You know, I am a huge gun-rights advocate, with no apologies to those who are not.
However, when I took an Urban Missions course in the city of Chicago, I immediately fell in love. Having only been in one other large city, Los Angeles (also gorgrous in her own right) I never imagined that I, a man from rural Florida, would enjoy the same type of experience, a week in the city. Well, below I wax nostalgic on all the reasons I love thr Windy City, with thanks to Mark Hausfeld for introducing and endearing me to this place.
Reasons I would choose to live in Chicago over any other place in the U.S., except for maybe Florida (in no particular order)
1. Fat Johnnie’s Famous Red Hots
2. The walk along Lake Michigan
3. Devon Avenue-50 Nations in 50 Blocks, an eye-opener for my southern colleagues, and no mistake
4. Navy Peir
5. American Islamic College
6. The cultural diversity
7. The cleanliness of the city. Sure, there is trouble if you go looking for it in the murder capital of the U.S.. There are always difficult spots in every city. That is the nature of sinful, fallen humanity. But during the week I was in Chicago, I walked the 16 blocks down Michigan Avenue towards the financial dostroct to prayerwalk downtown, after 1:00am, and not one person bothered me, mugged me, harmed me, or tried propositioning me for sex. Well, thst is not entirely true. One woman did drive by and make a catcall at me, but, otherwise, no incidents and I felt very safe, confident, amd protected. As a young, ignorant, smalltown southerner, who probably had no usual business walking downtown late at night, I enjoy walking into unknown, unfamiliar, and in some cases dangerous places, armed with little more than a motive to pray. I love prayerwalking downtown Chicago late at night. The later, the better.
8. The opportunity for the church to win the lost with the simple message of Christ’s redeeming affection. It is MASSIVE in this town.
9. Honestly, there is a beauty in the black community of Chicago that I cannot describe and is not readily duplicated or appreciated outside of the city.
theparacleteshammer
