1 00:00:03,560 --> 00:00:05,080 Speaker 1: The story of the rich young Man. I don't know 2 00:00:05,080 --> 00:00:07,840 Speaker 1: if you're familiar with that Bible story at all. Rich 3 00:00:07,880 --> 00:00:11,000 Speaker 1: young man walks up to Jesus and he says he's 4 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:13,240 Speaker 1: followed all these commandments right, which to me are like 5 00:00:13,720 --> 00:00:16,479 Speaker 1: they're the I'm a good person sort of thing, like 6 00:00:16,520 --> 00:00:19,600 Speaker 1: I'm living a moral life, checking the checking the boxes. 7 00:00:19,640 --> 00:00:21,880 Speaker 1: And then but then Gias says, well, you need to 8 00:00:21,880 --> 00:00:25,640 Speaker 1: give up everything and follow me. And to me that 9 00:00:25,640 --> 00:00:28,320 Speaker 1: that really hits because I struggle with that all the time. 10 00:00:28,360 --> 00:00:31,720 Speaker 1: I mean, I read Saint Basil often and he's a 11 00:00:31,880 --> 00:00:34,879 Speaker 1: really radical early father that talks about he has this 12 00:00:35,560 --> 00:00:38,400 Speaker 1: I will tear down my Barnes essay where he's talking 13 00:00:38,400 --> 00:00:41,000 Speaker 1: about wealth should not be stored up, it should be 14 00:00:41,120 --> 00:00:44,720 Speaker 1: kept in the bellies of the poor, and that money 15 00:00:44,760 --> 00:00:48,360 Speaker 1: should always be in movement. And I think those things 16 00:00:48,440 --> 00:00:51,920 Speaker 1: in our wealthy country are hard to wrestle with, you know, 17 00:00:52,040 --> 00:00:57,080 Speaker 1: where we have so much inherent privilege. 18 00:00:58,720 --> 00:01:01,760 Speaker 2: Welcome to an army of normal folks. I'm Bill Courtney. 19 00:01:02,240 --> 00:01:05,160 Speaker 2: I'm a normal guy. I'm a husband, I'm a father, 20 00:01:05,360 --> 00:01:08,520 Speaker 2: I'm an entrepreneur, and I'm a football coach in an 21 00:01:08,520 --> 00:01:12,920 Speaker 2: inner city Memphis. And that last part it somehow led 22 00:01:12,959 --> 00:01:16,080 Speaker 2: to an oscar for a film about one of my teams. 23 00:01:16,760 --> 00:01:21,040 Speaker 2: That movie is called Undefeated. I believe our country's problems 24 00:01:21,080 --> 00:01:23,240 Speaker 2: are never going to be solved by a bunch of 25 00:01:23,280 --> 00:01:26,840 Speaker 2: fancy people in nice suits talking big words that nobody 26 00:01:26,840 --> 00:01:30,880 Speaker 2: ever uses on CNN and Fox, but rather by an 27 00:01:31,040 --> 00:01:35,800 Speaker 2: army of normal folks. Guys. That's us, just you and 28 00:01:35,840 --> 00:01:39,120 Speaker 2: me deciding, Hey, you know what, maybe I can help. 29 00:01:39,880 --> 00:01:43,160 Speaker 2: That's what Jordan Sheeley, the voice you just heard, has done. 30 00:01:43,680 --> 00:01:48,560 Speaker 2: Jordan is the co founder of Jerusalem Farm, a Catholic 31 00:01:48,880 --> 00:01:53,680 Speaker 2: intentional community, which is something I've never heard of before, 32 00:01:53,720 --> 00:01:57,000 Speaker 2: and you probably haven't either. It's a group of people 33 00:01:57,200 --> 00:02:01,920 Speaker 2: who decide to live together, sharing resource horses and without salaries, 34 00:02:02,440 --> 00:02:08,120 Speaker 2: pray together, and serve their community together full time. These 35 00:02:08,160 --> 00:02:12,480 Speaker 2: Catholic hippies, as their neighbors in Kansas City originally called them, 36 00:02:12,880 --> 00:02:16,680 Speaker 2: have completed over three hundred home repair projects in the 37 00:02:16,720 --> 00:02:20,080 Speaker 2: last five years alone. I cannot wait for you to 38 00:02:20,120 --> 00:02:37,119 Speaker 2: meet Jordan right after these brief messages from our general sponsors. 39 00:02:40,480 --> 00:02:43,480 Speaker 2: Jordan Sheeley was somewhat lost in his early years. He 40 00:02:43,600 --> 00:02:47,720 Speaker 2: left college after partying too much. His first three semesters, 41 00:02:48,040 --> 00:02:51,799 Speaker 2: and he left his Catholic faith after seeing the disconnect 42 00:02:51,880 --> 00:02:55,760 Speaker 2: between the teaching and how many people actually practiced it. 43 00:02:56,600 --> 00:02:58,680 Speaker 2: He was trying to figure out his life, and so 44 00:02:58,760 --> 00:03:02,440 Speaker 2: he joined AmeriCorps, where he found us calling a service, 45 00:03:02,800 --> 00:03:07,680 Speaker 2: his wife, Jesse, and a renewed faith and a worldview. 46 00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:13,600 Speaker 1: When I worked at the EPA, for instance, I remember 47 00:03:13,880 --> 00:03:17,880 Speaker 1: having my lunch breakout Caesarshaves Park in downtown Sacramento and 48 00:03:18,360 --> 00:03:20,600 Speaker 1: a lot of houses folks living there and getting to 49 00:03:20,639 --> 00:03:22,280 Speaker 1: know some of them, and a lot of them were 50 00:03:22,360 --> 00:03:25,119 Speaker 1: veterans or I had different stories, you know, and I'm 51 00:03:25,120 --> 00:03:27,040 Speaker 1: just struggling, like I think most of us do, where 52 00:03:27,040 --> 00:03:30,720 Speaker 1: you're realizing, like there's all this suffering happening around us, 53 00:03:31,520 --> 00:03:34,440 Speaker 1: how's that happening? And I had one moment during that 54 00:03:34,560 --> 00:03:38,800 Speaker 1: time also when I started my window cleaning business, where 55 00:03:38,840 --> 00:03:41,720 Speaker 1: I was downtown with my mom getting my business license. 56 00:03:41,800 --> 00:03:43,520 Speaker 1: She was teaching me how to do that to make 57 00:03:43,560 --> 00:03:46,400 Speaker 1: it legitimate, and we went to lunch afterwards, and it 58 00:03:46,440 --> 00:03:49,720 Speaker 1: was ash Wednesday. We were going to go to church 59 00:03:49,800 --> 00:03:53,760 Speaker 1: and get brunched together, and we were downtown at this 60 00:03:54,440 --> 00:03:57,600 Speaker 1: restaurant that my mom liked, and I was sitting on 61 00:03:57,600 --> 00:03:59,440 Speaker 1: the patio while she went to go order some food, 62 00:03:59,440 --> 00:04:01,800 Speaker 1: and someone came up to me and said, excuse me, 63 00:04:02,080 --> 00:04:06,000 Speaker 1: you can't be here right now. And I was just confused. 