God not only calls the redeemed to live in radical community in order to model justice and reconciliation; he also calls us to engage a needy and divided world proactively with the gospel, bringing the light of God’s reign in places of darkness where people live in despair, poverty, oppression, inequality, and violence.

“This is the original revolution: the creation of a distinct community with its own deviant set of values.” John Howard Yodel

(This blog entry is from a book called Linking Arms, Linking Lives by a collection of authors — Ron Sider, John Perkins, Wayne Gordon and F. Albert Tizon. It is about wealthy, “suburban” churches partnering with poor “urban” churches for the purpose of seeing the fullness of God’s Kingdom come to poor communities.  I’m reading this book to learn how to do this well, as God is blessing us in Valleybrook with a partnership with Lifechurch.tv. We are learning together how to bless one another and minister effectively.  It is a road fraught with hazards and potential pitfalls, but one that is worth the risks, as we attempt to see the unity of the Body of Christ expressed in His Kingdom. I highly recommend this book if you are are in either an “urban” or a “suburban” church.  Well, I think that includes all of us.