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

Paradigm Shift

Dear Friends:

In the past, I’ve felt burdened to ask for money to keep Advance funded. Unfortunately, I have been approaching funding incorrectly. I have viewed you, our supporters, as a means to an end, the end being Advance Memphis’ existence. In doing so, I had the wrong goal in mind. Friends, the end is, and always has been, God’s kingdom. Advance Memphis is just a platform.  

Over the past year, God has used Transformational Giving principles taught by Eric Foley and Dr. Larry Lloyd to change my heart and Advance Memphis’s methodology. These principles have helped me shift my vision away from a concern for ministry funds and towards a heart for each of us to carry out the work of the Lord while moving toward full maturity in Christ.

While Advance will always need money to operate, my focus is now on finding brothers and sisters who will join me in growing to maturity in Christ through Advances’ Biblical cause: ransoming the captives. There are certainly other biblical causes (works of mercy), and one way to explore these in a focused way is by reading Eric Foley’s The Whole Life Offering. At Advance Memphis, we’re focused on ransoming the captive: seeking to serve the community in 38126 by setting them free from what enslaves them--poverty and unemployment.

“Ransoming the captive means the expensive day-to-day function of redeeming, or buying back, individuals taken captive...It’s about mirroring the character of Christ to the world.” Eric Foley

In scripture, I’ve found that God invites us to join him in fighting for these causes. Isaiah 61:1 states, “The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners."

My prayer is that our supporters will attach deeply to the work of “ransoming the captives” that is found in scripture, rather than to this organization called Advance Memphis.  Advance should simply be a tool for this to occur in ALL of our lives, whether paid staff, volunteers, employers, students, or tutors.

So let’s join each other in:

•     Searching scripture to see where God calls us to live out the mercy we've been shown.
•     Ask ourselves how God has ransomed us.
•     Ask ourselves how we can participate in ransoming the captive in Memphis. 

We want you to be involved in Advance’s mission not only financially, but also with your head, hands, and heart. Please forgive me when I fail to lead us all in this, and join us in becoming owners of this cause and growing to full maturity in Christ.

Sincerely,

Steve Nash

And They Have No Comforter

Photo credit: Gretchen Shaw

1 Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun: 
    I saw the tears of the oppressed— 
        and they have no comforter; 
    power was on the side of their oppressors— 
        and they have no comforter. 
    2 And I declared that the dead, 
        who had already died, 
    are happier than the living, 
        who are still alive. 
    3 But better than both 
        is the one who has never been born, 
    who has not seen the evil 
        that is done under the sun.
                        (Ecclesiastes 4:1-3, NIV)

This passage speaks to the utter despair and loneliness that many poor and oppressed persons experience. 

In verse 1, we are confronted with the fact that those who undergo the deepest forms of suffering and experience it the most frequently are also those who have the least support to cope with it. Their miseries are severe yet no one seems to notice, no one sees their hurt. We also learn that while the poor are the most common victims of injustice, they have no comforter because those who have the power to help are the ones benefiting the most from the broken systems that keep the poor in oppressive circumstances. History affirms this truth: the dominant culture in society has always been naive to the way things work against the lower classes. 

As unsettling as the description of verse 1 is, the author makes a more shocking statement in verse 2.  Here he states that those in the grave are better off than those who continue to exist with oppressive burdens. On the surface, this seems like an awful thing to say.  Doesn't the Bible teach the sanctity of every human life, no matter how lowly one may appear to be? However we interpret this verse, we cannot dismiss these words as being flippant (12:10); they are the result of seeing the anguish that is common to the poor.

The wise Teacher draws our attention to the fact that oppression and heartache are simply the facts of life for the poor. However, I don't think that this is the main point in the passage. The real evil that this passage draws our attention to is the unawareness and/or apathy of society’s mainstream toward the despair of the poor.  In other words, it’s bad enough that the poor are made to suffer so often, but it is far worse that they are suffering alone with no one to comfort them.  The writer states this truth in a matter-of-fact tone; we as believers should be scandalized by this reality. 

We have a High Priest who is able to sympathize with us because he sacrificed his comfort to identify with us in our struggles (Heb 4:15).  In addition to dying for our sins (something we cannot imitate) he also became “familiar with suffering (Is 53:3) and “carried our sorrows” (Is 53:4). 

• How are we doing at demonstrating the empathy of Christ?  
• Are we aware of all the heartache of our neighbors? 
• Do we mourn with those who mourn? 
• Or have we segregated ourselves and our families, pursuing comfort and safety to the extent that we have isolated ourselves with the poor out of sight and out of mind? 

