Scott Roley's Blog

A Continued Call to Prayer

posted on August 17, 2010 - 12:02 PM

Dear Family of Faith,

A WALK THROUGH HARD BARGAIN

posted on July 28, 2010 - 6:16 PM
In Hard Bargian, we usually don’t see the sun until after 10 o’clock; Mr.Jewel’s tobacco barn at the far-east end of the block blots it out. But I wonder why it feels like the poor have less light to work with. Certainly there is less of everything else here, which is why the spirit of the people in Hard Bargain is remarkable. They’re like starved or stranded sailors on a half-sunken ship, smiling and calling out, welcoming all to come aboard for the cruise of a lifetime.

A Continued Call to Prayer

posted on July 27, 2010 - 4:07 PM

I have recently taken some time to get away and evaluate the call to prayer we’ve undertaken since Ash Wednesday. As you know at that time I clearly felt the Lord wanted us to lift up to Him prayers concerning the direction of the Church, asking Jesus what He wanted us to pray for Him to accomplish. I can say without a doubt we are at a wonderful cross roads as God has led us in answering our prayers. The fresh vision statement and potential re-organization of our leadership around that vision is beginning to produce tangible results. Out of natural confusion has come some clarity.

A personal proximity to injustice means...

posted on July 22, 2010 - 3:40 PM

Staying "within reach" of the poor and hurting and those who are often over looked, asking whom God has placed within your reach. It’s taking responsibility for myself in walking next to friends and neighbors who suffer from the snobbery and sometimes lousy neighboring of the dominant culture.There is a poem or creed central to community development philosophies embracing the idea of indigenous leadership. It states:

Go to the people

Live among them

Learn from them

Love them

Start with what they know

A PROXIMITY TO INJUSTICE

posted on July 20, 2010 - 6:00 PM

The background for the new book comes from an idealistic, yet not-too-common story. I am a 57-year-old white man raised in a semi-affluent neighborhood in the suburbs of Washington DC. Actually, we came from "Old Town" Alexandria, Virginia. My father was a vocationally well-connected lawyer who worked for the Commerce Department in the early 1960s.

If someone had told me twenty-three years ago...

posted on July 15, 2010 - 4:49 PM

that I would be taking a leisurely walk through the Hard Bargain neighborhood as a homeowner, I wouldn’t have believed them. But the truth is, after being here twelve years, I don’t want to live anywhere else. Hard Bargain continues to satisfy me. Maybe the constant adventure of the community is enough to hold me. Like a moth to a flame, or a mosquito to my skin, I stay mesmerized. Our cozy spot is both an outpost for the lonely and the best place to find everything I need. Relationships have been formed that bring satisfaction to both giving and receiving.

Comfort...

posted on July 14, 2010 - 6:59 PM

I live in a neighborhood filled with people who I’ve been taught are uncomfortable to love. What I’ve found is that they’re the most loving friends I’ve ever had. Jesus unites us and we live our lives for Him. Where in your life can you see the need to move outside your comfort zone and break bread with someone very different from you? The beauty of Hard Bargain is a subtle reminder that we belong, body and soul, to Jesus, not ourselves.

Join us in Prayer

posted on July 12, 2010 - 9:56 AM

This week the CCC Family is praying for Blood:Water Mission, a non-profit organization founded by the members of Jars of Clay to address the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa. Their mission is to tangibly reduce the impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, to promote clean blood and clean water in Africa, and to build equitable, sustainable, and personal community links.

A Continued Call to Prayer

posted on July 06, 2010 - 4:38 PM

The Lord continues to stir my heart to look for ways to give more money back to His work.  Everything I own is already His… with that said the question is how much of it do I need to keep in order to live the life He has called me to?

New family music...

posted on June 28, 2010 - 4:26 PM

My son Matthew has released two new recordings which can be found on his web site MatthewRoley.com The first is Friends of Badger Mtn. an ep titled Birds of Prey and the second is Minivangelicals a self titled ep. featuring his sister Emily Roley (Minivangelicals.com). Matt and Emily wrote and perfomed the songs on Minivangelicals and both recordings are fantastic. It is so fun to hear the kids with those family harmonies...hope you enjoy.

Scott

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