a story from c.j.

Cornelius "CJ" Jackson

About three weeks ago, a “normal” day at CGM proved to be anything but normal. I was making my rounds from one class to the next when I received a text message informing me that a student had been sent out of class for being disruptive and disrespectful. I returned to the lobby to discover that it was the same student that I had threatened to suspend the day before because of his bad behavior. I was livid. He would be suspended for sure today! I gathered the proper disciplinary form and prepared to call his parents. But first, he and I would have a talk. (I will call him “Billy”).

Billy slouched haphazardly in the lobby chair—his baseball cap turned sideways; his manner suggesting that he could not care less that he would be confronted by me for the second time in two days. I approached him and stood towering over him—serious and authoritative. I let him tell his side of the story and it solidified his guilt. “You will be suspended, Billy. Wait here until I fill out your paperwork.” I stormed back into the office to write up the details. As I was writing, the front door to the lobby opened and Billy’s mom entered. She had arrived (unexpected and unscheduled) to pick him up early.

Providence! 

An impromptu meeting was arranged. I told Billy to remove his cap, grab a chair, and join me and his mother in the office. There, I told the story of bad behavior from days ago until present—the fights, the near-fights, the lack of respect, the insubordination, and more. Billy’s mother cried as she listened. She implored her son to not squander the opportunities that Common Ground afforded him. “You know that we need this program, Billy. I am working and in night school. Where will you go if you get kicked out?” I was upset with Billy. I was sad for his mom as she dabbed her eyes with a napkin, now tear saturated, that I had given her earlier. She continued her pleas. 

“What’s wrong with you? What more can I do. What more do you want from me? Tell me, Billy! What else can I give you?” 

We turned our attention to Billy as he surprised us both by answering.

“...A father!”  

No way! Did that just happen? Only at the movies do you hear lines like that. But Billy was not acting. His cap, clinched tightly in his fists, was pressed hard up against his face—a face that revealed that he was vulnerable, embarrassed, and in need. I rushed to hold him in my arms. He was crying, his mother was crying, and I was crying. Through my sobs, I heard myself assuring Billy. “I will do better, son. I can be a father figure for you. Don’t cry.” We wept together and earnestly prayed in the office that evening. The disciplinary form was too damp with tears to write on. So Billy didn't get suspended. And no, he didn't get a father. But Billy got a promise—one I intend to keep. 

---

This is one of many, many stories that we find ourselves in throughout the year. It is both heart-wrenching and a great privilege to walk along and bear with those in this community. Not because we are strong while they are weak, rather perhaps, because the more easily seen cracks in the exterior reveal how desperate we all are for help from a great savior.

We used this story in our End of the Year Letter for December 2014. 

because they are worth it

BY CHAQUANA TOWNSEND

As I write yet another blog about the impact the children and parents I work with have had on my life, I write full of joy, thankfulness, and eager anticipation to one day have a family of my own. All I can say is, I am such a blessed woman! My life will never be the same because I am reminded on a daily basis how amazing God truly is when I look into the eyes of the children and parents in my community!

One thing remains evident in my mind: The families in this community are truly a gift! Every smile, every hug, every intimate moment warms my heart and fills me with great joy! Although some days are better than others, I can honestly say that God has brought me to a place where I wholeheartedly enjoy every minute I spend with the families I minister to. The hard moments reveal the sin and brokenness in my own heart that God wants to pull out. The hard moments also reveal that I am not in control, and I am in need of rescue just as much as they are. So let me introduce you to my main point: I will continue to run hard after the Lord while laying down my life for the "little ones" and their families because they are so worth it!

I want to dispel a common belief about inner-city children and families that is erroneous. I also want to share with you what God's says about this false belief.

Those children/people don't care about themselves, so why should anyone else.

One thing that I know for sure is true: Most of the parents and children that I have met who are living in the inner-city care about themselves and what's going on in their environment; however, feelings of hopelessness and frustration can cause them to give up without even trying.

