The latest post, part 1 in a series on Suffering and Worship, is well worth the read and should serve as a great encouragement to your soul. I'm looking forward to the rest of this series, and hope you find this blog as helpful as I have thus far! Enjoy!

The ROUGH

Below is the current condition of a tough but strategic neighborhood in Flint, MI. We have counted at least 10 homes in this condition that are owned by the city that we could purchase for 2,000 or less.

The DIAMOND

Below is the blessing on the street. This house is being sold for 2,500. The owner put 20,000 into the home and because of life circumstances he needs to sell asap. We would use this home as an outpost for Red Revolution’s vision to raise up indigenous disciples/leaders to help restore the city.

The FUTURE

Believe it or not what you see below is what they call a “HOOP HOUSE”. This is the future of bringing economy into urban places with a down economy, using natural resources. This Hoop house is 30×80 feet and they are built to produce vegetation year round in cold climates. Yes this “HOOP HOUSE” is in the middle of a “HOOD”, done by one of the members of our church and it’s producing as planned.

Vision

Our hope is to buy the one “DIAMOND” house for 2,500 and turn it into the hub of urban discipleship in this tough but strategic neighborhood. This neighborhood sits right on the main street that connects the Colleges, business, north (majority african americans) and south side (majority caucasians). We would then pursue the other ten homes at $2,000 in the neighborhood that need to be bull dozed. We would use two lots to put one “HOOP HOUSE” at 10,000 to produce what you see above, giving this neighborhood a since of pride and beauty. We would use the “HOOP HOUSES” along with the “DIAMOND” house to teach keys values that pertain to discipleship/leadership growth such as diligence, patience, hard work and economic literacy.

Summary

Step 1

“DIAMOND HOUSE” 2,500 cash, 1,500 in back taxes and 1,000 to close=5,000

Step 2

“THE ROUGH” LONG TERM-purchase 10 homes at 2,000=20,000 from the city. SHORT TERM-Start with at least two homes at 2,000=4,000

Step 3

“THE FUTURE” LONG TERM-Bull doze and use the 10 lots to put up 5 “HOOP HOUSES” at 10,000=50,000. SHORT TERM-Start with at least two lots to produce one HOOP HOUSE at 10,000=10,000

Invest financially and eternally into a city, a neighborhood and a people that many have written off.

DONATE

Initiatives like this one by @redrev and company bring tears to my heart. Thinking about @amishobaraka's song "Rebuild the City," I always wondered how many times songs like that grow feet and move. This is a prime example of how solid Christology/Missiology can come together to produce ACTION that impacts ENTIRE communities. We need to make noise about efforts like these, and support through finances, prayer, and similar efforts in our own communities. I'd be the first to say it's much much easier said than done. I believe, Lord help my unbelief.

Recently I watched the Tribe Called Quest documentary and found out through it that Phife has Type 1 Diabetes. In a lot of ways, the disease has caused havoc in his life. My aunt has Type 1, my father-in-law has Type 1. It hasn't been unknown to me, yet I never understood EXACTLY what it is.
From the JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation): Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas. While its causes are not yet entirely understood, scientists believe that both genetic factors and environmental triggers are involved.

Here's the thing for me. I always thought of my aunt's injection of insulin as somewhat a cure. It's not. She'll have to do that every day for the rest of her life. Same goes for Phife, same goes for my Father-in-law, same for the millions of Americans suffering from this disease presently . Since I don't always see these injections happen, it's easy for me to take for granted the difficulty of a life lived needing to measure so many factors throughout a day just to survive.

The chairman of the JDRF says that those with the disease "need to be mathematicians, physicians, personal trainers, and dieticians all rolled into one." Since Type 1 can strike suddenly, it also means that none of us are exempt or immune. We need a cure. Right now there are as many as 3 million folks with Type 1, and about 80 people are diagnosed with it PER DAY! That's staggering. For more info visit www.jdrf.org. Meanwhile, support Diabetes research and get your fresh up at the same time by purchasing some gear from Type 3, featured in the commercial above.

Hilarious......What's amazing is the guy taking the order actually getting it right LOL

Think about it........