Kayne and Louisville

This afternoon, about an hour ago, I started singing to myself Kayne West’s newest single. Something may have triggered it, but I have yet to figure what that might have been.

This would not have been a bit strange if I was home. However, for the past two days I have been in Louisville, KY at a Presbyterian Mission Conference. This is mostly for international mission, which all of us urban workers in the US, are getting a bit bitter about (as if we aren’t doing mission/justice work just because we aren’t overseas). The main point is that this event is about 99% white and about 80% over the age of 55.

I was with Heidi, the DOOR Miami City Director (aka Miami version of me) yesterday as she lead a workshop and she mentioned that some research of cross cultural work a person becomes a 150% person, 75% of the cultural one was born into and 75% of the cultural one encounters. At events like this one, my 75%s are at war with one another.

I would hardly say that Kayne West is only an inner city thing – by far not. However, by standards of most people here – to start humming his music is as far away as South Africa. I can talk churchy language and I love to think theologically – but I would rather do that in the context of the city. This isn’t something that I can leave – instead it is in me to the core. I don’t like being with a 700 person crowd of white people anymore. I want the variety of God’s rainbow of colors present at an event such as this.

Whenever I am sent to these conferences, I think of these things. I have been changed by living and working where I do. I want to live where I live; I want to work where I work; I want to be a faithful disciple of Christ and I believe that I need to continue to work on that as well as understanding my 150%ness.