9. June 2009 by Thom & Michele Hazelip.

After an eventful day we were hoping Sunday night would be a time to relax.  My day started early.  At 6 AM I was assembling a big grill that would cook hundreds of hotdogs at the 2^nd annual outdoor church service in our neighborhood.  It was a great day but by late afternoon when we got home we were so tired I hoped no one would knock at our door so we could just rest.  When Michele told me one girl was going to hang out with us for a while it was for a very good reason.  Her older sister had run away, again, a few days earlier but they found her and she agreed to go to a center for troubled teens.  Our friend had now found out her sister was suicidal.  This girl is usually jubilant and a strong leader but at our home she went hours without speaking a word.  We didn’t have a lot of wisdom so Michele just kept her close, asked questions and loved her as a sister would.  The girl seemed to feel protected and loved just by being near Michele.  Then as it started getting dark a couple of 12 year old girls came to our side gate screaming “Help!  It’s an emergency!”  Two Hispanic men were chasing them, trying to forcibly take them back to their duplex a few houses down from us.  We later learned from the police that in Mexico it is common for men to take 12/13 year old girls and keep them until they turn 18 then marry them.  The girls were hysterical.  Crying and screaming they told me their story of running from these guys but they had no place to go so they came to our home.  I wanted desperately to fix the situation but I called 911 instead because only the police could do that.  By the time the officers arrived there was about 20 African-Americans in the middle of the street (and one white guy - me) who were very concerned about the situation.  The crowd was getting restless and started making their way toward the small duplex where these guys live.  Had the police officers not done such a tremendous job there is a good chance a race riot could have broken out on our street.  These tragic situations are well beyond any training Michele and I have had.  It would be easy to be too fearful to get involved but as the Bible says, “God does not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power of love and of self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7).  With no experience in helping a girl deal with a sibling’s suicidal tendencies or girls who narrowly escaped abduction we just were there to talk to them, hug them and help them communicate with their families.  Sometimes being there is enough.Two days removed from that night and I am feeling sad about how little our city seems to care about problems in the black community.  I am not a fan of the local news but tonight I watched the late news and was wondering why something like an arrest being made over the attempted kidnapping of two young girls would not make the news.  I’m pretty sure the reason is because we are in a poor black community.  That’s probably why the four year old boy that was killed by a hit-and-run driver never made the news and why no one outside our neighborhood never heard of the man who was shot on the steps of a church a block from our home.  I told Michele a year ago that if things like the little boy being killed happened in a nicer part area every TV station in town would cover.  I was thinking about that as the news anchor was relaying the day’s biggest stories and there it was….  It came on just after the picture of a bank robbery in action.  A story came up from one of the nicest areas of town and for the life of me I can’t understand why it could ever make the news of even a small city.   The bullet points read:  Franklin Public Library

• 2 Laptops Missing
• Toilets Filled With Paper Towels. 

That’s the kind of story that’s not big enough for the conversation at the local hair salons but it made the TV news in America’s 29^th largest media market while on a daily basis real tragedy goes unnoticed among the city’s poor.  They are forgotten… and they know it.

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24. March 2009 by Thom & Michele Hazelip.

It’s now 11:16 pm on Tuesday March 24th and my wife is at the jail in downtown Nashville.   Here is the story:

Dear Friends,

Right now Michele is at the Domestic Violence Division of the Metro Nashville Jail.  She has taken one of our dear neighborhood friends there to file for a restraining order for her.  They also know the lady she is taking will be arrested as well when they find out who she is.  I need prayer and advise from an expert in this area so I’m writing to all of you.  Here’s the part of the story I can share:

Dee (not her real name) has been having ongoing issues with a man who is the father of her child (I’ll call him “Bob”).  The issues are violent.  After one of the attacks she kicked his car and busted  out a tail light.  Although he had just physically hurt her he pressed charges for the tail light and had her arrested but she did not press charges on him.  Because of that she is on probation and must attend weekly classes but without a car she relies on the bus system.  After being late a couple of times and unable to sit in on the classes her probation officer put out a warrant for her arrest.  “Bob” knows that she has a warrant out on her so he starts hanging out at her home again and roughs her up knowing that she cannot talk with the police because she will be arrested.  This past weekend he had her in a position where the kids feared for her life and one of them hit Bob over the head with a vase knocking him out.  She is right now talking with a Domestic Violence Officer who will, in all probability also will arrest her on the spot as well. 

