Fair Park Estates is one of the newest communities developed by SouthFair CDC, an organization dedicated to revitalizing South Dallas. As SouthFair understands the importance of community in vulnerable areas, they assisted residents in establishing a neighborhood association. After a few years and many changes in leadership, the newly formed association was on its own. Lionell Jackson and Norma Baker took it upon themselves to lead as President and Vice President respectively.

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Over the years, Dallas Leadership Foundation has impacted the lives of hundreds of young people but perhaps none more notable than Mark and Devin Lacy. Years ago, Mark attended Richardson High School where he quickly became known for carrying a large wooden cross to school, encouraging students to sign their names and learn more about his faith. Mark has since graduated and is continuing his studies in culinary arts but his impact has continued through his younger brother Devin.

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Corey Clark was a young man caught with the wrong crowd. Growing up in New Orleans, he'd find himself in and out of jail, abusing drugs, alcohol, and participating in crimes until his mid-thirties. While serving his second sentence at Hutchins State Jail, Corey met James Reed who at the time was simply preaching the gospel. 

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Though DLF’s relational approach to community engagement has taken us far, there are still many members of the communities we serve that we have yet to reach. In an effort to further provide resources, we established the Community Navigators program. For the past year, this program has been piloted in Mill City where our team works to train three community leaders in the areas of health, employment, and education.

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When Nick began his first year at Richardson High School, he noticed a DLF youth coordinator offering free pizza in exchange for his attendance at Power Lunch. Throughout the next four years, Nick continued to attend Power Lunch. He states “it was a time to relax and speak [his] mind.” The emphasis on healthy relationships, relating to authority, and financial literacy have helped enforce the strong values his parents instilled in him early on. 

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Issues like work schedules, transportation, and a lack of communication between the parents and teachers have all been cited as reasons a stronger parental presence is missing in schools. DLF’s Youth Team is seeking to fill this parental gap through community collaboration and the development of an after-school mentorship program, Power Mentoring.

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Alendra Lyons is a Dallas native with a generations-long history in Mill City, one of the 12 neighborhoods that Dallas Leadership Foundation serves. Upon her return in 2011, Alendra saw the community she called home as a child filled with substandard housing and rampant drug activity and decided to make a change.

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In 2012, Eric Sutton was thrust into an intense season as he simultaneously cared for his wife, Dana, who delivered their twins at 26 weeks, won sole custody of his 10-year-old daughter, and managed a business.

Unfortunately, after five years of sobriety, he experienced a relapse that resulted in a year of jail time.

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DLF has worked with incarcerated men on the Hutchins Unit since 2002. In recent months, DLF’s reentry team noticed that while participants in the Faith Based Dorm where able to find employment upon release, their ability to stay employed was becoming an issue. As a part of many reentry programs, finding employment is one of the initial requirements. However, the educational tools and resources to both find job opportunities and maintain them is lacking.

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Erica Grissom was a shy 10th grader at Lake Highlands High School when she was introduced to Power Lunch. Each week, as she grew to know the DLF Youth team, she began to take on more responsibility.

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Thirty-four years ago, Karen and David Konker settled into Dallas with their two children. Karen notes that their “life was focused around [their] church, Highland Park Presbyterian.“ As involved members, Karen and David participated in various community outreach events and along the way were introduced to Dallas Leadership Foundation.”

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Nonprofit organizations today are constantly wondering how to increase their impact, serve more people, and raise more money. The reality is that not enough nonprofits are seeking ways to solve their challenges together. When organizations work alone, the people we seek to serve suffer. The competition for funding increases, program initiatives are cut, and broader social change is limited.

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Edison has served on our DLF Youth team as Youth Leader for a little over a year. He credits a simple google search for “Leadership in Dallas” for leading him to our website where he found exactly what he’d been searching for.

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October is Youth Justice Awareness Month. It aims to bring attention and action to the prosecution, sentencing, and incarceration of youth under the age of 18 If we truly believe that future generations are the key to building a better world, then it is up to us to ensure that every young person is given a fair opportunity to succeed.

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Expert shoppers know that early Christmas shopping eases some of the stress of the holidays. The optimum shopping occurs when shoppers start their holiday shopping early. They avoid the crowds and bypass skimpy inventory during the last days before Christmas.

If you're an effective, early-bird shopper, we hope Dallas Leadership Foundation is high on your Christmas shopping list. As you plan to purchase gifts for your loved ones, please consider buying gifts for Dallas Leadership Foundation's signature outreach, Treasures of Hope. This annual outreach is our largest need going into the last part of 2017.

DLF will host the Christmas Store Dec. 11-15 at the Plaza of the Americas in downtown Dallas. The store is a robust community event that creates a festive atmosphere for families to purchase quality gifts at affordable prices. Families who attend also get the chance to learn about benefits from social service agencies that partner with DLF. Families also participate in nightly chapel services held during store hours.

To make supporting this event easy, we've set up an online store that allows you to purchase gifts for families who participate in the Christmas Store. Each gift you buy is shipped to DLF to stock our store. You can browse our online gift catalog by going to dlftx.org. 

If you prefer, you can donate money to Treasures of Hope, set up a gift collection box at your business, or give the precious gift of your presence and time by volunteering at the Christmas Store.

Remember -- it's not too early to plan how you can bring someone else Christmas comfort and joy!

Photo by Markus Spiske on unsplash.com

We’ve befriended, baptized, shared Bible lessons, mentored and supported men while they’ve been incarcerated. For example, to date, we have an 8.3 percent recidivism rate among the men who’ve participated in our program.

The stats show the results of DLF Reentry: We’ve served 3,000 men and women incarcerated or formerly incarcerated through our comprehensive program in and outside of prison facilities. Fifty percent of men who stay in our transitional facility, Onesimus House, maintain employment for more than a year.

As you can see, we have lots to celebrate with the formerly incarcerated and their families this coming Saturday. Come out and support these leaders who have demonstrated their commitment to dedicate their lives to God, their families, and communities. 

Praise in the Park starts at 11 a.m. in Jubilee Park and ends at 4 p.m. Smokey John’s Bar-be-cue & Home Cooking is catering.

Everywhere we look there is a prayer need. At Dallas Leadership Foundation (DLF), we need prayer as we reach out to neighborhood leaders, young people and those in prison who want to see God transform their lives. We need prayer about how we can help people even more effectively, gather resources and use them wisely, and expand our reach to people in Dallas.

Think about your prayer needs. What do you need God to help you with? Where do you need understanding? Provision? Courage? Peace? 

A wonderful psalm that can inspire our words to God is Psalm 68. The first verses of this psalm authored by David let us know that our God is dependable. He moves into our situation. He isn't remote or uncaring. We can expect Him to respond to His people:

May God arise, may his enemies be scattered;

may his foes flee before him. 

May you blow them away like smoke—

as wax melts before the fire,

may the wicked perish before God. 

But may the righteous be glad

and rejoice before God;

may they be happy and joyful. (verses 1-3)

Another part of this magnificent psalm fills us with assurance when we pray. He's there when life wears us down with trouble. In fact, God shoulders those challenges with us. David says with joy:

Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior,

who daily bears our burdens.

Our God is a God who saves;

from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death. (verse 19-20)

So we should always feel confident to call on Him and implore Him to intervene on our behalf. Jesus followers know that our God is not a do-nothing deity who distances Himself from people. God is engaged! He can be called on in any situation. We can take our cues from the ancient psalmist. David calls on God with no hesitation. It's like he utters a shout that pounds the windows of heaven: 

Summon your power, God;

show us your strength, our God, as you have done before. (verse 28)

Wow. That should make us shout right there. Hasn't God helped each one of us before? Why doubt now? Why be prayerless now? Join with DLF as we pray to our Father, who so dearly loves us. Pray this with us: Summon Your power, God!

Photo by Diana Simumpande on Unsplash

Christmas is around the corner and at Dallas Leadership Foundation we’re already gearing up for the 20th anniversary of Treasures of Hope (TOH) on Dec. 11-15 at the Plaza of the Americas.

We have so many memories about this signature outreach event, which has helped thousands of families over the years. We have binge-worthy stories to tell about getting toys to the shelves, pricing items, and watching how God used TOH to answer prayer after prayer. We can testify to how each year God has taken Treasures of Hope to deeper levels of service for families who need quality, affordable gifts. 

The Treasures of Hope Christmas Store also has become a go-to place where families can interact with participating social service agencies and learn about an array of benefits. The event also has become the gathering place for some of the most wonderful Christmas singing in Dallas-Fort Worth, and each night has been bathed in prayer and ministry through the chapel services.

We’re grateful for having the capacity to offer Treasures of Hope to the community each Christmas season. Not only does TOH serve families, it gives people and churches throughout the area an opportunity to spread the love and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ in a tangible way.

