How can good and evil live in the same town?
How can good and evil both be present and active and winning?
Our church neighborhood still feels empty after almost 2 years of the pandemic. I am numb to For Lease signs and mask protocol signs. The talk is that everyone has fled San Francisco for Austin, the suburbs, and their preferred red or blue states, yet real estate is still ridiculously high and apartments are popping up. Three school board members were recalled the same week as our church turned 11 years old. People are returning to God, finding authentic community. Ben and I are gaining wisdom from pastors who are so kind to pour into us around the table and on the phone.
The street behind our house fills at night with folks who park to sleep in their cars. Our four kids come home with their masks on from a day at school, on the bus or train, and we’re enjoying so many dinners together.
It’s the confusing and the frustrating and the wonderful we hold in our hands.
Do you sense this where you live?
On Epic’s birthday, we did what we’ve been doing since day one - blessing the people in our city. Day 1, we gave all of the offering money to the local public school. Day 4,015, we gave Mobilize Love a refrigerated food truck as they go to the neighborhoods and feed our neighbors. Christian Huang, a friend of ours and a longtime dweller in San Francisco, posted his heart the day prior. Here’s what he shared about this picture above:
This picture encapsulates what is wrong with our city’s leadership and its policies.
The child indoctrinated to the point where he wears a mask alone, outside while playing. Meanwhile, a man smokes fentanyl freely.
You’ve instilled fear in the hearts of children, families, and the seniors. You’ve leveraged the flu to consolidate power and seize control of the people.
You’ve turn a blind eye and refuse to punish the drug dealers and criminals, you coddle those who refuse to better themselves, and you give ultimate freedom to those who need it least.
You’ve emptied the streets of FiDi. It’s a ghost town. You’ve created chaos with droves of unruly citizens in the Tenderloin and SOMA. You’ve filled the streets with trash, urine, and feces.
You’ve frustrated business owners and tech companies that Ed Lee (former mayor) attracted to the city with tax cuts (imagine that). You squandered that prosperity and drove them away. You penalized the producers and you reward those who should be punished. You check vaccine cards at the doors of businesses from customers (those who stimulate the economy) and yet allow criminals to reign freely. Where are your senses? Specifically, common sense.
The Scriptures were right about you: “You are doomed! You call evil good and call good evil. You turn darkness into light and light into darkness. You make what is bitter sweet, and what is sweet you make bitter.”
If money could solve homelessness, it would have already been solved. If policies could free the addict, they would have been free. Unfortunately, you can’t legislate compassion!
“You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”
You’ve said, “Follow the science.” Today, I say, “Follow God (the author of science). Cause your ways aren’t working so well.
Signed, Christian Huang (frustrated SF native)
Christian is not wrong. I love San Francisco and my heart is here and even when Ben and I try to imagine living somewhere else, God turns our hearts back here. It’s home. Our friends live here. Our kids are being raised here. We thrive here.
Do you ever hurt for where you live?
If you can’t think of a place where this exists in your community, is it because you live an insulated life? In the insulated life you are not in need. If you need it, you just go and get it. This is where you work hard not to be dependent on anyone. The Christian life is best understood in Christian community.
Henri Nouwen wrote,“We keep forgetting that we are being sent out two by two. We cannot bring good news on our own. We are called to proclaim the Gospel together, in community.”
I’m not in denial. I know that what our family sees and experiences on a daily basis, some of you never see. I know our struggle is great and our city values wonky. That’s why we pray. That’s why we stay.
Mathew recorded Jesus talking about the wheat and the weeds in Matthew 13:24-30.
You plant good where you live.
The enemy plants evil. We see it around us.
The Master says let both grow together because you don’t want to uproot what is good in the same soil.
As we love where we live, let’s call good and evil what they are. Let’s celebrate the good and pray for the evil.
Pray towards Russia and the Ukraine. Reach out to a friend from Eastern Europe and voice a prayer.
Ask God, who do you need me to love today? Open my eyes. Let me make room for Your interruptions today and obey so others may be blessed.
Face an evil in your city with prayer, kindness, truth, and the power of God.
Our family has experienced evil in the West Portal neighborhood over the past 2 months. I share the stories in my newsletter called the Neighborhood, but for Love Where You Live Day, we’re prayer walking this beautiful neighborhood. Because I believe God loves the people of my city more than I do.