John 14:21
"Because a loveless world," said Jesus, "is a sightless world. If anyone loves me, he will carefully keep my word and my Father will love him—we'll move right into the neighborhood! Not loving me means not keeping my words. The message you are hearing isn't mine. It's the message of the Father who sent me."

A parable to ponder

A group of tourists sit in a bus that is passing through gorgeously beautiful country; lakes and mountains and green fields and rivers. But the shades of the bus are pulled down. They do not have the slightest idea of what lies beyond the windows of the bus.

And all the time of their journey is spent in squabbling over who will have the seat of honor in the bus, who will be applauded, who will be well considered. And so they remain till the journey's end. (A. de Mello)

Get off the bus.

Live

... as if your neighbours mattered.

The Hour of God's love.

I grew up in a really religious, fundamentalist home. I started off going to a Catholic church and Catholic schools. My mom took us to evangelical, Pentecostal churches. I have seen a lot of the Christian faith. I often visit a church in California which is a really, really evangelical church. I don’t agree with what the pastor says all the time, but I like the sense of community. The words don’t reach me but the gathering I like.

The most important thing a church or pastor can do is to be a part of the building and sustaining of a community, a place to go, a place to be, a place to gather together and do stuff. I’m less interested in the political angle of a church, more interested in the humanitarian angle of a church. (G. Stroumboulopoulos)

George isn't big on the Gospel proclamation bit of the Church, but he does want to be a part of a lived-out faith.

Don't we all?

That includes our neighbours.

Wednesdays at the Wilson’s

Sherrie and I have lived on Lost Lane since 1994, when we built our home. Our house is part of an informal community made up of 20 homes and farms that populate a section of county road and the afore-­‐mentioned dead end lane. Our neighbors are mostly friendly, and we wave and even say hello on occasion, but we felt for a long time that there ought to be a greater sense of neighborliness among us. In the fall of 2008, we finally took matters in our own hands and delivered invitations to all 20 homes, encouraging people to gather at our place on a Sunday afternoon when the Packers weren’t playing to share a potluck and get to know each other. Much to our delight, 10 of the homes were represented, and everyone confessed that they had been having the same “hankering” to get together ever since they had moved in. We thought we had started something, so we waited for one of the other families to pick up the ball last fall (09). Nothing happened...

Fast forward to the spring of 2010 and the opportunity to work on Making Room for Summer. The first impact of engaging with the material Randy (Frazee) and Max (Lucado) were developing wasn’t on my neighbors; it was on my view of my own home. Our three children are grown, married, and we are now delighted grandparents of five. Our home is on frequent occasions the happy chaos of all of us together for special events, but our day in/day out life is an empty-­‐nester schedule. I looked at our dining area and saw that our large table that seats eight and can’t be reconfigured had become not so much a place for two to have meals but a resting spot for junk mail and various ongoing projects. In other words, it was always piled with stuff. Two seated at opposite ends of a long table wasn’t appealing, and even sitting next to each other at one of the corners or along one side seemed odd. Meals together had degenerated into TV dinners in the living room while watching the news (depressing food consumed with depressing information). Having guests always involved a major effort to clear the table—which in itself was a dis-­‐ incentive to inviting others over.

Just outside our dining room is a large porch with wicker chairs and a small, round table that fits four nicely. I suggested that we put the big table on the porch and bring the small table inside at least for the summer and try making room for meals together. The change wasn’t easy. Losing the now habitual spot to drop things set into motion a lot of other decisions about living (that’s a longer story).

But the first meal by candlelight fixed by a husband on a mission had the desired effect. After an hour of conversation and interaction, Sherrie said, “I wasn’t sure about this, but now I like it!” That beginning hasn’t led to the continual happily ever after result, but we know this is something we’re aiming at.

Next came the conviction that we ought to again reach out to our neighbors. I decided we need to do more than just a once-­‐every-­‐two-­‐years-­‐in-­‐the-­‐fall gathering. So I thought we’d try something called Wednesdays at the Wilson’s and inform our neighborhood that for each of the four Wednesdays in August we would host an informal gathering for supper at our place. No particular agenda other than acquaintance. We made up invitations and biked around the neighborhood and delivered them. Some of the neighbors were out, others were on vacation, but every home got an invitation and we talked to quite a few who remembered our gathering two years ago.

