Community Tribe Refresh
I just returned from the CCDA (Christian Community Development Assoc.) Conference in Raleigh. It was so refreshing for me to spend time with this like-minded tribe!
Some still cannot figure why I have such an affinity with this CCD group, lifestyle. All I can say is… in the 2nd half of life, the perpetual “more” cycle of American dream prosperity has become shallow to me. I lived it as a cultural norm for decades. But now I grieve it’s grip and it’s partnering deep rooted Western individualism. Both appear good. But, they tend to elevate self before others, making “us” or “our own” first in life. I live in tension with both, wondering if they really empower others or model the reconciling love of Jesus and his gospel for the common good of… well, ALL.
This tribe simply offers us a different lifestyle model.
So, below are a few highlighted remarks from Dr. John Perkins, grandaddy of the CCDA movement. Honestly, this man is the closest I’ve ever met to Jesus in the flesh. Thanks to our friend, Daniel Hill, for originally sharing these quotes:
“As family goes, so goes our communities. As our communities go, so goes our society.”
“We need to pray for revival. We need the Spirit of God to come upon us in a powerful & pervasive way.”
“We need to avoid the mistake of past revi
vals, which was to separate faith & deeds.”
“Past revivals often led us with a dichotomy: spiritual salvation was divorced from social salvation. Many were converted to a fundamentalist version of Christianity that accommodated slavery, bigotry, & poverty. But we must not make the opposite mistake and separate works from faith. We need redemption. We need God’s spirit.”
“Salvation means we are delivered as whole beings: body, soul, and spirit.”
“What is the good news of the Gospel? That we can be born again by love into a new family – the family of God.”
“The family of God experiences the love of God together, & then does the work of God together here on earth.”
“The work of Justice is fundamentally redemptive. We are redeemed by God & then are invited to join the redemptive work of God.”
“Born again people pray to do Gods will: ‘God, not my will but yours be done. What are you trying to accomplish & how do I participate?’”
“Isaiah is the Old Testament model of uniting personal & social redemption. He 1st has a powerful conversion experience. Then he writes the blueprint of ministry. In Is. 61 he says: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me…’”
“I get asked all the time: ‘What’s the relationship between the Gospel & reconciliation.’ My answer is always the same: ‘the Gospel IS reconciliation fool. Read 2 Cor. 5!’”
“If you feel called to ministry & don’t feel called to the poor, you may not have been actually called.”
