Shawn Casselberry
Shawn Casselberry's Blog
Protest! / Jun 25, 01:40 PM
Part of Biblical Justice is defending the weak against the strong. Micah, one of the 8th century prophets, was outspoken against the exploitation of the poor by the wealthy and powerful. He protested the corrupt practices of wealthy landowners who seized land and houses through fradulent and violent practices (2:2, 9), government officials who perverted justice by taking bribes (3:9-11), and priests and prophets who served their own self-interest rather than serving the interests of the people in their charge (3:11).
Micah used graphic language to describe the way the powerful exploited the weak. “Listen, you leaders of Israel! You are supposed to know right from wrong, but you are the very ones who hate good and love evil. You skin my people alive and tear the flesh off their bones. You eat my people’s flesh, cut away their skin, and break their bones. You chop them up like meat for the cooking pot. Then you beg the Lord for help in times of trouble! (3:1-4)”
Micah portrays the leaders as predators who devour the poor for their own gain. In contrast, the Biblical call laid out by the prophet Isaiah is to: Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the orphan. Fight for the rights of the widow (1:17).
On Tuesday, I went down to Springfield, Illinois with three Mission Year team members and a convoy of buses filled with Chicago social service workers. We went to the Capital of Illinois to voice our concerns about the proposed budget cuts that would gut vital programs and services for the poor all across the State. Many of the service sites we partner with would lose funding for their programs and be forced to layoff staff. The budgets of social service programs are being cut to the bone and the poor among us are bearing the brunt.The budget cuts would most negatively affect children, seniors, the disabled, the homeless, and the poor. In other words, the most defenseless and vulnerable in our society.
Some of the results of the budget cuts would be:
80,000 working parents would lose child care assistance
Over 40,000 seniors and people with disabilities would lose their home care
15,000 foster children would have their support cut in half
175,000 people who depend on community mental health services would lose their care
56,000 victims of sexual assault and domestic violence would lose support services
Substance abuse, teen pregnancy and violence and delinquency prevention programs would be cut affecting 463,000 children and teens.
190,000 students would lose college scholarships.
On a very hot June day, we marched around Springfield, carried signs, and protested the budget cuts to these vital services. We crowded the steps of the Capital and cried out for a fair budget. It was a prophetic picture. People from all ethnic backgrounds, ages, and economic backgrounds ralling together to defend the most vulnerable in our communities and to protest the gross injustice of the politically powerful.
I guess not much has changed since Micah’s day. Those in power and those with wealth continue to take advantage of the vulnerable. It remains to be seen if our protest will accomplish the intended results. We don’t know if Micah’s protest was successful either. We just know that it was necessary. After all, if we don’t defend the weak against the strong…who will?
“But as for me, I am filled with power and the Spirit of the Lord. I am filled with justice and might, fearlessly pointing out Israel’s sin and rebellion.” Micah 3:8
“O people, the Lord has already told you what is good and what the Lord requires but to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8
Every Minute Matters / Jun 25, 08:48 AM
Each day, we have 24 hours (sometimes I wish I had more!). Each year, 365 days (525,600 minutes). Although we can’t add minutes to our life, we CAN decide how we are going to spend those minutes.Mission Year takes young people who want to make the most of their
525,600 minutes. This year, we have five teams of committed young
adults in Chicago (16 teams nationally) who have been intentionally
and sacrificially using their time, gifts, and resources to better
urban communities. They have been devoting themselves to a strict
lifestyle of spiritual discipleship and social justice, seeking God
and serving others.
They have been feeding the hungry, tutoring kids, supporting families,
teaching workshops, helping the homeless, mentoring at-risk youth,
showing hospitality, resisting violence, praying for neighbors, and
sharing their faith. Team members are not simply providing vital help
and hope to the needy, they are witnessing to God’s coming kingdom of
righteousness, peace and joy.
We are seeing exciting fruit from their work. One kid who could only
read 2 words a minute now reads 58 words a minute because a team
member spent their time helping him read. One team member spent 14
weeks persevering with a homeless woman until she was able to land a
job. Each team member provides thousands of service hours that have
allowed organizations and ministries to continue operating in the
midst of major budget cuts and economic hardship. Six days a week for
the last ten months our teams have been sowing seeds of compassion and
love in their neighborhoods as if every minute mattered and they are
seeing what a difference it can make.
And you have made this possible! By supporting them through prayer and
financial gifts, you have made an impact in Chicago. You have enabled
eternal things to happen that would not have happened otherwise. By
pouring into our team members, you have allowed them to pour
themselves fully into their communities. You have also allowed them to
be transformed in the process. Amazing transformation happens in us
when we spend ourselves in service to others. Thank you for giving and
praying for them as they make the most of their last months in Mission
Year!
Making every minute count,
Shawn
“What is important is faith expressing itself in love.” Gal. 5:6
The Woman Who Changed Her Mind / Jun 22, 09:31 AM
“What is she doing?” we all thought collectively as we looked around at each other wondering what was going on. Besides, our lawyer just
said we have community support for our music school and no one has
shown any objection. Until now. “I object. Excuse me. I object.” She
walked swiftly from the back of the council chamber to the front
causing a stir and interrupting the proceedings. We were there to
obtain a special use permit for an abandoned building that we wanted
to turn into an after-school music and dance outreach for kids with
incarcerated loved ones in our neighborhood. We had spent the last
year collecting all the required documentation to present to the
zoning board of appeals. We had letters of support from our
Alderwoman and State Representative in favor of the project. We
secured a contract with the public school next door to use their
parking lot which was no small feat. We sent out a mailing to the
surrounding neighbors notifying them of our purposes and heard no
objections. But she obviously had objections and we had no idea why.
