Segue Dallas

August/September Newsletter

Things are going very well on this first
stint. We’ve been out on the road now for about 27 days, and driven
almost 4 thousands miles, but we continue to go strong! Today we were on the
second page of the Texarkana Gazette, in a piece that was more than
half the page, so that was cool. I always get worried about being in the
paper, just because of misquotes and all that jazz, but from what I am
told the piece was really, really good. All today I’ve been getting
phone calls and emails from random people telling me how inspired they
are, and how they want to be a part of what we are doing. So this is good,
but adds a new dynamic.

Lately we’ve really been focusing on sharing not only our love with
people, but also the love of Christ. I noticed a small process, if you
will, that Jesus went through in His conversation with a few people
throughout the bible, particularly with people in need. Usually he
encountered them, healed them, then forgave them. So we’ve been trying to embrace
them as our friends as Jesus would, provide them with food, water,
drink and a person to listen, and then share with them the love of Christ.

For me, the trip has become more than just loving on and providing for
the homeless. It’s really shown me that we as humans all are hurting in
some way or another, and most of the reason for that hurt is another
human being. For instance, people who are homeless are often serviced
with shelters, soup kitchens, and job training, but that’s not getting to
the core of the issues they are dealing with. Most men and women on
the street have been hurt by parents (75% of homeless men and women have
been raped, or molested), and so if it’s relationships (unhealthy ones)
that scarred them, then it’s relationships that will heal them. Soup
kitchens won’t heal them. Shelters won’t heal them. Relationships will.

And so I am moving this idea over into the rest of the people in the
world, and I’ve noticed it’s just as valid. Somewhere over the course of
time we are all shaped, positively or negatively, by the relationships
we have with friends, family, or that bully at school, or that rapist
who broke into our house, or so on and so forth; and so relationships
are the only things that’s going to heal that. This may seem obvious
enough, but as I look around at some churches, organizations, and even the
government, people seem not to see this.

Looking into the bible, I think this is obvious enough as well. In Acts
2 thru 6, there is amazing community that is life giving, healing, and
focused on Christ and the Spirit. So that’s good! And positive! And
those sort of relationships are good, and bring you closer to our Savior.

If I turned around Acts 2-6, what does that look like? What is the
complete opposite of Acts 2-6? People not providing for each others needs.
People not meeting daily with each other. People not thinking of
others, but thinking only of themselves. People not rejoicing together.

And I believe this is where we are. And it’s relationships, the ones
that are manifest in love that comes from Christ and have a purpose to
connect with Christ; it’s those relationships that will heal us as
followers of Christ, as homeless men and women, as terrorist, rapist,
murderers, and any other man or woman. Because at the heart of every issue and
problem we face, there is a broken understanding of what it means to
be loved and love. The killer kills because he was never paid attention
to. The rapist rapes because he was molested. The terrorist terrorizes
because someone told him that killing meant service and love to God.
The homeless man is homeless because he lost hope in people, and didn’t
realize anyone cared. The high school senior cuts her wrist because she
feels the world is against her. The freshman boy smokes weed because he
feels like it’s the only way to fit in. The business man commits
adultery because doesn’t feel like he’s being paid
attention to by his own wife. The leader of this nation declares war
on another because he feels threatened.

Chad

Kevin,

Listening to you talk about the move to Deep Ellum in Segue was really interesting, if for no other reason that it really hit home with the move that I’ll soon be making. You see, if I had not known different, I may have mistaked the Segue move to Deep Ellum with my move to college. The similarities were astounding: New place, new relationships, more people to meet, etc. I thought that this was cool, and I’m really excited for the opportunity that is presenting itself both for my future, and for the future of Segue. I was really glad to see the focus for all the positive that could come out of this, and rightly so. When you asked the, “Why do you want to make the move?” question last week, I immediately associated it with the move I’d be making, and that begged the question for me as to what excites me about my move to Austin. And really, the answers are the same: i.e. building relationships with new people, and becoming a part of the bigger picture.