This year, consider getting involved. You can do so in three ways. You can set up a TOH Collection Box at your office or church. You can purchase items from the catalog and your purchases will be shipped to DLF and used to stock the Christmas Store. You can also make a cash donation online to support event expenses for Treasures of Hope.

Whatever you choose, learn more by going to the Treasures of Hope page on dlftx.org. With you, we can make TOH17 a special one!

Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to maintain a sense of peace. The world roars with words and behaviors that create headaches and spike blood pressure. Get engrossed by the daily news feeds, the social networks, or even the drivers who cut us off during our morning commute, and we risk losing our sense of peace. If we add marital or financial problems, a cycle of homelessness, worries about aging parents, restlessness at a low-paying job, concerns are gang members wooing a teenager, and a multitude of other life challenges, we don't walk from peace to anger. We sprint.

Anger is like the gaping ditch we know is coming. We know it should be avoided. But once we flirt with anger that ditch draws closer. Passivity is no different. Passivity stands out like a dark closet. Once inside, the door slams, and we feel trapped by the inability to move or say anything. We grope in the darkness, feeling immobile and overrun by circumstances.

But peace? Peace takes eyes wide open. Peace takes radical dependence on the Holy Spirit. Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:1-4:

 Photo by Nik Shuliahin on Unsplash

We're gearing up to celebrate men and women who have seen God dramatically change their lives. Praise! in the Park starts at 11 a.m. on Oct. 21 at Jubilee Park Community Center, 907 Bark St. in Dallas. The event is a wonderful time for family, friends and the community at large to honor men and women who are thriving to the glory of God after being previously incarcerated. 

The celebration is hosted by Dallas Leadership Foundation's DLF Reentry program, which sees an 8.3 percent recidivism rate among previously incarcerated men who have completed our program. Fifty percent of the men who participate in our transitional program keep a job for more than a year. 

Through DLF Reentry, we mentor incarcerated men and women working in partnership with local churches and organizations that serve the prison population.  Operating a pre- and post-entry program through designated dorms in Hutchins State Jail and Bridgeport Pre-Parole Transfer Facility, DLF supports individuals seeking a fresh start by walking side by side with them to develop individual service plans designed to help them successfully return to society.

If you're interested in volunteering for Praise! in the Park or providing financial support, register at dlftx.org or contact Katie Miholland by email: kmilholland@dlftx.org or by phone: 214.777.5520.

Giving is one of the exquisite opportunities we have to serve human beings. Giving also is a unique self-test. It reveals our level of trust, faith hope, holy expectation, self-sacrifice, mutual understanding, neighborliness, compassion, kindness, thoughtfulness, leadership, and much more. 

Our view of generosity syncs with how we view God. If we see Him as the Creator of all resources, if we see Him as a God who provides for us, if we see His way of doing life as our gold standard, every day we align ourselves more closely to heaven's infinite levels of giving. Best of all, we come into a deeper understanding of how giving reflects the beat of God's heart.

If we view ourselves as the only sustainers of our lives, we stifle acts of generosity. We don't look to God to replenish us. We take an extreme perspective that denies God's overall provision to us and rejects chances to give to others because our resources are insufficient. Finite. We can't give to others because we don't have a back-up. In our eyes, our financial pantries are too bare to share. The Bible addresses this I-don't-have-enough mentality by saying:

The Bible addresses this I-don't-have-enough mentality by saying:

"Cast your bread upon the waters,
    for you will find it after many days" (Ecc. 11:1).

In other words, as Jesus followers we give as He directs. He identifies opportunities to give and grants us wisdom on how to do it. We give as an act of service to Him, and our giving doesn't rock our trust that He will meet the needs that we may have.

On Wednesday, North Texans will have a chance to give during North Texas Giving Day. Dallas Leadership Foundation is participating, as we mobilize leaders across cultural and political lines. We hope you consider giving to our nonprofit organization to help us as we reach out to Dallas families. For more than two decades, we've labored in Dallas neighborhoods to identify and affirm leaders and help them transform the places where they live. Even if you don't give to us, we hope you still give.It really is more blessed to give than to receive.

It really is more blessed to give than to receive.

Photo courtesy of Aaron Burden on Unsplash

The cascading events of the last few weeks can remind each of us – if we let them – of our call to service as Jesus followers. It doesn’t matter where we serve, only that we serve where God assigns. There’s plenty to do.

• Evacuees need ongoing support as they try to rebuild their lives after Hurricane Harvey. Physical, financial, and spiritual support will be needed for months and years to come. (At Dallas Leadership Foundation, we're donating our summer clothing drive to help evacuees. To donate items, call 214.777.5520 or give funds at dlftx.org )
• Young, unauthorized immigrants known as Dreamers, will no longer be able to apply for protection through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. President Donald Trump wants the U.S. Congress to replace the program, which expires in March 2018, with new legislation. Regardless of our political views about immigration law, there is and will be, a human cost. People will need ministry.
• The tensions between the U.S. and North Korea continues. Compassionate and strategic intercession is needed for our leaders and leaders of the nations.
• Irma barrels through the Caribbean as an immense Category 5 hurricane, as of Tuesday. Intercession is needed for God’s protection -- for our country and all nations within the path of this storm.

Again, there’s plenty of footwork and knee-work needed at this hour by the church of Jesus. And it’s for such times as these.

Photo by Matheus Ferrero on Unsplash

If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday (Is. 58:10).

The devastation brought to the Texas and Louisiana coasts because of Hurricane Harvey and its flooding has also delivered an opportunity for all of us to serve here in North Texas. The power of strategic and responsive leadership is vital during times of crisis. May all of us be counted as caring leaders with fervent prayer and compassionate service. Find out how you can step in and help through this Dallas Morning News list.

UPDATED:

Since Thursday, we've started to get the word out that all items collected during our summer clothing drive will go to families in need after the rains and floods of Hurricane Harvey. To donate items to help families move forward, please go here.

At Dallas Leadership Foundation, we feel it's important that every leader find his or her our niche during this historic crisis. No role is too small or insignificant, whether it's clothing, money, blood donation, emergency help on the ground, or heartfelt intercession. God calls leaders from every sphere. 

Our response to His leadership call is critical. We live in unprecedented times. Leaders from every walk of life can help shore up conditions where people live, work, and worship. The challenges lie in clear view. Food security, chronic unemployment, affordable housing, education, and emergency preparedness are among the growing list of needs.

Infrastructure issues, as we've seen over the past week in Houston, also demand our strategic focus. As a state. As a nation. (To understand the context of what's happening in Houston, read the 2016 report by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune.)

In other words, it's time to be proactive, not silent. God's people must be on the move.

He is.

Photo by Olivia Snow on Unsplash

It’s a history of white supremacy that includes a public lynching of a 65-year-old black man at Akard and Main in 1910, Klansmen marching through Oak Cliff, and the infamous Dallas Klan No. 66, which was at one time considered by members the nation’s largest Klan chapter. Dallas Klan members came from every walk of life. Businessmen. District attorneys. Journalists. Judges. Doctors. Ministers.

A moving opinion piece in July expands on this history, along with books like this about the subject. They’re worth reading as Dallas plans to remove two Confederate monuments because the writers offer context to the history of white supremacy in Dallas.

Identifying context is a prayerful place to start for local churches who seek a prophetic role today in the public discourse about race. The Klan decreased in popularity after World War II. During a 2016 march, opponents outnumbered marching Klansmen.

As Jesus followers, we must vigilant to ensure that ideas promoted and reinforced by the Klan decades ago don’t get a chance to cling like barnacles. It’s never enough to repudiate prejudice and racism in word alone. Prejudice and racism require dismantling because Jesus followers overcome darkness; we don’t flow with it: 

For though we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh. The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the world. Instead, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We tear down arguments, and every presumption set up against the knowledge of God; and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.…” (1 Cor. 10:2-5)

Because the only context that matters is the Lord’s.

You know what happened. We all do.

We can’t overwrite the memory of a young woman being killed on the streets of Charlottesville, Va.

We can’t delete the mental file of pastors being beaten.

We can’t turn off the audio of people shouting hate, carrying torches, and relishing a nighttime march that resurrected the horrors of Hitler’s concentration camps, saluting Nazis, and Klansmen who lynched and burned their way through the South.

We can choose to overlook what happened in Charlottesville, not far from the Monticello plantation owned by President Thomas Jefferson. But a decision to keep silent about events this weekend, and every day this week, doesn’t halt the precarious direction our nation has taken.

We also may try to explain away the anger seething in the country, but that won’t stop its corrosive effect. Fractures run deep within “We the People.” Studies and polls back that up. The Southern Poverty Law Center reports that a staggering 917 hate groups are active in the United States. (Check out a map of these groups.) The Anti-Defamation League reviewed more than 2.6 million tweets last year that depicted a rising level of anti-Semitism. When joined with anti-Israel movements on college campuses here and around the world, one national leader said that anti-Semitism is reaching "pandemic" levels.