64 00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:08,120 Speaker 1: It wasn't of someone that worked there was just one 65 00:04:08,160 --> 00:04:12,280 Speaker 1: of the patrons, and I was confused. I didn't understand 66 00:04:12,280 --> 00:04:14,280 Speaker 1: what she said, and she repeated herself, like you need 67 00:04:14,280 --> 00:04:18,159 Speaker 1: to leave. And my mom at that time, walked up 68 00:04:18,520 --> 00:04:21,120 Speaker 1: and she was like, is there a problem. She can 69 00:04:21,200 --> 00:04:23,839 Speaker 1: sense that something was happening with her mom since and 70 00:04:23,880 --> 00:04:26,160 Speaker 1: the lady's like, oh, is he with you? And she's like, yeah, 71 00:04:26,200 --> 00:04:29,280 Speaker 1: that's my son. She's like oh, And she got read 72 00:04:29,320 --> 00:04:32,400 Speaker 1: and immediately apologized and says, oh, well, there's some younger 73 00:04:32,600 --> 00:04:35,920 Speaker 1: homeless folks that were begging people for food earlier and 74 00:04:36,600 --> 00:04:40,560 Speaker 1: just thought that you might have been with them. I 75 00:04:40,600 --> 00:04:42,640 Speaker 1: mean I was just wearing a I had longer hair, 76 00:04:42,680 --> 00:04:45,800 Speaker 1: and I was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and I didn't 77 00:04:45,800 --> 00:04:48,880 Speaker 1: think that I looked like that, but apparently I did. 78 00:04:49,440 --> 00:04:51,760 Speaker 1: So to me, though, that was an experience, you know, 79 00:04:51,880 --> 00:04:53,919 Speaker 1: like we talked about, I grew up in a privileged, 80 00:04:54,120 --> 00:04:58,159 Speaker 1: middled upper I never really experienced exclusion like that or 81 00:04:58,360 --> 00:05:00,799 Speaker 1: someone speaking to me like you don't here, it's always 82 00:05:00,839 --> 00:05:03,200 Speaker 1: assumed that I do belong here, that this is my space. 83 00:05:03,800 --> 00:05:06,240 Speaker 1: And so that that was an eye opening experience for 84 00:05:06,360 --> 00:05:09,039 Speaker 1: me that I think was a catalyst for a lot 85 00:05:09,080 --> 00:05:11,720 Speaker 1: of questioning the things around me and who belongs, he 86 00:05:11,760 --> 00:05:13,480 Speaker 1: doesn't belong, and so forth. 87 00:05:13,720 --> 00:05:15,640 Speaker 2: I mean, in today's world, that would have been a 88 00:05:15,720 --> 00:05:24,680 Speaker 2: Karen I guess sure, yes. But so that and all 89 00:05:24,720 --> 00:05:28,040 Speaker 2: these other experiences since you on this kind of personal 90 00:05:28,080 --> 00:05:32,760 Speaker 2: discovery world. What's interesting is it turns you back to 91 00:05:32,760 --> 00:05:35,839 Speaker 2: where you began, which I think is really interesting because 92 00:05:35,880 --> 00:05:38,680 Speaker 2: there's a lot of people that claim a faith because 93 00:05:38,720 --> 00:05:40,400 Speaker 2: they were brought up in that faith and that's the 94 00:05:40,440 --> 00:05:43,240 Speaker 2: way they were taught, and they just roll into that faith. 95 00:05:45,040 --> 00:05:50,760 Speaker 2: You discovered that that's where you wanted to be legitimately 96 00:05:50,839 --> 00:05:53,640 Speaker 2: through your own self discovery, not because your parents said 97 00:05:53,680 --> 00:05:54,560 Speaker 2: so it sounds like. 98 00:05:54,839 --> 00:05:56,839 Speaker 1: Right, yeah. And it was a long journey. I mean, 99 00:05:57,120 --> 00:06:01,640 Speaker 1: Just and I hitchhiked around the country after AMERICRPS. We 100 00:06:02,440 --> 00:06:05,760 Speaker 1: lived and worshiped with his Baptist church, Ebenezer Baptist Church 101 00:06:05,760 --> 00:06:07,400 Speaker 1: down at Hattisburg, Mississippi, and. 102 00:06:07,800 --> 00:06:10,800 Speaker 2: A Baptist church. And it doesn't get much more Baptist 103 00:06:10,880 --> 00:06:13,160 Speaker 2: than a Baptist church in Hattisburg, Missakey. 104 00:06:13,240 --> 00:06:17,200 Speaker 1: Yeah, and they we were living with gentleman Ray Wembish 105 00:06:17,480 --> 00:06:21,280 Speaker 1: and Annie and his wife Annie. And we met Ray 106 00:06:21,520 --> 00:06:24,640 Speaker 1: in AmeriCorps working on one of his projects he was 107 00:06:24,680 --> 00:06:27,600 Speaker 1: working with rebuilding together, and I contacted him out to 108 00:06:27,600 --> 00:06:29,200 Speaker 1: the program and said, hey, Jesse and I want to 109 00:06:29,240 --> 00:06:32,000 Speaker 1: come back and volunteer in your community. And so he 110 00:06:32,120 --> 00:06:35,720 Speaker 1: put us up in their house and we lived there 111 00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:40,240 Speaker 1: and we volunteered on projects that they still had going on. 112 00:06:40,760 --> 00:06:43,640 Speaker 1: Their church welcomed us in. You know, this is my 113 00:06:43,720 --> 00:06:46,400 Speaker 1: first time. I grew up Catholic. I'm going to an 114 00:06:46,400 --> 00:06:50,800 Speaker 1: all black Baptist church and you know, the singing, the praise, 115 00:06:51,080 --> 00:06:56,280 Speaker 1: the pastor preaching and the rest of the congregation responding 116 00:06:56,320 --> 00:06:58,880 Speaker 1: to that like audibly and verbally while they're there. 117 00:06:58,960 --> 00:07:00,760 Speaker 2: It just it's all over. 118 00:07:00,839 --> 00:07:04,120 Speaker 1: It opened my heart, you know, like it to me. 119 00:07:04,279 --> 00:07:08,279 Speaker 1: That was also for like foundational to me rediscovering my 120 00:07:08,360 --> 00:07:10,840 Speaker 1: faith because I saw the spirit alive in a new way. 121 00:07:10,920 --> 00:07:13,640 Speaker 1: And that was another transformational moment for me is being 122 00:07:13,640 --> 00:07:15,880 Speaker 1: a part of that church, in that community and experiencing 123 00:07:15,920 --> 00:07:17,400 Speaker 1: their welcome and hospitality there. 124 00:07:17,560 --> 00:07:21,520 Speaker 2: Okay, so you and Jesse are hitchhiking around the world 125 00:07:21,720 --> 00:07:26,320 Speaker 2: discovering who you are and what you're doing. And I 126 00:07:26,320 --> 00:07:31,040 Speaker 2: think in two thousand and eight or nine you landed 127 00:07:31,080 --> 00:07:34,720 Speaker 2: at a thing called Nazareth Form. It sounds like you 128 00:07:34,800 --> 00:07:39,760 Speaker 2: guys are really into taking what you learned at a 129 00:07:39,760 --> 00:07:44,960 Speaker 2: AmeriCorps not only to discover how you feel about society, 130 00:07:45,240 --> 00:07:48,080 Speaker 2: how you feel about faith, and how you feel about 131 00:07:48,440 --> 00:07:52,240 Speaker 2: the world, but also how you feel about service and 132 00:07:52,360 --> 00:07:55,400 Speaker 2: importance of it. Am i am I misstating that? Or 133 00:07:55,480 --> 00:07:55,840 Speaker 2: is that? 134 00:07:56,080 --> 00:07:58,720 Speaker 1: No? Yeah, they're hand in hand. I mean that's why 135 00:07:58,760 --> 00:08:02,840 Speaker 1: I think, Sir Travis, my faith to me, it's it's 136 00:08:02,920 --> 00:08:04,360 Speaker 1: what we're here for. 137 00:08:04,840 --> 00:08:06,760 Speaker 2: It sounds like you and Jesse arrived at the same 138 00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:08,160 Speaker 2: conclusion we did. 139 00:08:08,240 --> 00:08:10,920 Speaker 1: Yeah, And we read this book by Shane Claiborne called 140 00:08:10,920 --> 00:08:14,400 Speaker 1: The Irresistible Revolution, and and that was a big inspiration 141 00:08:14,480 --> 00:08:18,880 Speaker 1: for what led us on our path together after americorp 142 00:08:19,000 --> 00:08:22,000 Speaker 1: is because in there he talks about being an ordinary 143 00:08:22,080 --> 00:08:25,200 Speaker 1: radical is the term that he uses. And he looks 144 00:08:25,240 --> 00:08:25,600 Speaker 1: at that. 145 00:08:25,520 --> 00:08:28,200 Speaker 2: Word radical like just a normal person. 