One thing that I often find myself doing is overlooking the downside or shortcomings in people, places, ideas, or whatever, simply because it’s not pretty. I cannot really express how excited I am (have been) for college to get here. I don’t think I fully realize it now, but I know there will be things I both miss about home, and things/situations that I do not like in Austin. It was evident through the conversation at Segue, that y’all have put a lot of thinking into this, and not just about all the good things that this move allows for, but also for the worries that come with it. There will be expectations, but I hope the majority of Segue stays the way it is. There will be an “adaptation process” but much as with my move, you can only be who you are.

I believe it was Kelly that talked about not biting off more than can be chewed and burning yourselves out. This reminded me somewhat of something my baseball coach at Woodrow told me. In his first years, he tried to be the guy-who-controlled all, who did everything he could to make the players all that they could be. Eventually he burned himself out, simply because not enough of the kids cared. He put so much into trying to make them care, and it backfired. Now, that’s not to say he didn’t want teams such as the one this year to succeed, but he no longer does what he once did: He simply couldn’t keep it up. In this case, an attitude adjustment was not something he could change in one year, but he poured his all into it and ended up burning himself out. I’ve never been one for real inspirational words, and as odd as this sounds I have no idea what to make of that story. But, that was the first thing I thought of, and maybe there’s some connection there that I don’t quite comprehend.

But I am a firm believer that this move is for the best, and it will be successful. From talking to you, this seems to be something you’ve really wanted and I have no doubt that Segue will flourish because of it. I know that I for one am looking forward to coming back and attending Segue whenever possible. But hey, I still have about 5 Segue’s left with y’all and I’m looking forward to those too!

Two or three months down the road, Segue may no longer be held in your house, but in essence I think that its going home. And that’s pretty cool!

Sam

I’m sure that when M. Night Shyamalan started to write the script for Lady in the Water, he did so with some sort of an idea for the kind of person he wanted to play each role.  Conversely, there were probably a good number of actors who read the script and either thought it was a great role for them, or that the proverbial shoe didn’t quite fit.

The task of finding the right person to fit the role is essentially what the movie Lady in the Water is all about.  Cleveland Heep goes on a quest to return the girl who saved him, Story, to her home in “the Blue World”.  To do so, Cleveland must find people capable of helping Story, a Symbolist, a Healer, a Guardian, and a Guild.  Cleveland seeks out the help of a movie critic named Mr. Farber, who gives Cleveland what he thinks are the leads that he needs to seek out the identities of each of the helpers.  Of course, Cleveland picks the easy answer, and it is not until later that he finds the identity of each of the players.  Once he does so, though, they are able to safely get Story to the eagle that will take her back to her world.

This past Sunday at Segue, we discussed some of the ways in which this movie parallels what is going on with Segue.  It really is funny, because through each individual’s eyes you could see a different interpretation as to what this movie means.  Watching this movie, it was easy to see what Kevin was getting at a few weeks ago when he talked about his vision for what he would like to see Segue become when a permanent home is found.  If my memory serves me correctly, he envisioned a place where Jim would be outside greeting people, a place where Austin and Justin could use their artistic talents to make a visually vibrant worship space, a place where Jana and others could use their talents to make a sensually calming atmosphere.  I know I’m leaving out multitudes of others, but you get the idea.

One of the big pillars of Segue is community, and everyone who wants to can find their own niche within this community.  To some it comes easy, but others of us are like Cleveland.  The obvious answer may not be the best answer, but after a little searching, it will come.

And that is what is makes this movie interesting to me on so many different levels.  Much in the same way that Shyamalan had a plan for this script, God has a plan for us.  The script has been written, and it’s up to us to seek out our part.

Now it’s your turn.  What is it that you see in the movie?

June/July Newsletter

(Chad and Marjorie Matthews are embarking on a multi-city tour to meet people who are homeless, understand their plight, and discern how to best meet their needs. The following is an excerpt from Chad’s journal describing one of their recent experiences.)

Our friend Pop has taken unofficial ownership of his
small spot right off the sidewalk on Canal street, and
for the past few days he’s invited us to that spot
with him. It’s a little cubby hole of sorts, maybe 3
feet deep and 2 feet wide, sitting right between two
convenience stores on the busy sidewalks of New
Orleans. Two beat up water coolers serve as chairs
that give us a front row look at the hectic pace of
the city streets in the afternoon hours.