Even more disturbing, a poll of experts told Foreign Policy in March that the United States could be poised for another civil war. The experts based their observations on trends in this country that mirror similar movements around the world.

The Civil War devastated the nation and may have claimed the lives of up to 850,000. Church groups split over the issue of slavery. Baptists, Methodists and Presbyterians. Religious leaders even contorted theology to justify racial superiority.

For example, R.L. Dabney, a Presbyterian, Calvinist, and Confederate, defended the “biblical righteousness” of slavery. He served briefly under Confederate General Stonewall Jackson. After the war, Dabney's racism didn't end. He called blacks “a sordid, alien taint.” He also wrote in the 1870s that it was “unjust to tax ‘oppressed’ white people to provide ‘pretended education to the brats of black paupers.’ ”

During the height of the war, the Union Army upheld anti-Semitism through the infamous General Orders No. 11 issued by General Ulysses Grant. The infamous order expelled Jews as a "class" of people from Mississippi, Kentucky, and Tennessee for smuggling cotton in war zones. (Read detailed stories about what happened here and here.) Jews weren't the only ones illegally selling cotton in the underground market. They weren't the majority. But the order singled them out. In fact, Gen. Grant said that "the Israelites" were an "intolerable nuisance." (He later apologized for his anti-Semitic position.)

President Lincoln rescinded the order shortly afterward, but the directive had a chilling effect on Jews who worried about their place in America even after the war's end. 

As the nation wades into turbulent waters, Jesus followers should pause and remember the pivotal roles the church has played in the past. Too often, we were on the devilish side of history. It's imperative that we implore God to help us see what He sees and align ourselves with that. His perspective transcends ours. His kingdom will outlast our country.

We can seek God’s heart about what shoe-leather, one-on-one ministry looks like today. Not yesterday. Not 100 years ago. Today. The words of Dabney and the racist acts of Grant during the war are reflected in our discourse today. The church can't participate in darkness. Through the power of the Lord, we overcome the darkness. We pursue authentic ministry that disciples individuals and challenges them to repent of repugnant attitudes. We sort out true faith versus counterfeit beliefs that hide hate. We hold onto the Bible, which says that righteous men and women recognize the roots of evil:

"Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the Lord understand all things" (Prov. 28:5).

The only Person who can eternally transform anyone or anything is Jesus, not a ballot or a political party. And a heart gripped by the love of Jesus always is the first line of just defense against the firestorms of hate.

Photo by Andrew Pons on Unsplash

Children will be returning to school soon, and parents are getting their children ready. Everything from backpacks to textbooks to clothing to electronics will be needed.

Estimates show that back-to-school retail sales will reach $29.5 billion, an increase above the $27.3 billion in sales seen in 2016, according to the National Retail Federation’s annual survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics. Per household costs will reach $688 compared with $674 last year.

American families have faced rising costs as they get their children ready for school. For instance, 10 years ago parents were paying only $563.49 for back-to-school supplies, according to the National Retail Federation, which has surveyed back-to-school retail trends since 2003. 

Another survey, the Huntington Bank Backpack Index, breaks down costs based on required supplies and common fees. The index says parents can estimate costs that are $661 for elementary school students, $1,001 for middle-schoolers and $1,488 for high school students. Huntington Bank and the national Communities In Schools dropout prevention program prepare the annual index.

"We designed the Backpack Index as a basket of goods," said George Mokrzan, chief economist for Huntington Bank in a statement on the Communities In Schools site. "As we have assessed the cost annually for the same supplies and fees over 11 years, we have seen significant outpacing of inflation. While there is good news this year with minimal year-over-year impact, the set price for extracurricular fees for activities like sports and band represents an ongoing burden that can’t be lessened by merely shopping around.”

Back-to-school costs of any kind can hit underserved families hard. Tight budgets force families to make hard choices. At Dallas Leadership Foundation, we hear firsthand the challenges parents and students face through our DLF Youth program. If you’re interested in helping us assist families, please consider supporting our August Match. During August, all donations of $1,000 and above will be matched by $100,000. For more information, contact us at dlftx.org.

Photo by Scott Webb on Unsplash

Often we pin our expectations on others. We rely on other people to lead us because of their titles, positions, experiences and personalities.

That’s all well and good. But do we realize that we are called to lead, too? In our spheres of influence we have leadership roles. We have a leadership impact on our families, neighborhoods, workspaces and community institutions. In other words, according to the Bible, wherever we serve we lead:

"It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant.

At Dallas Leadership Foundation, we work alongside leaders as they seek to transform the way they live. We work with neighborhoods, young people and those in prison or returning to mainstream society. We often are called on to help with an array of other leadership opportunities, and through our decades of experience, we know that leadership begins with service. And we serve by identifying, affirming and developing leaders.

Because we believe everyone is called to be a leader. We’ve seen the results. Fifty percent of the crime rate was reduced in our 12 neighborhoods between 2014-2016. We’ve also provided 90,571 hours of spiritual training for incarcerated men in our faith-based dorm. Among the young people we serve in our Power Lunch program in schools, 45 percent serve in leadership roles.

If you’re interested in helping us move forward in our leadership initiatives, please consider participating. During August, all donations of $1,000 and above will be matched by $100,000. For more information, contact us on dlftx.org.

Photo courtesy of Ben White on unsplash.com

Every day is a great day to pray.

But now is a great time to pray without ceasing – not only for our families and communities. Now is a great time to pray for our nation.

More is moved by prayer than we fully know.

And countless circumstances may be unmoved because we don’t.

Why not ask God to deepen the love of the church for their Redeemer Jesus by igniting fires of revival?

Why not ask the Lord to increase the affection of His church for those who don’t know Him?

Why not ask Him to show the church her capacity to fulfill the work of God to transform communities block by block?

Why not ask the Lord to give wisdom to our leaders in every sphere of influence? 

Why not implore Him to bring peace to cities and prosperity to those in need?

Why not seek Him for individual and corporate strategies to bring people to Jesus?

Why not ask the Lord to help the church better understand His ways?

Sometimes we forget. We really do. The Lord's hand is not too short to answer our petitions, and He loves it when we turn our hearts toward Him.

All power belongs to Him and all solutions come from Him.

We can start with “Our Father,” and ask that God's will be done – on earth as it is in heaven…

Please keep Dallas Leadership Foundation in your prayers as we prayerfully walk out God's purpose for us. To find out more about us, visit dlftx.org.

Photo credit: Joshua Earle -- unsplash.com

Decisions affect everything. We decide how we live our lives, whether onto God or ourselves. We decide how and where we live. We decide how we vote. We decide where we work. We decide who we marry or whether we marry at all. We decide to have children or, if we can't have children, we may decide to fill our lives with children as foster parents, adoptive parents, aunts, uncles, and friends.

The point is, we get to choose.

Yes, there are situations where we don’t. Sovereign decisions by God affect our choices. On a human level, decisions by other human beings also can affect our choices. Consider the unfairness of a boss. Or the possibility that we can't get a job because of a poor credit score, a prison record or our age. Consider a health care system that arbitrarily makes decisions for us. Or how any illegal decisions by patients, health care professionals or insurers may hinder our ability to receive affordable care.

Decisions, decisions.

Decision-making is something to keep in the forefront when we think about helping our communities. If we’re not concerned about others at our core, we may be headed toward a Wild, Wild West motif, not a thriving network of communities.

• For instance, our urban planning may benefit the well-heeled. But why doesn’t our urban planning also anticipate the needs of current residents? Especially if they are underserved families?
• We may fight for fewer taxes and write-offs. But have we considered how our decisions may affect other people who may make far less? Have we wondered what tax benefits they have? Our incomes and neighborhoods may insulate us from transportation issues or struggling public schools, but what's the effect on those who need public transportation and public schools? Smart, affordable public transportation, and high-achieving public schools need money. Tax money.
• We may decide to patronize food-related companies that boast about helping families with needs in foreign nations, and yet those same “philanthropic” companies fail to transfer their spirit of philanthropy to U.S. neighborhoods plagued by food deserts. Their business models don't seem to fit the "clientele" or the investment doesn't seem worth it. But if we think about it, how philanthropic are these companies, really?

Remember, we all get to decide.

Decisions made solely on self-interest may make good politics and fantastic business, but they represent thorny theology. Jesus says that we're to treat others as we want to be treated. God holds us accountable for how we treat people, whether they are family members, next-door neighbors, or residents in another neighborhood, state or nation. For Jesus followers, kindness is a sacred principle that’s part of our daily lives. Proverbs tells us:

Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment. A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion. When wickedness comes, contempt comes also, and with dishonor comes disgrace. The words of a man's mouth are deep waters; the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook. It is not good to be partial to the wicked or to deprive the righteous of justice. (Proverbs 18:1-5)

How do followers of Jesus respond in today's world? How do we lead? Issues like these in the articles below (and more) demand prayer, not neglect. Because every decision we make eternally matters. To the Lord Himself. And to the countless souls He loves.