146 00:08:28,320 --> 00:08:32,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, like a you know, normal folk, ordinary folk. Interesting 147 00:08:33,080 --> 00:08:35,400 Speaker 1: And that word radical I like it because it's the 148 00:08:36,040 --> 00:08:38,040 Speaker 1: root of the word is just that like getting to 149 00:08:38,160 --> 00:08:40,719 Speaker 1: the root of something, and so getting to the root 150 00:08:40,720 --> 00:08:43,080 Speaker 1: of our faith. The story of the rich young Man, 151 00:08:43,120 --> 00:08:45,480 Speaker 1: that's that's I don't know if you're familiar with that 152 00:08:45,600 --> 00:08:48,120 Speaker 1: Bible story at all. Rich young man walks up to 153 00:08:48,160 --> 00:08:51,800 Speaker 1: Jesus and he says he's followed all these commandments right, 154 00:08:51,800 --> 00:08:54,640 Speaker 1: which to me are like they're the I'm a good 155 00:08:54,640 --> 00:08:57,280 Speaker 1: person sort of thing, like I'm living a moral life, 156 00:08:57,440 --> 00:09:00,719 Speaker 1: checking the checking the boxes. And then but then says, well, 157 00:09:00,960 --> 00:09:03,720 Speaker 1: you need to give up everything and follow me. And 158 00:09:03,800 --> 00:09:07,079 Speaker 1: to me that that really hits because I struggle with 159 00:09:07,120 --> 00:09:09,640 Speaker 1: that all the time. I mean, I read Saint Basil 160 00:09:09,760 --> 00:09:13,600 Speaker 1: often and he's a really radical early father that talks 161 00:09:13,640 --> 00:09:16,240 Speaker 1: about he has this I will tear down my Barnes 162 00:09:16,400 --> 00:09:19,760 Speaker 1: essay where he's talking about wealth should not be stored up, 163 00:09:19,880 --> 00:09:21,920 Speaker 1: it should be kept in the bellies of the poor, 164 00:09:22,640 --> 00:09:26,880 Speaker 1: and that money should always be in movement. And I 165 00:09:26,920 --> 00:09:30,520 Speaker 1: think those things in our wealthy country are hard to 166 00:09:30,520 --> 00:09:33,880 Speaker 1: wrestle with, you know, where we have so much inherent privilege. 167 00:09:34,320 --> 00:09:38,440 Speaker 2: So with all of this you land in all places 168 00:09:38,559 --> 00:09:42,240 Speaker 2: West Virginia. It's something called Nazareth forms. I'd never heard 169 00:09:42,320 --> 00:09:44,400 Speaker 2: of it. Tell us what that is. 170 00:09:44,800 --> 00:09:48,640 Speaker 1: Yeah, it was started back in the sixties. The story 171 00:09:48,679 --> 00:09:52,200 Speaker 1: that they say is for the first time on TV, 172 00:09:53,160 --> 00:09:56,320 Speaker 1: Americans were learning that there was poverty in their own 173 00:09:56,440 --> 00:09:59,120 Speaker 1: country and they were seeing a lot of poor people 174 00:09:59,160 --> 00:10:02,400 Speaker 1: in Applatche area on TV. And we had the War 175 00:10:02,440 --> 00:10:04,719 Speaker 1: on Poverty taking place. And at the same time, there 176 00:10:04,760 --> 00:10:07,440 Speaker 1: was this bishop from I think it's New York that 177 00:10:07,679 --> 00:10:10,280 Speaker 1: was at a bishop's conference and was sitting next to 178 00:10:10,280 --> 00:10:13,400 Speaker 1: another bishop from West Virginia and they started talking and 179 00:10:14,160 --> 00:10:18,000 Speaker 1: they concocted a plan where they started bringing volunteers out 180 00:10:18,040 --> 00:10:21,280 Speaker 1: from New York to West Virginia to help individuals with 181 00:10:21,480 --> 00:10:22,440 Speaker 1: their housing needs. 182 00:10:22,880 --> 00:10:25,840 Speaker 2: Well that what does that mean? Like fixed houses. 183 00:10:25,400 --> 00:10:29,680 Speaker 1: Or yeah, I mean, yeah, people are living in West Virginia. 184 00:10:29,679 --> 00:10:31,360 Speaker 1: Even when we were there, a lot of people are 185 00:10:31,400 --> 00:10:34,520 Speaker 1: living up in the hallers and you know they have 186 00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:38,320 Speaker 1: their trailers, the mobile homes. Maybe they have a home 187 00:10:38,360 --> 00:10:40,839 Speaker 1: that they built. But yeah, maybe explain the hollers for 188 00:10:40,880 --> 00:10:43,680 Speaker 1: people who don't know. Yeah, holler is you know, it's 189 00:10:44,120 --> 00:10:47,040 Speaker 1: windy roads in between hills, so you got it's. 190 00:10:46,880 --> 00:10:50,960 Speaker 2: Actually a hollow. But when you're from West Virginia or 191 00:10:50,960 --> 00:10:53,120 Speaker 2: east to a cee, you call it a holler sure. 192 00:10:53,200 --> 00:10:56,760 Speaker 1: Yes. So it's the grooves in between the hills and. 193 00:10:56,720 --> 00:10:58,839 Speaker 2: It's a hollowed out area between the hills. 194 00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:01,839 Speaker 1: There's where the sun doesn't come up till ten in 195 00:11:01,880 --> 00:11:04,280 Speaker 1: the morning and it goes down at three at the 196 00:11:04,360 --> 00:11:04,880 Speaker 1: end of the day. 197 00:11:05,200 --> 00:11:10,120 Speaker 2: Yeah, so you're out there fixing. 198 00:11:10,520 --> 00:11:14,240 Speaker 1: Yeah. So we're living in community. We have four Cornerstones Prayer, 199 00:11:14,360 --> 00:11:19,880 Speaker 1: Community Service Simplicity, and we're doing home repair, we're hosting retreats, 200 00:11:20,120 --> 00:11:22,520 Speaker 1: and we're just living an intentional community out there. 201 00:11:22,559 --> 00:11:25,080 Speaker 2: So would you guys go out and engage with the 202 00:11:25,080 --> 00:11:27,640 Speaker 2: community and say, hey, your house looks broke down, you 203 00:11:27,679 --> 00:11:29,760 Speaker 2: want us to fix it? Or people actually reach out 204 00:11:29,800 --> 00:11:30,520 Speaker 2: to you for help. 205 00:11:30,640 --> 00:11:33,520 Speaker 1: No, people apply, Yeah, we would never go. Yeah, you 206 00:11:33,600 --> 00:11:36,439 Speaker 1: have to. We promote. They promote, and they've been around 207 00:11:36,440 --> 00:11:39,760 Speaker 1: for so long people know of their work. But yeah, 208 00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:44,040 Speaker 1: someone like you would apply for a project. We would 209 00:11:44,080 --> 00:11:47,920 Speaker 1: send out a project director project manager and walk through 210 00:11:47,920 --> 00:11:51,520 Speaker 1: what the needs are and then the labor's all free 211 00:11:51,720 --> 00:11:54,319 Speaker 1: and then the homeowner pays just for the cost of 212 00:11:54,320 --> 00:11:57,559 Speaker 1: the materials and they can make monthly payments. 213 00:11:57,840 --> 00:12:00,959 Speaker 2: So you even buy the materials and they'll am bershey. 