The Garden

Meet the Kids of the 5th Street Garden: Franco

jamey — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 22:20:22 +0000

We are going to begin highlighting and interviewing the neighborhood kids that come to the 5^th Street Community Garden. When this garden first started a few years ago we really didn’t know how many kids were in the area and whether they would be interested in the garden at all. As we opened the garden up, however, we suddenly had lots of kids showing up. They just liked to hang out there, to help us build the garden, and even desired to own some of the plots. We want to share some of their stories and experiences here. Hope you enjoy these kids as much as we do.

Meet Franco. The moment you meet him you know there’s something special about him. He has been with the community garden ever since the groundbreaking ceremony. Soon after meeting him we found out that he loves to garden. He was actually teaching us a lot about gardening when we first started! He was one of the first neighbors in the area to start taking care of a garden plot. He loves to grow onions, cabbage, tomatoes, squash, peppers, and anything else he can get his hands on. Something special about Franco is his passion to serve people. Whenever we have events there he is always asking to be a volunteer. He is constantly asking others if there is anything they need, and he is a great mediator between other kids at the garden. We couldn’t imagine the community garden without him and his family. With that, here is the interview we had with him:

5^th Street Garden: So, Franco, tell me a little about yourself and your family.

Franco: Well, I’m 12 years old and in the 6^th grade. I have four brothers and three sisters. My parents grew up in Mexico and struggled for a while down there. They came here about 15 years ago and they both started working. We have a pretty small and crowded house, but I love my family.

G: What do you want to do when you grow up?

Franco: I’ve already started to save up to go to college. I know that’s important and hope to be able to go. I want to get my degree in music engineering and work with signing bands and help them produce their music.

G: Do you play any musical instruments?

Franco: I play the saxophone and the guitar, which you guys gave me for Christmas. I love to play them. I’m taking beginning band at school, so I’m getting better at the saxophone.

G: I’m sure your neighbors love the saxophone. How did you start getting involved here at the garden?

Franco: I first found out about the garden when I saw the groundbreaking ceremony back in 2009. I knew right away that it was going to prosper and I wanted to be part of it. I also noticed that the people were really nice. I started coming here when it was open and really liked how everyone treated each other. They valued and respected me and I respected them back.

G: What has been your favorite memory here so far?

Franco: I think the two Halloween Carnivals that you guys have put on. I liked that there were so many people and everyone was happy with their parents and their families. They had so much fun. No one got angry or fought with each other.

G: Is that something you usually don’t see?

Franco: Ya. Everyone is usually mad and they don’t get a long. But here, they do.

G: Why do you enjoy coming here to the garden?

Franco: Honestly, it’s an escape from the pressures of my house. It’s a lot of kids there, but right here, I feel free. I don’t have to worry about getting my mom mad. But most of all I just like the people here. I really like hanging out with Jon and learning things from him. I also like all the fruits and vegetables we grow.

G: You own one of the plots here. What’s that been like?

Franco: I planted it a while ago, and it started growing really well. You guys helped me weed and take care of it and now it’s doing really well. I’ve already taken two cabbages home this week. I love to just wash them off and eat them raw. I’ve also made soup for my family from some of the squash.

G: Last question, Franco. Why do you think we’ve created this garden?

Franco: I’ve always felt that the people that made this place and come here want to be here and they want to share their love for us. They care about us. I feel that everybody likes me here. I don’t feel left out. It means a lot. I can’t really imagine living here without this place.

G: Thanks, Franco. We can’t imagine the garden without you.

That’s Franco. One of the many kids here that we have invested in and are walking with. This garden isn’t just a project; it’s a place to join, witness, and experience His will being done on earth as it is in Heaven. We are able to share God’s love by creating a garden and simply showing up. Look for our next interview with another garden kid, Amnesty.

The 5^th Street Community Garden is open every Sunday from 1pm to 4pm. It is located at 1051 E. 5^th Street, Long Beach. Email: communitygarden@thegardenlb.org for more information.

Rebels Are Really Artists

jamey — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 23:55:50 +0000

My introduction to youth ministry started long before I ever became a youth pastor as my friends and I set out to play music to a generation of kids who were sick and tired of the church. Exhausted by sermons preached from the gospel of fun and games, these kids were seeking to be a part of something real and authentic, and music was that outlet for them. We traveled the country playing shows just so we could invite a few of these church exiles out to dinner.

We wanted to hear their story. We wanted to share our own.

And in the midst we discovered that even though these kids gave up on the church, they had yet to give up in their faith in Christ.