• How Homeownership Became the Engine of American Inequality
• A Matter of Time: The Causes and Consequences of Rising Time Served in America’s Prisons
• How a Cashless Society Would Harm the Poor

If you're interested in brainstorming with Dallas Leadership Foundation about ways leaders can help leaders in Dallas communities, visit dlftx.org. 

Dallas is becoming a city of the very poor and the very rich, as Mayor Mike Rawlings says in a recent interview. From our perspective at Dallas Leadership Foundation, this disparity reflects an assortment of issues.

It’s not just about jobs and earning livable wages. It’s about having a place to live, whether you buy or rent. It’s about transportation, whether you plow through the city’s clogged arteries or catch a DART train (or wish you could). It’s about schools where children can thrive. It’s about eliminating food deserts and increasing health prevention efforts. It’s about reducing recidivism rates, improving existing housing, and creating recreational spaces for families.

It’s about all these issues and more. So how can we help each other through these issues to improve the quality of life in our city? First, as Jesus followers, we must ground ourselves in the Gospel about how to treat our neighbors. The Spirit of God must mold our perspective, not our politics, not our cultural partisanship, and not our personal preferences. To help us remember that, we can anchor ourselves in verses like these:

• “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done.” (Proverbs 19:17)
• “And if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.” (Isaiah 58:10)
• “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” (Proverbs 31:8-9)

Secondly, we can get educated about why poverty is growing. We can prayerfully examine research from partisan and non-partisan sources to learn how policies have created or expanded economic divides in Dallas and the nation. We can study stats collected by the Mayor’s Task Force on Poverty. We can read stories about Dallas’ booming real estate market with a sensitive eye. When home prices are soaring along with rents, how do working people who can afford neither survive?  

Thirdly, we can get our churches involved. We can petition the Lord together about how to meet the needs of all people. We can form partnerships with congregations already battling poverty. We can discuss exchanging strategic resources above and beyond traditional donations. We can work with each other to generate innovative strategies and policies that aren’t 19^th or 20^th century in vision and scope. We can ask the Lord for effective 21^st-century innovations rooted in His ancient truths. The result? We can serve people in ways that matter.

If you’re interested in starting conversations about fighting poverty, contact us at dlftx.org.

At Dallas Leadership Foundation we hope you are and your families and communities are celebrating our nation’s birthday. The Fourth of July commemorates liberty. Liberty was hard fought at our nation’s inception, and liberty is still being fought for – from sea to shining sea – 241 years later. So over the barbecue and during the fireworks, we hope you remember the sanctity of living as a free people. We hope you respect and defend it.

Jesus followers know a thing about liberty. We know how important it is to love people enough to walk among them and not at a distance. It’s a privilege to speak out, vote and fight so that others can experience freedom. For Jesus followers, we also understand the breadth of liberty because it reaches beyond our personal and political freedoms to the endlessness of eternity.

The crux of the Gospel is that love led Jesus to live, die and rise again so that any human being could have the chance to receive His gift of a free life, a gift tailored for the human soul. When any human being accepts this gift, they experience a freedom that not only encompasses body, mind and spirit; it defies time, matter and space. In other words, with the Son of God, we receive mega-liberty.

Every single day, Jesus followers should be in the business of sharing mega-liberty. We may support the American tenets of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, but we must be mindful of a greater constitution, the superior covenant provided by Christ Jesus. Our template is not a political party, but the love of Jesus. Race-centered politics, worldliness or self-interest never should drive our actions. Authentic and lasting freedom sprouts from God alone because Jesus set us free for freedom.

On this July Fourth, let’s remember the Apostle Paul's plea to the Jesus followers of his generation. He asked them to remember the only "pledge of allegiance" that will matter forever:

Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:1-6, NASB)

Why treat the health-care debate like a spectator sport where all we do is watch and worry about how the U.S. Congress will resolve the issue of health care? As local leaders, we can bring meaningful contributions to the national discussion. We can jump in the arena. We can become compassionate gladiators fighting for the health of our families, neighborhoods, cities and spheres of influence.

The roller-coaster debate over health care provides a golden opportunity for each of us to lead from where we are. But remember, golden opportunities don’t always look golden. They can appear futile. Even dangerous. And they don’t necessarily emerge conflict-free. And yet, golden opportunities, when viewed with the eyes of faith, are priceless chances to innovate, build coalitions, and care for others.

Major decisions about health care — whether to revise the Affordable Health Care Act or repeal it and introduce an alternative — eventually will be made by the legislators our nation has elected. But while the debate and protests continue, as Jesus followers and local leaders there are additional ways we can engage in the health care debate. We can pursue essential solutions on the ground. 

We can start by launching or shoring up health-related actions on the local level that can have a transformational impact. For example:

• Ask for God's grace when praying about the health of communities and talk with Him about specific health trends; ask in faith, believing Jesus can heal
• Work to eliminate food deserts
• Push excellent nutrition in school and after-school programs
• Support and create community-based programs that help seniors live in safe homes while them providing them access to physicians and prescriptions
• Encourage and participate in community gardens
• Increase education and accessibility for health prevention and screening
• Insist on creating buildings and spaces equipped for multiple generations and physical abilities
• Tackle transportation as a health-related issue
• Host bicycle and walking clubs and increase activities such as marathons
• Underscore the need for mental health care professionals in underserved communities
• Volunteer at hospitals
• Invite an array of health care professionals to host presentations at community meetings, faith-based organizations and churches that train audiences about healthy living
• Increase healthy recreational outlets for children and teens such as playgrounds, basketball courts and soccer fields
• Work with employers and municipalities to increase employment, support entrepreneurs and help build wealth
• Hold fast-food establishments accountable for their menus
• Engage with city and business leaders to invite food providers who offer healthy menus
• Pray that people will be moved to participate in strategic civic philanthropy
• Invite technology leaders to generate ideas that improve mental and physical health

This list is just a start. What are your ideas to help improve your community's health by addressing health-related issues? Let us know in the comments below or reach out to us at dlftx.org.

*Post updated June 28, 2017

Through decades of service to the community, we at Dallas Leadership Foundation have learned that God orchestrates ways for us to serve and stand alongside people. We’ve learned that leadership development and neighborhood transformation, while wonderfully organic at its best, just don’t happen in isolation. Every step toward leadership and neighborhood transformation is watered by prayer.

We believe focused prayer is a powerful place for Jesus followers to begin serving their communities. Prayer opens unknown doors, brings in unexpected resources, and defeats unseen spiritual enemies. With that in mind, we invite you to include two prayer requests during your time of intercession. The first request is for the Dallas City Council.

On Monday, the city hosted the 2017 Dallas City Council Inauguration. Four new members joined the council. Mayor Mike Rawlings gave an inaugural speech that covered multiple issues facing Dallas. The Bible instructs us to pray for our leaders, and we can play a role by asking God to give them wisdom, protection, and tenacity for tough times. See how the Holy Spirit may lead you in prayer by reading the text of Mayor Rawlings’ inaugural speech on Facebook. Here’s an excerpt:

I believe the way we conduct ourselves as leaders of major American cities is being looked upon like never before. We, the elected leaders of municipal government, are closest to the voters and the taxpayers. We are the ones that have the most direct daily impact on our constituents’ quality of life. The world is starting to understand it is at the local level where we make progress, keep people safe, create jobs and opportunities.

The second prayer request we invite you to consider is World Refugee Day, which is being commemorated Tuesday. A lot of political discussions can be found about refugees on news outlets and social media channels, but we’re not espousing any partisan views. We’re just asking that you pray.

The Bible says that His people are to be kind and generous to our neighbors. To walk in kindness and generosity means trusting that God will guide as we serve others in His Name. Check out this article from CBN.com for related biblical passages about God’s heart when it comes to helping refugees.

To learn more about the mission of Dallas Leadership Foundation, please visit dlftx.org.

June is National Homeownership Month. Owning a home is a wealth builder for individuals and families who decide to buy their piece of Americana. Ownership increases personal net worth over time, and pride of ownership creates an essential engine of stability in any community that doesn’t happen when the community is comprised only of renters.

Homeownership enables a city to have a robust tax base that can fund schools and sustain a safe infrastructure. Affordable home ownership allows people to live and work so that they can care for their families and reach their dreams.

In recent years, however, homeownership has declined in Dallas and other U.S. cities. That’s troubling for those who care deeply about their fellow Americans enjoying the benefits of homeownership. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, from the mid-1990s to 2005, homeownership reached a peak. It’s been declining ever since.

In the February 2017 post, “A Close Look at the Decline of Homeownership” on Liberty Street Economics, the authors write that the homeownership rate of 63.4 percent in the third quarter of 2016 was only slightly higher than homeownership in the fourth quarter of 1965 of 63.0 percent.