214 00:12:00,760 --> 00:12:04,640 Speaker 1: Correct, Yeah, yep, And yeah, you know roof could be expensive, 215 00:12:05,040 --> 00:12:07,320 Speaker 1: but if someone can make twenty dollars month one hundred 216 00:12:07,320 --> 00:12:10,440 Speaker 1: dollars month payments, it becomes more attainable that way. 217 00:12:10,960 --> 00:12:15,920 Speaker 2: So the whole idea is to help the poor in 218 00:12:15,960 --> 00:12:19,600 Speaker 2: these areas to be able to just keep up their 219 00:12:19,640 --> 00:12:21,120 Speaker 2: properties when they couldn't afford to. 220 00:12:21,360 --> 00:12:26,280 Speaker 1: Yeah, everyone deserves safe, healthy, dignified housing is the core belief. 221 00:12:26,520 --> 00:12:28,840 Speaker 1: And so it's trying to make sure that you know, 222 00:12:29,320 --> 00:12:32,080 Speaker 1: it can be expensive to maintain your house, so we're 223 00:12:32,080 --> 00:12:33,680 Speaker 1: just trying to make that easier. 224 00:12:33,320 --> 00:12:35,520 Speaker 2: For people, all right, So you did that for. 225 00:12:36,040 --> 00:12:38,600 Speaker 1: About three three years or so. Then I got a 226 00:12:38,600 --> 00:12:40,960 Speaker 1: call one day out of the blue, this gentleman Dave 227 00:12:41,080 --> 00:12:46,640 Speaker 1: Armstrong from Avalley University Catholic University in Kansas City. We 228 00:12:46,720 --> 00:12:48,920 Speaker 1: knew him because he would bring his family out every 229 00:12:49,000 --> 00:12:52,000 Speaker 1: year to West Virginia to Nazareth Farm and he would 230 00:12:52,000 --> 00:12:55,880 Speaker 1: bring Avle University students for retreats. He called and said, Hey, 231 00:12:55,880 --> 00:12:58,240 Speaker 1: would you want to start a new community similar to 232 00:12:58,320 --> 00:13:05,280 Speaker 1: Nazareth Farm in the city And I said no, why 233 00:13:05,280 --> 00:13:07,520 Speaker 1: would I? 234 00:13:07,640 --> 00:13:14,440 Speaker 2: Nah, not really and now a few messages from our 235 00:13:14,480 --> 00:13:18,280 Speaker 2: general sponsors. But first I hope you'll consider signing up 236 00:13:18,320 --> 00:13:22,160 Speaker 2: to join the Army at normal folks dot us. By 237 00:13:22,200 --> 00:13:25,960 Speaker 2: signing up, you'll receive a weekly email with short episodes 238 00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:28,640 Speaker 2: summaries in case you happen to miss an episode, or 239 00:13:29,200 --> 00:13:32,280 Speaker 2: if you prefer reading about our incredible guests, we'll be 240 00:13:32,360 --> 00:13:32,800 Speaker 2: right back. 241 00:13:46,320 --> 00:13:50,880 Speaker 1: You know. I told Jess about it, and we had decided, 242 00:13:51,040 --> 00:13:53,240 Speaker 1: you know, one of our policies in life is not 243 00:13:53,280 --> 00:13:57,280 Speaker 1: to fully say no until you further explore things, give everything, 244 00:13:57,679 --> 00:14:00,960 Speaker 1: you know, some discernment and thought. So, so we flew 245 00:14:01,000 --> 00:14:04,720 Speaker 1: out to Kansas City and we met some individuals there 246 00:14:04,720 --> 00:14:08,600 Speaker 1: that Dave had brought together around the idea. We walked 247 00:14:08,640 --> 00:14:10,440 Speaker 1: into this building where we're currently at we call it 248 00:14:10,440 --> 00:14:13,360 Speaker 1: the Farmhouse now, and when we walked into that building, 249 00:14:13,480 --> 00:14:16,280 Speaker 1: Jesse kind of turned and was like, this is what 250 00:14:16,320 --> 00:14:17,920 Speaker 1: we're going to be doing with our life. She just 251 00:14:18,120 --> 00:14:19,520 Speaker 1: kind of had this feeling. 252 00:14:19,200 --> 00:14:20,200 Speaker 2: That what was the building. 253 00:14:20,400 --> 00:14:23,000 Speaker 1: It's an old convent, so it was. It's an old 254 00:14:23,040 --> 00:14:27,000 Speaker 1: convent in downtown Kansas City, and at the time it 255 00:14:27,080 --> 00:14:31,280 Speaker 1: was being used by a service agency, the Don Bosco Center, 256 00:14:31,800 --> 00:14:33,960 Speaker 1: but they were closing a number of their programs and 257 00:14:34,040 --> 00:14:39,040 Speaker 1: so the building was empty for about six months prior 258 00:14:39,080 --> 00:14:40,280 Speaker 1: to us going there. 259 00:14:40,400 --> 00:14:41,720 Speaker 2: So what are you going to do with those buildings? 260 00:14:41,800 --> 00:14:42,560 Speaker 2: Just gonna be your home? 261 00:14:43,040 --> 00:14:44,880 Speaker 1: Yeah, So it was, you know, it was an old convent, 262 00:14:44,960 --> 00:14:48,400 Speaker 1: had nine bedrooms upstairs and had a little chapel built 263 00:14:48,440 --> 00:14:50,080 Speaker 1: on as it was at a bunch of you know, 264 00:14:50,120 --> 00:14:52,320 Speaker 1: the main floor at a bunch of split up rooms. 265 00:14:52,880 --> 00:14:54,600 Speaker 1: What we were evaluating was that was gonna be our 266 00:14:54,640 --> 00:14:57,960 Speaker 1: retreat center. So that was where we would live, where 267 00:14:57,960 --> 00:15:01,320 Speaker 1: we would host these volunteer groups because they're essential to 268 00:15:01,360 --> 00:15:04,360 Speaker 1: our mission, is the volunteers that come. That was going 269 00:15:04,400 --> 00:15:08,120 Speaker 1: to be our main hub of operations. 270 00:15:08,640 --> 00:15:13,640 Speaker 2: And the idea then is you're going to call this 271 00:15:13,680 --> 00:15:15,560 Speaker 2: thing now Jerusalem Farm. 272 00:15:15,920 --> 00:15:18,640 Speaker 1: Yeah, Jerusalem Farm. So you know, we're thinking of all 273 00:15:18,680 --> 00:15:22,160 Speaker 1: the different names, but we had Nazareth Farm, there's a 274 00:15:22,160 --> 00:15:26,520 Speaker 1: Bethlehem Farm, and Jerusalem Farm, you know, we thought was 275 00:15:26,560 --> 00:15:28,600 Speaker 1: appropriate we're in a city. The other two were rural 276 00:15:29,400 --> 00:15:32,320 Speaker 1: Jerusalem and City of Peace. Also, we knew that the 277 00:15:32,320 --> 00:15:37,560 Speaker 1: neighborhood we're in is really diverse and has it or 278 00:15:38,000 --> 00:15:42,120 Speaker 1: it is diverse, it's some everybody. Yeah, and Jerusalem, you know, 279 00:15:42,280 --> 00:15:44,800 Speaker 1: is the home of three major religions, and so we 280 00:15:44,840 --> 00:15:47,320 Speaker 1: thought that it would speak to not just Christians, but 281 00:15:47,360 --> 00:15:50,040 Speaker 1: the Muslims that live in our community, and you know 282 00:15:50,040 --> 00:15:52,640 Speaker 1: the Jewish people as well, and so that's kind of 283 00:15:52,960 --> 00:15:54,480 Speaker 1: what we were thinking about Jerusalem Farm. 284 00:15:55,640 --> 00:16:01,200 Speaker 2: So the idea then is move here, call this thing 285 00:16:01,280 --> 00:16:07,200 Speaker 2: Jerusalem Farms, which it is still today, convert this convent 286 00:16:07,440 --> 00:16:12,920 Speaker 2: into a home and a hosting center for volunteers, and 287 00:16:12,960 --> 00:16:16,200 Speaker 2: then just go do bloody good work all over Kansas City. 288 00:16:16,480 --> 00:16:20,280 Speaker 1: Yeah, started intentional community, and our goal would just be I. 289 00:16:20,360 --> 00:16:23,000 Speaker 2: Read that explain intentional community. 