These kids had dreams and passions about changing the world, yet they were stuck in the economic grid lock that told them that they needed to get good grades in order to go to another school to get better grades. The stories that they found themselves living in were stories that never validated what they were capable of, so they jumped ship and found ways of expressing themselves that left their parent’s concerned. Sex, Drugs and Rock-n-Roll were far more provocative then SAT’s, PhD’s, and empty promises that a college education meant that employers would come knocking at your door.

These kids parents and grandparents were the ones who rolled up their sleeves and made the American Dream come true. So let's be honest and role the credits because that era in history is over and the last thing on earth these kids want to do is be known as the generation that inherited a way of life they never wanted.

Parents see it frequently as rebellion and I have come to see it as opportunity. These kids are artists who paint in the medium of compassion and social justice and are begging for the world to give them a canvas to paint upon. Yet their story continues to read, “Get-good-grades-in-order-to-go-to-another-school-to-get-better-grades.” Is it any wonder why they have chosen to rebel? Is it any surprise that they have chosen a different story?

I’m not advocating the pathway of sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll, but the questions I would like to suggest today is, has the church provided a better story? Have parents provided a better story? Have youth pastors provided a better story?

I’ve shared meals with thousands and thousands and thousands of teenagers who would argue that the answer is no. In their opinion, all the church wants to do is “have fun” or “teach boring theology.” You see, these kids wanted to change the world and the church said to them, “You're too young.” You see, these kids had dreams about ending world hunger and the school systems said to them, “Get better grades so you can go to college and wait around for another four years.” You see, these kids aren’t actually kids but in many ways young adults who are stuck at home playing video games because when they spoke out for the first time, their parents didn’t see an artist but instead saw rebellion.

We have taught them how to stay quiet.

We have taught them that they will only be valuable if they graduate.

We have taught them how to maintain the American Dreams that we had and never once stopped to ask if they had dreams of their own.

My plea to every disciple who follows Jesus today is that they may come to see these teenagers as the future of the church. Can we begin inviting these kids to grow up, take responsibility, and follow Jesus once again with everything that they have? It's time to stop asking them to adopt what we have built for ourselves and begin training them to become the best storytellers this world has ever seen. My team and I at the Garden are exploring new and creative ways at approaching youth ministry, and what we are noticing time and time again is that Rebells.Are.Really.Artists.

‐Billy

Stories from our community

jamey — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 23:43:26 +0000

We have changed up our blog format to include more stories from our community. If you would like to see our Sunday curriculum, go here.

The Spirit, baseball, and restoration

jamey — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 21:33:21 +0000

03/31/2011

My wife and I received a call from Darren and Alex, inviting us to have dinner with and John and Chris from St Mary’s Church. We walked over to their house and were both wondering what the night was going to be like. We walk in, are greeted by John and Chris and we sit down for dinner. We joked, laughed, told stories, and had a great time. We got to talk about our lives, our dreams, and what had brought us to The Garden and to Darren and Alex. It was all going exactly like I expected. We ended the night (or what I thought was the end) with wine and good conversation. Then John, like a surgeon, began asking deeper questions to Lydia and me. He asked us to put the following in order for our lives, “People, Principals, and Projects.” We started down that road and he unwrapped our lives to a very raw center of realization. That Lydia is a strong leader, a little cold, but a gifted adventuring truth teller who doubts herself. John Peters said that she reminds him of himself. Myself, a people oriented, love comes first, visionary who is a little blind. He walked us through how we each should compliment one another, how our gifts are very unique to His purpose and how we can “nuke” our gifts by denying they exist and reacting in the wrong way to them. It was some heavy stuff, and my wife was visibly uncomfortable with some of these new revelations. With that, he asked if we could pray. Of course we said yes. He asked us to stand, close our eyes, open our hands and give the Holy Spirit permission to work in us. We did that and Chris, John, Darren and Alex began to pray over us. I will speak from my perspective because that is really all I can speak on.

John began to pray, in a prophetic way, truth over my life. There were words of affirmation, truth, and precision in the words being spoken over me. I definitely felt love by the Spirit, but nothing that was out of the normal for me. He was speaking in some tongues, but it wasn’t distracting, it was, in a way, a love language that was guiding the words of affirmation being spoken over me. After he was done, I began to feel a strange sensation over my face. The only way I can describe it is a tingling sensation that seemed to grow in intensity and was spreading. Yes, I was a little weirded out, but I said, “God, if this is you, bring it.” Alex then began praying over me, tender words, sweet words, comforting words. I realize now that I was being walked down a specific path. It wasn’t choreographed by those praying for me, it was guided by the Holy Spirit. It was like He was saying, “Come, Jon. I have an amazing place to show you. Just trust me.”