The authors say that “although there is reason to believe that the homeownership rate may begin to rise again in the not-too-distant future, it is unlikely to fully recover to its previous peak levels. This is a disconcerting finding for those who view homeownership as an integral part of the American Dream and a key component of income security during retirement.”

The Urban Institute, also during February, focused on the decline of homeownership among African Americans specifically. In the post – “Are gains in black homeownership history?” – the authors state that “black homeownership rates have declined to levels not seen since the 1960s, when private race-based discrimination was legal.”

The authors further state that “unless this setback to black homeownership is addressed, black families will rent for more years before homeownership than they did a few years ago. This will shrink the landscape of housing choice available to black families, increase their exposure to displacement, and delay or close off a key wealth-building mechanism. All three of these outcomes will widen the inequality that underlies so many current struggles.”

The observations from Liberty Street Economics and the Urban Institute are staggering. They should rally community leaders, churches, nonprofit organizations, businesses, municipal institutions and other stakeholders. One-size-fits-all approaches that don’t uproot and untangle the problems of our nation’s housing issues won’t work. Most of all, our citizens deserve more than that. 

To engage Dallas Leadership Foundation in solutions-based discussions about homeownership in Dallas, please reach out to us at dlftx.org.

Many neighborhood and group leaders throughout the Dallas area host cleanup, construction and renovation projects throughout the year. They’re sprucing bushes and mowing grass. They’re painting. They’re refurbishing interiors and more. It’s an essential way leaders demonstrate compassionate support for families and the neighborhoods they live in and such projects provide a critical step during the community transformation process.

Projects continue to move forward when they have all of the resources required -- such as committed volunteers for work crews and more than sufficient money for materials. Leaders also require a functional array of tools -- from saws and wheelbarrows to ladders and hammers. It's a fundamental requirement for community projects, and our loan program is another way we at Dallas Leadership Foundation serve the community through DLF Neighborhoods.

Leaders know they can count on us to help supply the tools they need to serve families. We're a reliable resource, and we provide professional tools. It’s a role we cherish because the loan program allows us to leverage our relationships throughout Dallas to obtain the resources leaders need to minister effectively throughout Dallas.

If you’re interested in supporting our tool loan program, please contact dlftx.org for more details.

Troubling news about increased gang violence in Dallas ignited by social media and leading to a jump in drive-by shootings should cause all of us to commit to intercession for our city. According to the Dallas Police Department, more than 122 drive-by shootings have been reported to date, and the bulk of the incidents have happened in southern Dallas.

Overall crime is at a historic low, but crimes such as aggravated assaults and businesses robberies are increasing, the Dallas Morning News reported. And, as the summer months approach, concerns about gang violence continue to rise.

Dallas police acknowledged that there is a growing problem with gangs during its meeting earlier this week with Dallas City Council. The report illustrates that Dallas isn’t immune to the gang violence that has affected other U.S. cities -- from Houston to Chicago to Denver.

From our perspective at Dallas Leadership Foundation, the uptick in gang violence confirms the importance of our mission to co-labor with neighborhood leaders. Neighborhood leaders have a matchless, on-the-ground view of how gang violence grows and spreads. Neighborhood leaders need to be supported not with haphazard support, but intentional, ongoing, best-in-class resources. Every Dallas resident needs to understand that gang violence anywhere in Dallas is a threat to the safety and prosperity of the entire city.

We know how tireless and compassionate neighborhoods leaders are in the face of sustained challenges that affect underserved communities.  We respect their wisdom. They don’t need anyone to jump in to help and overlay their problems with five points and an anecdote from a bestselling business book. They ask for collaborators and partners who’re willing to build relationships with them and the residents in their neighborhood. That’s what we’ve learned after more than 20 years of walking with neighborhood leaders throughout Dallas.

We also respect the wealth of community knowledge they bring. Their understanding can help steer intercessors so that they intercede for neighborhoods not as generalists but as prayer warriors who cry out to Heaven about specific challenges. The sharing of the Gospel and the discipling of committed Jesus followers are the first remedies to resist gang violence.

Gang violence anywhere represents a myriad of embedded problems. To support us as we provide multi-faceted assistance to leaders in Dallas neighborhoods, please consider praying, volunteering, or donating at dlftx.org.

Leading takes many forms. One form that’s often underestimated is the power of friendship. Not friendship with an agenda. Not friendship for just a day. Authentic friends work alongside each other and weather tough times together. As Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 says: 

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: 

If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.

At Dallas Leadership Foundation, we intentionally nurture friendships within the communities we serve. Before there’s a program or activity, there’s a friendship. We enjoy being called by name by residents. We like sitting on front porches to chat. We like catching up at lunch or sitting in on a neighborhood meeting. After more than 20 years of ministry in Dallas, we know that with each interaction, we either build a relationship or strengthen one.

Without friendships, our work as a nonprofit organization would have only a top-soil effect that yields temporary results. Here are two examples of why we feel strongly in building relationships in communities.

First, genuine, deep-seated friendship is key when considering the trends in mental health. May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and there are tons of discussion about how to improve the lives of those with mental illness. According to the National Alliance on Mental Health, one in five adults nationwide wrestle with a mental condition, and one in 25 have a serious mental health illness. Individuals in underserved communities often have mental health conditions that go untreated and sometimes these individuals become entangled in the justice system. The Safety and Justice Challenge reports that 14.5 percent of men and 31 percent of women have been admitted to jail have a serious mental condition.

Second, a study released this week by the Barna Group says that 27 percent of individuals with lower incomes are more likely to be lonely and 47 percent say they have no one to call on in an emergency. Twenty percent, according to the report, say they have no friends at all.

If Dallas Leadership Foundation didn’t pursue relationships in the communities we serve through DLF Neighborhoods, or in prison through DLF Reentry, we would miss opportunities to support our friends by connecting them to our networks for an array of services. We also wouldn’t have the chance to just be there for someone in need. We believe it’s what Jesus would have us do, according to John 15:12-15:

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

Look a young person in the eye. Really look. It’s important that you look. Do you see a leader thriving because of someone’s mentoring or a leader hungry for nurturing?

God may be calling you to invest in that young person. He may want you to be the person that young person calls – whether you’re their parent, friend or the manager at McDonald’s that teaches her how to fry French Fries.

God may want you to be the person who provides a desperately needed opportunity at a critical juncture in a young person’s life. God may need your financial resources to help a young person go to school or afford a place to stay. God also may require your seasoned business experience to help a young person become an entrepreneur.

Directing young people toward success doesn’t manifest in a vacuum, and it doesn’t happen overnight. God gives each young person gifts, but He places them in families, friendships, schools, churches and communities where those gifts can blossom in an atmosphere cultivated by His love.

The alternative to ignoring that young person can mean that God seeks someone else willing to pour into his or her life on the Lord’s behalf. More perilous options may also woo the young person from seeking a productive, satisfying life in Jesus Christ. 

Some youth abandon their aspirations for college and a career. They settle for something less than the promise they showed in grade school and high school. Some pursue violence or struggle to cope with the violence surrounding them. Some eventually find themselves entangled within the justice system. 

Tragically, some are taking their lives, a concern that has many criticizing the 13-episode drama on Netflix called “13 Reasons Why,” a depiction of a teen’s suicide and the 13 audiotapes she leaves about the multiple events that led her to death. And it’s not just teens. On Thursday, CBSNews.com reported that an 8-year-old died by suicide in January. Two days before, the boy had been bullied by fellow students.

Paying attention to the young people around you matters. Mentoring them matters. Loving them matters, and being there for them as God fashions them into the leaders He purposed them to be matters for eternity. 

We've witnessed what happens when young people receive loving support. Through partnerships with schools, our Power Lunch program through Dallas Leadership Foundation's Youth inititiave provides weekly group, peer and individual mentoring to students. Through Power Lunch, DLF has seen a 97 percent graduation rate among participants compared to DISD's graduation rate of 50 percent. Every summer, we see young lives changed after being mentored for six weeks. Within the last three summers alone, our Power Camp has served nearly 400 at-risk youth with over 50 committing to Christ. 

 To learn more about our work with youth through our free summer program Power Camp, or to invest in the life of a young person, visit dlftx.org.

Small businesses offer a range of benefits. For example, business owners often know their customers because they’re neighbors. The presence of small businesses such as a coffee-and-donuts spot or a hardware store creates foot traffic in an empty strip mall that would be empty otherwise. A collection of small businesses in a community also draws the attention of larger franchises or industries.

As the nation commemorates National Small Business Week, business owners and communities can make a point celebrating the continued possibilities small businesses offer such as innovation and economic growth. Businesses help communities sustain themselves by working alongside leaders working to increase or revive a neighborhood’s economic health.