290 00:16:23,120 --> 00:16:27,680 Speaker 1: Yeah. So intentional community is just people that we're choosing 291 00:16:27,720 --> 00:16:31,440 Speaker 1: to live with, but in an intentional way, not just 292 00:16:31,440 --> 00:16:36,960 Speaker 1: like roommates. So sharing meals together, sharing prayer together, sharing 293 00:16:37,080 --> 00:16:42,080 Speaker 1: mission and work together. We don't make any salary or anything. 294 00:16:42,320 --> 00:16:44,520 Speaker 1: Our room and boards provided for. We get a small 295 00:16:44,560 --> 00:16:46,920 Speaker 1: living stipend, just like AmeriCorps and. 296 00:16:47,320 --> 00:16:49,000 Speaker 2: Used to day. You do not make a salary. 297 00:16:49,200 --> 00:16:51,920 Speaker 1: No, Yeah, we live in a house with ten other 298 00:16:51,960 --> 00:16:55,320 Speaker 1: people in our community and then we all get everyone 299 00:16:55,320 --> 00:16:58,320 Speaker 1: in our community gets a living stipend. So it's around 300 00:16:58,360 --> 00:17:03,200 Speaker 1: eight hundred dollars a month from the nonprofit and that's 301 00:17:03,240 --> 00:17:04,479 Speaker 1: our first opened. 302 00:17:05,240 --> 00:17:08,440 Speaker 2: It sounds like a bunch of hippies people. 303 00:17:08,240 --> 00:17:10,920 Speaker 1: In the neighborhood. First knew us as the Catholic hippies. 304 00:17:11,200 --> 00:17:14,720 Speaker 1: So yeah, we were. We were the Catholic hippies. 305 00:17:15,600 --> 00:17:21,359 Speaker 2: That's hilarious, the Catholic hippies. So who are the other 306 00:17:21,440 --> 00:17:24,840 Speaker 2: people besides justin your three children that live in this community? 307 00:17:25,280 --> 00:17:28,880 Speaker 1: Over the years has changed, so you know, people stay 308 00:17:28,960 --> 00:17:30,480 Speaker 1: three to four years. Right now we have ten of 309 00:17:30,520 --> 00:17:31,400 Speaker 1: the people living with. 310 00:17:31,359 --> 00:17:34,280 Speaker 2: Us and they're too And that's similar to when you 311 00:17:34,359 --> 00:17:37,600 Speaker 2: guys went to nazarth forums. Yeah, to live with I 312 00:17:37,600 --> 00:17:40,040 Speaker 2: guess whoever was in charge over the are. 313 00:17:40,200 --> 00:17:43,240 Speaker 1: Yeah, you make a year of service commitment, so we 314 00:17:43,320 --> 00:17:46,840 Speaker 1: get people right out of college, maybe in between careers 315 00:17:46,960 --> 00:17:49,359 Speaker 1: that they wanted a year, but yeah, it's just a 316 00:17:49,440 --> 00:17:51,440 Speaker 1: year's service is what you can commit to, and then 317 00:17:51,520 --> 00:17:54,440 Speaker 1: you can renew that, you know, as long as you'd. 318 00:17:54,000 --> 00:17:58,160 Speaker 2: Like to do that. These folks come in and they 319 00:17:58,800 --> 00:18:02,720 Speaker 2: lead up volunteer projects across your city. 320 00:18:02,960 --> 00:18:06,320 Speaker 1: Yeah, so we just work in six neighborhoods what's what 321 00:18:06,359 --> 00:18:09,520 Speaker 1: we call the Historic Northeast. So it's about thirty thousand 322 00:18:09,720 --> 00:18:14,840 Speaker 1: people in those six neighborhoods. And yeah, we focus predominantly 323 00:18:14,880 --> 00:18:19,040 Speaker 1: on affordable housing, dignified housing that people have a sense 324 00:18:19,040 --> 00:18:23,680 Speaker 1: of belonging and sustainable living or are three primary goals? 325 00:18:23,880 --> 00:18:28,040 Speaker 2: All right? So year one is two, thy twenty nine 326 00:18:28,160 --> 00:18:29,160 Speaker 2: or ten twenty twelve. 327 00:18:29,320 --> 00:18:30,159 Speaker 1: When we started. 328 00:18:30,480 --> 00:18:34,800 Speaker 2: Twenty twelve, well, it's not like in West Virginia where 329 00:18:34,800 --> 00:18:37,800 Speaker 2: people know you exist. No. Yeah, so now you got 330 00:18:37,800 --> 00:18:41,240 Speaker 2: these Catholic hippies that took over some nuns houses in 331 00:18:41,280 --> 00:18:45,040 Speaker 2: their community. I mean people got to be looking in going. 332 00:18:45,320 --> 00:18:47,479 Speaker 1: Yeah, what's up with whats going on over there? 333 00:18:47,640 --> 00:18:49,639 Speaker 2: Yeah? What's up there? 334 00:18:49,880 --> 00:18:54,840 Speaker 1: Exactly? Either Yeah, yeah, we didn't have much. The Sisters 335 00:18:54,840 --> 00:18:57,880 Speaker 1: of Saint Joseph of crondole It and the diocese gave 336 00:18:57,960 --> 00:19:00,720 Speaker 1: us two small grants that we started with. And the 337 00:19:00,800 --> 00:19:04,160 Speaker 1: way our small The diocese gave us like five thousand, 338 00:19:04,600 --> 00:19:07,119 Speaker 1: and the Sisters gave us twenty, which I say small 339 00:19:07,160 --> 00:19:09,960 Speaker 1: now because we have a much larger budget, but that 340 00:19:10,080 --> 00:19:12,440 Speaker 1: was huge for us when we started twenty five. 341 00:19:13,040 --> 00:19:15,720 Speaker 2: Yeah, and you're living in a groovy little hippie pad 342 00:19:16,000 --> 00:19:18,399 Speaker 2: over in Kansas City and nobody even knows who you are. 343 00:19:18,680 --> 00:19:23,000 Speaker 2: I think. Fine to understand why would anybody call up 344 00:19:23,040 --> 00:19:25,520 Speaker 2: this group of people and say, hey, my roof has 345 00:19:25,560 --> 00:19:26,199 Speaker 2: a hole in it. 346 00:19:26,560 --> 00:19:28,679 Speaker 1: Yeah. Well, so we started with our church, so we 347 00:19:28,760 --> 00:19:31,400 Speaker 1: went to our church, and we let them know like, hey, 348 00:19:32,000 --> 00:19:35,400 Speaker 1: we're here. If you need assistance with anything around your house, 349 00:19:35,480 --> 00:19:38,359 Speaker 1: let us know. And we just started getting calls. And 350 00:19:38,440 --> 00:19:43,000 Speaker 1: once you do one project, things spread like wildfire. You know, 351 00:19:43,119 --> 00:19:46,000 Speaker 1: people here. But the big part of our model is 352 00:19:46,040 --> 00:19:49,399 Speaker 1: the volunteers. Because not only do the volunteers come into service. 