She has children so being incarcerated can cause lots of issues.  We love her kids and spend a good deal of time with them so Michele and I will do what we can to help but are not sure what we can do.

We need your prayer for this family and for how we can help.  I also need one of you who might know someone who could help us.  If you know someone who would be willing to help us and has an expertise in any area of her story please let us know or have them email us.

Thank you.

Thom Hazelip

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5. March 2009 by Thom & Michele Hazelip.

Dangerous Criminal Moves On

Our Home is Threatened.   About seven months ago one of Nashville’s most dangerous criminals moved into the abandoned house across the street from us.  His criminal arrest sheet is very long.  His crimes are violent – including home invasions – and yet he lives a very loud lifestyle that makes no apologies.  My wife, Michele, confessed to me about a month ago that for the first time since we moved here she dealing with a lot of fear.

I can’t give you his name nor can I relay what I know of his crimes.  I can only tell you that I believe him to be a high-level criminal whose presence changed the attitude of our neighborhood, kids and adults who also lived in fear to walk down the sidewalks on our block.  Many of our neighbors and friends grew up in the projects and have seen much in their lives but do not live in fear yet this man and his family that lives with him were on the streets enough for people to know they should stay inside.  Brand new motorcycles, four-wheelers and a go cart sat in the front yard, unlocked but never touched by anyone.

After a police raid on their home in January the man and his wife paid us a visit.  Fortunately my children were not home to hear the tirade of shouts and threats or see the angry faces and fingers pointing in my face because they thought that we had “snitched them out”.   On a different day one of the family members threatened to blow up another neighbor’s home. 

God Protects Our Home.  The situation with these guys became so intense that the for the past four weeks the Commander of East Precinct stationed a car on the side of our home 24/7 with their lights on and facing the house across the street.  Many complaints were lodged by the family but fortunately we found favor with the powers that be in the government.  One of my close friends is a contract mercenary.  He gave me tips of wisdom for the situation I was in and he frequently looks in on us and our home, ready to protect me and my family day and night.

A few days ago the family across the street began quietly removing their things from the house and today the house appears empty and the family seems to have moved completely.  Gone are the pitbulls that were loosely chained up in his front yard and could reach the sidewalk.  The porch sits quiet without the loud shouts from his wife threatening anyone in the neighborhood who wants to talk about them to the cops.  Gone is a young member of the family that doesn’t hide the deals he make in plain daylight and in plain sight.

I thank God for protecting my family and these precious kids in our neighborhood.  God is our provider and our protector.

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1. February 2009 by Thom & Michele Hazelip.

At the beginning of this school year we talked about the possibility of him using football to get into college.  He is a senior linebacker at Maplewood High School and has had a goal of being the first college graduate in his family’s history.  In fact, in four months he will become the first high school graduate in his family.  He had a good senior year being named to the “All Metro Nashville” team while intercepting four passes, returning two of them for touchdowns, and knocking down a bunch more.  Yet playing at Maplewood doesn’t give him as many opportunities to get his name out around the college coaches as it would if he were attending one of the well-known private schools.

Earlier this week he called me, excited that the coach at Lane College in Jackson, Tennessee wanted him to come visit on Saturday and asked if I could drive him.  He wanted to also take a couple of his friends who were also starters on his team.  Knowing Reginald, if he called them “friends” they are guys of character.  I told them all to be ready at 6:30 AM sharp which would give us more than enough time to get there early.  This morning Reginald calls me a few minutes after six to make sure I’m up and going to be on time - they were already up and ready.

Being a NCAA division II school, Lane College could only supply half scholarships to the athletes who end up receiving offers so if any of the three got an offer today there was still the question of how could they afford the other 50% of tuition, room and board.  After sitting through a bunch of meetings the president of the school shocked everyone, (including those from the college), by making a pledge that these players and parents will remember for the rest of their lives. 

He made an offer that had never been made to a group of prospective Lane College students before – and just before he made it he told every Lane coach, teacher and employee in attendance that the offer could not be repeated at any other meetings.  He said that every student in that auditorium who made application to Lane College and had all their paperwork in before March 1^st would not have to pay a dime of their undergraduate degree.  In effect, he offered every student there a full-ride scholarship.

None of the three guys had ever had a male from their families graduate from college.  Today God moved and the president of this small college may have just changed their families for generations to come.  God is absolutely amazing.  We could not stop talking about and being in awe of God the rest of the day.

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16. December 2008 by Thom & Michele Hazelip.