“You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, 

and you listen to their cry” (Psalm 10:17). 

Andrew Vincent

avincent@advancememphis.org

Confronting Racism

Dear Friends:

I can do nothing but share what my dear brother in Christ, Ken Bennett, told me he heard in worship this past Sunday.  Please join me in rejoicing, repenting now and continually for our individual and institutional sin of racism and classism. Also, praise our Father in heaven for His proclaimed truth found in His word!

Remember the Lord almighty says:  “if my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14,15  

Dearest Lord, please give each of us courage to examine our individual hearts, repent, and make changes that are more reflective of your Kingdom design for our individual lives and all institutions in our City and World!

Maranatha! Maranatha! Maranatha!

Steve Nash

Executive Director

Steve is referring to the sermon preached at Independent Presbyterian Church in Memphis, Tennessee, by Senior Pastor Richie Sessions on Sunday, May 13, 2012. 

TO LISTEN TO THE SERMON, CLICK HERE and choose the May 13 sermon. 

Kashara

Kashara Taylor at her Jobs for Life graduation, with her brother Keith. 

Advance lost a friend last night. Many staff members were close to Kashara; she was one of those students who grabbed onto every opportunity, determined to do her best. 

Please pray that staff will be able to minister to the hurting community, even as they are hurting and mourning. 

Please pray that our neighbors who are hurting and angry will have the opportunity to see Christ and that more violence will not come from this. 

A Message from Steve

Dear Friends,

I think Jonathan Edwards—back in 1732—expressed with perfect clarity a concept that the Church struggles with today:

"Where have we any command in the Bible laid down in stronger terms, and in a more peremptory urgent manner, than the command of giving to the poor?"

Recently, I listened to Tim Keller's sermon "Blessed are the Poor." You can listen to it here, and I would encourage you to make time for this message. In the sermon, Keller reflects on Jonathan Edwards' words on the poor (read here), as well as many of the hundreds of biblical references to the poor. In short, Keller agrees with Edwards, saying that one of the clearest things in all of scripture is the mandate to know the poor, become the poor, and love the poor. Keller goes as far as to say that we cannot remain "middle class in spirit," but must embrace poverty of spirit, something that happens in relationships of reconciliation with real people living in poverty over a long period of time.

"We may also observe how peremptorily this duty [giving to the poor] is here enjoined,
and how much it is insisted on." Jonathan Edwards

So it's clear that scripture says loving the poor is imperative--but do we really see it as imperative? Do we see it as an essential part of our personal identity as Christ followers? Or do we see it as an option? Do we see it as a personal mandate? Or do we see it as something that can be "outsourced" to a church committee or a para-church ministry like Advance? The truth is that none of the important kingdom activities that the church should do, whether soup kitchens, shelters, job training, tutoring, widow-support health care, justice ministries--or any other effort--can be effective without ongoing relational reconciliation between rich and poor. And as Keller argues, these relationships WILL INEVITABLY challenge and change our lives as well.

I was convicted of this recently when we interviewed a group of Advance Memphis graduates about the role of Advance in the community. We were gathering information to inform our strategic planning process, and we asked students, "What does the community need more of?" I was humbled to hear the answer from "Mary," a recent grad, aged 24: "Not more money or food. We need more people to spend time with us. Teach us. Teach us about God." Friends, Mary is a single mother of 5. Throughout Mary's childhood, her mother was addicted to crack and she had no relationship with her father until the very end of his life. Right now, Mary is living with a family member in Foote Homes. Her extended family is eating her food and leaving her kids hungry. She is working part time, studying for her GED, and raising 5 children. I asked myself, "DID THIS WOMAN REALLY SAY THAT THE GREATEST NEED WAS RELATIONSHIPS? She DID!" And I remembered again how we so often consider poverty solely in material terms, forgetting the importance of relationships of reconciliation for RICH and POOR alike!

How wide is the gap between you and your neighbor? Join me in praying
that God would close the gap a little more each day for all of us.

I often meet people who ask what we need at Advance—how they can help. My prayer is that I'll be bold enough to share our biggest need: the presence of Christians, loving, serving, and building relationships in the neighborhood. We need these relationships because social support is key to life change. We need these relationships because the gospel calls us to reconciliation between communities divided by race and economic class. And we need these relationships because theoretical solutions to poverty designed in board rooms rarely work, and neither do blank checks without accountability or understanding. We've got to stop DOING THINGS FOR poor neighborhoods and start DOING THINGS WITH our poor neighbors. Bob Lupton argues in his book Toxic Charity that anonymous aid, given without the wisdom and consent that comes from relationships with the targeted community, can do far more harm than good. As an example, Lupton describes the effect of aid on Haiti, as witnessed by Tim Schwartz, an anthropologist and long-time resident of the country.

