Jose Humphreys

Open source is a software phenomenon that allows one developer to allow others to modify/improve upon the original design.  Mozilla Fire Fox is an example of an open source search engine that has gone through many modifications by different developers.
This term has become more widely adopted in theological circles as well, looking at theology as [...]

Church planting has some intense moments of  loneliness.  This is what I’m hearing from both seasoned planters and “rookies” alike.  I’ve experienced it  for myself as someone who is a new church planter and pastor here in East Harlem.  I’m finding more and more, loneliness is not so much about whether people around, but the [...]

Harlem has some great museums. The Arturo Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture contains a large collection of art relating to the history of Black people. What many people don’t know about Schomburg is that he is Black, and of Puerto Rican descent. I love this convergence because it’s one I [...]

If you’re in NYC and want to catch a Broadway play, well, In the Heights is the way to go. Besides winning 4 Tony awards it depicts the whole experience of the Barrio in Washington Heights in a way that was true to culture. Mayra and I had caught it on Valentine’s Day [...]

The title of this post was part of a conversation I had with a group from Metro Hope Church while eating dinner at Mobays Restaurant on 125th Street, aka Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Some folks in the group mentioned deceased relatives they’ve never met. Other mentioned actors both alive and [...]

I attended a Sean Bell Protest in Harlem today at 3:00pm. There were five other protests in strategic places in the city. The energy was intense while people with fists pumping in the air shouted chants of, “No justice no peace” and “We are Sean Bell…” This latter statement was symbolic of the [...]

Tim Keller’s new book.

Folks from my church threw me a surprise birthday party at a nearby Pizzeria Unos. This was after our final gathering for 2007. It was a nice surprise and a great end to an adventurous year.
Afterwards I caught, I am legend with my friend Jeff. Will Smith was great and the movie was awesome. The [...]

Some pics over the summer:
1. My boy smiling, nothing like it…
2. With Mayra at a cafe (Sette Panni)
3. Some of our launch team after our 1st barbecue at Marcus Garvey Park.

Some great stuff has happened the last few days. Our church, Metro Hope, had its first annual barbecue at Marcus Garvey Park. We had friends, neighbors, and relatives come down for a great time. Mayra happened to overhear some people in the park talk about the diversity of the group, which was [...]

I’m truly aware of energy drainers in my life.  For one, administrative detail tends to tax me.   Yeah I can get it done,  but I’m not wired for that stuff every day.  So yesterday was a breath of fresh air as I got out of the office.
I had breakfast with a new friend.  His name [...]

Having relationships only with Christians made it difficult to obey the teachings of Jesus about being on a mission for him and being salt and light to the world…I started to feel convicted that I had become a part of the Christian subculture, that strange bubble which little by little sucks you into it, and [...]

Got together with some folks from our church plant and had some great laughs at IHOP in Harlem. We were originally supposed to go to the Schomburg Center for an exhibit called Stereotypes vs. Humantypes: Images of Blacks in 19th & 20th Centuries, but it was filled to capacity.
It’s okay. The laughs over [...]

I’m speaking at Bethesda Covenant Church this Sunday in Midtown Manhattan. I met Adam and Amy Rohler, Pastors of Bethel at a a midwinter conference in Denver.
Part of my sermon is going to address this topic of “ego shedding” within the context of John 6, Jesus’ miracle multiplying the bread and fish for 5,000 [...]

We’re into our second week of parenthood and things are great. I’m not so sure if the first week counted as much…we had lots of help from my mother-in-law.
Now it’s just Mayra and me this week with Javier. Changing diapers, lots of them. Along with bi-hourly feedings and some sleep deprivation.
It’s all worth [...]