Christmas season is crazy around the Front Porch.  We are either leading or partnering in on five Christmas outreaches.  During all the rush one piece of paper stopped me cold and I forgot about everything else on my mind and the to do list.  I looked at it briefly and asked Michele to stop what she was busily doing on her laptop.  It was a Christmas wish list from our Adopt-a-Family for Christmas program.  After hearing of the wish list from one of our sweetest neighborhood girls being loaded with all kinds of electronic gear and gadgets Michele and I had a good laugh and she said, “Well, if I were six and someone told me to write up a wish list…”.  Then I started wondering if there were some Moms that wrote out stuff for themselves and wondering if they understood the sacrifices people were making and all the other things that sometimes come to mind when we get a bit too cynical this time of the year.  All of that was swirling around in my mind as I reached over and picked up the folded piece of paper with this list.  I first noticed it was a long list of names that included an adult woman and adult man but the “Christmas Wish List” was so simple, in fact, they did not ask for anything specific.  As I read I couldn’t control my tears.  They simply put their name, age, shirt, pant and shoe sizes.  No Gameboy or Playstation 3.  No toys or dolls of any kind.  They simply hoped for clothing but without even mentioning a specific need for a new winter coat for the oldest child or shoes for their daughter – apparently they will be happy with whatever they receive.It reminds me of this poem my Dad used to read from church pulpits when I was a boy:

Today upon a bus,
I saw a girl with golden hair,
and wished I was as fair.
When suddenly she rose to leave,
I saw her hobble down the aisle.
She had one leg and wore a crutch.
But as she passed, a smile. Oh God, forgive me when I whine,
I have 2 legs, the world is mine.I stopped to buy some candy.
The lad who sold it had such charm.
I talked with him, he seemed so glad.
If I were late, it’d do no harm.
And as I left, he said to me,
“I thank you, you’ve been so kind.
It’s nice to talk with folks like you.
You see,” he said, “I’m blind.”

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6. December 2008 by Thom & Michele Hazelip.

My world often feels like a snowglobe. Everytime I see one, I think of my dad saying that I am like a snowglobe…. “when you walk into a room…. it’s like “shake shake shake” and the snow starts to twirl and spin and go everywhere.” I am not sure if he was originally relating to the state of my room as a teenage girl at the time, but there is still truth to this day in his analogy. I have always thrived on chaos.

I can feel it deeply this morning…. as I realized it took me 2 1/2 hours of being awake to settle my soul (let the snow fall) and just sit in the quiet instrumental music of a cloudy morning. I awoke early, only because of my 5 year old who somehow has made it to my bed to snuggle in the early hours managed to push me to the edge of my own king-sized bed. She is good at pushing me to the edge (in more ways than one) and even in her sleep-state was “feisty” enough for me not to want to fight it.

It makes me question why I do not seek more “snow fallen” moments - it feels like food for my soul….. quietness, stillness, peacefulness. I think maybe I am “both/and.” For some reason, God placed our family in the midst of inner-city, door-knocking chaos. We are currently 6 weeks away from giving brith to our fourth (surprise) child in the midst of Thom being nearly 5 weeks now into healing from major backsurgery….. all while being 3 months into officially launching a very busy Front Porch Ministry. There is more…. but I can feel the “snow” twirling and shaking and I don’t want to get my snowglobe “stirred” up again…knowing how long it takes for the settling to happen.

There are so many times, I feel equipped to live out life in the midst of chaos and I can survive…sometimes even thrive. I understand it and can even function in it…. just come to one of our inner-city outreaches. Your head will spin. I have seen it happen with friends who aren’t used to it and it reminds me that God calls us uniquely and individually.

I think the challenge for me is remembering that I can’t stay there. There is so much value in the quiet. There is value in what you can only see and notice in the calmness…. when all the “snow” lies still and there is a quiet, beautiful scene left standing there…..That scene is enough and merits attention aside from the function of the swirling snow. It has beauty all it’s own and can even be valued aside from being shaken or spun. In fact, the scene inspired the snowglobe, not the other way around.

I want to remember that….even in the midst of being surrounded by passionate kids(both my own and our neighbors) who twirl and swirl and shake shake shake when they walk into a room. There is beauty in the calm (not just sound asleep calm). I need the Lord to teach me to let the snow fall (exactly where it may) and rest in the beauty of the scene. I want to take notice of the stillness and the quiet and maybe even softly make snow angels in the mound of snowfall…gazing back at the One that holds my snowglobe world in the palm of His hand.

