Feed the hungry (somewhere else)

The Vicenete Martinez Ybor Neighborhood Association is rallying together in opposition to a local organization that serves meals to hungry neighbors. For ten years, Trinity Cafe has been serving meals restaurant-style: china and flatware on a cloth-covered table, with respect and dignity for the people served.

Neighbors are concerned about crime going up and property values going down. Not that they are opposed to any of these negative effects happening elsewhere, just not in their neighborhood. Nor is the V. M. Ybor Neighborhood Association concerned about homelessness or hunger in Tampa, just the sight of it on their streets. How individualized have we become? If people could be dying one street away, and somehow it wouldn't affect my house or your house, would we then not care? If we could tint the windows of our cars with suffering-opaque tinting so that we couldn't see hurting people as we drive to work, would we be OK with that?

House Day: September 2011

Once each month, the whole lot of us Lake Housemates spend the day together. Very often we spend the time doing some kind of work, a project for productive bonding. This September's house day saw us working on our property to streamline the needless clutter, and to take better care of what we have.

The endless summer finally comes to an end

It has been an intense summer, filled with projects and plans. Here is a recap of all of our project related accomplishments over the summer:

1. Painted roof white (which really helped to bring down the temperature within the house)
2. Got the aquaponics system back up and running (no tilapia, but we have plenty of apple snails)
3. We built the solar hot-water heater.
4. We built the trellis system on west side of house to block out the evening sun (now we are waiting on the plants to grow)
5. Finished setting up the mosquito netting on all the windows and doors
6. Mortared up the bricks in the St. Francis garden.
7. Topped off the gardens with fresh mulch and compost for the winter season
8. Installed a ridge vent in the attic
   
9. Cleaned out and organized shed
10. Built a better chicken run area
11. Moved the dryer outside
12. Finished installing the dual flush toilets
13. Bought a new energy and water efficient washer machine
14. Installed the crazily efficient dish drying rack
15. Installed a better lighting system in the kitchen

I am also amazed by how much we haven't done. I am impressed by our collective will to sacrifice things.

We haven't:

Used A/C (except for during homechurch and during a visit from a close friend)
Used the dryer, ever since it was moved to the front porch (maybe 2-3 months)
Used hot water...that was until the solar hot water heater was finally built.

It has been wonderful.

Summer has been rough.

I guess that's nothing new, but it feels fresh right now. We're still shaking off the dust, gaining our bearings again, and beginning to figure out where to go from here. Or maybe we're still sitting in the dirt, wondering whether we can or should go on. Now more than ever are we blessed with memory. We look at what has come to pass so that we may know what is to come. We have seen our weakness, and seen a strength at work through it. We have known discomfort, only to find that we live in opulence. The road we walk has turned out to be tougher than we are, so that we can't possibly make it through, but we make it still. Our past calls out to our future so loudly that it almost drowns out the groaning present. Ever caught between memory and hope we live, and so we look to the One in Whom the furthest extent of both memory and hope dwell, in Whom we live and move and have our being.


Yet, in the maddening maze of things,
And tossed by storm and flood,
To one fixed trust my spirit clings;
I know that God is good!

Not mine to look where cherubim
And seraphs may not see,
But nothing can be good in Him
Which evil is in me.

The wrong that pains my soul below
I dare not throne above,
I know not of His hate,—I know
His goodness and His love.

I dimly guess from blessings known
Of greater out of sight,
And, with the chastened Psalmist, own
His judgments too are right.

I long for household voices gone,
For vanished smiles I long,
But God hath led my dear ones on,
And He can do no wrong.

I know not what the future hath
Of marvel or surprise,
Assured alone that life and death
His mercy underlies.

And if my heart and flesh are weak
To bear an untried pain,
The bruisèd reed He will not break,
But strengthen and sustain.

John Greenleaf Whittier

What is Love?

Solar Water Heater

I woke up this morning at 3 am. The August heat just wouldn’t let me go back to bed. Rather than waste time tossing and turning, I decided to finish making the connections for our solar hot water heater. I had spent countless hours the previous day gluing PVC and twisting iron pipes, but I only ended up flooding the kitchen and leaving the house without water. The few hours of sleep had given me some clarity and I attacked the problem from a different angle. By the time the sun started to peak its head over the horizon, all the connections were in place and the solar hot water heater was officially up and running.

We used to pay 60 or so dollars a month to heat water. That means we paid, the earth paid and those that live in coal producing countries paid the burden of the simple luxury that is hot water. That’s now a thing of the past. Rather than using up the earth’s resources, we have decided to hire the sun do what it does best: blast everything with is warm embrace.

The technology isn’t perfect; we will have to shower in the evenings (when the water is at its warmest), we will also have to deal with cloudy days and winter’s wrath. But, it’s a technology I can be proud of. It is another step towards having a sustainable and just existence. I am always blown away by the simple fact that if everyone on the planet had something as simple as hot water (the way that we normally produce it in the US) there wouldn’t be enough coal and oil to do anything else (including transportation, industry etc). Using the sun to heat water paints a very different picture, everyone should be able to do that…

Let us learn to use the things God has given us intelligently and justly. Thank God for the sun. Thank you Jamie Trahan, Jim De Mauro, Alex Lin, Mike Bair and all the others that have helped with the success of this project.