As we sat with him, hundreds upon hundreds of people
walked by, unashamedly starring at Pop, almost looking
offended that a dirty man would set up shop right near
a sidewalk that tourist frequent often. On more than
one occasion, I made eye contact with people as they
were walking by, and though no verbal communication
happened, their eyes were asking me, “what in the
world are you doing there? Are you in danger?!”

“You two are good people, you know that? I love you
two, I mean that, I really mean that.” Pop continued
to say. The warmth that comes from just being near a
man like Pop is overwhelming. There’s a feeling of
safety and security I felt while being in his
presence, and in some ways he’s been a grandfather to
me in just these last few days that we’ve been in New
Orleans. Yesterday we had the opportunity to be guests
in Pop’s home, which is located only about a minutes
walk from where he sits day to day. The building
was built sometime in the late 1800’s, and it’s
completely destroyed in almost every conceivable way.
One wall has been completely demolished, leaving only
three walls to help hold up the three stories of
crumbling bricks and molding wood that make up the
building. Pop moved a small board aside, which acted
as a door, and lead us into the dark abyss that was
his home. Immediately the stench of mildew raced up my
nostrils, causing me to completely end any sort of
inhaling through my nose, and instead breathe through
my mouth. Once we were inside, we followed Pop on a
small path that was surrounded by all sorts of
different trash that had been piled up on both sides.

Everyone who lives in the building speaks to Pop in a
loving and respectful way, almost as if he is their
father, which may not be too far from the truth. “Pop
was the only man who cared about me” Adam said,
smiling. “He took me in, gave me a place to stay, and
shared everything he had with me.” Despite the harsh
living conditions, the people there loved each other
and took care of each other in ways that churches
would envy.

There was an unnoticeable pole lying across the path a
couple of feet inside that acted as a defense
mechanism in case someone were to decide to come in at
night. Pop warned me about the pole, which didn’t seem
to matter to me, because I kicked it, stumping my toe
as hard as I possibly could have. Flip flops don’t
guard against that sort of thing very well.

Toward the middle of the building is where Pop and
his four other friends sleep and spend most of their
time. Along with Pop, Adam, Rich, Mike and Chuck call
the dilapidated building home. To keep from getting
bitten by the rats, they’ve found huge cabinets in the
building, and laid them down face forward, allowing
them to lay on the flat, back surface of each unit.
The heat in the building is almost overwhelming.
Obviously there is no electricity to be found, meaning
no lights, air conditioner, or anything else of that
nature. It’s a decaying building full of trash, rats,
mold and asbestos, no fourth wall, and it’s home to five men.

However bad the conditions are, the facts don’t seem
to bother Pop, as he proudly proclaimed that he
invites anyone and everyone in who needs a place to
stay. In a twenty foot radius there were five separate
sleeping areas, each distinguished by a different
color blanket that was found in a nearby trash can.
Broken water coolers were stacked behind Pop’s
sleeping area, which is where he stored any food he
came across. We spent hours there the last two days,
swapping stories and laughing at each other. Adam, one
of the men that lived there, is a very intelligent man
that I had a great conversation with. The more we
talked, the more I wondered what his story was. He was
extremely articulate, only 37 years old, and was
quoting lines from Ernest Hemingway. He asked a lot of
really good questions about what we were doing, and
what we were seeing in each city in regards to poverty
and homelessness. As we were leaving, he insisted that
we allow him to escort us, and as we exited the
building, he gave us a little more information about
who he was. As recently as a few years ago, Adam was a
lawyer at a firm in Indianapolis, Indiana, but a
recent battle with bi-polar disorder has caused him to
lose everything. I had no problems believing him, as
he had no reason to lie to me or to be dishonest with me.

A lot of people don’t consider the fact that a decent
majority of people that are homeless are very
intelligent people who have simply struggled with the
unexpected things that life sometimes throws at us.

Everyone who lives in the building speaks to Pop in a
loving and respectful way, almost as if he is their
father, which may not be too far from the truth. “Pop
was the only man who cared about me” Adam said,
smiling. “He took me in, gave me a place to stay, and
shared everything he had with me.” Despite the harsh
living conditions, the people there loved each other
and took care of each other in ways that churches
would envy.

