There's been an awesome opportunity given to me...

There's been an awesome opportunity given to me, both to get my life set and to be able to go on and provide for my son and give him an awesome place to call home ...

This story is only part of a bigger story that we call "The Church in the Mobile Park."

More than four years ago Bob Baldwin and his wife, Cathie were “arrested” in their pursuit of a life of comfortable and easy retirement in the suburbs of North Houston. Bob and Kathy were challenged to redefine what they understood about the term “neighbor” and to reexamine what they believed about their purpose and responsibilities in the community in which they were living. 

After 9/11, I hated Muslims…until I met a Muslim.

Without a doubt the last decade has seen an immense increase in the number of Islamic peoples among the residents in Houston. Their presence represents both one of the biggest opportunities and exposes one of the biggest fears of the church today. How will we respond to our Muslim neighbors: love and friendship, or judgment and avoidance?  Maybe we should consider this question first: How would Jesus respond?  I offer the following true story as a way of helping us decide:

A mentor once told me, “You will inevitably form opinions about an entire people group based upon a personal relationship you have with an individual from that group.” Unfortunately, my first relationship with a Muslim, albeit a distant one, was through a “most wanted” poster I saw for Osama Bin-Laden days after 9/11. My opinion about 1.5 billion people in the aftermath of that horrible day was shaped by a hastily formed first impression.

After 9/11, I hated Muslims … until I really met a Muslim personally.  His name was Abu Sayeed, or Son of Happiness! We were introduced to one another on a soccer field in Amman, Jordan and we connected instantly over our shared interests: a passionate pursuit for the best hummus in the city and a mutual desire to follow the will of God.  Abu Sayeed and I became fast friends.  Over the next 10 months my hatred of Muslims turned into respect, at least for one.  Just as my mentor had predicted, I began to see Abu Sayeed’s entire people group through the lens of the relationship we were forming. Not only did I come to love him like a brother, but I desperately wanted him to come to know Jesus.