I love Detroit!!!!

I am a lucky girl for a lot of reasons. One being that my dad showed me the beauty of the city of Detroit. I love the city and anyone who knows me at all knows that if I felt like I could morally short sell my house, I would, and I’d move to Detroit. I’m really praying about a situation that might be able to make that happen. (and for the record, my dad’s dad hated the city of Detroit, even though he worked for the city). So today I read an article about what has happened to the city of Detroit. It made me soooo angry!!! Shut up with your excuses I’d like to say to the author of this dumb article.


You know why the city of Detroit is in such a mess? The people of the city tried to do it their way… they pushed God out. Ok, there I said it. Hate me all you want for loving Jesus. People don’t want to do anything that takes them out of their self-centeredness. Greed, laziness, hate… blah blah. But there is still hope.

I love the city. Even though my life has been in danger more than once in the city. I’d choose to do anything there (and if I thought that paying for a sporting event was worth it, I’d do that more often). I grocery shop (THANK YOU WHOLE FOODS!!!), eat, hang out, buy Starbucks (I loveyou Billy!), and do whatever I can, in the city. And best yet… there is no stupid walmart (I hate walmart!).

I hate it that people can stand around and say “that needs fixing” but don’t go get their hammer or whatever tools necessary to fix it. No matter what city it is. Yes, we pay taxes, but everyone knows we all want to pay the minimum amount of taxes as possible. Parks get over run with debri, grass gets long, people spray paint. It’s up to you and me to do something about it! A few years back, a house in my neighborhood was abandoned and the grass was about 6 inches high with tons of notices on the door (hello, the house is abandoned, who was going to read them), I pushed my lawn mower two blocks, and mowed it. It wasn’t ok with me that was going on. Please note… I don’t even cut my own grass!!!

But it’s not just about what’s going on in the parks and streets. People need to be loved and cared about. Because THEY MATTER!!!! They don’t need welfare, they need a lunch mom to feed them a good meal, love on them, tell them they are special, long term invest not jet fly by with a bunch of “stuff” they might need (though I have totally been known to do that – but someone has to pay the bill). They need to be read to, and sung to, and educated. Someone to teach them from the top of their heads to the bottom of their feets that they are important. That no matter what they do, they are loved no matter what (maybe not their behavior but they are!) They need Jesus!

A lot of people think that it’s so awesome that I am going to Haiti for 2 weeks. They overlook that I am going to Detroit with over 100 people to love on the city. To fix parks, paint park equipment, love people, give them water, tell them about Jesus without saying a word, cover up graffiti. We are doing so many different things, I can’t even tell you them all!

I’m not great human being, I am someone who knows what God has done for her, and wants to serve Him.

My fabulous dad who taught me about the city? He also taught me that hard work and integrity is important.

So I say to you… what are you doing to make the world around you a better place?

If not me, then who, if not now, then when?

So you haters of the city? Stop hating. Nothing good. NOT ONE THING comes from hate. Love. Love is where it’s at.

Let’s go!!

Isaiah 58:10

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.

And… thank you article writer, I’m even more ready to get the ball rolling on the community center!


Comments

Jada's Gigi said…
I wondered how you were handling this Detroit thing.