Recently, I read an article that St. Louis is listed as one of the worst cities in the U.S. We came in fourth, ahead of (behind?) only Detroit; Birmingham, Alabama; and Flint, Michigan. Illustrious company, that ain't.
The list, released by 24/7 Wall St., ranked us so low due to factors such as a high poverty rate and "the highest violent crime rate in the U.S." (we're #1!!) It also noted that "Decades of manufacturing decline, white flight, and exclusionary zoning in St. Louis have led to some of the worst urban decay, racial segregation and income inequality of any major city today." If you've seen any news lately, this will not come as a huge shock - but it's still fairly jarring to see it laid out so starkly.
That very same day, I also read an article, "Why is it so hard to make friends in St. Louis?". It's a question I've felt ever since I moved back here but have been unable to really articulate. I chalked it up to my age group, or my busy schedule, or perhaps my lack of willingness to talk to strangers. The fact is, it's really hard to make friends when you're an adult in a new city. Apparently, it's especially difficult here in STL where "everyone is friendly but no one wants to be your friend."
You know what I feel when I read all those articles? Excitement.
I'm not crazy, stick with me here!
I'm excited by this because of the third thing I've been reading lately: a book called "Joining Jesus on His Mission: How to Be an Everyday Missionary" by Greg Finke. The book focuses on a simple mindset change that turns mission work from something that certain people do on the other side of the globe to something we do on the other side of the street.
In a chapter called "What does the Kingdom of God Look Like?" Finke distinguishes between what the presence of God's Kingdom looks like for people who already have the good news (love, joy, peace, patience - stop me if you've heard this one) and people who don't have it yet. Just because people aren't Christians doesn't mean God isn't present and active in their lives. What does that look like? "It will usually look like human need."
When people need safety,
jobs,
food for their families,
access to education;
when people feel marginalized,
helpless,
desperately lonely;
Where there is injustice,
inequality,
violence,
Right there, THAT is a blazing neon sign saying God is Working Here. St. Louis so clearly is filled with human need, which means we have this amazing opportunity to love our neighbors like never before. God's Kingdom is bursting through right here where we live! That's kind of exciting, don't you think?
The list, released by 24/7 Wall St., ranked us so low due to factors such as a high poverty rate and "the highest violent crime rate in the U.S." (we're #1!!) It also noted that "Decades of manufacturing decline, white flight, and exclusionary zoning in St. Louis have led to some of the worst urban decay, racial segregation and income inequality of any major city today." If you've seen any news lately, this will not come as a huge shock - but it's still fairly jarring to see it laid out so starkly.
That very same day, I also read an article, "Why is it so hard to make friends in St. Louis?". It's a question I've felt ever since I moved back here but have been unable to really articulate. I chalked it up to my age group, or my busy schedule, or perhaps my lack of willingness to talk to strangers. The fact is, it's really hard to make friends when you're an adult in a new city. Apparently, it's especially difficult here in STL where "everyone is friendly but no one wants to be your friend."
You know what I feel when I read all those articles? Excitement.
I'm not crazy, stick with me here!
I'm excited by this because of the third thing I've been reading lately: a book called "Joining Jesus on His Mission: How to Be an Everyday Missionary" by Greg Finke. The book focuses on a simple mindset change that turns mission work from something that certain people do on the other side of the globe to something we do on the other side of the street.
In a chapter called "What does the Kingdom of God Look Like?" Finke distinguishes between what the presence of God's Kingdom looks like for people who already have the good news (love, joy, peace, patience - stop me if you've heard this one) and people who don't have it yet. Just because people aren't Christians doesn't mean God isn't present and active in their lives. What does that look like? "It will usually look like human need."
When people need safety,
jobs,
food for their families,
access to education;
when people feel marginalized,
helpless,
desperately lonely;
Where there is injustice,
inequality,
violence,
Right there, THAT is a blazing neon sign saying God is Working Here. St. Louis so clearly is filled with human need, which means we have this amazing opportunity to love our neighbors like never before. God's Kingdom is bursting through right here where we live! That's kind of exciting, don't you think?