When I talk to men and women as well as children in my neighborhood, they recognize that there is something wrong with their environment and the responses they often have to their environment; nonetheless, they don't know any other way to respond to difficult circumstances. More times than not, people know they shouldn't behave a certain way and comprehend the consequences that follow, but in order to survive, they choose wrongly to save face and uphold an image, or reputation. The "code of the street" is survival at any cost even if it means irreversible consequences for the rest of their lives.

Why do they care? Why should we care?

God has written his law on the hearts of mankind without us even knowing his law (Romans 2:14-15). We know the difference between right and wrong because of the fall of man. Once Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, sin made its way into the world and every human being is affected. Our hearts inherently know when something is "good" or "bad". White or black, suburban or city, saved or unsaved, people recognize that there is something wrong with our world and long for God to intervene and make things right. Creation groans and eagerly anticipates the redemption of the world (Romans 8:18-24).

The fathers, mothers, grandmothers, grandfathers, cousins, uncles, etc, they all care about their community. The children long for their parents to love them and care about the things they care about. The families that are broken and affected by the heinous killings of their young men care! The mother and sister of the young boy who can't stay off the street care! Why wouldn't they? Every tear, every sacrifice, every setback, every hardship is worth it because many parents want better for their children. I have not met a parent who didn't realize and understand the need for God to intervene on their behalf.

I have not met a child who did not recognize the consequences of reckless living. The families in this community care about their lives; however, without the help of a Savior and the salvation of their souls, their efforts are in vain. God has sent his people to fight for them, to intercede on their behalf, to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to persevere even when it’s hard! So we press on towards Jesus, actively engaged in the battle for their souls.

Why?

Because according to God's word, "They are so worth it"!!!

until you step back

BY JUSTIN HAMPTON

In the type of work that we do at Common Ground Montgomery, we can often get caught up in the belief that the fruit of our efforts won't be seen, or even felt, for generations. The idea that we shouldn’t expect to see the fruits of righteousness in the children we serve can be a perpetuated thought that is given its legs in an attempt to insulate ourselves from disappointment.

We work long hours.

We tearfully pray for the life and destiny-threatening obstacles our kids face.

We watch as all too often they make poor choices and apparently disregard all the advice and so-called wisdom that we offer.

That is what we see in the moment. That is what we see when we correct a kid. That can be the daily unrewarding experience if we let it be. That is urban ministry --- until you step back; until you see the larger landscape of what God is doing here. 

Over the years we have developed ministries out of necessity. As children got older new programs had to be created that would not only create a safe place for them to be, but to inspire and introduce these aging students to change their lives and attitudes. At each phase the obstacles they face change just as their environments change.

Elementary students grow from being corrected in their respect for authority, to having to be educated about physical changes they experience and relational advances from the opposite sex. And as the program evolves for them it can appear as if the student enrolled is the same stubborn kid, destined to be like so many of their peers and on the road to continuing the cycles of poverty and pain that characterize their community --- until you step back.

Addressing new issues met with the same resistance as old ones can be frustrating until you realize that you aren’t addressing old issues because you really don’t need to anymore. The things you used to stress with this same kid don’t need to be stressed anymore because they are more mature, they have grown, they have learned. It sounds simple, but over the course of the last four or five years I’ve had the privilege to watch an amazing phenomenon: maturity.

Its growth is slow and its fruit is only seen by the most keen eye in the short term, but it is here. We now have high school youth in our urban entrepreneur program that were once 5th graders getting homework help and being told to respect their elders and given hugs for having achievement stickers on their school papers. These same students are now considering their post high school options; and good options, too. Some are preparing for college, others for joining the military, but all for a productive life, and most with the Lord leading it.

Our high school kids are what we have been looking for. They are what we have been praying for. They are the change we long to see as they continue to grow and produce two-parent families that honor the Lord, that care about their neighbors and communities, that know their worth, and see that they will not only change this neighborhood, but change the world.

