I am Jamaica's husband, Personality's founder, Foursquare's comm director, CFCC's evangelist, and more.
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The City Archives
May 6, 2007
Thinking About Cities
Filed under: The City
I just arrived in Jerusalem, Israel, for a short 48-hour setup trip. It's my second visit in 7 months and I'll be here again in two weeks for a more extended period of time. All three of these trips are in preparation for the main event in July when Foursquare will bring nearly 3,000 leaders together for our annual convention.
On the flight over here, I read Ray Bakke's book, A Theology As Big As the City. The book has been out for ten years and I have been wanting to read it for quite some time now, especially since moving to downtown Los Angeles in August of last year.
Bakke and his wife Corean have lived and worked in Chicago for over 40 years. Their influence has been nothing short of astonishing. For a great article on the Bakke brilliance, check out a nice archived write-up from Fast Company.
This book is less about the brilliance of what Bakke is doing and more about his heart for cities. Although it's easy to see how smart Bakke really is--he makes more references to books he's read than any author I've seen in a long time--the book is really about looking at cities through a biblical lens.
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February 21, 2007
Reginald
Filed under: The City
“How much longer until you get home?” I asked Jamaica. I had just gotten home from the office and was debating whether to do my usual treadmill routine, or wait for her arrival and eat dinner first.
“I’m about 45 minutes away, what do you want for dinner?”
“I don’t know. Would you rather just go out?”
It was the night before Valentine’s Day. We were not going to be together because Jamaica teaches on Wednesday nights, and she gets home really late.
“Sure, let’s eat out instead.”
“Great, then we can walk around a bit afterward and I don’t have to do the treadmill.”
We tried out a new place just a few blocks away. It was a simple menu; we ate light and conversed deeply. On our way back home, a lanky man approached us with a Styrofoam cup, jingling a few coins inside.
“Could you please help a brother out?”
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February 20, 2007
George and Trampas
Filed under: The City
“Are you in school?” Perhaps intrigued by the youthful packaging of his audience of one, the words made their way from George’s tired vocals. It was a Tuesday night last fall, just a couple months after we had moved in. It would be one of my final Tuesday nights walking from the parking garage this late from class. My pillow-destined posture had to have been apparent.
“Where do you take classes?” George asked, apparently not worrying about where he was going, but somewhat confident that he would arrive soon. I was halfway through my two-block walk to the entrance of our building when our paths converged. George was pushing a cart. I was pushing 11:15 pm. The streets were quiet. Our move to this downtown loft is years ahead of practical. We knew we were moving into an area that is less than many dream about, yet more than we would ever expect.
“I just got back from a class at Biola,” I responded, as if I could have said anything and it would have satisfied the need for a verbal exchange to take place.
“One… three… eight… zero zero… Biola avenue.”
“Stop it George. How do you know the address?”
“La Mirada, California, nine… zero… six…”
“George! How do you know the address for Biola?” I was insistent, quickly glancing over my externalities, as if a tuition bill was taped to my chest pocket.
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