December 16th is a day (and night) that we’ll never forget. Last night we
arrived at Methodist Hospital about 11:30pm. Leaving out much of the very
painful details, this afternoon at 4:40pm, Samuel Dane Himelick entered the
world at 9lbs. 3oz., 21 1/2″ with a full head of hair.

Rachelle is recovering well. We thank God for His protection, grace, and
mercy, and we look forward to learning all about this wonderful early
Christmas gift that God has bestowed upon our family.

From our family to yours… Merry Christmas!

Eric, Rachelle, Kaylynn, Rebecca, Sarah, and Samuel Himelick

P.S. The party is still on! Don’t forget to join us on Thursday, December
18, 2008 at 6:30pm for our first annual “Christmas in the City” Banquet.
Food, fellowship, fun, and a passionate vision for the future. It will be
an evening you will never forget!

“Is there any way that I could get something to eat?  I missed the soup kitchen because I was walking clear across town, and I didn’t make it in time,” the poorly dressed man was obviously homeless and he was soaked from the persistent rain.

On our way to get something to eat, I began to ask Dave* about his situation.  He had just gotten out of jail again.

“What were you in for?” I asked.

“Child support,” he replied.

“How many children do you have?” I questioned.

“Eighteen,” he replied flatly. 

“Eighteen?!” I said in a shocked voice, “How many different baby’s mamas?”

“Nine.” Now 41, his oldest is 25.

“Man, what were you thinking?!”

 “I wasn’t.  I was young, wild and crazy, and now I’m paying for it.”

And is he ever paying for it.  He owes over $54,000 in back support, and he is going further down about $750 each month.  He has drywall and painting skills, and he works when he can.  But between companies garnishing all his wages, which makes it impossible for him to be able to keep a place to live, and the government throwing him in jail, which makes it impossible for him to work, he doesn’t have much of a chance.

Men, real fathers and husbands, are an endangered species in our neighborhood.  As mankind, we were created in the image of God, but what you see walking around is a long way from the powerful, valiant creature named Adam that God created and gave dominion of the earth.  Adam and all his sons after him were given an incredible mission: rule and subdue, be fruitful and multiply.  It was as if God said, “Here is the entire earth, Adam.  Explore it.  Cultivate it.  Care for it.  It is your kingdom.”  Talk about an invitation! 

For many today, the image of a father is not a good one.  Men are dangerous, and many fathers have done great harm.  Society as a whole has minimized the role of men.  Many so called experts have even gone so far as to say that fathers are not necessary.

The numbers are frightening.  The majority of violent crimes are committed by men.  More men are in prison today in the U.S. than at any time in history.  In this day, there are more fathers who are not a part of their children’s lives than ever before.  Married, two-parent homes are now the minority.  It has left many people, including many young men with the question, “What is a father?” and the more basic question, “What does it mean to be a man?”  The lack of good answers leads to conclusions that are devastating.

“I’m going to be dead before I’m 25 anyway, so it really doesn’t matter if I finish school,” one young man told me.

“I just feel so mad sometimes that I just want to hurt somebody,” another confided in me.

The fatalism of rapper 50cent’s “Get Rich or Die Tryin’” pervades our young male culture.  Rage engulfs them, feelings that they don’t have anything to live for and that no one really cares anyway.  They play dangerous games, and when they lose, we all lose.  Homes are robbed.  Women are abused.  Lives are lost.  Prisons are filled.

What alternatives do we have to offer?  What real options does Dave have?  What options could I have offered to Ike* before he was caught and went back to prison the third time for dealing drugs?

Is it even our problem?  They have made foolish choices.  Aren’t the consequences of those choices a part of justice?  Many look at the strong men gracing the streets near our homeless shelters with scorn.  “Why should we want to help them?  Just look at all those help wanted signs!  This is the USA!  Anyone can get a job who wants one.” 

