Big Ideas

My son has always had an ambitious mind. Years ago, he was playing at a friend’s house, and that friend had an electric train. During this same phase of his life, my son was reading some popular books about a broom-riding boy who attends a special school for magical children. You might be familiar with that series.

One day he came to me with a big idea. He wanted to suspend a train track from the ceiling of his bedroom. After that, he wanted to loop some thick rope around the train that would go on that track. Finally, he wanted to attach a broom to the rope, hop on the broom, start up the train, and ride the broom around his small bedroom. Easy, right?


Unfortunately, I was unable to make that father-son project happen. The spirit was willing, but my limited knowledge of construction and my minuscule budget were not going to suffice. Even though we were unable to complete this vision, my son has maintained his willingness to try out new ideas. I hope he always maintains that ability to dream.

There is much to be said about the imagination of a child. As we transition into adulthood and are faced with the inevitable challenges of practical decision-making, it would be nice if we could maintain more of that childlike wonder. At Kingdom Causes Bellflower, we encourage people to dream, to ponder, to ask a lot of “what if” questions. This can obviously be frustrating at times because barriers can quickly arise. However, it can also be exhilarating when we think about the awesome power of God and how He can move mountains.

A few weeks ago, I talked about the concept of being a catalyst, and how KCB strives to bring ideas together for the betterment of our community. This is a theme that I want to stress again, because transformation is about huge concepts, and a willingness to step out in faith.

Do we need to be pragmatic at times? Absolutely. Do we need to think about budgets, resources and timelines? Yes. That said, sometimes we need to get a hammer and just start pounding nails. We need to believe that amazing things can happen when God ignites his people and spreads their love throughout the community.

I don’t regret that my son and I failed to create his vision. Well, maybe a little. That project was too ambitious, but not because it didn’t have merit. It wasn’t possible because it would have fallen on my shoulders, and I am just a sinner, saved by God.

With God, ALL THINGS are possible! Do you believe that? Do you truly believe that? If you do, fire up those dreams. Let us know what God has put on your heart, and maybe we can find others who have experienced the same spiritual excitement.

The people of this community are out there, waiting. What is your big idea?

Last Day Reflections from Abbey

Today is my last day working at KCB, so of course I’m in reflection mode, and I can’t help but think back to my very first day.

I started at KCB as an Americorps volunteer, fresh out of college and knowing absolutely nothing about community development or nonprofit work. I thought I had come to KCB to run a teen drop-in center. As it turned out, God had other plans.

On my first day our Executive Director, Ryan, told me about a family who was living in the park. A young mother and her two toddler boys had been seen sleeping overnight at Simms Park, and the park staff had called Kingdom Causes to see what we could do. This started my “baptism by fire” into the world of social services and broken systems.

So as a young, privileged, and out of touch 21-year-old, I was frantically driving this mom and her kids around to various social services agencies, getting increasingly angered at the brokenness I witnessed first hand. Referral, after referral, after referral. Long lines, rude workers, and insensitivity abounded. By the end of the day, I was exhausted and heartbroken. Through some connections that Ryan had at KCB, we were able to get this young mom into a program where she and her kids were safe. I don’t know if she remembers that day, but in my mind it’s as clear as if it happened yesterday. I was forever changed.

Since that day, I’ve learned so much about poverty, community development, justice, and the role of the church in all of it. I’ve seen incredible life change and transformation:

-The dad who spent most of his life in prison, but committed himself to his daughter when he was released, and was reunited with her through a stay at Margaret’s House and job with Good Soil.

-The mom and kids who broke down in tears when they were given the keys to their first apartment of their own after fleeing domestic violence and suffering months of homelessness.

-The kids who began dreaming about what their future careers would be, after being exposed for the first time to professionals and education opportunities.

There are so many stories of life change among marginalized populations that I could name. But honestly, the change in me was greater than all of these. I learned that poverty is not about a lack of material things… it’s about brokenness. And we are ALL broken. Whether emotionally, relationally, spiritually, or socially… there are things in our lives that are in desperate need of repair, even if we might appear more put together than the person pushing a shopping cart down the street.

So, (not that anyone is asking) if I had to give one piece of “wisdom” or advice after working in this field for the past seven years… this would be it:

Stepping into relationship with those that are “other” makes all the difference in the world. It’s worth the risk.

At some point, a few of our “clients” became friends. As I recognized my own brokenness and pride, I began to see the image of God in every face and every story. I began to recognize the miracles that were happening all around (and inside) me. This is the difference between the way that KCB works and most other social service agencies. We recognize that reconciled relationships are what make the lasting transformation possible.

Is it risky? Of course. Entering into a REAL relationship with someone who is very different than you brings with it all sorts of messiness. People will take advantage of you, steal from you, cuss you out, and hurt you deeply. But didn’t we do the same to Jesus? Don’t we continue to take HIM for granted every day? Yet—he continues to love us.

So, what is poverty? One of my favorite speakers named Claudio Oliver puts it this way… “Poverty is a lack of friendship”. So, let’s end poverty together. Let’s make a new friend today.

-Abbey