Everyday this week, I’ll be previewing CUMBRE de ALABANZA — “The Heart of a Barrio Prophet,” the big event this Friday at 7pm at Community Baptist Church (map) in East Los Angeles, by linking to information (all the links will be worth the click) about the event, the speaker, and our hopes and goals for the time.
Abner Ramos - serving students at East Los Angeles College (ELAC) will be preaching from Jeremiah 12 (read passage), a book he has been recently challenged by:

“Like Jeremiah, I’ve been fed up with the sin and apathy of my people. God had me study the prophet, and stopped me at chapter 12. When Jeremiah exposes his heart to God, God exposes his heart to Jeremiah. God has a beautiful heart.”

Read more of Abner’s blog thoughts on Jeremiah & being a Barrio Prophets here and here. One of our hopes for this time is for God to raise up a generation of Barrio Prophets to communicate a message of hope & justice.

Just last week I was at CSULA inviting students to this event when I met a student named Jose, who was waiting at the bus hub on campus to go home. Jose - who grew up in the barrio here in East LA - is a senior studying engineering who hopes to graduate this spring.

When I asked him “If God were to walk into the barrio, what would he have to speak to?”, Jose responded, “God would have to speak to the false perceptions that people have about those of us who live in the barrio, about how we live, what we are like, and what we hope for.”

Jose’ challenge for God is the same as Jeremiah’s challenge for God - to rise up and to act for justice in the barrio. God’s response to Jeremiah, to Jose and to you & I is this: “I am rising up - through this generation from the barrio to be worldchangers across the globe.”

On that note, you’re all invited this Friday to hear more about the generation of Barrio Prophets that God is raising up.

READ: Barrio Prophets (b)