Light in the Asphalt Jungle

"Light in the Asphalt Jungle" was sent to me by a friend back in Denver who is both living this out and encouraging others to do the same.  It is a poem of love for God and neighbors and of seeking to live that out like Jesus Himself did. Beautiful...!

Light in the Asphalt Jungle

Written by Vincent Harding

I

I had a dream.

And I saw a city,

A city that rose up out of the crust of the earth.

And it’s streets were paved with asphalt,

And a river of dirty water ran down along it’s curbs.

It was a city

And its people knew no hope.

They were chased and herded from place to place by the churning jaws of bulldozers.

They were closed up in the anonymous cubicles of great brick prisons called housing projects.

They were forced out of work by the fearsome machines and computers,

And by the sparseness of their learning.

They were torn into many pieces by the hostile angers of racial fears and guilt and prejudice.

Their workers were exploited.

Their children and teen-agers had no parks to play in.

No pools to swim in,

No space in crowded rooms to learn in,

No hopes to dream in,

And the people knew no hope.

Their bosses underpaid them.

Their landlords overcharged them.

Their churches deserted them.

And all of life in the city seemed dark and wild, like a jungle,

A jungle lined with asphalt.

And the people sat in darkness

II

I had a dream,

And I saw a city,

A city clothed in neon-lighted darkness.

And I heard people talking.

And I looked at them.

Across their chests in large, golden letters-written by their own hands-

Across their chests were written the words:

“I am a Christian.”

And the Christians looked at the city and said;

“How terrible…How terrible…How terrible.”

And the Christians looked at the city and said:

“That is no place to live,

But some of our people have wandered there,

And we must go and rescue them.

And we must go and gather them, like huddled sheep into a fold;

And we will call it a City Church.”

So they built their church.

And the people came,

And they walked past all the weary, broken, exploited, dying men who lined the city’s streets.

Year after year they walked past,

Wearing their signs: “I am a Christian.”

Then one day the people in the church said:

“This neighborhood is too bad for good Christians.

Let us go to the suburbs where God dwells, and build a church there.

And one by one they walked away, past all the weary, broken, exploited, dying people.

They walked fast.

And did not hear a voice that said:

“…the least of these…the least of these…”

And they walked by, and they went out, and they built a church.

The church was high and lifted up, and it even had a cross.

But the church was hollow,

And the people were hollow,

And their hearts were hard as the asphalt streets of the jungle.

III

I had a dream.

And I saw a city,

A city clothed in bright and gaudy darkness.

And I saw more people with signs across their chest.

And they were Christians too.

And I heard them say:

“How terrible…how terrible…how terrible.

The city is filled with sinners:

To save sinners,

To save sinners.

But they are so unlike us,

So bad,

So dark,

So poor,

So strange,

But we are supposed to save them…

To save them,

To save them.”

And one person said:

“Can’t we save them without going where they are?”

And they worked to find a way to save and be safe at the same time.

Meanwhile, I saw them build a church,

And they called it a Mission,

A City Mission:

And all the children came by to see what this was.

And the city missionaries who had been sent to save them gathered them in.

So easy to work with children, they said,

And they are so safe, so safe.

And week after week they saved the children

(Saved them from getting in their parent’s way on Sunday morning).

And in the dream the City Missionaries looked like Pied Pipers, with their long row of children stretched out behind them,

And the parents wondered in Christianity was only for children.

And when the missionaries finally came to see them, and refused to sit in their broken chair, and kept looking at the plaster falling, and used a thousand words that had no meaning, and talked about rescuing them from hell while they were freezing in the apartment, and asked them if they were saved, and walked out into their shiny care, and drove off to their nice, safe neighborhood-

When that happened, the parents knew;

This version of Christianity had no light for their jungle.

Then, soon, the children saw too; it was all a children’s game;

And when they became old enough they got horns of their own,

And blew them high and loud,

And marched off sneering, swearing, into the darkness.

IV

I had a dream,

And I saw the Christians in the dark city,

And I heard them say:

“We need a revival to save these kinds of people.”

And they rented the auditorium,

And they called in the expert revivalist,

And every night all the Christians came, and heard all the old, unintelligible, comfortable words, and sang all the old assuring songs, and went through all the old motions when the call was made.

Meanwhile, on the outside,

All the other people waited impatiently in the darkness for the Christians to come out, and let the basketball game begin.

