while at the same time living in civil society, with its need for retributive justice, accountability, and safety? These questions have haunted me every time I’ve encountered the court system, but answering them feels like it’s far above my pay grade. 

God’s People Everywhere 

Recently, though, God has used His people to embody some of the beginnings of an answer. Two months ago, several staff members went to support my friend “James” in his trial over probation violation. In that court appearance, I knew the defendant, a public defender who counseled the defender assigned to my friend, one of the prosecutors from the courtroom, and the judge. One of the letters we sent to the judge had pictures of one of the prosecutor’s children in James’s lap at an Advance Memphis Christmas party! And while the entire proceedings gave me more questions than answers, it quickly became clear that in different ways and different places, each of these friends of ours were trying to seek God’s kingdom in the middle of this big, messy situation. 

For Lack Of Knowledge A People Perish 

But what about us? As a friend of defendants in two recent cases, I had been wondering about where those of us outside of the legal profession fit into all of this. And then last week I heard the judge (who I didn’t know) asking “Derrick,” a friend of mine, questions about his failure to comply with his probation by driving without a license. 

Speak to me in English! Look at me when you’re talking, said the judge. But what he took for disrespect I knew was fear and Derrick’s lack of confidence in his own verbal abilities. 

Why didn’t you just go get a license like everyone else when you turned 16? You just never bothered to do that? said the judge. But I knew that Derrick’s mother had never owned a car nor had a license, and that in our neighborhood it is far from normal to get a license at that age. Almost nobody does it. 

So you were living with your mom and her boyfriend and your girlfriend when you missed your probation. And none of them could drive you to your probation meetings to keep you out of jail? You couldn’t get a ride from any of them? said the judge. “No,” I thought, “Derrick’s mom doesn’t have a car. They live in the poorest urban area in the state. Very few people have cars, and if they do they aren’t reliable.” So while Derrick was totally responsible for failing to get to his probation meetings, the judge seemed to have oversimplified what truly was a serious obstacle him. 

You see, even though I believe this judge was really trying to do his part, and even though he works with folks like Derrick every day, he doesn’t understand anything about what Derrick’s life is really like. What seems obvious to this judge isn’t obvious to Derrick, and the opportunities that this judge took for granted were never offered to him. 

Standing In The Gap 

And so that’s where we come in. This same judge asked me, “do you swear to tell the truth” as I took the stand to talk about all of the obstacles Derrick had overcome, about all the hard work he’d put in, and all he’d accomplished above and beyond what his neighbors, friends, and the system had expected of him. And in reflecting on that question about telling the truth, something has become clear to me. Part of what God means when He calls His people to stand in the gap on behalf of the poor and marginalized is this:  

He’s calling us to tell the other side of the story. He’s calling us to recognize the image-of-Godness which is every human being’s heritage but which so often gets lost in the shuffle of poverty, marginalization, and brokenness.

And the body of Christ is doing just that. Over the last several months, we’ve seen a tremendous outpouring of staff and volunteers trying to come alongside those who are in prison or facing prison. Two of our champions have visited “Richard,” a JFL grad who was recently incarcerated, almost weekly for months. Another volunteer took the stand after me and not only pledged his belief in Derrick, but pledged his commitment to help him succeed if he was released. Earlier this year, Kashara Taylor, a woman in our community was killed by a gun shot by her boyfriend, although it was reportedly an accident. One of our staff, who was extremely close to Kashara, has not only written letters of comfort to the shooter but has actually visited him in prison. Elsewhere, another champion, himself a lawyer, took the stand to testify on behalf of his friend “Rodney,” a participant in our GED program.

Actions That Demand Questions
And God is moving. The attorney in Derrick’s case sent me an email thanking us for being willing to testify and assuring me that the judge would have been unwilling to extend mercy if he didn’t believe that the Advance program really would help the defendant make different choices. Another attorney, the public defender who represented James, pulled us aside and said:

"I can’t thank y’all enough for being here. You can’t imagine how many teenage murderers I represent, and two years in I’ve never met a single family member. Your presence here makes all the difference."

Imagine the impact it must make on Richard’s life to be visited weekly during his prison stay by two men from an entirely different world. Imagine the impact on our Rodney and Derrick’s lives when their Champions take time off work to literally take the witness stand on their behalf. And imagine the real overflowing of God’s justice that occurs when judges, defenders, and prosecutors alike hear firsthand the other side of the defendant’s story, when they’re reminded that though a person may be a criminal, they are never just that. They are first and foremost image bearers of God, and although the decisions they have made may mean that they can and should lose some of their rights, neither human decision nor the highest court in the land can take away the dignity that is their heritage as an image bearer of the Almighty God.

When the body of Christ works together to relationally engage with the poor and marginalized, it not only opens our eyes to the numerous layers of justice and injustice we never knew existed, but it also strengthens our ability to seek God’s kingdom justice wherever we are. And whether you’re the judge or the defendant, it’s the Spirit of God working through the body of Christ that will most powerfully call each of us to seek first Jesus’ kingdom and His righteousness, allowing everything else to be added unto it.

Michael Rhodes
mrhodes@advancememphis.org