353 00:19:49,280 --> 00:19:53,320 Speaker 2: The ones that live with you are all. 354 00:19:52,080 --> 00:19:56,159 Speaker 1: But the retreats that we host because those volunteers, we 355 00:19:56,240 --> 00:19:58,640 Speaker 1: bring in about three hundred volunteers a year from around 356 00:19:58,640 --> 00:20:02,040 Speaker 1: the country. They they have a week long retreat. They 357 00:20:02,080 --> 00:20:05,000 Speaker 1: help us with our projects physically, but then also they 358 00:20:05,040 --> 00:20:07,960 Speaker 1: pay a fee to come for the week. 359 00:20:08,200 --> 00:20:11,520 Speaker 2: Oh and so that they pay you to work, they 360 00:20:12,680 --> 00:20:16,000 Speaker 2: make a lot of your place and work on other 361 00:20:16,000 --> 00:20:20,640 Speaker 2: people's place. Yeah again, Mission Tripp exactly exactly. So this thing, 362 00:20:21,119 --> 00:20:25,000 Speaker 2: I see, I get it now. So this thing has 363 00:20:26,359 --> 00:20:30,080 Speaker 2: twelve teenagers or college students that show up for a 364 00:20:30,119 --> 00:20:32,400 Speaker 2: week at a time or two weeks at a time 365 00:20:32,440 --> 00:20:37,040 Speaker 2: on a mission, and they pay you to show up, 366 00:20:37,840 --> 00:20:40,640 Speaker 2: and then you have projects lined up and you take 367 00:20:40,680 --> 00:20:42,120 Speaker 2: them out and say let's get it done. 368 00:20:42,280 --> 00:20:45,080 Speaker 1: Yeah. And then so the fee that they pay goes 369 00:20:45,080 --> 00:20:47,439 Speaker 1: towards the materials on the projects are working on and 370 00:20:47,520 --> 00:20:50,479 Speaker 1: so then that's how we're able to do that work. 371 00:20:50,800 --> 00:20:52,520 Speaker 2: What do you also? I love how you talk about 372 00:20:52,560 --> 00:20:54,439 Speaker 2: the feest. How do you describe it? 373 00:20:54,800 --> 00:20:56,560 Speaker 1: I do think a lot of our work I do 374 00:20:56,640 --> 00:20:59,760 Speaker 1: think of it as wealth redistribution, because you know, we're 375 00:21:00,119 --> 00:21:04,920 Speaker 1: drawing schools, private Catholic schools, right, and you're paying twenty 376 00:21:05,000 --> 00:21:08,760 Speaker 1: thousand a year you're going to it's from higher income families, 377 00:21:08,840 --> 00:21:13,119 Speaker 1: and so yeah, I think that's when we're fundraising and 378 00:21:13,160 --> 00:21:16,400 Speaker 1: all that is we need to redistribute this wealth into 379 00:21:16,440 --> 00:21:17,119 Speaker 1: our community. 380 00:21:17,760 --> 00:21:22,040 Speaker 2: There's a difference in wealth redistribution about people who volunteer 381 00:21:22,119 --> 00:21:22,760 Speaker 2: to do it and. 382 00:21:22,760 --> 00:21:25,399 Speaker 1: Then sourcing it. Sure, yeah, uh huh. 383 00:21:25,600 --> 00:21:29,479 Speaker 2: So your version of wealth redistribution I'm all for. Okay, 384 00:21:29,680 --> 00:21:36,479 Speaker 2: I love that. Yeah. Arbitrarily putting money in bureaucrats' hands 385 00:21:36,520 --> 00:21:41,280 Speaker 2: to quote redistribute wealth, I think is also fraught with issues. Yes, 386 00:21:41,320 --> 00:21:45,120 Speaker 2: but the way you're saying it and doing it makes 387 00:21:45,160 --> 00:21:47,040 Speaker 2: all the sense of the world. Yeah. 388 00:21:47,280 --> 00:21:50,720 Speaker 1: You know, in our Catholic world, we have this language 389 00:21:50,720 --> 00:21:54,639 Speaker 1: called rights and responsibilities. So we all have rights that 390 00:21:54,720 --> 00:21:57,080 Speaker 1: are due to us because we're human. Right to life 391 00:21:57,119 --> 00:22:01,200 Speaker 1: being first and foremost right. But that also entels having housing, 392 00:22:01,359 --> 00:22:06,280 Speaker 1: having food, having water, shelter, work, health care. But with 393 00:22:06,400 --> 00:22:10,080 Speaker 1: those rights you also have responsibilities. So if I have 394 00:22:10,200 --> 00:22:12,199 Speaker 1: the right to work, then I have the responsibility to 395 00:22:12,200 --> 00:22:15,040 Speaker 1: work as well if I can. But on top of 396 00:22:15,200 --> 00:22:18,639 Speaker 1: securing those rights for myself, I also have the duty 397 00:22:19,160 --> 00:22:22,160 Speaker 1: and the responsibility to secure those rights for others. 398 00:22:22,840 --> 00:22:25,320 Speaker 2: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. That's a Catholic thing. 399 00:22:25,560 --> 00:22:27,480 Speaker 1: Yeah, so that Catholic social teaching. 400 00:22:27,800 --> 00:22:30,160 Speaker 2: I agree with that. I'm not Catholic, so I think 401 00:22:30,240 --> 00:22:32,640 Speaker 2: in general that makes sense, but I think we need 402 00:22:32,680 --> 00:22:35,000 Speaker 2: to I want to dive into this a little bit. 403 00:22:35,840 --> 00:22:41,320 Speaker 2: So the idea is every human being because they're a 404 00:22:41,400 --> 00:22:44,159 Speaker 2: child of God, I would assume because of the faith, 405 00:22:44,440 --> 00:22:47,480 Speaker 2: because they're human, because they're created in the image of God. 406 00:22:47,680 --> 00:22:51,399 Speaker 2: They are our brothers and our sisters. They have a 407 00:22:51,480 --> 00:22:56,320 Speaker 2: right to life, They have a right to food, health care, 408 00:22:56,359 --> 00:22:59,960 Speaker 2: the basics. A human being has a right to those basics. 409 00:23:01,080 --> 00:23:05,800 Speaker 2: But cojoined with those rights, this school of thoughts says 410 00:23:05,960 --> 00:23:08,600 Speaker 2: the rights come with responsibility. I'm trying to repeat what 411 00:23:08,600 --> 00:23:09,600 Speaker 2: you said to me. I want to make sure I 412 00:23:09,680 --> 00:23:14,160 Speaker 2: got it. And so if you're able to work, certainly 413 00:23:14,200 --> 00:23:15,840 Speaker 2: you have a right to all these things, but you 414 00:23:15,920 --> 00:23:20,320 Speaker 2: also have a responsibility to engage in your community and 415 00:23:20,359 --> 00:23:22,240 Speaker 2: work and do the things you're supposed to do. 416 00:23:22,560 --> 00:23:23,200 Speaker 1: Correct. Yeah. 417 00:23:23,200 --> 00:23:25,320 Speaker 2: And then there was a third thing you said. 418 00:23:25,119 --> 00:23:27,360 Speaker 1: Yeah, So a lot of people end it there where 419 00:23:28,200 --> 00:23:32,080 Speaker 1: you say, well, the responsibility falls on me to work 420 00:23:32,160 --> 00:23:35,200 Speaker 1: or to do these things right. But in this principle 421 00:23:35,400 --> 00:23:38,480 Speaker 1: we also add that I also have the responsibility for 422 00:23:38,560 --> 00:23:43,320 Speaker 1: you that you also are have the rights that you're 423 00:23:43,440 --> 00:23:44,400 Speaker 1: entitled to as well. 424 00:23:44,920 --> 00:23:47,920 Speaker 2: And so you have the responsibility to ensure my right. 425 00:23:47,840 --> 00:23:50,040 Speaker 1: To care for my brothers and my sisters around me. 426 00:23:50,200 --> 00:23:53,600 Speaker 1: It's my responsibility. I am responsible for my brother and 427 00:23:53,640 --> 00:23:54,960 Speaker 1: my sister that live around me. 428 00:23:59,440 --> 00:24:20,320 Speaker 2: Will be right back, all right, So I have a 429 00:24:20,400 --> 00:24:23,440 Speaker 2: right to these things. Alex has a right to these things. 430 00:24:23,920 --> 00:24:27,080 Speaker 2: Cassius has a right, then you have a right. The 431 00:24:27,119 --> 00:24:29,439 Speaker 2: four of us in this room have these basic rights. 