A Year in My Life

“The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country.”

Lincoln's Annual Message to Congress, December 1, 1862

Yesterday, Americans celebrated the legend that is our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln on the anniversary of his birth on February 12th, 1809. A new penny has been commissioned in his honor perhaps somewhat ironic as our nation continues to face one of the greatest economic crises of recent history. I share the privilege of being born on this legendary day for our national identity as a people of freedom and opportunity for all people. And so, as I begin another year of living, I decided to take a moment and reflect on the journey that I have just finished.

The past year has been a journey of mountaintop experiences and valley trials. My journey has been filled with opportunities to speak for the values of freedom and to embody the good news of Jesus Christ. First, having been invited by the organizers of the Conversation on Race committee to participate in the first annual event designed by Jeffery Perkins of the Decatur Branch of the NAACP, I joined several community leaders to talk about economics and race in our community and the social aspects of race in our community. When asked by moderator Jeff Johnson from BET about the state of race relations in Decatur, I spoke the truth as I perceived it. Some folks were appreciative and others, well...you can't please all the poeple all the time.

About a month after my 38th birthday, I traveled to Washington, DC with Central IL Organizing Project to attend the National Peoples Action annual convention. This was my first trip to our nation's capitol to engage in the democracy that our ancestors established two centuries ago. I expected to be a spectator most of the three-day trip with the exception of one workshop that I was supposed to help with on the foreclosure crisis that was and continues to wreak havoc on our towns and neighborhoods. After my participation in the workshop, I was invited to help lead an action with 600 other folks at the home of the CEO of the Financial Services Roundtable and to chair a meeting at the Federal Reserve with Chairman Ben Bernanke along with Governors Cohen, Duke and Tarullo. As citizens we held our leaders accountable for the mistakes and unbridaled greed which led to the near collapse of our entire economy and has left millions out of work and without the homes they once dreamed of owning. Without a doubt, my year began on the mountaintop. Very few people ever enter the "temple" of the boardroom at the Fed, let alone get an opportunity to share their concerns with the Chair of the Board of Governors. I am privileged to have had the opportunity to share the concerns of millions of Americans whose dreams have been shattered while a few gain unjustly.

For the past four years, I have worked with the Lumpkin Family Foundation of East Central IL to develop the Regional Alliance for Youth (RAY). In March, I co-led a conference for professionals from many sectors who have an interest in the future for our children and youth. The two day event was successful and brought many folks together for networking and to begin the work of systems change to empower youthto reach their full potential as adults. I am grateful for the relationships I have as a result of being on the RAY Board and for the team of folks who met for a year to plan the Summit we had in 2009. Among other factors, the financial crisis cut our funding in 2009 and RAY has wrapped up our work for now. I hope that our vision of collaborative networks that operate on the basis of our interconnectedness will continue to inspire new and innovative ideas for working with children, youth and families. 

At Easter, I was blessed with the opportunity to baptize our first born child, Joshua who at 12 years old was ready to enter into the new life of Christ. As part of our celebration of Christian baptism, we present wooden Disciples' Chalice communion sets to the newly baptized. I made Josh's with my band and table saws in my shop. What a joy to be able to give him something I created to remember his baptism. Several family members were in attendance that morning and Joshua seemed to enjoy the moment.

After Easter, we surprised my mother, Janet Bushey with a celebration of her 70th Birthday at Central Christian in Bourbonnais. We pulled off the surprise perfectly...she didn't expect a thing! We enjoyed a fun afternoon of family and friends!

May brought an opportunity to preach at my home church in Bourbonnais, IL on Mother's Day and to give the Baccaluareate address for the Class of 2009 at Millikin University. I was honored to be invited to share in the conclusion of a journey and the beginning of new adventures for the graduates and their loved ones. It was the best of times and the worst of times as they finished college and faced a nation with growing unemployment numbers. Again, I was privileged to be granted the opportunity to bring words of challenge and hope for the future.

June saw Teri join her mother and sister on a weeklong trip to Mexico which meant some automatic quality time for me and the boys. Teri had a rough year of teaching fourth grade with a very challenging room of students and a less than stellar administration for support. The pitfalls of the school district dug many valleys during the school year for our family. Less than 24hrs after Teri landed back in the US, I was on the road for a week long trek with youth to the Heifer Ranch in Perryville, AR. The hottest week of the summer thus far meant tough conditions for ranch work, but the experience as a whole was great! On the way there we visited the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, TN where we also enjoyed some of their famous BBQ!  Just days after returning to Decatur, our family left for a family reunion on Teri's late father's side of the family in Ohio. A great weekend reconnecting and introducing ourselves to relatives.

Early July found us on the road again, literally as we drove to Washington, DC with our children and my parents for their first visit to the capitol. I had long wanted to take my father to see the Korean war Memorial. As a veteran of the Army serving on the 53rd parallel or DMZ in 1953 in Korea, my father did not expect to have the emotional experience he had in DC. Our visit to the Memorials & momuments, White House, US Capitol Building, National Cathedral and the Smithsonian are among the most special moments of our lives. We were even blessed by a free concert at sunset on the steps of the Capitol building by the President's Marine Corp Band. I even got in a second meeting with the Federal Reserve while I was there!