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4. December 2008 by Thom & Michele Hazelip.

December is a great time to reach out to others.  We have four outreaches planned for this month and there is plenty of opportunity to help through volunteering your time, making a donation and/or praying for each one.

More details are coming but here is the quicklist of the Front Porch outreaches:

1. Adopt-A-Family for Chirstmas (still need families or groups of friends to help)
2. Women’s Christmas Gathering (still need women to help)
3. Christmas Party  (a group has tentatively been penciled in)
4. Family Portraits (photographers booked; may still need a few volunteers)

An announcement and email will be coming with more details on how you can be a part whether you have plenty of time to give, very little time or not even close to Nashville.

I also need to pre-warn you that we will be sending an email and letter requesting financial support.  It’s not  our favorite thing to do but unfortunately we still need a bunch of monthly partners just to underwrite this ministry.  With me (Thom) being bedridden due to an injury and my pregnant wife, Michele leaving her job on faith that we will be able to raise the support we make a great picture of what is NOT the ideal time to officially begin a ministry.

He is always for you,

Thom Hazelip

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16. November 2008 by Thom & Michele Hazelip.

Last night I had the honor of baptizing my daughter Anabelle and two of our neighborhood friends, Demont and Simone.  I thought I was well prepared.  I had physical things to be worried about.  Due to my recent back surgery my doctor has recommended that I only be up about an hour a day and not to pick up anything heavier than a gallon of milk.  I also was prepared in what I was going to say for each of the three being baptized.  I have witnessed Simone and Demont choose good over evil since they first talked about following Jesus and had a story to share about each of them. 

With Anabelle I could think of a million things, like crying because I forgot to pray for her before bedtime, or taking the opportunity when a kid said how much he liked our house she told him that we didn’t move here because of the house we came to help people and tell them about Jesus.  While I could go on bragging as proud parents tend to do I only had one to two minutes to talk about her and I was ready to do so - right up until a few minutes before we went out on the stage at our church service.  I looked at Anabelle, she had the most beautiful face made of joy.  Pure joy, unlike the exciting moments before her ballet recital or her birthday party, she had joy way beyond any party or event might produce.  She looked much older than her seven years. 

Simone had a grin on her face that wouldn’t go away.  This girl who lives with so much passion.   She is a leader and she always has something to say but this night she was reduced to a quiet and contemplative young woman who could not put into words what was going on inside of her. 

Then there was Demont, Simone’s brother, a well-mannered , nice young man who is always in control of his emotions and quite clear and articulate with his words and actions.  He was bright-eyed and smiling.  Then he was crying in the baptistery and unable to talk about what was going on or say anything other than “God called me and I am answering”.  Such a spiritual moment when for about an hour all the bad drama from the world around them was light years away and there they were publicly confessing their love and need for God. 

There are times we are well-prepared for and then there are times you can’t prepare for and last night was one of those great nights.

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29. October 2008 by Thom & Michele Hazelip.

3 Children to be baptized.

One of the greatest privileges we could hope to be a part of is seeing our own children and our “front porch children” desire to draw closer to God and follow Christ. That has been happening while Michele and I have shared about baptism and Jesus with these children. It is going to happen in a couple of weeks when I will have the honor of baptizing my daughter and two of our friends who hang out on the front porch.

We like to say “Impact begins with relationship”. It is something we learned not long after being in this neighborhood. It refers to the many one-time, one-day, well-intentioned “Outreaches” of good people who live in nicer neighborhoods but want to do something good for people they do not know and who are less fortunate than themselves. These outreaches seem to do great things and help a lot of people in a short timeframe. The problem is that a 1-day outreach has little to no impact on people who have lived for generations in an impoverished and violent neighborhood where immorality is rampant and accepted. This neighborhood has seen a lot of people come in here over the years to hold a tent revival or Christian concert, giving away CDs, food and T-shirts while huge speakers shout the message and music throughout the streets then break down the stage and head home at dusk never to return. Many people are tainted with the belief that “rich white people” (an often used phrase) only want to tell people what to do then go home.

“They think they better than us.” I heard these words from a number of people when I first began to get involved in the neighborhood 3 to 4 years ago. People were really saying that right at me wondering if I was like that too. The problem is I used to be. Years ago I was involved in an inner city ministry that did that very same thing. After about 8 or 9 of these one-time events I asked a friend if we were really making an impact and if so could we name one person that we knew for sure their life had been changed by our efforts. We couldn’t come up with one name. We never stopped to actually get to know anyone. We didn’t know their kid’s names, where they went to school or what subject was their best. We didn’t know where they went to church or how bad their home life was growing up. We just showed up with food and music, handed a bunch of stuff, gave an alter call, went home and soon forgot their names.

