Articles for tag: Stephen Lawson

December 15, 2014

Following Jesus Together in the Inner City

By Stephen Lawson I live in an intentional Christian community called the Lotus House in north St. Louis. When people hear this, sometimes I”m sure they imagine me as an orange-clad Tibetan monk, running a rake through sand making intricate designs. But our name has nothing to do with New Age philosophy or Buddhist-inspired practices. Our house is named after our street, Lotus Avenue. Quite simply, the Lotus House is a community of Christians who are seeking to follow Jesus together by being a faithful presence and a witness to God”s peace in a part of the city known for

December 15, 2014

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Community Outreach

Friendship & Poverty

By Stephen Lawson From a certain perspective, my neighborhood looks like a disaster area. Many buildings are vacant and appear to have been bombed out. There are collapsed roofs and precariously leaning walls on many houses. Whole blocks seem to be completely lifeless and abandoned. Nearly every corner has a church, or a school, or a store that is boarded up and closed for good. The streets are littered with broken glass, used tires, and trash. “Urban blight” is what city planners call this””neighborhoods that look like war zones. A better term for it might simply be “visible poverty.” Poverty.