V

I had a dream.

And I saw Christians with guilty consciences,

And I heard them say:

“What shall we do?

What shall we do?

What shall we do?

These people want to come to OUR church,

To OUR church.”

And someone said:

“Let’s build a church for THEM,

For THEM,

They like to be with each other anyway.”

And they started the church,

And the people walked in.

And for a while, as heads were bowed in prayer, they did not know.

But then, the prayers ended,

And they people looked up, and looked around,

And saw that every face was THEIR face,

THEIR face,

And every color was THEIR color,

THEIR color.

And they stood up, and shouted loudly within themselves:

“Let me out of this ghetto, this pious, guilt-built ghetto.”

And they walked out into the darkness,

And the darkness seemed darker than ever before,

And the good Christians looked, and said,

“These people just don’t appreciate what WE do for THEM.”

VI

And just as the night seemed darkest, I had another dream.

I dreamed that I saw young people walking,

Walking into the heart of the city, into the depths of the darkness.

They had no signs, except their lives.

And they walked into the heart of the darkness and said:

“Let us live here, and work for light.”

They said, “Let us live here and help the rootless find a root for their lives.

Let us live here, and help the nameless find their names.”

They said, “Let us live here and walk with the jobless until they find work.

Let us live here, and sit in the landlord’s office until he gives more heat and charges less rent.”

They said, “Let us live here, and throw open the doors of this deserted church to all the people of every race and class;

Let us work with them to find the reconciliation God has brought.”

And they said, “Let us walk the asphalt streets with the young people, sharing their lives, learning their language, playing their sidewalk, backyard games, knowing the agonies of their isolation.”

And they said, “Let us live here, and minister to as many men as God gives us grace,

Let us live here,

And die here, with out brothers of the jungle,

Sharing their apartments and their plans.”

And the people saw them,

And someone asked who they were,

A few really knew-

They had no signs-

But someone said he thought they might be Christians,

And this was hard to believe, but the people smiled;

And a little light began to shine in the heart of the asphalt jungle.

VII

Then in my dream I saw young people,

And I saw the young men and women

Those who worked in the city called Chicago,

Cleveland [Melbourne],

Washington [Bangkok],

Atlanta [Sydney],

And they were weary,

And the job was more than they could bear alone,

And I saw them turn, turn and look for help,

And I heard them call:

“Come and help us,

Come and share this joyful agony, joyful agony,

Come as brothers in the task,

Come and live and work with us,

Teachers for the crowded schools,

Doctors for the overflowing clinics,

Social workers for the fragmented families,

Nurses for the bulging wards,

Pastors for the yearning flocks,

Workers for the fighting gangs,

Christians.

Christians who will come and live here,

Here in the heart of the darkness,

Who will live here and love here that a light might shine for all.

Come.”

I heard them call,

And I saw the good Christians across the country,

And their answers tore out my heart.

Some said, “There isn’t enough money there.”

Some said, “It’s too bad there. I couldn’t raise children.”

Some said, “I’m going into foreign missions, where things don’t seem so dark.”

Some said, “The suburbs are so nice.”

Some said, “But I like it here on the farm.”

Some said,

Some said…

And one by one they turned their backs and began to walk away.

At this moment my dream was shattered by the sound of a great and mighty whisper, almost a pleading sound;

And a voice said:

“Come, help me, for I am hungry in the darkness.”

And a voice said:

“Come, help me, for I am thirsty in the darkness.”

And a voice said:

“Come, help me, for I am a stranger in this asphalt jungle.”

And a voice said, “Come, help me, for I have been stripped naked, naked of all legal rights and protection of the law, simply because I am black in the darkness.”

And a voice said:

“Come, help me, for my heart is sick with hopelessness and fear in the darkness.”

And a voice said:

“Come, live with me in the prison of my segregated community, and we will break down the walls together.”

And the voices were many,

And the voice was one,

And the Christians knew whose Voice it was.

And they turned,

And their faces were etched with the agonies of decisions.

And the dream ended.

But the voice remains,

And the choice remain,

And the city still yearns for light.

And the King who lives with the least of his brothers and sisters in the asphalt jungle…

Yearns for us.