The July edition of The Business Journal of Decatur named me one of 20 People Under 40 who were making a difference in our community. I was nominated by Central Christian folks and humbled to be included in the 2009 awards! Our family trip to DC was followed by a trip by myself to Indianapolis, IN for the General Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) where I spoke before the assembled members against an action item that many felt would have given too much power to the General Board and would have potentially silenced prophetic voices in our midst. I caucused with Disciples Justice Action Network and Disciples Peace Fellowship in preparation for speaking against the action item which was defeated the next day. I cut my assembly trip short so that I could attend my 20th High School class reunion in Herscher, IL. What a joy to see many of my classmates for the first time since graduation in 1989.

After managing Central's parking lot at the Decatur Celebration with our youth, early August began a series of trips to Kankakee as my father's health rapidly declined. Complications with his heart and lungs meant stays in the hospital, too many tests and significant weight loss. My dad, my hero and inspiration in life was at the edge of life...and I was in a valley of grief. In the meantime, I was also helping to organize an historic public visit by Officers of the Federal Reserve from DC and Chicago to the City of Decatur. 500 people packed the Civic Center and the Fed heard testimony of how the foreclosure crisis and predatory loan schemes were destroying neighborhoods. The event was huge and one of nine such visits across the country negotiated back in our March meeting.

August was a very busy month that spilled into September as the Disciples churches in town attempted to complete home renovation and repairs for 20 homeowners on the east side of town the Operation Inasmuch model. I served as a field project supervisor and planner, which meant that I helped decide which projects we would tackle, how we would do them, what materials were needed, and how many volunteers would be necessary. As soon as the Fed Visit was over, I went to work on preparing projects, securing materials and delivering them. Eighty volunteers arrived in Decatur to awesome weather on August 29th and together we accomplished many tasks for neighborhoods in need of help. The work was not all finished on our "Miracle Day" and I spent the next few weeks trying to finish projects before the weather turned too cold.
September began with a trip to see Dad on Labor Day and take him to the parade in Herscher, IL. He had to go in a wheel chair because he was so very weak.

October began with our family participateg in the local CROP Walk with our youth. Next, Teri & I attended the Mid-Night at the Oasis fundraiser for the Oasis Day Center where I was recognized along with Central Christian Church for ten years of faithful support. Oasis is a day shelter for the homeless and I have served on the board since 1999. Our Peace & Justice Task Force hosted a forum on health care reform in the middle of the month, which ironically was when Teri and I were facing the very real possibility of cancer in our lives. Fortunately, a needle biopsy determined that all was well with Teri. We had a scare that's for sure. Dad's health, on the other hand, had improved slightly, but he was still confined to his chair most days and on oxygen all the time. He had a needle biopsy of a lung that was inconclusive. The end of the month found me preaching on Job and heading for Chicago for the next big event of 2009.

Teri and I spent three days in Chicago with National People's Action for the Showdown in Chicago
Here is one video that I never added to my earlier post:

November found us on a plane bound for Washington DC again for the National Information & Training Center's Annual Leadership Conference for which I was called upon to facilitate. I also met with the Fed once again, with Senator Durbin's assistant and prayed in front of the US Treasury during an action calling upon them to help homeowners keep their homes. Teri enjoyed helping with the action on the Treasury.
Back home found us back in Kankakee for another procedure to regulate my dad's heart rhythm in hopes of helping him breathe easier. Then, came the bi-annual weekend retreat with our youth at Summit 2009 in Carlinville, IL. Our youth, including Joshua, had a good experience, although the sleeping accomodations were less than exciting! We returned to Decatur to help pack 4,000 boxes of food to be distributed to families in need for Thanskgiving. I now have four different team leader t-shirts for leading our crew in this worthwhile project. I enjoyed joining fellow clergy for an ecumenical Thanksgiving service at First Evangelical Lutheran Church on the eve of our national holiday.
December began with an opportunity to put my faith in action at a PayDay lender in Springfield. Thirty folks gathered to raise awareness of the usurious practices of Advance America which is funded in part by Bank of America and Wells Fargo. Both of these banks received your money in federal bailout funds at almost no interest and Advance America loans that money at 400% APR. That's unacceptable! So, we brought the action to Decatur two weeks later. Thirty more people showed up to help us take on predatory lending in our community. The usual Christmas activities kept us busy and we enjoyed helping with our Spirit of Christmas outreach program and hosting the youth Christmas Party after caroling. Christmas found us in Kankakee and Dad feeling better. The heart procedure seemed to be improving his condition and we are cautiously optimistic. Did I mention that Josh turned 13 in July and is improving his saxophone playing? Or that Nick is now 9 years old and still loves Lego people? And, that Hunny, our yellow labrador retriever is now fully grown and the best dog in the world? I am so blessed, humbled and grateful for a fantastic family and a year of mountaintops and valleys that they shared with me, and now you have too!