Vision casting (Part 2: East Village)

WOW!!! What an amazing and unexpected fruit from my time praying with East Villagers tonight. What a group so abundant with passion for their community and loving each other well!

On the train ride down to meet them, I read Philippians 2:1-18 and saw this as a prophetic vision for what the East Village wants to become. When we prayed together, I prayed that we would be people like this. I pray it also be so for myself and those who eventually become the Bronx Missional Community. Between Guy praying and speaking, what follows are my notes, prayers, and vision casting for The Bronx from the rest of that amazing night.

What are the prayers that are on their (the people in The Bronx) hearts? What are the prayers and thoughts that echo with them? What are we going to do with the title (child of God) and light that the King of Kings has given us? Am I going to be the answer to people in this neighborhood's prayers?

A lot has been given to me. Now much is required. But the tasks ahead are absolutely doable because Jesus lives inside of me and will not fail in accomplishing his will. He is ever faithful. He is ever present. He is all sufficient. Is my way of living the way that Jesus would live? If not, what needs to change in my life? Let me and the others you bring to The Bronx have wisdom, to know your will, to truly bring the Kingdom and You incarnate.

Help us to be burden-lifters and burden-bearers. Make us strong in You. Let us be listening to You constantly and obeying You. Let us be as you were, giving our all knowing that the end is sure victory in You. Let us be rooted and have long-term relationships with each other and our neighborhood. Let us breathe life into this area. Let us be a warm, wonderful breath of fresh air and streams of living waters.

Imagine and see the people that are within 1-2 blocks of us and what they are feeling and experiencing. What is it that practically will give people here hope?

Help us to be faithful to You. Help us to be intentionally doing the little and big things to share life and love with our neighbors. Le us seek to actively bring hope to the hopeless and love to the lonely. Let us have life-giving, life-long friendships with people in our neighborhood. Let us be a clear picture of You on Earth. Let us recognize the image of God in every single person that is in our path!!! We celebrate that you will do all of these things. Let apathy never be a part of our being. Jesus let us know and clearly hear your heartbeat.

Am I bringing freedom and light?

Dear friend and Creator of all, I am thinking about this new year and of all of the transition that I'm in now. In the past two weeks or so, I've been quite sad about the changes that were coming mostly because I finally saw that close friends who've been an intimate part of my life over the past year were about to not be an active part of my life as I pursued the East Village Missional Community and life/pouring into The Bronx. I wanted both the changes that come with the new way of life and the old friendships and intimacy. Tonight it has finally hit me that pursuing both would be entirely too draining and reminds me of Matthew 9:16-17 with the patches and wineskins; the old and new just can't be one.

Tonight was so life giving praying with the EVMC. I believe that you want me to be a part of this MC and church plant so that I can humbly serve and learn and use what I learn to birth a Bronx missional community and TGC Bronx. There is a lot to learn and grow in. There is equally as much on my mind about all this. I see so much potential in The Bronx; it is a case of Hebrews 11:1, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." At the same time, I am reminded of an unconditional commitment between a groom and his bride, how they stick with each other in the good and very tough times because of love. I expect tough times on some of the journey. I want to be a faithful bride to Christ through the entire process of birthing TGC Bronx and in all of the fruit that comes from it. I think now of Abram being told his descendants would number the stars though he had no kids at the time. Your fruit in The Bronx will number the stars ... and that fills my heart with hope and love.