What does it look like to DO WITH the poor instead of FOR? That's a big question, but if we're really working relationally with the poor, we'll not only be seeing financial generosity, justice in business and legal relationships, and education for poor neighbors...we'll be seeing Luke 14 parties!

Do you have the relationships in place for God's design for a Luke 14 party?

So is my friend Mary crazy to say there's more to economic healing than money? No! Toxic Charity powerfully reminds us that disconnected aid is not enough, while we see first hand the powerful life change in EVERYONE'S life when the gospel calls individuals and communities "to the other side of the tracks"—the Kingdom community.

What I didn't tell you is that my friend Mary has gone from zero income to $2,000 a month. She hasn't achieved this through a hand out, but rather through a whole host of educational initiatives, supportive relationships, and employment opportunities made possible by business partnerships. I wish you could see her pride and joy as she experiences some level of economic self-sufficiency. She remains grateful for her diminishing public assistance while being filled with the dignity God designed for us through work. She wants to keep growing and fulfill all her God given potential. And what does she say when she asks what would help her and her neighborhood? MORE relationships and MORE time with Christ-followers.

So I want to invite the Body of Christ to respond to God's imperative to engage with those who are unlike us. We cannot help the poor if we do not know them, and God tells us that through relationships with the poor we ourselves will be changed. Our lifestyles, economic classes, recreational activities, neighborhoods, workplaces, and yes, even our churches often segregate us from our poor neighbors. Please take a minute right now to look around wherever you are. I'm sure you see the segregation of the rich from the poor. Now consider: how can we respond to God's imperative and help shape a world that looks different?

Responding to God's imperative means we've got work to do. We need to ask why in the poorest city in the nation there are no poor people in our Sunday school class or on our block, and then DO SOMETHING about it. And we need to find places to engage in relationships of reconciliation with the poor neighborhoods right now, today. If you need help with that, we'd love to introduce you to some of our neighbors through a Champion small group, a GED tutoring session, or as an assistant in a computer class. We'll take everything we can get! What might happen if every Christian in our city was actively pursuing healing in their own lives and in the lives of their poor neighbors through personal relationships? We don't know. But we'd love to find out. Pray with us! Struggle with us! Learn with us!

Thanks for all your time reading this note. It's longer than usual, but I'm grateful for your time, and grateful for the staff, friends, and volunteers who helped me take this from a first draft to a finished letter...the body of Christ at work!

Steve Nash

P.S. As you consider all these things, join me in challenging yourself to make God's Kingdom our target; not a human kingdom with some room for God, but—truly—God's Kingdom.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

At the end of his long chapter on Christ’s resurrection and second coming in I Corinthians 15, Paul declares: “therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your work in the Lord is not in vain.” For most of us, though, the resurrection seems like little more than the epilogue to the story of the cross. What’s the connection between Christ’s resurrection and our work? How does the resurrection affect “our work?” What does it mean for us today to declare, as churches around the world will on Easter Sunday, “Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.”?

Christ Has Died

At the cross, God-the-Son “made himself nothing,” became a “servant,” and obeyed the Father all the way to dying an excruciating death on the cross (Phi 2:6-8). The cross means that we are no longer estranged from God, but have been reconciled to the Father “by Christ’s physical body through death” so that we, though our sins condemn us, might appear before God as “holy in his sight” (Col 1:22). The cross means that sin itself has been crucified so that we no longer are slaves to sin (Rom 6:6). Jesus became our sin (2 Cor 5:21), bearing “our sins in his body on the cross” (1 Pet 2:24).

But the meaning of the cross goes even out beyond our individual reconciliation with God. Through the cross, God has reconciled himself to the whole world, and given us the mission of reconciliation (2 Cor 5:18-19). All of the evil powers and principalities and every system of injustice has been “disarmed!” Jesus “made a public spectacle of [the powers and authorities], triumphing over them by the cross” (Col 2:15). The cross of Christ “destroys the Devil’s work” (1 Jn 3:8).

Though the Bible makes clear that Adam’s sin brought all of creation into sin and decay, releasing the power of the Devil into every corner of the cosmos, at the Cross Jesus has shattered the Enemy, has paid the price for our treason, has unmasked the injustice and oppression of a world which would crucify its own Creator, and reconciled the Triune God to the whole world.