There’s so much I wanted to do for this community of
men, but it feels as though I have little or no power
to help them in any deep meaningful ways. I have no
connections to get them jobs, and no finances to get
them houses. It’s a frustrating feeling, and I am
hoping that by the end of this year it will be a
feeling that I no longer feel. Marjorie and I hit up
Wal-Mart today, and bought anything and everything
that we thought might be useful to Pop and his sons.
We ended up with a large cooler with wheels, full of
enough food for a week, some t-shirts and socks,
water, air fresheners to combat the smell, under arm
deodorant, matches, two more sleeping bags and
pillows, and a plethora of other small things. Rolling
the cooler up to Pop, we informed him that it was his,
and he excitedly dug through it, yelling out to his
other friends, “oh my gosh, look at this! this all for
us? goodness gracious, we love you guys.”

Today we sat with Pop, Adam and Rich in their home for
a few hours, doing what good friends do, and having a
blast doing it. As five o’clock crept closer, the
realization hit me that those moments were going to be
my last moments with Pop and everyone else, and I had
to fight hard to keep from allowing tears to stream
down my face. Every bone in my body wanted to insist
that each man jump in my car and come move to my loft
in Dallas with me, but I know they would have refused,
because New Orleans is home. The guys escorted us out
a few minutes later, and Pop continued to say so many
encouraging, loving and kind words to us. Once
Marjorie and I were already outside the building, we
both felt the need to go back in and say goodbye once
last time to Pop. With tears in his eyes, he embraced
me in a way that not many men in my life had, kissed
me on the cheek, and told me he loved me. That’s the
kind of thing that changes my world, you know? I could
have stayed in his arms for a long, long time, because
things felt right there. Pop loved me, and there
wasn’t a doubt in my mind about it.

Tomorrow we leave to head back to Dallas, Texas. But
not before we stop by Pop’s spot and say goodbye one
last time. I love that man.

So I have this thing for community. I’m quite sure
that’s why it ended up being one of the 10 core values
for Segue. And as it is with any core value, it’s
crucial that we consistently revisit it and remind
ourselves why it’s so . . . valuable! If you need a
refresher, the core value as stated in it’s original
form is included at the end of my musings.

How are we doing with community? Are we really loving
each other even when it requires sacrifice, when it’s
inconvenient, when there’s nothing in it for us? Are
we opening ourselves up to each other so we can
encourage, help and pray for each other? Are we
letting our real needs be known? Are we walking with
each other in ways that enable us to live our dreams?
How well are we loving each other? Remember that to
love someone is to desire the highest good for them.

Community is having someone over for dinner or meeting
them somewhere for dinner and having great
conversation about things that really matter.
Community is praying with someone and encouraging them
when they find out they’ve lost their job. Community
is delivering some groceries to a family who would not
have enough to eat otherwise. Community is going
water skiing with people who make you laugh a lot. I
think you get the idea.

So what are you doing to promote community with the
people of Segue? I think it’s time for us to put the
really important things at the top of the priority
list. Community is one of those things.

Community:
Investing in people through relationships that go
beyond the surface to express Christ’s love through
openness, transparency, true intimacy, real
accountability, and meeting needs. In small groups
being real, authentic, honest and genuine as we invest
in others enabling them to walk out God’s dreams and
plans for their lives. Loving people (regardless of
status, color, beliefs or other factors) into the
Kingdom of God.

Acts 2:46-47 Every day they continued to meet together
in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes
and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,
praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.
And the Lord added to their number daily those who
were being saved.

Love does crazy things. No doubts about that.

Love inspired us to take a small tour of sorts, through 4 cities, spanning five states, eighteen days, and over twelve hundred miles. We are making stops in Little Rock, Memphis, New Orleans, and Shreveport. Our purpose is to hang around the busy downtown areas, looking for those people who call the streets their home in hopes to love on them, build relationships with them, laugh with them, help provide basic needs, and basically just hear their stories.