432 00:24:29,480 --> 00:24:34,040 Speaker 2: This is the fundamental School of THOUGHN principle. But we 433 00:24:34,119 --> 00:24:36,560 Speaker 2: have the responsibility, because of those rights, to do what 434 00:24:36,600 --> 00:24:40,280 Speaker 2: we can to secure those rights for ourselves. In addition, 435 00:24:41,760 --> 00:24:48,000 Speaker 2: I also have the responsibility that if your rights are 436 00:24:48,160 --> 00:24:57,240 Speaker 2: being quashed by something systematic, governmental, societal, to stick up 437 00:24:57,440 --> 00:24:58,639 Speaker 2: for your rights. 438 00:24:58,720 --> 00:25:01,480 Speaker 1: Correct. And so That's where I also we got onto 439 00:25:01,520 --> 00:25:05,119 Speaker 1: this around the wealth redistribution, because yes, it's not force, 440 00:25:05,280 --> 00:25:07,879 Speaker 1: but it is responsibility as an obligation, or you can 441 00:25:07,920 --> 00:25:11,879 Speaker 1: think of it as a duty or liturgy has the 442 00:25:11,920 --> 00:25:14,200 Speaker 1: word rooted in that language. 443 00:25:14,280 --> 00:25:18,760 Speaker 2: Duty for our non Christian listeners or maybe our fence 444 00:25:18,800 --> 00:25:25,800 Speaker 2: sitting listeners. One of the things that I think, especially 445 00:25:25,880 --> 00:25:30,400 Speaker 2: in today's modern times, freak people out about the Christian 446 00:25:30,440 --> 00:25:34,560 Speaker 2: faith is the guilt part that whole principle you just said, 447 00:25:34,840 --> 00:25:40,159 Speaker 2: by the way, personally love it, honestly absolutely. I'm going 448 00:25:40,240 --> 00:25:42,440 Speaker 2: to think about that probably all week as I think 449 00:25:42,480 --> 00:25:46,040 Speaker 2: about the third leg to that stool, which is probably 450 00:25:46,080 --> 00:25:49,560 Speaker 2: the most interesting to me. Are you doing the things 451 00:25:49,600 --> 00:25:55,760 Speaker 2: you're supposed to do because you're motivated to do them 452 00:25:56,200 --> 00:25:59,199 Speaker 2: by the right things, or you doing those out of 453 00:25:59,240 --> 00:26:03,480 Speaker 2: guilt or you use guilt to motivate others to do things, 454 00:26:03,520 --> 00:26:06,840 Speaker 2: And and people, there's a there's a large group of 455 00:26:06,840 --> 00:26:12,600 Speaker 2: people in today's world who recoil from the Christian faith 456 00:26:12,680 --> 00:26:17,600 Speaker 2: because of that thought. I'd love to give you a 457 00:26:17,680 --> 00:26:19,200 Speaker 2: chance to kind of address that one. 458 00:26:19,960 --> 00:26:26,120 Speaker 1: Yeah, it depends on the day, on what your motivation is. 459 00:26:26,440 --> 00:26:27,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, we're human, right. 460 00:26:27,680 --> 00:26:32,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, you know there's father Dan Berrigan. Have you heard 461 00:26:32,520 --> 00:26:36,400 Speaker 1: of him? He was a radical lot of Catholic Catholic 462 00:26:36,440 --> 00:26:40,680 Speaker 1: priest during the Vietnam War. He was arrested multiple times 463 00:26:40,680 --> 00:26:43,199 Speaker 1: for burning draft cards and was a big believer in 464 00:26:43,480 --> 00:26:47,080 Speaker 1: Christian non violence. But he was once asked one time, 465 00:26:47,119 --> 00:26:51,359 Speaker 1: where does your faith reside? And his response was in 466 00:26:51,400 --> 00:26:52,119 Speaker 1: your act. 467 00:26:52,520 --> 00:26:55,800 Speaker 2: In your. 468 00:26:58,720 --> 00:27:01,560 Speaker 1: Well, it's what he's talking about. It's where you show 469 00:27:01,640 --> 00:27:04,920 Speaker 1: up at day and where you sit and where you are. 470 00:27:05,040 --> 00:27:08,640 Speaker 1: So some days, you know, I might think my faith 471 00:27:08,680 --> 00:27:10,439 Speaker 1: is in my heart right, or my faith might be 472 00:27:10,480 --> 00:27:13,000 Speaker 1: in my brain, But some days I might not be 473 00:27:13,040 --> 00:27:15,760 Speaker 1: feeling it in my heart or my brain might not 474 00:27:15,920 --> 00:27:18,560 Speaker 1: be able to reconcile it right. But what he talks 475 00:27:18,600 --> 00:27:22,560 Speaker 1: about is even in that, just showing up consistently and 476 00:27:22,840 --> 00:27:24,600 Speaker 1: who you're with and where you are and what your 477 00:27:24,600 --> 00:27:27,879 Speaker 1: commitments are, that's really what displays where your faith is. 478 00:27:28,680 --> 00:27:32,119 Speaker 1: And so I just say that about this obligation or 479 00:27:32,280 --> 00:27:35,600 Speaker 1: duty or recoiling from that of like, yeah, some days 480 00:27:35,600 --> 00:27:37,440 Speaker 1: I might do things because I feel guilty. I see 481 00:27:37,480 --> 00:27:41,640 Speaker 1: someone and I was like, oh man, I really should 482 00:27:41,680 --> 00:27:43,920 Speaker 1: do something. Or some days I might do it just 483 00:27:43,960 --> 00:27:47,600 Speaker 1: because I'm feeling great and motivated and like, I wake 484 00:27:47,680 --> 00:27:49,800 Speaker 1: up and I just want to go out in the 485 00:27:49,800 --> 00:27:53,720 Speaker 1: world and serve. And all that to say is like, 486 00:27:54,560 --> 00:27:57,159 Speaker 1: I don't think any of that's wrong, but it's for me. 487 00:27:57,320 --> 00:27:59,320 Speaker 1: It's like, well, I'm going to show up every day 488 00:27:59,560 --> 00:28:02,760 Speaker 1: and chout myself just to be in those spaces that 489 00:28:02,800 --> 00:28:06,280 Speaker 1: I need to be to serve. And so I like 490 00:28:06,359 --> 00:28:08,320 Speaker 1: that response from Father dan Berg and I think about 491 00:28:08,400 --> 00:28:08,880 Speaker 1: that a lot. 492 00:28:09,320 --> 00:28:14,400 Speaker 2: That's hilarious. Okay, so you show up, you've got the thing. 493 00:28:14,560 --> 00:28:16,080 Speaker 2: I assume you have to do a little work on 494 00:28:16,119 --> 00:28:20,080 Speaker 2: the former convent to make it appropriate, and you go 495 00:28:20,160 --> 00:28:24,359 Speaker 2: through your church and people start calling, give us an 496 00:28:24,400 --> 00:28:25,879 Speaker 2: idea of what that work looks like. 497 00:28:26,040 --> 00:28:29,920 Speaker 1: Yeah, initially, most of our you know, we were initially 498 00:28:29,960 --> 00:28:32,160 Speaker 1: one of our first clients was a member from our church. 