Small businesses contribute to the tax base and invest in community projects like sports teams and nonprofit fundraisers. They also create jobs. According to the U.S. Labor Department, “more than half of Americans either own or work for a small business, and they create two out of every three new jobs in the U.S. each year.”

 Getting small business to open their doors begins with cultivating an entrepreneurial mindset among young people. Programs that help entrepreneurs should be aggressively promoted and issues that cripple small businesses challenged at every opportunity. 

Small businesses typically represent the dream fulfilled for the determined entrepreneur, who envisioned a dry cleaner or a restaurant franchise, a construction company, a hair salon, a car wash, a furniture store, a pool-and-spa supplier, a car dealership, a small deli, and a host of other businesses.

At Dallas Leadership Foundation we salute the small businesses that contribute to a community. Productive, community-supporting small businesses serve among the mix of building blocks that help a neighborhood swing from lethargic and dying to thriving and booming. Shopkeep offers 10 positive ways a small business can help a community in this article.

For more information about how Dallas Leadership Foundation works with neighborhoods, go to dlftx.org.

 A photo essay on the How Housing Matters site is worth the read about how The Connection's supportive housing programin Connecticut prioritizes stable housing for families. Once a family has a place to stay, and the pressure of living in a safe place is minimized, that stability plays an essential role in helping families stay intact while moving forward economically. According to the essay:

Case managers typically work with families for 12 to 18 months, though the duration can vary. The goal is to stick with families until their DCF case is closed, they are stably housed, and they have a steady income. Housing is the first priority. Although many families have other needs—often around employment, substance abuse, or mental health—The Connection believes you can’t really focus on those other problems until you have stable housing.

 What’s happening in Connecticut should stir thought. The pressure is real for families struggling with housing needs, as bestselling author Matthew Desmond told the Dallas Morning News recently:

“You reach the point, in cities like Dallas and nationwide, where the majority of working families spend at least half their income on housing costs. About one in four of those families is spending over 70 percent of their income just on rent and utilities. That's us. That's our reality.”

Desmond is the author of “Evicted,” which won the Pulitzer Prize this year.

Nonprofits that help families obtain housing or improve their homes continue to need ongoing support because families are facing housing needs every day.

Learn how Dallas Leadership Foundation helps families improve their homes and works alongside community leaders in Dallas neighborhoods by visiting dlftx.org.

Imagine the sound. A violent earthquake announced the resurrection of the Son of God early in the morning.

“After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” (Matthew 28:1-7)

After a brutal crucifixion, Jesus rose from the dead in a glorious and mysterious work of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. One of the signposts of the resurrection’s occurrence was an earthquake, a sound that rattled bodies and souls. 

The resurrection of Jesus should affect us like that way even today. Body and soul. We never heard that earthquake at His tomb in Jerusalem or saw the angel who moved the stone and sat down on it like it was a pebble.

We can still hear the voice of Jesus, though. We can still heed His voice within our hearts. Those who already have received Him by faith can hear Him and respond in obedience — whether He requires growth in our relationship with Him or urges manifesting His love by serving others.

Those who don’t know Him yet also can also heed His voice to give their lives to Him, a voice which can be a whisper to the soul or a plea heard through a friend. His voice is real when it is heard because He is the only Person on the planet who can forgive sin and give eternal life and peace.

That earthquake in Jerusalem is a part of history. But the voice of Jesus continues to speak every Resurrection Sunday and beyond as He calls men to Himself from heaven and not from the tomb.

Because He has risen. Just as He said. 

But how many of us know that the Bible links Golgotha to another biblical site that reveals God’s eternal, methodical steps toward the rugged cross?

According to many scholars, Golgotha and the ancient site of Mount Moriah may be the same area. In other words, scholars believe that Jesus may have been crucified near Moriah or at its summit.

Moriah is the place where 2,000 years before Jesus died, the Hebrew patriarch Abraham ascended the mountain with his son Issac. When Issac questioned his father about a sacrifice, Abraham told his son that God would provide the lamb. Abraham bound his son, the beloved heir God had promised Abraham and his wife, Sarah.

As Abraham was preparing to kill Issac, God stopped him, acknowledged Abraham’s abiding faith in Him, and gave a ram as a substitutionary sacrifice. The Book of Hebrews says that Abraham received his son back from the dead.  Abraham’s words about a lamb that God would provide, however, wouldn’t come true until thousands of years later.

God would use a lamb to speak to His future goal when He instructed Moses to institute the Feast of Passover. The enslaved Israelites sprinkled the blood of a lamb over their doors and were protected as God judged the gods of Egypt. Jews are commemorating this unforgettable deliverance by Yahweh around the world this week.

 Panoramic view of Mount Moriah (the Temple Mount), courtesy of Wikipedia.

But in Jesus -- Yeshua Ha-Mashiach -- God provided the perfect Lamb, the true Passover Lamb. The blood of Jesus frees those who believe in Him. And like Abraham and Issac, God the Father received Jesus back to Himself when He raised Jesus from the dead on Resurrection morning, which Christians will celebrate on Sunday.

Mount Moriah was also the site where David bought a threshing floor. Years later, David’s son Solomon would build the first temple to God on Moriah. Solomon’s temple was destroyed by the Babylonians and restored after the Jews were freed from Babylonian captivity. King Herod later remodeled the structure. This second temple, however, was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D.

During His earthly ministry, Jesus compared Himself to the temple in Jerusalem and promised that He would tear down the temple in three days and raise it again.

He did.

The site of Abraham’s obedience, the Jewish temples, and the place of Jesus’ sacrifice to redeem the world — is also the site of another event. Jewish tradition says that Mount Moriah — now known as the Temple Mount — is the site of Creation itself.

According to Hebrew for Christians, the Jewish sages believe that God created the world at Moriah, and that the “foundation stone,” the Even-ha-Shetiyah, is there. In fact, the ground itself at Moriah is where God created Adam, the sages say. This means that at the very site where the Second Adam would die for all of the sons and daughters of Adam is also the site where Adam was born.

The Bible makes it clear: Jesus is the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:3).

Tonya Watkins and her husband Reggie and their Daisha Watkins made volunteering a family affair on early Saturday at the Transform Dallas workday in Hamilton Park. While Reggie has been volunteering for years, and has volunteered with his daughter, Saturday was the first time Tonya volunteered. 

“The Lord blessed me, so I’m going to give back,” said Tonya as Transform Dallas volunteers signed in, got T-Shirts, ate breakfast and waited for their assignments.

Tonya said that in the past, she avoided volunteering because she thought she wasn’t needed. She said she used to think: “Someone else will do it. They don’t need me. I’m not going to be much of help.”

But Saturday was different. “I’m going to try to do the best I can do – whatever else is asked of me,” she said.

Her husband, an employee with Texas Instruments, a Transform Dallas corporate sponsor in Hamilton Park, said that he felt “good, very good” that his wife had joined him.

Reggie said his family has a long history of volunteering. His uncle was a NAACP president in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. “It’s something I’ve always done,” explained Reggie, who was volunteering with Transform Dallas for the first time. “Voter registration drives and stuff like that.”

Serving is trusting. Think about it. When you give your heart, time and resources, you entrust something of yourself to someone else. You place someone's needs above your own, confident that you've made a priceless investment into an individual or a project that benefits people.

The fact that serving involves trust could be one of the reasons many don’t serve or give more often. Or more generously. The lack of trust that what they give isn’t appreciated or the creeping anxiety that their need will go unment can hinder the joy of giving by serving.

And yet Paul encourages Jesus followers not to fall into that trap. He cites his personal experience in Acts:

“You yourselves know that these hands of mine have ministered to my own needs and those of my companions. In everything, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus Himself: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” (Acts 20:34-35, Berean Study Bible)

It’s always worth the investment to reflect the endless generosity of God. There’s no downside. God directs seasons of service, identifies places of service, enables service, and refreshes His servants until the next service assignment. There’s no room for worry for those who reflect His purposes through compassionate service. 

When doubting the value of our service, we can hold onto this promise from Psalm 41:1:

“How blessed is he who considers the helpless; The LORD will deliver him in a day of trouble. The LORD will protect him and keep him alive, and he shall be called blessed upon the earth.” (NASB)

In other words, when you entrust yourself to the service God calls Jesus followers to, you can trust Him to take care of what concerns you. The woman who made room for the prophet Elisha discovered this. She and her husband prepared a place for him from their resources. They established a relationship. When she had a need, the Lord answered her. (Read the story of Elisha and the Shunammite woman in 2 Kings 4:8-37.)

While none of us should never serve to give or get, we must always remember that when we serve freely, without regret, we walk in the ways of Heaven, not Earth. Heaven runs on a different economy, expectation and return on investment. God's servants keep those differences in mind. Their service is led by the Father, not themselves others.