Top Recommendations from 2012

 This year with many hours of traveling in addition to my normal inclination towards reading, I have a rather extensive list of good reads.  Mostly I read (or listen) on my Kindle, so the links below are generally to those books.  I have bolded the books that are always or often free on Amazon. 

The Crescent Through the Eyes of the Cross (Nabeel Jabbour) - Most influential book in calling me to new thoughts this year; there's some things ome might disagree with, but very little that should simply dismissed.  Excellent!

What the Dog Saw (Malcolm Gladwell) - We have listened to each of Gladwell's books and loved them!  This one is no exception as he again captured both Bethany's and my attention.

Riddler's Gift & Second Sight (Greg Hamerton) - I have thoroughly enjoyed both books in this newer fantasy series and look forward to the rest!

Between Two Fires (Jack Kincade & Ron Brackin) - Previously posted about here, this is the unexpected story of evangelical, Palestinian Christ-followers.

Comstock Lode (Louis L'Amour)- Best Western of the Year; odd that I'd never read it before since I've read most of his other works.

The Prince of India (Lew Wallace) - A two-volume classic which I'd never heard of about the fall of Constantinople in 1453.  Great plot and character development! (Previous review here).

A Passion for the Impossible (Miriam Rockness) - Well-written biography of Lilias Trotter after whom we named our second daughter.

Give Them Grace (Elyse Fitzpatrick)- Many parts of this parenting book are excellent; some parts have been practically unclear though.  We have benefited though we haven't completed it yet. "Good parenting will not save your children... not even if you follow this book perfectly." (paraphrase)

Robin: Lady of Legend (R. M. ArceJaeger) - A fun, young-adult level book that re-imagines the classic Robin Hood tale.
 
Classic Rereads: A Study in Scarlet and The Lord of the Rings

A couple of unexpectedly good novels that I got for free: Harrigan and The Discovery.

IN OTHER AREAS:
Set - This 'family game of visual perception' was definitely the best game that we learned this year.  We love it and are trying to spread the enjoyment of it! 

Dancing in the Minefields (Andrew Peterson)- This was easily my most-played new song this year; a deeply meaningful, Christian love song.

Here's my Recommendations from 2011.  I continued learning from both The Earth Shall Weep and Holiness by Grace this year as I have not rushed through either.  I also continued enjoying Bryan Litfin's Chiveis Trilogy which was completed this year.

Visit to art in a Utah cave

  Today, my brother-in-law Ben and I visited what is known as the "Red Man Pictograph of Timpie Valley."  After studying still pictures, a video and the map (see link above), we set off to find the cave on the side of a very large foothill beside a much larger mountain. 

View of the cave from where we parked

Zoomed in, still from the truck

  It should be stated here that while I live at an elevation of 5000+ feet in Denver, I rarely hike straight up the side of a mountain... in fact, never!  Ben set off, with Cinch...

  After taking the picture of Ben, I also set off, but eventually I had to set down... out of breath.  The view was pretty amazing, even though there's no greenery during the winter as you look out at the Salt Lake and its surrounding mountains. We're actually really close to the cave at this point.

    We did make it.  The hike took about 15 minutes, and we stopped to see another small cave along the way.  They are quite interesting looking in and of themselves; but with the rock art, it's definitely worth the hike!

Me with the aged Man

Ben posing with the subject of the portrait

The Cave

See the truck at the crossroads below?

View to the Southeast

View to the Northeast

A Magical Christmas

Here's a great perspective on the First Advent of Christ; the eyes of a recent mother can re-open the old,  old story of wonder.

The Blest Man - Isaac Watts (Psalm 1)

     Psalm 1

     Issac Watts

Blest is the man who shuns the place

Where sinners love to meet;

Who fears to tread their wicked ways,

And hates the scoffer's seat;

But in the statutes of the Lord

Hath placed his chief delight,

By day he reads or hears the Word,

And meditates by night.

He like a plant of gen'rous kind,

By living waters set,

Safe from the storms and blasting wind,

Enjoys a peaceful state.

Green as the leaf and ever fair

Shall his profession shine,

While fruits of holiness appear

Like clusters on the vine.

Not so the impious and unjust;

What vain designs they form!

Their hopes are blown away like dust,

Or chaff before the storm.

Sinners in judgement shall not stand

Amongst the sons of grace,

When Christ the Judge, at His right hand

Appoints His saints a place.

