This past Wednesday at Habitat for Humanity’s biennial U.S. national conference, Rev. Andy Stanley of Atlanta’s North Point Church provided some teaching around the story in Mark 6:30-52. Andy is a gifted teacher and communicator and he opened some new insights for me as he suggested that this was not primarily a lesson about abundance and scarcity or even miracles, but rather one of Jesus teaching the disciples what it means to depend on God and not on their own human efforts.

Another team, our sixth, of 15 Habitat Wake volunteers heads out to Honduras in the morning to spend a week partnering with our friends at Habitat Honduras.  This year, we will return to the small village of El Rosario, outside of Santa Rosa de Copan as Habitat begins building another 18 homes adjacent to the 32 homes built in that community previously.  We will be just down the street from the community center and park that was sponsored by Habitat Durham and Habitat Wake.

“Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.”    Luke 18:16

Yesterday, I was overcome with sadness.  And that sadness is still with me this morning.  You see, three of the Triangle's brightest and most enthusiastic young people were killed in their own Chapel Hill neighborhood in a quick and senseless act of violence.

I had the privilege of travelling to the Dominican Republic week before last along with 14 other Habitat directors from affiliates in the U.S.  We travelled to see first hand the housing challenges in this country and to learn about the ambitious plans that the local Habitat organization there has.

The Kpa-Ksor family, who partnered with the Catholic Coalition and an anonymous donor to build and buy their home, were recently profiled in the Garner-Cleveland Record.  Thanks to the News & Observer's Jonathan Alexander for sharing the remarkable story of the Kpa-Ksor family!

Since Thanksgiving, Habitat Wake has celebrated home dedications with 14 families.  Praise be to God for that!  A home dedication is a time when we celebrate with our homebuyers the completion of their home and we thank God and our volunteers and sponsors for making it happen.

The cover story of Monday’s News and Observer was “Downtown Raleigh boom leaves less for affordable housing.”The headline stated clearly the challenge that faces our growing county – the exciting growth and prosperity is leaving behind some of our most vulnerable residents.

The N&O editorial nails it when they refer to affordable housing as an “ever present” need.  I might add “ever present” AND “growing.”

I had the privilege of attending yesterday’s meeting of the Wake County Commissioners to speak for affordable housing as the county addresses its comprehensive plan for housing.  You can see the video of my comments at the following link beginning at the 2:14.58 mark.

ZOMBIE FORECLOSURE:  A term for when a distressed homeowner leaves a property before the bank can finish taking it back.