Today was our last day in Little Rock, and things went amazing. We met hundreds of amazing homeless people who all instantly became our friends. We met with organizations that not only are helping the people, but they genuinely LOVE the homeless and hungry people they are helping. It was refreshing to see people so passionate and in love with other people.

Instead of me writing the events of Little Rock, I present to you the Visual Story.

On the way to Little Rock, it was raining, but the sun was still shining, creating this beautiful moment in time.

We arrive in Little Rock, Arkansas. People love Bill Clinton here. The most popular road in town is named after him.

We were told that a majority of the homeless people in Little Rock hang out near the river, so that’s the first place we went. I’ll bet you wish you were swimming in that water. Not.

This guy was asleep in this same spot both days we hung out near the river. I really wanted to go meet him, but I didn’t want to interrupt his sleep. We did notice a good number of homeless people hanging out near the river, and we had the opportunity to meet a few. Each one was beautiful, of course. Their smiles and stories connected with us, as usual.

This was one of the sleeping areas we saw. You never get used to seeing this sort of thing, you know? This was about 15 feet off the ground, tucked right underneath a bridge. You see this, and then you look at the marble floors in a church building, and you think, “what’s up with that?” A human being is forced to sleep here, regardless of weather conditions.

Another sleeping area. Notice how close to the road this is. If a car were to crash into that concrete wall at night while people were sleeping there, they would be crushed. People try to make the best of what they can find, taking any old cardboard and sheets found in dumpsters and making beds. They sleep in places like this because they don’t have many other places to go.

This is the new, upscale, high dollar condo that sits directly above the sleeping areas you saw in the previous pictures. The contrast is huge.

We met with a few people from different organizations at this church. This church acts as a sort of hub for services to the homeless population. It’s cool, and refreshing, to see a church directly involved in the lives of those who are homeless, hungry and broken, looking for truth and love.

Marjorie and I had the opportunity to hang out with, and eat with, over 100 beautiful, silly homeless men and women. You can see Marjorie in this picture, laughing with Anthony, a wonderful guy we met today who was so silly, and had a smile that could change the world.

The organizations feed in this area 6 days a week. The people organizing these feedings are some of the most genuine, loving people we’ve ever met. There was no rush to get the homeless people in and out, or no “tough love” type attitudes. It was merely people loving people, and enjoying each others company. A lot of homeless organizations we meet with tend to disconnect themselves with the homeless, sometimes treating them like children. Not these people. They treated them with love and respect. Reminded me a whole, whole lot of Jesus. In this picture, the cook is having a good laugh. All the cooks were homeless as well. The homeless serving the homeless. There’s a lot we can learn from them.

Something for everyone.

Waiting patiently for his turn. Good people, I tell you.

This beautiful homeless couple arrived near the end of the feeding time. Because every one can have seconds, the line was constantly full of the same people, and the line was long. When a couple of the homeless people realized this couple had arrived late, and probably wasn’t going to be able to get any food, they all came to me and told me that we had to make plates for them, or they weren’t going to get to eat tonight. People loving people, taking care of each other. Jesus says that he is the “least of these,” and the more I am out here, the more I see that.

This picture is probably the most significant picture of all. This is a schedule of all the churches working together to house the homeless. Each week a different church houses the homeless, and each church is run on volunteers. These churches work together throughout the year to end homelessness, each taking responsibility for the problems. This blew me away. I mean, this is how things should be, but you don’t usually see anything like this. These churches are living the lifestyle Jesus did, inviting strangers into their homes, feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty. This is how it should be. This is how we end homelessness. We stop buying new fountains for the church foyer, and we start investing in the people in the community by opening the doors to the absurdly expensive church buildings we build and making them useful for something other than one sunday service a week.

There was a car show on the river. I love this car. Thought I should include this in the story of Little Rock.

Well, that’s the story of Little Rock. It’s a story of people loving people. A story of love and hope. We were blessed to be a part of that story this week. We met beautiful people who are shunned and neglected. We heard their stories. We loved them the best we could. But most of all, they loved us. They changed our lives.

Next stop, Memphis.

Well, now you don’t have to remember, because we took some photos of the whole thing. There were so many though, so you’ll have to check back for the others.

April/May 2008 Newsletter