Although it gets tough we have been watching the Lord bring the increase. As we plant and water he makes it grow, and the pace of growth can be painfully slow --- until you step back.

if we just believe

BY CHAQUANA TOWNSEND

While he was saying these things to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying, "My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live. And Jesus rose and followed him, with his disciples. And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, for she said to herself, "If I only touch his garment, I will be made well." Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, "Take heart, daughter, your faith has made you well." And instantly the woman was made well. And when Jesus came to the ruler's house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, he said, "Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping." And they laughed at him. But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. (Matthew 9:18-25)

As I read this passage of scripture two things are strikingly evident and refreshing in my mind: God can do the impossible if only we believe. The woman and man in this passage had two things in common: trust and belief in the only true God that can do what man says is impossible! They knew Jesus could heal the sick and raise the dead because he had done it many times before! Healing of any kind wasn't too hard for God since they deeply believed and trusted in his mighty power!

Their faith blew me away because more times than I can count, I doubt the power of Jesus to save and open blinded eyes. I pray for something and then doubt that God will come through. My faith has been so weak in the past, and I want to see more of his power at work in my life, and in the lives of others. I want to witness miracles, and tell others about the God who performed those miracles. As I read the Gospels, one thing sticks out: God does indeed answer prayer when we have the faith to believe. He does hear our cries, our petitions, or requests, and he has not forgotten us. Does God answer every request we have? No, absolutely not! However, there are prayers that God will answer because of our faith in Him.

I am trusting God to raise up many of the children we work with to be warriors for Jesus. I am trusting God to break generational patterns and curses in their lives and many others. I am trusting God to use our parents and children in such a way that people bow down and worship the one true King! He is already doing some of the very things I am asking Him to do, and I will keep trusting Him until he says otherwise. I pray that God will continue to increase the faith of his children.

Nothing, absolutely nothing is too hard for our God! Will you believe with me?

"you don't know who i was"

BY KEVIN KING

CGM Staffer Kevin King

“Yeah, but you don’t know who I was!”

A man spoke these words immediately after I assured him that I was aware of his name and who he is.

He stood drunk in the middle of the day in my front yard with two of his sons and explained to me that he had noticed for years the role that I’ve played in the lives of young men in the community. This 40+ year-old man is determined not to have the dreams of his sons deferred due to a lack of guidance and bad decisions. His boys stood on each side of him as he placed his hands on their backs and gently pushed them in my direction offering them to me.

I was taken back and I said, “Wait a minute, man, these are your children!” His request had nothing to do with a parental transfer but a cry for help as he admitted to being an alcoholic who literally got away with murder at a young age. He said he has made a host of other bad decisions that led to a life that he didn’t want for his sons. He was once an athlete at a local high school with a promising future. He proudly told story after story after story of how many accolades he had received for sports when he was a teenager. After his short lived local fame, then followed children being born while still in school and other decisions that took him out of position to pursue his dreams.

I see others walking up and down the streets of our neighborhood who once had dreams. Everyone has an individual story and some had it a lot tougher than others, but at some point in their lives they personally defined the meaning of success and hoped for it one day. Unachieved goals, lack of direction, and tragedies for some weighed so heavy to the point that poverty, complacency, depression, brokenness, apathy, addictions, and hopelessness became reality.

The truth about all of those who have experienced this, and everyone else in the world, is the fact that God created us all in His image and likeness. We are all special; God loves us all; we all are worth more than what an individual can put a price on; Jesus esteems us all. 

We all have dignity. 

What if we all understood the essence of being made in the image of God and, through the supernatural power of the Holy Ghost, we actually lived this reality out together as a church and community? How many dreams do you think would not have been deferred and unfulfilled? How would we reflect the image of God even in the middle of our sin and mess? I believe The Father would flip the whole world upside down as He works through us to display His glory to the Earth. I pray for the man mentioned in the opening paragraph and others who dwell in the past by reminding others who they used to be. I pray that they would realize their value and live out their purpose right now while they still have breath in their lungs. As one old man answered me when I asked how he was doing: “I’m still on top of the ground… I could be underneath the ground”.