Discernement at the Mustard Seed House

Sunday night we started a series of discernment sessions with the Mustard Seed House community to work out how we can put our MSA rule of life into practice.  Over the next few months we plan to use this process to flesh out the shape of not just our community life but our personal disciplines too.  The idea is not  to dictate how each person practices their faith but to provide a framework of accountability for the practices that each person wants to commit to.  I am a great fan of British theologian John Stott.  One of his great comments from a lecture of his is

“The answers we get depend on the questions we ask.  Our job is not to give people answers but to help them ask the right questions

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“those people”

By Joy Elizabeth Cross

 

they moved down the street.
they bring crime
they bring garbage
they lower the value of my house.

“I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.” -Martin Luther King, Jr

“those people”
they might be a different skin color, race, religion, geographical region, or even income status.

they might not be homeowners. they might not be able to find jobs.
they might be…… homeless.

wake up America. when did you start segregating your own fellow Americans based on their ability to keep a house or a job.
to you there almost not human. you walk by quicker. you avoid eye contact. you grimace if they touch your sleeve.
how do i know you’ve done that? because i’ve done that.

i am guilty of not loving my neighbor as i love myself.
of not treating someone else as i would myself.

until one day i found myself hugging someone who lives on the streets. who cried because she saw someone that cared.
i sat down with her and she told me her story. her hardships. her struggles. and quickly i discovered how much we were alike.

the only difference was- i have a roof. she didn’t. i had a job. she didn’t.
the biggest similarity was- i had the love of jesus. she did too.

Legal Counsel needed at Nickelsville

The friends of Nickelsville – a homeless camp in Seattle – are in dire need of Legal Counsel and/or Representation. If you are interested to show your solidarity and support or know of someone whom might, contact Dustin Cross at 318-349-6535 or bro_cross@yahoo.com

WHAT IS NICKELSVILLE?

Nickelsville is a permanent homeless shantytown in Seattle WA which will accommodate up to 1,000 people. Nickolodeons (Nickelsville’s residents) will live in permanent structures (not tents) and will not have to move every few months. Emphasis will be on safe and sanitary conditions.

WHY NICKELSVILLE?

This year’s one night count showed an increase of 15% in the number of homeless people sleeping outside. Sleeping outside is dangerous; unfortunately there are not enough indoor shelters. There is safety in numbers, there is power in being organized.

WHY THE NAME NICKELSVILLE?

Mayor Nickels’s edict to systematically drive people out of their encampments and to destroy their property was the trigger for the present crisis. It is only befitting that our shantytown be named in honor of Mayor Nickels and his “humane” treatment of the homeless.

WHO?

Anyone who is homeless, willing to take charge of their living conditions, participate in a community and follow some basic rules is welcome to Nickelsville,

WHAT STANDARDS?

Houseless people are neither better nor worst than housed people. Resident of Nickelsville will be held to the same standards as those of any civilized neighborhood. Nothing more, nothing less.