And 2morrow

...

Well, I was insanely anxiety ridden today due the responsibility, given to me, to stand in front of a group of male inmates at a local prison - where I was to make an attempt to articulate our "Peacemaker Trainings" class, in hopes that some of the inmates might be interested to attend twelve sessions with us through the late Winter/early Spring. If the class proves thought-provoking and interesting, we will be considered to offer it year-round.

So, since I'm the opposite of a typical charismatic personality who might be able to sell salvation to the masses - it's unlikely that lyrical skill or a polished shine will be available to coerce these dudes into caring about peacemaking. But I have to say something - and it has to make sense - but also be concise - and certainly honest, especially about my own disabilities and processes.

Though challenging, this has always been a good process for me - knowing that I would be moved to pray - so that God might give me something meaningful to say - and that whatever ignorant/stupid/idiot thing I will inevitably say might be translated into something poetic and profound by the Holy Spirit - or you know, it could simply remain stupid for humility reasons. :) This is why (somewhat obviously) I prefer discussion/dialogue to preaching/teaching.

Almost immediately, however, after entering into a variation of The Lord's Prayer - God gave the image of a book - and I opened it to the back, where one always finds concise summaries of concepts and ideas of which the other 90% of the book was written...which is exactly what I found. It comes from Dr. John Perkins in a co-authored text - "Welcoming Justice". It provides a very appropriate contextual content with which to discuss the class...

"The problems of my community are the problems of America. I've lived and ministered in poor communities for fifty years now, and I can tell you that the issue we are facing is the broken family and the broken community. It really is a single issue. The community is broken because families are broken, and families can't get back together because the community is broken. That is why family values and social justice aren't separate issues. The health of the community depends on the health of the family - and the health of the family depends upon the justice of the community. If the church is going to offer good news in our time, we have to give some alternative to the broken family and broken community that reflect the desperation of our culture...

...In our neighborhood we know that the family is broken and the community is broken. What that really means is that each of us is broken. We need a place to be healed by God's grace. We need a place where we learn to be together - where we develop the skills and the patience that it will take to give one another grace."

Can the Peacemaker Trainings offer skills and alternatives to the diverse cultures of broken families/communities?

Can a prison provide the "place" where we learn "to be" together, where we develop patience, and where we encounter healing from God's grace?

All that remains to be seen. But I do know it depends on our trust for one another in the process. It also depends on Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee, Steve James, and others for visual guidance - per usual.



...

"This class is about overcoming powerlessness and fear. It's for those who feel drawn to "interrupt" the issues that plague our lives, our families, our cities, our cultures...It's also for those who are discovering that poverty is a mask we put on a person to cover up his or her real wealth and that wealth is a disguise we put on a person to hide his or her profound poverty." - A mash-up of quotes - but mostly from "Living Without Enemies"

Our time today was unfortunately postponed till next month - but had I been given the opportunity to discuss these possibilities - I was going to finish with a partial poem written by Tupac Shakur, titled "And 2morrow"

Today is filled with anger
fueled with hidden hate
scared of being outcast
afraid of common fate
Today is built on tragedies
which no one wants 2 face
nightmares 2 humanities
and morally disgraced
Tonight is filled with rage
violence in the air
children bred with ruthlessness
because no one at home cares
Tonight I lay my head down
but the pressure never stops
gnawing at my sanity
content when I am dropped
But 2morrow I c change
a chance 2 build anew
Built on spirit intent of heart
and ideals based on truth

...