Dear Friends,
Here we are beginning another New Year. Like many, I find myself full of hope for what is ahead, and even though 2011 was a difficult one for me personally, I remain grateful for God's goodness and provisions.
At this time of year, some of us may make New Year's resolutions. For me, one of my main goals for 2012 is to get healthy. My recovery from GBS is taking longer than I had imagined, and I am forced to carefully decide each day where to invest my limited energy. It has not been an easy journey, but I continue to trust that God is re-writing my heart for a more effective life and ministry.
In terms of Desire Street, I also pause to think what role we should play in order to make a difference in our changing world. Though my energy level is low and I have to be careful about what I can and can't do, I continue to think about practical ways to make an impact toward the revitalization of impoverished neighborhoods--to make this world a better place for all of us.
You see, at this time of year--maybe it's because we are fortunate to spend a lot of time over the holidays with family and friends--I become acutely aware of how blessed we are by the level of comfort that many of us in America enjoy on a daily basis. Even in my battle with GBS, I am surrounded by countless loving and supporting people, and I am blessed to have the necessary resources to get the help and medical treatment I need.
We live in one of the wealthiest countries in the history of the world, and yet there are many people in our country who find it impossible to make ends meet, whose children go hungry and suffer from broken social and educational systems.
At a time when I think in practical terms about everyday goals, I wonder what I personally can do about poverty and injustice.
One thing I can do is to be a voice for the poor. Following Hurricane Katrina, I had the opportunity to be interviewed several times about what was going on in New Orleans, and by all accounts, many people in our country actually saw for the first time the problems facing the inner city, and how the poor don't have many of the resources we all take for granted.
I wish I could personally guarantee everyone a life of freedom, security and peace, but I can't. Instead, I can be sure that everyone I spend time with is aware of the on-going problems of poverty, and what is needed in order to break the cycle that entraps the poor. I can ask those I meet to join forces to make a difference in the world, starting right here at home in the inner city. Will you join me?
God bless you,
Daniel