Now, as I write the rest of this, I am speaking of what I remember experiencing, and also what those in the room saw. I was completely aware the entire time, but I was also so wrapped up in what was going on, that others had to fill in the pieces.

Well, Chris came to pray for me and said, “Jon, I have this vision. It’s a very American picture, but I see you playing little league baseball and you are standing on the field wondering where your father is.” At that moment, there was a deep, deep feeling inside of me that was welling up and that came out in what I can only describe as a guttural crying wail of grief and pain. I found this out later, but it was so loud that the downstairs neighbors had come up and thought there was a fight going on. I fell to the floor and just began to weep and wail uncontrollably. The reason I think this picture hit me so hard comes in two parts. One, my dad is now entirely absent in my life. When I was 13 years old, a year after my parents had been separated, he dropped me off at home one day and said, “Jon, it’s just too hard to be your dad. It hurts too much. And I feel that if I am in your life, I will only bring you hurt and pain.” Bye, dad. Second, whenever I think of my childhood, my mind always takes me back to the memory of the little league team I was on and how happy I was that my dad and I would practice together and the few games he was able to go to were moments of celebration for me.

So, here I am, in a mess of emotion, and grieving the loss of my father in a way I have never experienced. Chris was continuing to pray, revealing the truth and love of my true Father in heaven. These are all things I knew and believed before, but I was in such a raw state of grief and vulnerability, that this time it was actually healing my broken heart. At this point, my wife is in tears seeing the state that her husband is in. She was being comforted and guided by everyone there that this was normal and a good thing. Well, I’m still wailing, grieving and in an absolute state of vulnerability when I start to get that tingling sensation over my face again, but this time it spreads to my entire body, from my head to my toes. My heart starts racing, I start breathing like I have just ran a marathon, and I realize that the Holy Spirit is being poured out onto me. I hear a whisper from Darren, “You may be given the gift of tongues, don’t fight it.” I have never spoken in tongues. I have had one experience with it, where someone spoke in tongues and I clearly saw a vision. Other than that one instance, I have put the gift of tongues on the backburner, in a way afraid of it, mystified by it, and something that I really didn’t want or care to visit again. Then it came. I was trying to speak English, but all that was coming out was this strange language that I could not, at first, comprehend. But a few phrases into it, I understood it and it played out like a love poem to my soul. There was nothing else I could say. I didn’t need to force it because it seemed that it was my only option of response. I clearly remember speaking out in a state of grief, but it was immediately followed by a statement and feeling of love. I’ll do my best to describe it: I realized last night that tongues isn’t a linear language. I’m not able to write out the language of tongues as I am writing out this right now. There were layers upon layers of meaning and emotion in a single word. It’s as if the questions I was asking out loud were being answered in the same phrase I was speaking. It was as if each word I was speaking was healing, loving, affirming, comforting, and lifting me up. I wrote a little of the dialogue I remember:

Where have you been father!? I have been here the whole time my son.
Where were you when I needed you?! My son, I am filled with so much love for you. It’s going to be ok. Come, find your rest love and peace in me. I love you, Father. I praise you! I am so sorry your dad has failed you, but I am here, and that is all that matters. I will never fail you. I will never leave you. I will never forsake you. You are mine, my child, my son. There is nothing that has ever or will ever separate my love from you. Let’s celebrate our love, let’s celebrate my truth, and let’s celebrate the love I desire for this entire world.

To give you a picture of what’s going on, I am on the ground, literally rolling around on the floor, crying, laughing, smiling and speaking in this amazingly strange language. They had to move all the furniture out of the way because I was so animated by the Spirit. The last thing I was thinking was how silly I probably looked. I didn’t care. I was still aware of what was going on, but I was so filled with His love that it was as if I was literally drunk. The feeling of love was so strong that I had to lie on the floor for about 45 minutes before I even had the strength to get up. After I felt it pass, I got up and we debriefed a bit, but my mind was so out of it that it was hard to concentrate. Days later, I was still feeling the echoes of what happened that night. I had and still have a new sense of healing inside of me. I feel like I was given a new heart, a softer heart. I was given an aerial view of my life last night, one that I know is marked by God. I am His forever, and He is forever mine.