His eye beholds the path they tread,

His heart approves it well,

But crooked ways of sinners lead

Down to the gates of hell.  

Sing to:

  "O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing"

  "Amazing Grace"

  "Alas and Did My Savior Bleed"

The LORD's Unbelieving Messiah

  In considering, on this election day, what Scripture passage(s) should be instructing my thinking concerning whatever God has elected for our nation as we move forward, my mind quickly went back to Isaiah 44-45 where I quite recently spent significant time.  God anoints a messiah for His purposes, and twice (45:4, 5) He says that this messiah has not know Him.  He also says in 45:3 that at least a part of His purpose in this is that this messiah will come to know Him.

 But consider, this divinely-elected ruler smashes nations through empire-building and accumulates vast wealth, by the sending of God - not exactly activities we'd condone in our leaders typically.  But, the point of the entire passage is missed if we simply say fatalistically that 'God's will will be done.'  That is true, but this passage is part of a lengthy and powerful argument for the absolute greatness of God compared to the futility of idols.  In other words, the point of this prophecy/appointment which was given long before Cyrus breathed is to demonstrate that the LORD Does/Causes/Chooses/Effects/is THE LORD!  So, we trust Him, regardless of what unbeliever He elects for our nation and what devastation that may cause here and elsewhere, in God's plan.  God's plan goes forward unhindered and unhinderable - worship Him, place full confidence in Him, His greatness, His goodness.

*******

 Also, an unrelated but excellent post on a wonderfully different perspective on our elections from some grateful, not-yet Americans...

He cares for YOU!

  I Peter 5 begins by speaking to pastors, among the other instructions which follow that first paragraph comes the instruction to cast our cares or anxieties on the Lord.  Reading that recently, I began to think how God might take care of those burdens.  But the passage has a different point, His care is not for our cares; it is for us!  His concern is for His sons and daughters, not their problems.  Their problems are simple for Him; they, however, are incredibly important.  It was with those thoughts, that I gave a second stanza to a poetic verse I wrote several years ago.

My Lord Cares

“He careth for thee,” and not just for thee,

But for all of the “thee’s” on this earth.

He bled and He died; He lives, glorified,

Declaring “thee” consummate worth.

“He careth for thee”: ‘twas not for thy cares,

That the Savior came down to this earth.

He bled and He died; He lives, glorified,

Declaring “thee” consummate worth.

Signs seen in a WY Rest Area...

Crossing Wyoming on Monday, it seemed best to us to be in a car not a bus when we stopped at this Rest Area.  Being a bus did not look safe here...

This is not just a matter of perspective; that's really how it looked! Bus, onward to the prairie!

Dogs, however, need not worry for their safety.  They will NOT be thrown away.

My private opinion is that the notation was needed to avoid confusion...

(The rest stop is on I-70, near the middle of Nowhere.)

The Mighty Fortress is our God

While singing "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" yesterday evening, I was reminded that this song is a poem with a message woven through all four stanzas, the stanzas really do not stand alone.  This song, which must be nearly five hundred years old, is a worshipful battle-song about the Mighty God triumphing over the Prince of Darkness.  We, His people, participate in that victory because God chose a Man who was also the Lord of Armies to fulfill that victory, and we have received His Spirit.
Themes: God's strength, Satan's attacks, the Trinity, guaranteed victory through Christ

A mighty Fortress is our God,

A Bulwark never failing;

Our Helper He amid the flood

Of mortal ills prevailing:

For still our ancient foe

Doth seek to work us woe;

His craft and power are great,

And, armed with cruel hate,

On earth is not his equal. 

Did we in our own strength confide,

Our striving would be losing;

Were not the right Man on our side,

The Man of God's own choosing:

Dost ask who that may be?

Christ Jesus, it is He;

Lord Sabaoth His Name,

From age to age the same,

And He must win the battle. 

And though this world, with devils filled,

Should threaten to undo us,

We will not fear, for God hath willed

His truth to triumph through us:

The Prince of Darkness grim,

We tremble not for him;

His rage we can endure,

For lo! his doom is sure,

One little word shall fell him. 

That word above all earthly powers,

No thanks to them, abideth;

The Spirit and the gifts are ours

Through Him who with us sideth:

Let goods and kindred go,

This mortal life also;

The body they may kill:

God's truth abideth still,

His Kingdom is forever.