Last Wednesday was our first W@W. One young mother and her three kids (one baby) showed up. We had a delightful time. We prepared a salad bar and the kids loved the variety. We hadn’t met the Mom before other than at the door when we delivered the invitation. I think she mainly appreciated two grandparents who attended to her kids while she ate, but we had some moments of conversation and assured her that we were thrilled with the outcome of the evening. She promised to return and bring her husband (who had had to work).

We realize this whole idea of making room for neighbors isn’t the promotion of instant intimacy or sudden closeness, but there is an unmistakable sense of satisfaction in having attempted something to bridge the gaps. We’re not sure how the other Wednesdays will go, but we’re determined to see them through. Making Room for Summer has already had a lasting impact on our lives (and the lives of others)! (Neil Wilson)

Can you live a life within walking distance?

Give it a try for a week.

The good life is close to home.

life in the 'hood

Pour yourself into your neighbourhood...

How does your spirituality manifest itself?

Are we supposed to be crappy neighbours?

A couple of days ago a friend of mine posted on facebook, 'My neighbour is a moron.'

My friend has been frustrated for sometime about the person living next-door to him for various reasons, yet has failed to see that this 'enemy' maybe the very person God wants him to love.

One of the reasons many Christians don't want to get to know their neighbours is what if their neighbours don't like them, or worse yet, 'they don't like the neighbour!'

Now it's always easier to say that to someone else. But if there is no one in our life that we don't get along with, we might not be reaching out beyond our circle of affinity.

Try reading Matthew 5:43-48 in the context of your local neighbourhood:

"You're familiar with the old written law, 'Love your friend,' and its unwritten companion, 'Hate your enemy.' I'm challenging that. I'm telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.

"In a word, what I'm saying is, Grow up. You're kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you."

Get outside & meet your neighbours!

Sometimes we have to give up the comforts of a warm living room....

rEPENT

Most merciful God
We confess that we have sinned against you
In thought, word, and deed,
By what we have done,
And by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. (Book of Common Prayer)

love your neighbour

To Love someone is not first of all to do things for them, but to reveal to them their beauty and value, to say to them through our attitude: 'You are beautiful. You are important. I trust you. You can trust yourself.'

We all know well that we can do things for others and in the process crush them, making them feel that they are incapable of doing things by themselves. To love someone is to reveal to them their capacities for life, the light that is shining in them. (Jean Vanier)

Do you have enough bandwidth to join in a neighbouring movement?

Is it time to give something up to make some space for neighbourhood availability?

The key

I sought my soul, and the soul I could not see.
I sought my God and God eluded me
I sought my neighbour and found all three.

Just get used to it...

The presence of community does not mean the absence of differences.

Reach out across your fence

“The love of our neighbor in all its fullness simply means being able to say to him, ‘What are you going through?’” S. Weil

Something's going on

Under the radar

It's not always happening in the big building (why keep looking there?!)

it's happening in the small buildings

it's happening in your neighbourhood.

Welcoming the stranger

Invite a neighbour over for the first time.

Overcome privacy.

The best parable has always been the life of a human being who is able to listen to GOD and live with Neighbors. (J. Wesley)

Neighbour luv

Just shovel snow for someone in need in your neighbourhood.

Be fully present.

Share some Christmas presence in your neighbourhood today.

There are abundant opportunities to serve and engage with our neighbors

Then Jesus said to his disciples,

"The harvest is huge. But there are only a few workers. So ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers out into his harvest field."

Time For Some Bluegrass...

There are many people
who will say they're Christians
and they live like Christians on the Sabbath day

But come Monday morning, til the coming Sunday
They will fight their neighbor all along the way

Oh you don't love God, if you don't love your neighbor
if you gossip about him, if you never have mercy
if he gets into trouble, and you don't try to help him
then you don't love your neighbor, and you don't love God

In the Holy Bible, in the Book of Matthew
Read the 18th chapter in the 21st verse
Jesus plainly tells us that we must have mercy
There's a special warning in the 35th verse

There's a God almighty, and you've got to love him
if you want salvation and a home on high

If you say you love him while you hate your neighbor
then you don't have religion, you just told a lie

Oh you don't love God, if you don't love your neighbor
if you gossip about him, if you never have mercy
if he gets into trouble, and you don't try to help him
then you don't love your neighbor, and you don't love God

then you don't love your neighbor, and you don't love God

1 John 2:6
Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.