theCityShouldBeDifferent: January 2011

Monday, January 31, 2011

Calling us to Pray...like our lives depended on it

Jesus, right before He is arrested, turned His focus to Heaven, to His Father, and prayed.

He started the prayer with these words, "The Hour has come..."

I think we get several "the hour has come" moments in our lives. For me, one of those is now.

So, I'm calling our start team for theCityChurch.us to pray. For the next 30 days, we are to pray, every day, for theCity, for our city, for the Kingdom of God to happen here like it happens there.

Jesus' "Death Row Prayer" in John 17 is so beautiful, painting a vivid picture of the the mission and heart of the Father. Jesus is on mission, and He did it with His Father, He says, and with His followers. And He prays that we, those who follow after Him, would be One, just like He and the Father are One. That way the world will know that God sent Jesus. I'm just crazy enough to believe that Jesus wants to answer that prayer in our city in our day.

So, in line with Jesus' prayer, we are going to pray together every day for the next 30 days. Text, call, Facebook Chat, in person, over coffee, on the way to work, smoke signals... Be creative, be intentional, and be real.

The Hour Has come for theCityToBeDifferent because Jesus is Alive!

Monday, January 17, 2011

Walk for Education. 200 friends...making the city different!

Today was really fun. It started at 7:30 this morning at the Lake Charles Civic Center, with the Walk for Education. About 200 of us walked for 3 miles, on MLK Day. Our goal was to ignite a movement in our city to re-assemble a village of caring people, centered on people who follow Jesus, who wan to invest in the lives of children in need here.

It was fantastic!

I'm uploading video now, and will add to this post later tonight.

Can you feel it? It's God at work in the LC.

Oh Yeah!

paul

p.s. Check out the pictures and initial video at HomeworkNight.com

Saturday, January 8, 2011

New Year, New Worship Gathering Location...Same Jesus!

We just got back from Passion 2011 about 2:30 am on Wednesday Morning. It was a trip full of Jesus, the catalyst of transformation in all who went, and really exhausting. No rest for the weary, however: I've spent all of Wed, Thu and Friday working on Homework Night with my awesome friend, Willie King. (I'm so pumped about God's work in changing our city through this Movement! Post coming soon.)

And, in the middle of that, God provided a super cool place for our Sunday Worship Gathering, Stellar Beans Coffee! I've loved this place since it opened. The vibe is cool, the location is where we were headed (downtown), and the owner is so great to work with!

So, I guess what I'm saying is...Go Jesus!

Worship is what happens when someone meets Jesus, full on. It's a response. A way of life. Our theCity start team and friends gather to sing and pray and hear from God's Words. We Gather Together (Worship and Community) and Send each other Out (Missional Community). I love it!

You are welcome to hang with us. Jesus is where it's at.

Monday, January 3, 2011

Passion 2011: Jesus!

Jesus.

He is how we got here, since everything was made by Him.

And He's why we are here, since everything was made for Him. (Colossians 1:16)

We're at a gathering of college-age people in Altanta, Passion 2011. There are 24,000 Jesus followers here.

But the main One who is here is Jesus. The spotlight is on Him!

He's the One we are leaning our lives into, even while He is giving us the power to run towards Him.

And, He's the One we are longing to look like, to live like, to serve like, to love like!

We're starting day 3 of Passion 2011. Today and forever, let's be a people longing to look like Jesus!

Love, paul

theCityShouldBeDifferent

Since #JesusIsAlive, then from #Goosport2Graywood #theCityShouldBeDifferent

theCityShouldBeDifferent.com

a move to Unite theChurchatLakeCharles.us

and Transform the city

through Building Capacity for Engagement

So That John 17:20-23 can happen here, now.

OK, that sounds good, but what does that mean? So here is an Example: We have this enormous industrial expansion headed to SWLA, bringing 25,000+ new construction jobs. There are lots of, say, young men in our area who are not meaningfully participating in the workforce, but who could certainly fulfill the unskilled helper jobs that will be a small portion of this large construction workforce needed. What they need to be ready for these jobs is some hope. We, church, are charter members in the hope trade. So, via relational engagement, we let the young men borrow some hope from us, inspiring some to begin working on improving their character and soft skills, getting ready for this meaningful work opportunity.

There are a bunch of kickers in this real-life scenario.

1.) The industrial construction helpers can make $15 an hour, and typically have lots of overtime. This scenario really stomps on the gas pedal in this way: a new entrant into the workforce in this situation can save enough to buy a reliable car in 1-2 months! That is hope building; dignity establishing!

2.) If we are going to see a thousand young men (that's my vision) pass through this opportunity, we will need a whole-bunch of support systems, meaning mentors, encouragers, soft-skills instructors, rides to work and more.

3.) When we engage with our real-life neighbors, in real-life serving, everyone's character, everyone's faith in Jesus gets a real shot at growing! It's what you call, Discipleship.

4.) When a young man gets a job that can pay $40k a year, they have real options! They can get more education and training. They can inspire those around them to follow them. They can be inspired by those who invested in their life for free and set them up for this situation, and they can help the next group of young men who aren't working get on board.

5.) When people from all corners of the city who are a part of the Jesus story get engaged together on a real-life mission worth doing, one that doesn't benefit any of the men or their churches directly, but the benefits are so powerful and real, then we get to build trust, relationships and capacity and see that Jesus unites and trumps race or class. We get new respect for each other and our capacity to do go and be real brothers is greater than we could have foreseen

...

Are you getting a little glimpse at the picture?

The people who follow Jesus are carrier's of the Hope of the World. We, in the Lake Charles area, have a beautiful opportunity to engage with our community, building relationships and helping lots of people see who Jesus is more clearly.

There is lots more to say, so stay tuned and, if you are intrigued, lean your voice into the mix. Contact Paul Pettefer at 337-794-9891, paul@employmentisbetter.com, @paulpettefer, or stop by the InterGalactic Offices of theCityShouldBeDifferent.com located inside Laundry World, 2712 Lake St, Lake Charles.