Well, almost anyone.  There are those classified as convicted felons who need not apply.  There are those who cannot write their own name on the application whose chances are equally slim.  And then there is a whole class of “Daves” – men who will never be able to hold a steady job because they were “young, wild and crazy and now they are paying for it.”

With recidivism rates at an all time high and with more men in prison than ever before, it is clear that the system is broken.  Building more prisons and putting more police on the streets is only a bandaid over the deeper problems.  You cannot legislate love.  Regulation is no substitute for relationships.  Love for family and children can never be replaced with any amount of alimony.  We need solutions that balance justice and compassion, punishment and responsibility.

Advancing alternatives where men like Dave can rebuild their lives while still being responsible for their families is both compassionate and just.  Investing in initiatives where convicted felons like Ike can work responsibly and contribute to society is the right thing to do.  Victory Inner-city Ministries is committed to doing just that.  We are not working alone, but we believe that the Church is God’s plan.  There is no program or substitute for real redemptive relationships within the Body of Christ. 

We need your help.  We could never do all that we do alone, but when we all work together, we can make a difference.  To find out more about what VICM is doing to address these and other problems with the wisdom of Christ, visit our website at www.vicm.org, and thanks for your continued support.

There are some really great things that are going on at Victory this summer.  The farm is growing.  The shoppe has reopened.  The Church has new people nearly every Sunday.  God is helping us.  Check out our website for more information.  God bless!

Not only are we full for our CSA at the farm, but we are filling up the cabins that are soon to arrive.  The Shoppe is changing shape.  We are making room for quality vendors of wares, starting a small business incubator that will help to kickstart business and jobs in our inner city neighborhood.  We are experimenting and having fun doing it!

God has been helping us in our services.  People are coming, and exciting things are happening.  Join us for a service even if its just to visit!  We would welcome you anytime. 

Many lessons cannot be learned in a book or even by trying to learn them.  There are things that we discover in the journey – seemingly accidentally on purpose.  Many lessons are a lot like looking at a faint star.  If you try to look right at it, you can’t see it.  If you focus on it, it doesn’t come into view.  Only when you look away, can you see it.  When you are searching for that lost article, you can never seem to find it, but instead you find a whole set of something else that you weren’t looking for.  As you are looking for the “something,” the “something else” sneaks up and surprises you.  If you have your focus set broad enough to include those surprises, you can do a lot of living when you aren’t really meaning to.  When you are open to the joy of serendipity, life means so much more. 

It is not that you were not meant to find what you were looking for, but it may not have been what was on The Agenda for that day.  But when you miss both the forest and the trees because you can’t get past what was supposed to be, you miss more than just shrubbery and foliage.  Life passes you by.  You see, life is more than a series of newspaper articles, day timer entries, and stock quotes.  It is a patchwork quilt of people, places, things and ideas stitched together by God himself.

I hadn’t gone to the conference to meet Betty Spragins.  I thought I was at the training seminar to learn about Permanent Supportive Housing and other homeless issues.  As the speakers droned on and on, my mind wandered further and further.  The conference was a complete waste of my time, but I was there and determined to make the most of it.  We had 30 seconds to introduce ourselves and share what we do.  I shared.  Betty heard, and the rest is history.  She was fascinated by our ministry, and a relationship sprang up immediately.  It was Betty that introduced me to Tim Shapiro at the Center for Congregations.  Since then, Tim and the Center have been an invaluable resource, as well as a source of other relationships that are still growing.  Like the pebble in the pond, it keeps expanding, rippling outward.

So the next time that you are stuck in a line at the store, riding the elevator to the 24^th floor, or going to a specialist for tests that will cost you more than you think you can afford – STOP, look, and listen.  All things work together for good.  The stops as well as the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.  Since this is no accident, learn to seize the moment.  Find the connection, develop the friendship, make the contact, learn the lesson, read the article, reflect in the quiet moment, and maybe, just maybe someday we’ll all understand why.