When Wellington Boone, a Promise Keepers speaker, challenged me to make a real difference by moving into and all-black neighborhood I thought he was crazy. Years later we were crazy enough to do it and I now understand what he was talking about. Real impact begins with relationship. While many did (and probably still do) distrust us many others have become our friends and live life with us like we’ve known each other for a long time.

We’ve been impacted too. We’ve learned what it is like to live in community. We are learning how to live authentically without putting on a front that we are better people than we really are. This time the impact is on our side as well. To witness three kids publically announce they are committed to the Lord and their need for him is amazing. I’ll probably ball my head off when we’ve finished the bible study and I baptize them. My relationship with them and their relationship with the Lord is impacting Michele and me.

Impact does begin with relationship.

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19. October 2008 by Thom & Michele Hazelip.

written by Thom Hazelip 

How do you depend on God?  There are times I feel I don’t have a clue.  I’ve woken up early and can’t get back to sleep.  Right now the thoughts of the violence that surrounds us and the drugs being delivered and redistributed across the street from us is so open and apparent  that it has been haunting me though the night in my dreams and on my thoughts as I wake up.  As the one who is physically charged with protecting our home.  I have read about and talked with other men who have gone out to serve others in violent places like this in other countries or in an American neighborhood and I know the stories of their homes being broken into, things stolen and even the molestation of their child.  Although I live this reality every day and normally do not fear the world we live in and at times depend on Him who created all things I also know – honestly admitting to myself – there are days when I’m truly afraid.  I hate to admit it because we know “fear is not of the Lord” scripture and have been reminded of it by other Christians when the word “fear” is spoken.

 The reality as a husband and father of a family living in the inner city I want no harm to come to my home and yet I live so close to one of the biggest drug suppliers in the area (who has a long arrest record breaking and entering homes and other violent crimes) that we say “hey” when I’m getting in my car.  We chat about his motorcycle collection and how it is that none of the expensive motorized toys he leaves on his porch and front yard are never get stolen or even touched by the neighborhood kids.

I’m conflicted with this reality and being in the midst of seeing God at work.  For instance, yesterday Inversion, a Christian young adult group, held a “Kid’s Club” at the Salvation Army a block from our home.  We love and are close with these people who love giving their lives away.  Over the years, following each Kid’s Club, we have the volunteers come over to our home to relax, recoup and have lunch.  These outreaches have led to some coming down on a weekly basis to hold bible studies, coach ball teams and volunteer at the after school program.  They reach into the neighborhood and lives of kids and are having a great impact in this world of infinite possibilities.  In the middle of the lunch that is celebrating and thanking them for their service I see the son of our most famous criminal wondering around inside our home. 

In the middle of joy reality sets in.  My heart begins to pound and the risk to my family is before my eyes.  How do we live out what we are called to do in this fallen world?

I remember back to living in the posh part of town where everything seemed so good and safe.  At least on the surface life seemed easier and more “Christian” because we were surrounded by other church-going, moral, nice people. 

Then reality sets in. 

I also remember the need to put on a fresh face and that every time someone asked me how I was doing and so I said “Great!” even if it were a complete lie.  I felt the need to be climbing an economic or social ladder and seeking the admiration of others that comes from being important or talented.  That was my reality.  Its where I wore dress shirts and ties to work that were a level of income above my own. 

Your reality might be scarier than my own.  I think of the suburban single mom I talked with a year ago who was dealing with the daunting task of raising children and having a career while being alone but attempting to be the same person at church and around her friends since they never ask her about her recent divorce because “they don’t know what to say”.  Or the woman who inspired my wife by living so courageously with cancer and whose writings and ministry inspired thousands of others to seek God more desperately but who this past week losing her battle and left this earth before she could marry her boyfriend or finish college. 

Whatever your reality is I’d like to know how you depend on God.  The things that keep you from sleeping or have you wondering off at work, worried - and how depending on God can both scare you and show up for you.  Just post them here, send us an email, write them out only for yourself or talk about them with a friend. 

Just be honest. 

Then maybe we can be a little more honest with God as well – who is indeed our Creator and our provider - and maybe he will be a little more real in your life… and mine.

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