Oh, and that vision that Chris had, about the little league game. I found out later that night that he was picturing the scene from the movie, “Hook,” with Robin Williams, where Jack, Peter Pan’s son, was a baseball player for Captain Hook and the pirates. Guess what the name of my little league team was? The Pittsburg Pirates.

-Jon

January 15th, 2012

jamey — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 01:27:44 +0000

Read Mark 1:1-11.

¹ As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, ² saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. ³ If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’”

⁴ They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, ⁵ some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” ⁶ They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. ⁷ When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. ⁸ Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. ⁹ Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,

“Hosanna!^[a]”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”^[b]

¹⁰ “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!”

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

¹¹ Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

Jesus isn't concerned with patching up your raggedy rags. He doesn't want to put icing on your crap. He wants to give you a whole new self. The problem is that we really don't know what is good for us. Jesus knows exactly what we need, and it may be the very thing we don't want. If you haven't been disappointed by Jesus yet, you may not be following him closely enough.

If Jesus just "fixed" our problems, without giving us new selves, we would just learn to live continually in a broken, upside down world.

Have you been accustomed to viewing your relationship with Jesus this way? That he is there just to patch up your otherwise "perfect" life?

Have you invited him into the core of your being, and allowed him to set you right side up? To give you a whole new self?

January 8th, 2012

jamey — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 01:26:32 +0000

You can listen to the message here by subscribing to the podcast.

Read Mark 1.

The only way to get Jesus and his message is to follow him as a disciple.

What's hindering you from discipleship?

Is it not resting? Is it drinking too much? Is it busyness? Is it addiction? Is it unwillingness to say yes to what God is asking you to do?

Click here to see the presentation from Sunday.

January 1st, 2012

jamey — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 01:23:16 +0000

Happy New Year!

This Sunday, Bill spoke on "the armor of God" and standing firm as we embark on a new year. You can listen to the message here by subscribing to the podcast.

Read Ephesians 6:10-17:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

You are probably fully aware of the things that tend to push you over. What is Paul saying we should do in light of those circumstances? The armor of God is not offensive, but defensive. All you are called to do is "to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand."

May you stand strong in the Lord and his mighty power this new year.

Advent – December 18th, 2011

jamey — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 01:21:24 +0000

You can listen to the message by going here, and subscribing to the podcast.

Love::

This Sunday we finished our Advent series by looking at the narrative of Jesus' birth and the political climate into which he was born. Terms like "Savior," "good news," "peace," "Messiah," "Lord," and "king" were reserved for Caesar and the Roman empire. Consider that as you read the following passage.

Luke 2

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.

Who competes for your allegiance?

How are you receiving Christ this Christmas?

Can you first receive the love of God before you live it out?

Advent Poem

jamey — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 17:41:51 +0000

I’ve received that which I did not ask for; beyond what I could dream.
A gift beyond invention – that’s God’s generosity.

I did not ask for this;
Couldn’t even fathom it.
That He would look on me to be
the one who would carry
His Son. God’s Son.
I’ve dreamt of being mother
Of bearing another
But never did I think on this,
One insignificant,
That He could ever look on me
To incarnate His glory.
His Son. God’s son.
There is no greater joy
Than birthing a baby boy.
And there is no greater task
Than doing what God asks.
So what favor that’s on me
To have His baby
His Son. God’s Son.
Yet here’s the duality
I see He’s not just for me.
This joy that is mine
Will have a piercing side
With grief sure to follow
When I pass him off tomorrow
His Son. God’s Son.
Yes, this child given to me
Is meant to be a blessing.
One that I will raise
from his infant days.
And then I let him go
To let the world know
His Son. God’s Son.
So here I’ve received
More than I believed
Far beyond what I could pray
O, to get, then to give away
His Son. God’s Son.

So given now to give away that which I’ve received
He gave me more than I could ask; His fierce generosity.

Advent – December 11th, 2011

jamey — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 18:54:30 +0000

You can listen to the message by going here, and subscribing to the podcast.

Generosity::

This Sunday was the third week in our Advent series, and we explored the theme of generosity.

The LORD had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Genesis 12:1-3

God blesses his people not so that they can enjoy the blessings and out of the overflow bless others if they feel like it. The people of God are blessed to be a blessing. The whole reason we are blessed is to be a blessing to others. A generous heart understands that blessing is not a zero sum game. When you give away, God knows your needs even before you ask. Do you trust Him to take care of you?

Generosity is simply recognizing the things in your hand, and not gripping them tightly.

What are the things in your hand that you need to let go?

Are your hands open to receive the generosity of others?