Christ Is Risen

On the third day, the Father took the mangled, tortured, broken body of His Son and raised it up to new life. The point of the story isn’t that Jesus’ soul went to be with God, but rather that the broken body of Jesus was remade into something glorious and altogether new. Not only does Jesus pay for our sins at the cross, but he empowers us for new, resurrection life at Easter. As Paul writes, if Christ has not been raised, then we are still dead in our sins. But He has been raised! And that makes all the difference.

Scholars point out that in John, the Risen Jesus meets Mary in a garden on the first day of a new week; after dealing with all of the sin that had corrupted the old creation, at the resurrection Jesus becomes the “new Adam” on the first day of a new creation week. And so we know that we too, along with the whole creation, will be resurrected one day with Him. As Paul writes, “Christ has indeed been raised, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.” Moreover, Romans 8 tells us that the entire creation is waiting for the sons of God to be revealed at the resurrection so that the creation might share in the glory of God’s children! What happens to Jesus will happen to us . . . and to the entire created world.

Christ Will Come Again

In Acts, the disciples watched as Jesus ascended into heaven. Suddenly, two angels appear and ask them: “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” And so, along with the resurrection, the ascension reminds us that Jesus Christ is the Risen King who promises to return to us again in glory. Sin has been beaten, and a new day has dawned at Easter, and we wait faithfully for our King to come and complete the work in fullness.

What It Means For Us

Everything has changed! At the cross, Jesus unmasked, disarmed, and destroyed all the sin and death that hides in our hearts and that breaks out in violence, poverty, disease, and injustice. At the resurrection, Jesus has started a “new creation” project that begins in human hearts and pours out and overflows into a New Heaven and a New Earth. And just as our resurrected, vindicated Lord returned to the Father He will one day come again to reign as King over all Creation.

The reason Paul wraps up his teaching on the resurrection by declaring that our works are not in vain is that the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension are the Father’s grand YES to the world, His gracious promise that we will be resurrected like Christ, and His invitation to participate in the resurrection of the whole world. Without this YES, this promise to redeem all things along with the “first-fruits” of Christ’s own resurrection, jobs make no difference. Neighborhoods make no difference. Rocks, trees, birds, cities, careers, and homes make no difference. But Jesus Christ has become one of us, has suffered our death, and permanently secured our resurrection life in His resurrected world. Our lives in this world matter. The work we do anticipates the sure redemption of all things, and it is not in vain. Christ has died! Christ is risen! Christ will come again! And we’re called to live lives in the kingdom, for the King, by the power of the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead, and who will raise us and the entire cosmos into new life when Jesus comes again in glory.

Michael Rhodes

michael@advancememphis.org

Jenny Gets a Promotion

Last month, the Women's Foundation for a Greater Memphis asked us for a success story about one of the women that they've generously helped to fund in Jobs for Life. We chose to tell the story of Jennifer Williams - this is that story:

Jenny entered Jobs for Life at Advance Memphis in March, 2010. By her own admission, her attitude was poor. After the six week program, Jenny had begun to trust her classmates and teachers, and to smile. She was hired and trained to embroider using a 6 head industrial embroidery machine at One Stop Marketing. When One Stop placed a machine in Advance’s Outsourcing Program, Jenny became the operator. Since then, she has worked consistently and participated in additional programs at Advance Memphis, deepening her leadership and problem solving skills, and earning forklift certification.

Today, Jenny has embroidered to the high standards of Autozone and Office Depot. She has co-workers for large jobs—one is her sister, who she inspired to enroll in Jobs for Life and is training on the machine. Jenny’s 12 year old daughter also joins her on holidays, helping to fold and sort shirts. Jenny has worked hard, and is becoming a leader in the community.

Jenny at her Jobs for Life graduation with her Champion (mentor) Marla Inman.

But that's only part of the story! This week, Jenny received a promotion. She is now our Outsourcing Team Lead, supervising all piece work that takes place in the Outsourcing Program of Advance. Our staff gathered this week to honor Jenny and congratulate her. We all shared how Jenny has blessed us by being at Advance, and then Jenny shared some of her story with us. Because the video is hard to hear, we've transcribed it here:

When I first came here, I was angry at myself, because of the trouble I had got into. I was kind of angry because I had left my kids behind [when she was incarcerated] because I love my kids SO much. And just being away from them a couple weeks made me want to call and check on them all the time -- so being away from them 6 months...that kind of hurt me and had me so much built up anger within myself. But being up here...yall taught me how to forgive myself, and that's the reason why I started smiling again. Cause I forgave myself and stopped beating myself up all the time from going to jail and leaving my kids behind.

Jenny accepts her Outsourcing Team Lead shirt from Employment Services Director, Juanita Johnson.

Jenny has truly earned this promotion over the last year. Please join us in praying that God will continue to bless Jenny and her children.