499 00:28:32,200 --> 00:28:33,920 Speaker 2: I don't really expect you to remember. You can't remember 500 00:28:33,960 --> 00:28:35,720 Speaker 2: when you met your wife, So yeah. 501 00:28:37,040 --> 00:28:39,800 Speaker 1: It was a roof that we did. But yeah, most 502 00:28:39,800 --> 00:28:42,880 Speaker 1: of our clients that we serve, our seniors fixed income 503 00:28:43,480 --> 00:28:46,600 Speaker 1: eight hundred dollars a month is what their Social Security is, 504 00:28:47,440 --> 00:28:51,400 Speaker 1: and they own their house or we also serve a 505 00:28:51,400 --> 00:28:55,120 Speaker 1: lot of immigrants and refugees in our neighborhood. That bought 506 00:28:55,160 --> 00:28:59,680 Speaker 1: houses probably really cheap, but wouldn't be considered livable by 507 00:28:59,720 --> 00:29:02,920 Speaker 1: most people. And so they're they're working on them as 508 00:29:02,960 --> 00:29:07,960 Speaker 1: they're living in them and improving their situation. So that 509 00:29:08,360 --> 00:29:11,280 Speaker 1: makes up predominantly who we work with with our home 510 00:29:11,320 --> 00:29:14,880 Speaker 1: repair program in our neighborhood. Our neighborhood in the Northeast 511 00:29:14,920 --> 00:29:17,840 Speaker 1: is the median income is like thirty thousand a year, 512 00:29:18,320 --> 00:29:20,920 Speaker 1: and it's a working class neighborhood. 513 00:29:21,280 --> 00:29:26,400 Speaker 2: Was demographics in race, age, and faith curious? 514 00:29:27,360 --> 00:29:29,720 Speaker 1: I don't know the faith question. There's a lot of 515 00:29:29,800 --> 00:29:32,480 Speaker 1: churches around the northeast that you see. 516 00:29:32,840 --> 00:29:35,840 Speaker 2: Let's be clear, he's not talking about the northeast United States, 517 00:29:35,880 --> 00:29:36,400 Speaker 2: northeast of. 518 00:29:36,760 --> 00:29:40,160 Speaker 1: Northeast Kansas City. Correct. Yeah. I called the Northeast about 519 00:29:40,240 --> 00:29:42,920 Speaker 1: third Hispanic, a third black, third white. 520 00:29:43,280 --> 00:29:45,040 Speaker 2: Is it really that diverse? 521 00:29:45,320 --> 00:29:45,640 Speaker 1: It is? 522 00:29:45,800 --> 00:29:47,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's one that's really interesting. 523 00:29:47,960 --> 00:29:50,520 Speaker 1: We did this listening project in twenty twenty two and 524 00:29:50,520 --> 00:29:52,960 Speaker 1: then twenty twenty four where we surveyed around six hundred 525 00:29:53,000 --> 00:29:57,200 Speaker 1: people around the Northeast and we had forty different languages 526 00:29:57,400 --> 00:30:00,680 Speaker 1: reportedly spoken in the household. In those surveys that we 527 00:30:00,720 --> 00:30:03,840 Speaker 1: did with people forty different languages. 528 00:30:03,520 --> 00:30:07,520 Speaker 2: How are these people getting to Kansas City. The city 529 00:30:07,560 --> 00:30:10,400 Speaker 2: is a great town. They're barbecue sucks, but the town's 530 00:30:10,440 --> 00:30:14,560 Speaker 2: a wonderful place. I shot it, I got it. Gosh, 531 00:30:14,760 --> 00:30:21,280 Speaker 2: you heard it. I got that right, all right. But then. 532 00:30:22,640 --> 00:30:24,560 Speaker 1: I was a vegetarian when I moved to Kansas City. 533 00:30:24,640 --> 00:30:28,640 Speaker 1: But tacos and barbecue, maybe. 534 00:30:29,440 --> 00:30:32,720 Speaker 2: That was overstated. Kansas City's barbecue does not suck. I've 535 00:30:32,720 --> 00:30:37,320 Speaker 2: eaten plenty of times. It's just fine and tasty for 536 00:30:37,480 --> 00:30:42,280 Speaker 2: a minor league fair that's all. So anyway, I would 537 00:30:42,360 --> 00:30:47,720 Speaker 2: expect that in places like southern Texas, the northeast, maybe Chicago, 538 00:30:48,040 --> 00:30:52,320 Speaker 2: the eastern Seaboards, certainly La. But Kansas City is like 539 00:30:52,360 --> 00:30:55,000 Speaker 2: the heartland. It's the Midwest middle city. How in the 540 00:30:55,000 --> 00:30:58,680 Speaker 2: world to forty different languages Refugees as you call them, 541 00:30:59,040 --> 00:31:00,440 Speaker 2: get to Kansas City. 542 00:31:01,160 --> 00:31:04,360 Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean there we have resettlement agencies through the 543 00:31:04,400 --> 00:31:06,680 Speaker 1: refugee program and then immigrants. But you know, I think 544 00:31:06,720 --> 00:31:09,400 Speaker 1: because of that, because Kin City is affordable city and 545 00:31:09,440 --> 00:31:11,080 Speaker 1: we're in the middle there's a lot of highways that 546 00:31:11,160 --> 00:31:14,120 Speaker 1: go through Kansas City. We're not far from Chicago or Denver, 547 00:31:14,320 --> 00:31:17,719 Speaker 1: and I think people go to some of those larger 548 00:31:17,760 --> 00:31:20,720 Speaker 1: cities and find them to be expensive and difficult to 549 00:31:20,760 --> 00:31:23,920 Speaker 1: live in, and then somehow they hear about Kansas City 550 00:31:23,960 --> 00:31:28,040 Speaker 1: and end up there and can make a good living there. 551 00:31:28,880 --> 00:31:34,880 Speaker 2: So this Northeast community that your new Jerusalem Farm serves 552 00:31:35,080 --> 00:31:39,400 Speaker 2: looks like a third white, a third Hispanic, a third black, 553 00:31:40,240 --> 00:31:45,520 Speaker 2: from all different walks of life, some retired age folks. 554 00:31:46,560 --> 00:31:50,920 Speaker 2: It feels like we're talking about a lower middle income 555 00:31:51,920 --> 00:31:55,680 Speaker 2: place where people are just getting by a month a month. 556 00:31:56,200 --> 00:31:59,800 Speaker 1: Yeah, but it's also changing because we're about of the 557 00:31:59,800 --> 00:32:02,280 Speaker 1: city neighborhoods in the Northeast which make up what we 558 00:32:02,320 --> 00:32:05,720 Speaker 1: call the historic Northeast. We're in the westernmost neighborhood, which 559 00:32:05,720 --> 00:32:08,680 Speaker 1: is only about a mile from downtown Kansas City, and 560 00:32:08,760 --> 00:32:11,440 Speaker 1: so you know, and there's a lot of old historic 561 00:32:11,520 --> 00:32:15,040 Speaker 1: homes built in the late eighteen hundreds eighteen eighties that 562 00:32:15,080 --> 00:32:18,080 Speaker 1: are mansions really, and so you do have a lot 563 00:32:18,120 --> 00:32:23,200 Speaker 1: of younger professionals, wealthier individuals also living there in these 564 00:32:23,640 --> 00:32:27,480 Speaker 1: historic homes that have fixed them up. They look beautiful. 565 00:32:28,040 --> 00:32:31,400 Speaker 1: So yeah, I say it truly is diverse and both 566 00:32:31,440 --> 00:32:35,760 Speaker 1: socioeconomically and ethnically and so forth. 567 00:32:35,920 --> 00:32:37,720 Speaker 2: That's kind of a cool place to live at South 568 00:32:37,840 --> 00:32:38,240 Speaker 2: like it is. 569 00:32:38,280 --> 00:32:39,960 Speaker 1: I love it. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. 570 00:32:40,080 --> 00:32:46,880 Speaker 2: That's very cool. And that concludes Part one of our 571 00:32:46,920 --> 00:32:50,040 Speaker 2: conversation with Jordan Sheeley, and you don't want to miss 572 00:32:50,080 --> 00:32:54,360 Speaker 2: part two. It's now available to listen to together. Guys, 573 00:32:54,560 --> 00:32:57,720 Speaker 2: we can change this country, but it starts with you. 574 00:32:58,400 --> 00:33:05,000 Speaker 2: I'll see you in part two.