A Letter Home

Lakehousians,

Everything that has been happening has made me think about 'home' in a real way. Home isn't necessarily the house we live in and yet the Lake House is our home. Sometimes things feel like home or taste like home or smell like home. What is home then? It’s a question I've been thinking about all weekend.

Does home have to do with feeling safe?

What about being comfortable?

Our house is very uncomfortable in that we don't use a/c, there are ten of us here and its chaotic and dirty most of the time. But Home is that way for me now. I sometimes wonder, if a visitor from haiti or El Salvador were travelling in tampa, would our house feel more like home to him than other places he may visit here. And safe? Our home has felons crashing on the couch and thieves often trying to sneak into the yard but I just don't think it would be home if there weren’t.
Home is my community. Also, many people have joined our family and many have been called or just decided to go elsewhere. They are still family but they are not at home anymore. The most stable thing about our house and community are our values. All of the people may (and often do) change and the entire house may decay but the values are forever. They are a gift. It has really hit me that home is where we commit to Jesus and each other, home is where we share and give, home is where we experiment and build, home is where we welcome guests, home is where we fight and forgive, home is where we grow watermelons and okra, home is where we have a ton of fun and also take things seriously, home is where we, a family united by Jesus, are doing everything we know to do to see his kingdom come. I am a sojourner and a stranger with you, citizens of heaven. Our home is in Jesus and therefore we can be at home wherever he is being pursued. I am both excited to chase after God with this group of women and I am excited to visit and stay connected with you, my family, my people.
Friday at morning prayer we read from Matthew 12: While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.” He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
I just couldn’t take it. It was as though my heart had been ripped out of my chest and affirmed at the same moment. I wept from the pain of leaving but also the joy that is the gift of living among Jesus’ ‘brothers and sisters, and mother.’ I was overwhelmed by my love for each of you and my excitement to see you rise to the occasion and really really LOVE each other, and Jesus , and Jason, and Momma, and Benji, and Ryan, and everyone else that God brings your way. I expect so much from you all. I know your gifts and your struggles and I just want to ask you to fight harder, stand stronger, and push into God right now. You are each at a threshold and God is calling you into a new place of commitment and sacrifice. I know those words are hard at times, but it is worth it. I just pray that through all my anger, and belligerence and obvious weaknesses you were able to see an example of that. Jesus is real and risen and alive and among us! I see him walking among you and sharing in our life together. He is worthy of all glory, honor, praise, sacrifice, and love. The call is great and it is costly but his Kingdom is worth everything. Please push through temptation for the sake of each other. Don’t ever give up or let each other stumble. The Lake House is an amazing outpost of the kingdom and it is you who make it what it is. Thank you for every way your life is surrendered. The values are nothing unless you value them. Then they are earthshaking.
I know this reads like I’m moving to Australia or something and I promise that isn’t the case. I am committed to you all and promise to be around and involved and active in the life of our community. I am not breaking with you but I am moving down the street and am open to God doing what he will with me and us, and Natalia, and the women. I am hopeful that a women’s community will emerge from this that is more connected and ‘Lake House’ than anything we might have constructed ourselves. I’m reminded that “Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain.”

In His Hands,

Jon

Blood, sweat and tears...Actually, mostly sweat.

A couple of months ago, after praying and careful consideration, I decided to move into an intentional community in the inner city of Tampa. The Lake House is a community of men that has been around for about three years. Since its inception, about 7 years ago, the lake house has had women and men living in the same house (with a wall dividing the house), married couples living in the garage and plenty of visitors which are too many to name.

The house is located just a block off Nebraska ave and only steps away from the liquor store. There’s gang activity not too far from here and Nebraska ave turns into a walkway for lone souls late at night. According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, since the beginning of this year there has been 101 crimes committed in a 3 miles radius. The bulk of it (43.56%) have been drug-related incidents with 44, which includes possession, trafficking and delivery. Common sense will discourage most people to live on a neighborhood like this. I mean, didn’t my family move to the USA to provide my sister and I with better opportunities? Am I not supposed to accomplish the American Dream? A nice job or business, a nice home, a family, enough money to travel and to give to charity? Is it not the pinnacle of our lives to be able to live comfortable and admiring lives?

These are questions that have plague my mind ever since Jesus became a priority in my life. Apart from the many questions about philosophy and theology, the questions about practice are the ones that have really intrigued me the most. What does the bible say about practicing our faith? How does that look like culturally, economically and socially in our context? These are questions that i don't have complete answers for, but as I dive deep into the relationship Jesus is offering for me i learn more and more. I hope that through living in the Lake House community I’m able to learn from these men that have been at it since a few years ago.

For those of you that know a little bit of the history of the Church, the Lake House looks like a modern monastic movement, currently referred as new monasticism. We’re not monks or take bows, we don’t shave our heads, even though sometimes it happens by mistake, we did not recluse to the farthest point possible from society, yet we live within the margins of society. We plant and grow food: Tomates, pimentones, cilantro, frijoles, sandias and mucho mas. We mostly love each other with an occasional hint of recent. We’re broken people reaching to broken people by pointing to the one true God.