If God is leading you to take on a serving opportunity for Dallas, please consider joining us on Saturday, April 8 to volunteer at the Transform Dallas Citywide Workday.  Dallas Leadership Foundation, together with Concord Church, Fellowship Church, Friendship West Baptist Church, Highland Park Presbyterian Church, Park Cities Baptist Church, and Prestoncrest Church of Christ have teamed up to demonstrate the love of Christ.

The workday will provide pro bono services such as serving meals to the homeless, renovating elementary schools, assembling and delivering care packages to hospitals, hosting carnivals and block parties for children, assisting formerly incarcerated women, and painting houses for seniors and low-income families. You can register to volunteer at dlftx.org/transform-dallas.org.

Everyone has an opinion about the national health care debate. Whatever your perspective, there may be a silver lining to the contentious political discussion. Healthcare forces all of us to rethink what community actual is in 21st century America. Ultimately, the questions about healthcare can be distilled to who cares for us when we cannot care for ourselves when faced with illness or older years? Questions can drill down even further to the moral role of healthcare companies to the eternal question of who are our neighbors?

A recent article in The Atlantic prompted thoughts about the power of caring for each other and working alongside one another from cradle to grave. The article, "Government Paid for Poor Citizens' Health Care Some 300 Years Before Obamacare," argues that government-subsidized health care can be traced back to British settlers. Here's an excerpt:

"British settlers in North America brought with them the laws of Britain, including measures pertaining to health care. Just a few years before the settling of Jamestown colony in Virginia, Parliament had reorganized a hash of different laws into one big “Elizabethan Poor Law,” which dictated how governments assisted the poor in Britain from 1601 until a major revision in 1832. In British America, the law was adopted by the earliest colonial governments, and government’s involvement in health care was part of the civic fabric—like jury duty and rounding up stray animals. George Washington himself oversaw its provision early in his political career. Starting at age 30, Washington served on the Truro Parish Vestry, a kind of citizen board that assisted the local Church of England parish. As church and state were intertwined in colonial Virginia, this was the body that oversaw tax-supported poor relief, including health care, in that area.

The article also shows how communities can be formidable ecosystems. Don't we all know examples of this? Some communities have a long history of serving others in remarkable ways, often with little money but tons of heart. Other communities are remembered for neglect or intentional segregation by race and class, serving few and ignoring many.

The Bible outlines an expectation for the church of Jesus Christ to serve others, from their homes to the spheres of the world. (See verses on community.) Through the Transform Dallas Citywide Workday, Dallas Leadership Foundation and six core churches are trying to strengthen the understanding of community -- in spite of political, racial, economic, and denominational lines.

We're trying to "be there" as a dependable, community support system for those in need. Transform Dallas doesn't resolve a behemoth national issue like healthcare, but we're taking steps like cleaning debris, writing letters to veterans, painting and repairing houses, and reading to young children to help bridge racial, political and social divisions.

It's only the beginning.

To volunteer for the Transform Dallas workday, please visit dlftx.org/transform-Dallas.

While new, affluent residents and visitors rave about must-visit restaurants, artsy boutiques, upscale housing and dog parks, many low-income residents who already call the neighborhood home can’t assume they’ll benefit from the burst of growth and amenities.

Current homeowners can anticipate that they may struggle to keep their homes, and renters can brace themselves for the possibility of exploding rents or the demolition of their apartment complexes if developers decide to raze older, existing buildings so they can construct upscale townhouses and condos with features home buyers covet.

Over time, the trendy replacement overshadows remnants of the old neighborhood, which seems quaint with the grittier signs of urban life tamed and painted. It’s a familiar pattern. At Dallas Leadership Foundation, we know from the 11 neighborhoods we serve that gentrification and the issues surrounding the phenomenon is something Dallas-area churches can’t ignore.

State Rep. Eric Johnson (D-Dallas) and Dallas City Council member Scott Griggs last week co-authored an op-ed about House Bill 2480, a bill that addresses gentrification and could help longtime residents in gentrifying areas like West Dallas, one of the city’s hottest areas for redevelopment. Johnson also was featured in an NBC 5 story about the bill, which, if passed, could go into effect in September.  

Fresh, comprehensive ideas are needed as the city’s challenges keep compounding. Earlier this month, D Magazine reported that Dallas ranked among the nation’s worst when it came to offering affordable housing. D Magazine cites a National Low Income Housing Coalition report that says only 19 low-income housing units are available locally for every 100 renters. Exacerbating the problem is that Dallas has one of the highest poverty rates in the nation and is car-dependent in many areas. Transportation expenses add more financial pressure on families who already pay steep housing costs on a tight family budget.

Gentrification and sustained investments in existing neighborhoods for current residents are issues that congregations can’t hope away. Why? Ministry happens first on the streets before it occurs in sanctuaries, and hands-on, let’s-make-it-happen ministry is needed in Dallas’ neighborhoods. For instance, lending a hand to small neighborhood associations painting houses, improving streets and picking up litter can be an incalculable gift to a community. Supporting small congregations that stretch every day to help their neighborhoods benefit enormously from philanthropic-minded people who provide resources small churches can’t access.

That’s why Dallas Leadership Foundation and six core churches launched Transform Dallas, a citywide workday. We believe Christians can lead by serving when they tackle citywide challenges like gentrifying neighborhoods and provide solutions. Our hope is that churches throughout Dallas view these challenges as divine opportunities to demonstrate that Jesus cares about the heavenly destination of human beings as well as living conditions in their neighborhoods here on earth.

To learn more about Transform Dallas and opportunities to volunteer or donate for this event on Saturday, April 8, visit dlftx.org/transformdallas.

Artifice and condescension don't accompany these volunteers. What does is the hope that their service delivers what's needed for the people they serve. Of course there are many reasons to volunteer, but here are five to consider:

1. Volunteering is a form of leadership that supports your neighborhood and the leaders and communities around you.
2. Volunteering can transform someone's life.
3. Volunteering provides an opportunity to give positively to society, not negatively.
4. Volunteering provides a feeling of personal contribution that is focused on seeing others thrive, lead and succeed.
5. Volunteering helps bears the burdens of others -- part of a mutually beneficial cycle where people give and receive help. (Galatians 6:2)

Mother Teresa said this about volunteering: "Let us not be satisfied with just giving money. Money is not enough, money can be got, but they need your hearts to love them. So, spread your love everywhere you go." And Booker T. Washington once said pointedly about service: "If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else."

During the Transform Dallas Citywide Workday, more than 250 projects will be offered for volunteers to share time with fellow human beings -- the young, the old, the single, the married, the homeowner, the renter, the business owner, the employee, the retiree, the long-time resident or the newly arrived refugee.

Does volunteering at Transform Dallas interest you? We can promise you that whatever the service, volunteering can create relationships and memories you'll never forget.

This is why Dallas Leadership Foundation, and the core planning team that includes Concord Baptist Church, Fellowship Church Dallas, Friendship West Baptist Church, Highland Park Presbyterian Church, Park Cities Baptist Church, and Prestoncrest Church of Christ, are looking forward to Transform Dallas 2017. 

Followers of Jesus honor God when we help people because we reflect His loving heart, His feet that run to people and His hands that hold them with an everlasting tenderness. In fact, the Bible says:

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ (NIV, Gal. 6:2).

Join us for the Transform Dallas citywide workday on April 8. The workday will give you a chance to see why we're committed to helping people!

Leadership begins with serving. On Sat. April 8, 2017, you can help Dallas Leadership Foundation and local churches celebrate the power of leading by serving others through the second annual Transform Dallas citywide workday.

The workday is part of a Transform Dallas community service campaign that acts as a springboard for expanding projects annually and throughout the year. Our goal is to serve our community together -- across denominational, racial, class or political differences. 

The Transform Dallas core planning team includes Concord Baptist Church, Fellowship Church Dallas, Friendship West Baptist Church, Highland Park Presbyterian Church, Park Cities Baptist Church, and Prestoncrest Church of Christ working in partnership with Dallas Leadership Foundation.

We're partnering together to feed the homeless, show hospitality to refugees, visit patients in hospitals, and make home improvements for Dallas residents -- free of charge.

Interested? Volunteer registration opens on Friday, Feb. 24, 2017. Sign up at the Transform Dallas site to let us know you're ready to pitch in!

*Photograph of 2016 Transfom Dallas volunteer.

Instead, the report “explores a number of these popular explanations for the racial wealth gap, looking at individual differences in education, family structure, full- or part-time employment, and consumption habits. In each case, we find that individual choices are not sufficient to erase a century of accumulated wealth: structural racism trumps personal responsibility.

“Drawing on data from the 2013 Survey of Consumer Finances, we find that white adults who don’t graduate high school, don’t get married before having children, and don’t work full time still have much greater wealth at the median than comparable black and Latino adults—and often have more wealth than black and Latino households that have married, completed more education, or work longer hours. Differences in consumption habits also cannot explain the wealth gap; we look at academic research finding that white households spend more than black households of comparable incomes, yet still have more wealth.”

