It's been a heavy couple of weeks here. When last I wrote, I had witnessed the attack in the middle of the street. The day before there were 5 or 6 undercover cops at the house across the street, including a K-9 unit and they were obviously looking for drugs. Friday, however was the icing on the dysfunctional cake.

I was at the post office when a friend and neighbor called me. I didn't answer as I was in line and she didn't leave a message, so I figured it was nothing. When I pulled around the corner and onto my street, I saw flashing lights and crime scene tape. I knew it was bad when I saw a guy with a jacket on that said NOPD Homicide. As I parked and got out, my neighbor's husband came walking down the street to tell me what had happened.

Just one block down, a young man (19) was shot and killed while riding his bike with a cousin. I still don't know all the details, but a friend's sister had been walking with the two not long before. The cousin had noticed a car drive by once and then a second time. The second time, the door was open and there was someone yelling. The part that really gets me is that the shooter got out of the car to commit this murder. That's pretty brazen.

In this situation, as with many, it is likely that this was retaliation for something else that had happened. The young man that was shot was not from this neighborhood and I'm not sure if his cousin is either. All that aside, from my balcony I could look down the street and see the screens that they had set up to partition off where the body was. Police were everywhere and neighbors were out trying to see what had happened.

That's not exactly what you'd call a "normal" Friday evening. I know this city is violent. I know this city has issues and struggles. But I've never been that close to it, at least as far as I'm concerned. I've heard gunshots in the night, but this was 4 in the afternoon. It's more that a little unsettling. There aren't really words to explain that feeling. But I can tell you this, it's not a feeling of danger or fear. It's a feeling that hits you right in the gut. It's a feeling that causes you to be overwhelmed with emotion. It's a feeling that made me want to hug my mom and dad.

The neighborhood seems to be more "active" than normal lately and I think in large part that may be because we are starting Blight Busters today. That is a two-week labor-intensive effort to clean up all the abandoned lots in a section of our neighborhood. We have almost 200 volunteers coming in and I think it is going to be a great thing for our neighborhood and for the city. But the devil is never happy about things like that and I believe that a lot of what has gone on in the past few weeks has been a result of him trying to step in the way.

I'll be the first to admit, in a lot of ways for me, it's worked. I'm fussy, agitated and generally unhappy. Little things have been setting me off and I have the patience level of a 2-year-old. There are a lot of things that go into that attitude, but I believe that the overarching reason is that the devil has tried his best to weasel his way into those weak places within each of us and within the ministry.

I'd ask for your prayers about all of that. Prayers for me, that I would again find the joy that seems to have slipped away. I know it is still there, it's just been hard to see it. Prayers for each of our staff individually, for patience and wisdom and grace for each other. Prayers for the staff as a group, that we would see this as a great time to work together for the good of the neighborhood and the glory of God. Prayers for the ministry, that we would seek the best ways to be a light to the lost and an example for our neighbors. Prayers for the city, still in need of so many things in order to be fully restored. Thank you in advance for your prayers and your encouragement.