Community

Near the end of the first century, the last survivor of Jesus’ original disciples, St. John, had a series of visions while imprisoned on the island of Patmos. He sat down and recorded them in the book of Revelation. In the first of his visions, he recorded a series of letters from Jesus to seven […]

For almost ten years, I have served as the president of our neighborhood association, and recently, I was asked to share some thoughts about what that role entails. More specifically, I was told that I would have ten minutes to summarize what a neighborhood association president does and why it is important. I was also […]

For almost ten years, I have served as the president of our neighborhood association, and recently, I was asked to share some thoughts about what that role entails. More specifically, I was told that I would have ten minutes to summarize what a neighborhood association president does and why it is important. I was also […]

For almost ten years, I have served as the president of our neighborhood association, and recently, I was asked to share some thoughts about what that role entails. More specifically, I was told that I would have ten minutes to summarize what a neighborhood association president does and why it is important. I was also […]

For almost ten years, I have served as the president of our neighborhood association, and recently, I was asked to share some thoughts about what that role entails. More specifically, I was told that I would have ten minutes to summarize what a neighborhood association president does and why it is important. I was also […]

It was the Saturday before Easter 2003, and there was a knock on my door fairly early in the morning. As I opened the door, I found myself staring at a person I did not know saying that they were there to set up for the Easter egg hunt at the church. This was confusing […]

To the first-century Jews who first heard Jesus tell the Parable of the Good Samaritan, the decision to include a Samaritan at all – let alone, to cast him as the hero of the story – was utterly shocking. Jews in Jesus’ time considered Samaritans to be mongrels, heretics, and interlopers. They were typically portrayed as violent, savage criminals who were just waiting for an opportunity to take what was rightfully Israel’s. No one stopped to wonder if these labels actually applied to an individual Samaritan because they were all considered part of the group. Thus, if a Jew saw a Samaritan, they would cross to the other side of the street, mutter some insult as they passed by, or worse. In fact, if a Jew saw a Samaritan injurred on the road, he was more likely to kick the Samaritan than render aid because, as a whole, Samaritans were loathed by the Jews. For the typical twenty-first century American evangelical, two groups perceived in a similar way are Palestinians and Mexican immigrants. Therefore, if Jesus re-told the Parable of the Good Samaritan today, in order to achieve the same effect, it would be the Parable of the Palestinian or Mexican Immgrant.

DART and all of the various government, corporate, and private entities that have a stake in a thriving public transit system (hint: that’s all of us) must come together to find solutions for both the immediate problem and the longer-term concern of sustainability.

On November 7, Ward 1 voters went to the polls to select a new city council member. As the results rolled in, however, I could not help but think that the real winner was the people of Ward 1.

Councilperson Sheumaker has resigned, and her resignation marks the end of a curious chapter in the history of our ward and city. Yet, there remains much work to be done. As we begin to look once again to the future, let us make sure to do these three things to ensure a vibrant future for Ward 1 and the city of Des Moines.