Objections are not unusual for zoning hearings. In fact, we sat
through about 10 other hearings before ours and in many cases
objectors showed up to voice their dissent. Earlier that day a church
objected to having a men’s recovery ministry that a friend of ours was
starting on their block because they didn’t want to have a bunch of
homeless guys hanging around (that is a whole other issue!). But we
did not expect anyone to object to turning a blighted building into a
safe haven and creative outlet for at-risk children. Even one of the
zoning board members asked the woman, “What could you possibly have
objections to?”
She was a woman in her late fifties dressed in Sunday attire and
clutching her purse as she walked. They directed her to sit at a table
with a microphone and she turned to face the zoning board as she
spoke. She told them she has lived in the neighborhood since she was 7
years old. She was against our project on the grounds that it will
create heavy traffic flow in the neighborhood and will bring down
property values. She said she has never seen a community center not
cause a decline in property values even though our appraiser had just
testified that his report showed no evidence of this. She said the
building had been vandalized in the past and she had called the city
many times. The board asked, “Don’t you think having a
positive program for youth will be better than having an empty
building?” The zoning board seemed to be advocating for us against the woman.
She continued with her objections and the board gave us the final
word. We told her we appreciated her concerns and that we would be
using the school parking lot and that many of our kids walk or ride
bikes so there would not be a big increase in traffic flow. We assured
her that the kids would be supervised and we would make sure the
building was secured.
When we finished we tracked down the woman and told her more about our
program. Her guarded demeanor melted as we explained to her that we have
been working with kids with incarcerated loved ones in the
neighborhood for many years and this building will help us continue to
reach out to them. She mentioned in her testimony that she had gone to
a certain Catholic youth center when she was younger and I told her
afterward that we have partnered with that organization in the past.
Upon hearing this she had a look of horror on her face and said,
“Don’t tell them I spoke against you. I didn’t know!” I could tell she
was truly regretful and embarrassed. I said I wouldn’t tell but it could be
helpful to us if she went back in and told the zoning board that she
no longer objects. She said she definitely would and we exchanged
pleasant words before parting ways.
This whole encounter left me thinking how easy it is for good people
to fight passionately on the wrong side. A Biblical example of this is
Paul who thought he was defending God by persecuting Christians but
found himself working against God’s purposes. During the Civil Rights movement,
many decent white people and my own church denomination fought
ardently against the advancement of social and economic equality for
blacks in our country. More recently, we have seen how good evangelical
Christians can become outspoken proponents for war despite the
Biblical call to be peacemakers. We see denominations dividing over theological differences and churches fighting amongst themselves, failing to see that we are all on the same side. Instead of churches becoming good neighbors to the poor
and homeless, they are objecting to their presence in their community. I even find myself speaking out against the church with criticisms and complaints instead of seeking to understand and helping the church accomplish its mission.
These are all sober reminders that it is possible for us to find
ourselves fighting on the wrong side. Just because we are Christians,
does not mean we are always right. If we are not humble enough to entertain
the possibility that we could be wrong, and be willing to admit it, we may very well find ourselves working against God’s purposes. Can we change our mind when we realize we have been fighting the wrong battles? The woman at the hearing is
an amazing parable of how we have been as a church and what we need to do to
turn things around. If only we could be as humble as that woman.
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My Bloody Life / Jun 9, 07:58 PM
For Mission Year Chicago’s local book this year, I gave the option of My Bloody
Life: The Making of a Latin King or Gang Leader for a Day: A Rogue
Sociologist Takes to the Streets. Examining gang life in neighborhoods like ours can be an unsettling thing. You start noticing gang graffiti and gang colors everywhere. Your senses become heightened about the dangers that are looming around every corner. It
is good to know the realities, but it can be extremely intimidating too.
It is overwhelming to hear about the negative impacts gangs have
on our neighbors. Innocent children shot by stray bullets. Schools and
houses tagged with gang symbols. Youth recruited by gangs to sell
drugs and engage in violence. It’s easy to give in to despair.
Well, this Friday, we will get to hear some hope. Flaco will be sharing his
story with us at training. Flaco was a former gang member who is mentioned in the
book My Bloody Life. He has come to know the Lord and has turned away
from gang life. I look forward to hearing his testimony and being reminded of the power of Christ to redeem. Even when we may give up on people, God is relentlessly pursuing them. That is reason to keep hope!
What is Gospel? / Jun 1, 02:45 PM
I was with a group of friends and someone asked a very provocative question. What is gospel? They weren’t talking about music. They were asking how do we know that what we are hearing is gospel? With so many competing theologies and interpretations, how do we know when we are actually hearing the gospel versus someone’s good ideas or opinions. It’s a good question. I mean, what I grew up hearing in the pulpit is very different from what I understand the gospel to be today. So, how do we know its gospel when we hear it?
One person said they feel something inside that confirms that what they hear is gospel. This is certainly true for me too, but there has to be something beyond this. I know people of many faiths and religions who believe what they believe because they felt something when they heard a prophet or religious leader speak. It has to be more than subjective feeling right? One person said they know it’s gospel if they can look a suffering person in the face and still say it. For them, the gospel has to make sense to someone suffering. I respect that, but I think there’s more to it.
I have been chewing on the question for awhile now and still haven’t come up with a definitive answer. I guess for me, it’s gospel when it compels me to love in the spirit of Christ, to show grace in the spirit of Christ, to seek truth in the spirit of Christ, to do justice in the spirit of Christ, and to make peace in the spirit of Christ. The gospel in its essence is good news to the poor and broken, lonely and afraid. Or better yet, the gospel is what makes us good news to the poor and broken, lonely and afraid. I think the gospel is what provokes us to love in the spirit of Jesus.
I don’t know if we can come up with any answers we will all agree upon, but I think it’s a good question. So how do you know gospel when you hear it?
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