Living here has been a blessing from God. From the late night conversations to the occasional bike rides. It all has been a blessing. I remember moving in in the first week having some expectations of what “community living” looks like. That very first weekend some of the guys went camping and i was left by myself to ponder on some aspects and choices that involved living with others intentionally. Living at the Lake House and sharing my life with its members has been in a sense transparent. I cannot recluse to my room and hide my emotions, i have had to confront my fears and realize that my life is not my own. While dealing with different issues some of the guys have gone through, i realize that those issues are not as foreign as i thought.
Those same issues have been concealed deep within my heart and now Jesus is using a group of men to bring those out. We counsel each other, we joke around, we stumble and we pray. Jesus is in the midst of everything, in our decisions to invite people, how we buy our groceries and how we used our energy. We are family because of Him, nothing else. If it was not because the Grace of Christ, this community would have folded ages ago.

This is still a journey and i have 8 more months of it. I sincerely pray that God will use the Lake House to shape and mold me to the His image. May His name be glorified forever and ever.

The "Drug Bust" Across the Street

If you google 'tampa restaurants' and look at the map that pops up and zoom in to my neighborhood you won't see any of those red tabs. There are a couple small red dots which are a Checkers and the always delicious 'Gyro Land', a small private food stop. If you look at our same hood but search liquor stores you will see about 8 of those little flags pop up in the same community. Our neighborhood is not unique in this way but is a typical inner-city community. We have lived across from OK Liquors for years now. They do well and have a drive through that stays pretty busy. People walk over from every direction in the neighborhood pretty regularly. There are often groups of people congregated on the corner next to it.
I am sickened by the way I have seen addictions wreck the lives of people that I love, people that Jesus loves too. I hate that our neighborhoods possibly most thriving small business is a liquor store. I am disturbed by the glowing temptation that this place is to those in a recovery house not even a block from it. I guess I should rejoice that this place is closed....at least for now. I am still sad to see the lights out on the building and the corner becoming docile. I am sad to see our neighbors put into police cars for any reason. I am sad that its all over such a stupid thing. I am praying for our neighbors that ran the store & I am praying for our neighbors that depended on the store.

Jesus, would you break the chains of addiction in our neighborhood.

From Ancient Rome to Modern Tampa: Empire, Occupation, and The Way of Jesus

This morning has left my mind spinning in reflection on the police in our neighborhood. We have lived in the neighborhood for a little under a decade now and I have only grown more and more uncomfortable with the police here. I have had police run up on a homeless friend and I as we talked on the corner of Nebraska and Lake. Their cars jumped the curbs and they catapulted from their cars in full force to stop what must be a drug deal. I, and many other white friends, have been stopped and either interrogated just for being in this neighborhood or offered help since we were obviously lost. One friend was robbed at gunpoint and then after flagging down a cop for help, he was interrogated for being here for drugs. The cops only added trauma to the traumatic. They never even considered that he was telling the truth. We have witnessed and reported a cop in this neighborhood push a little kid down. We have been pulled over constantly for the slightest of reasons and occasionally no reason at all. They fly past our house at a speed that will kill anyone in their path on a nightly basis, there sirens lull us to sleep each night, and the sound of that ‘ghetto bird’ is as much a part of our evening sky as the moon.

This morning we had a friend join us for prayer and breakfast. He is a black man with dreadlocks. We had a wonderful morning joining him in his ‘power breathing exercises’, eating, praying, and discussing Haiti. As he left our house with his backpack and two apples in hand a police spun around and pulled up on him like he was fleeing a crime scene. The cop starts accusing and questioning him. “Do you live here?” “What are you doing?” Our friend just hung his head and waited for one of us to come out and tell the officer to leave our friend alone and assure the cop that he was a guest of ours.

As I left for work I kept thinking to myself that this must be what it is like to live under a military occupation. I know this may be an exaggeration but I am not sure how much of one it is. Our neighborhood is under constant patrol by a hostile and prejudice force. Their presence is a constant reality to me and my neighbors. This constant presence is not a comfort to any of us. It is a threat. It is oppressive in nature. Our neighborhood has the feeling of an occupied territory.

This thought immediately led me to reflect on Jesus who absolutely lived in an occupied territory. Roman soldiers were a constant presence and threat in first century Palestine and his words from that context are relevant to us today. In that day a roman soldier could randomly choose any individual and force them, by law, to carry their bags one mile. This is why people used to set up ‘mile stones’ a mile from their house so when they reached that point they could drop the bags and return to their houses and lives. It is in this context that Jesus said if someone forces you to walk with them one mile…"Go two!”

I have got to be honest that I have no clue how to apply this teaching. I don’t like it and this reflection is far from over. This question is at the heart of Christian nonresistance and nonviolent resistance. I am reminded of Tolstoy, Gandhi, & King and can’t help but cringe on the inside at their ideas and lives. They are counter to every natural reaction in me and they are heroic for that same reason.

Tolstoy said “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.”

Jesus, help me see you and walk in your ways. I know that you embraced and died on the cross of that occupying people.

It is scandalous!