The Demos and IASP report also posits that wealth disparities are not eased by a) two-parent households; b) by working full-time or c) spending less.

In 2013, the median white household possessed $13 in net wealth for every $1 median black households held, according to data from the Survey of Consumer Finances. Latino households held $1 for each $10 white media households had.

The Demos and IASP report is worth a careful, prayerful study, and frank, intentional conversations among Christian leaders, whether they live and worship in urban, rural or suburban areas. The wealth gap is like the billboard that never goes away, and Americans can’t afford to ignore it.

An economic system that allows — or even promotes — bias to persist by race, zip code, credit score, previous incarceration, mental health and well-being, and delivery of goods and services should be challenged outright in a democratic government. Redlining, for example, isn’t sanctioned in the U.S. Constitution. Neither is redlining approved in the Bible.

So to pretend that institutions and policies haven’t perpetuated economic disparities based on race or to excuse them away isn’t only short-sighted. For followers of Jesus who understand His ideal for community, it’s unloving. 

Gaines was a black man enslaved during the 19^th century. He was born on Aug. 4, 1840 at Bernardo Martin Despallier’s Louisiana plantation. Gaines taught himself to read after a white boy — some think it may have been Blaz Philipe II Despallier — smuggled books to him. 

Yearning to be free, Gaines resisted slavery and fled several times before being recaptured after each escape. As a slave, he had worked as a steamboat laborer, a blacksmith and a sheepherder.

After Emancipation, he lived in Washington County where he was a minister and community leader. Gaines became a Republican state senator representing the Sixteenth District in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Texas Legislatures during Reconstruction. Gaines was one of four African Americans to serve as a state senator in the 19^th century.

Voters elected Gaines to a six-year-term, but he served only four because of a bigamy charge in 1873. The Texas State Library and Archives Commission in its biography of Gaines says the charge was false and politically motivated.

“The charge was overturned on appeal, and he was reelected, but the Democratic and white majority seated his opponent,” explains a biography from the Texas State Historical Association. “Gaines continued to be active in politics and made his political views known in conventions, public gatherings, and from his pulpit.”

During his tenure as a legislator, Gaines worked for reforms in tenant farming and prisons, mental health, protection of African-American voters, and the election of black public officials. He was a leader in “the 12^th Legislature, which established free public education in the State of Texas and  enabled the founding of Texas A&M University,” according to the university’s The Matthew Gaines Memorial Homepage. The Texas State Library and Archives Commission biography describes Gaines as “daring, keen of mind, courageous, and firm in the equality for all men without regard to race or color.”

An article by Dale Baum on the Texas A&M site observes: “Gaines proved to be the most forceful, charismatic, and militant black leader in Texas politics during Reconstruction.”

Baum also writes that “Texas A&M and Prairie View A&M are today the only two tangible achievements of the bi-racial democracy which was briefly brought to power in Texas by black political activism in the late 1860s and early 1870s.”

Baum offers an extensive history of the political heights Texas Republicans reached for during Reconstruction — before Texas Democrats "chose brute force and expediency over statesmanship and fair play" and dismantled those efforts.

As the nation begins commemorating African American History Month, it's a great time to reflect on the history of Gaines and Reconstruction in Texas. Consider the obstacles Gaines and others had to face in a nation healing from civil war while black people sought full privileges as U.S. citizens. How much can we accomplish today when Christians pursue a spirit of authentic, loving, pragmatic and Jesus-honoring unity?

Photo of Matthew Gaines from Wikipedia.

Regardless of who you voted for in the past election, regardless of whether you celebrated or protested during last Friday’s inauguration of President Donald Trump, 2017 is about seizing precious opportunity.

 Leaders discover opportunity in places others overlook. Leaders recognize “the moment” when everything changes for a family, a neighborhood or a nation. They also recognize that opportunity may spring from familiar or unexpected times and places. Obscurity or prominence. Prosperity or lack. Ease or difficulty.

In other words, genuine, grassroots leadership can emerge during any administration, in any community, and at any time. Throughout human history, swiftly changing times have incubated leaders (and movements) that have transformed the world. Like seeds germinating beneath the soil, leaders and their contributions may not be seen right away. But they’re there.   

 And there’s plenty for leaders to do. A Pew Research Center report released on Tuesday showed that economic concerns – although with a lower share than in 2009 and 2013 – are topped only by anti-terrorism as top policy goals Americans think the new president should pursue. Jobs, healthcare, the environment, race relations, and other issues made the list.

 The policy list reveals plenty of opportunities for leaders – whether in D.C. or in neighborhoods from Detroit to Dallas. The needs are there – wide open gates of opportunity.

 At Dallas Leadership Foundation, the objective continues to be providing a long-term change in underserved communities by developing a critical mass of local and resourced leaders to serve in neighborhoods, prisons and schools. The aim is to identify, affirm, and develop leaders to transform communities. DLF recognizes that to pivot in the right direction and serve a community, its leaders must be identified and supported.

 So what are your leadership objectives for 2017? How will you seize opportunities to lead in areas you care about? If you’re a Jesus follower, leadership is embedded in your spiritual DNA. It’s your kingdom inheritance, the desire that never goes away. You’re an ambassador for Christ, fully equipped by the Holy Spirit to tackle the assignments Heaven gives you. You can recognize the Father’s assignments because ultimately, people always are at stake. He longs for relationship with people everywhere and to crown their lives with blessings that last, and they’re never ignored in His plans.

 So. What is He calling you to do? 

 Swearing-in ceremony photo of President Donald Trump on Jan. 20, 2017 courtesy of Wikipedia.

It’s the signature song from the Civil Rights Movement many will sing throughout Monday’s celebration of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.

The melody, derived from the song “No More Auction Block for Me” that pre-dates the Civil War, haunts the soul. The lyrics, drawn from “I’ll Overcome Someday” by the Rev. Charles Tindley, are penned like the tear-stained letter of someone plowing through crushing tragedy while definantly gripping hope.

But the question always arises. When does “We Shall Overcome” become more than an ache for what is yet to be? In part, the idea of overcoming becomes more concrete when we grasp who we are and clearly identify the circumstances we face.

President Lyndon B. Johnson touches on this perspective in his speech “We Shall Overcome,” delivered on March 15, 1965, a week after police attacked African Americans in Selma, Alabama. Here’s a key excerpt:

“There is no Negro problem. There is no Southern problem. There is no Northern problem. There is only an American problem.

And we are met here tonight as Americans—not as Democrats or Republicans; we’re met here as Americans to solve that problem. This was the first nation in the history of the world to be founded with a purpose.

The great phrases of that purpose still sound in every American heart, North and South: ‘All men are created equal.’ ‘Government by consent of the governed.’ ‘Give me liberty or give me death.’ And those are not just clever words, and those are not just empty theories.”

In his 1967 book, “Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community,” King doesn’t sugarcoat his perspective of what overcoming looks like as he urges the nation to abandon the wretchedness of racism:

“White Americans must recognize that justice for black people cannot be achieved without radical changes in the structure of our society. The comfortable, the entrenched, the privileged cannot continue to tremble at the prospect of change of the status quo. … This is a multiracial nation where all groups are dependent on each other. There is no separate white path to power and fulfillment, short of social disaster, that does not share power with black aspirations for freedom and human dignity.”

Indeed. When human beings understand that everyone has a chance to reach for a high purpose as individuals, community leaders, and as American citizens, we glimpse the overcoming life.

No one should understand this principle better than Jesus followers. The Bible offers full understanding of an overcomer and an overcoming nature because overcoming is a promise discovered in a Person. According to 1 John 4:5 “everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith” (ESV).

For an overcoming nature to be a genuine, unflinching trait, we must perceive it as a fact of the past, an experience of the present, and an expected outcome of the future. It also must be understood as the richest of blessings all share when they dedicate their lives to Jesus, the Eternal Overcomer.

 (Photo of President Johnson and Dr. King in 1966 in the White House Cabinet Room by Yoichi Okamoto.)

Resolution One: I will live for God. Resolution Two: If no one else does, I still will.  -- Jonathan Edwards

Every new year offers two opportunities. Climb higher. Go backward. Standing still isn't an option. Not really. Because without growth, stagnation creeps in.

So in 2017 leaders have a choice. Onward or backyard? Distracted or focused? Purposeful or random?

At Dallas Leadership Foundation, we're reaching for the steeper climb. We're stretching to give much more to families through our outreaches for youth, prisons, and neighborhoods. Most of all, we want to experience the new horizons Father God has in store. We trust in His ability -- because of the access we have in His Son, Jesus Christ -- to introduce us to the new!

Lead with us in 2017 by going to dlftx.org to learn more how you can pray, volunteer, or donate. It'll be worth every moment.