20 Reasons I love my neighborhood-How to be a missionary right where you live.
WHY do I live where I live?
Because I’m lazy.
Too lazy to load up five kids in to the van and tote them over to a church service project. Too lazy to get up on a Saturday morning and head down to the soup kitchen to serve a meal. Too lazy to try to juggle babysitting schedules so I can go into the neighborhood school to volunteer to read to kids.
I’m far to lazy to do all those things, so if I’m going to be light to those people who need the Light of the World the most, if I’m going to feed the hungry, if I’m going to broaden and educate struggling students.
Then I have to live among them.
Right smack dab in the middle of the glorious chaos…
By doing life with them, it leads us all to the Giver of Life.
And then how do you be a “missionary”-on a mission to make the power and salvation of Jesus known to all people?
Start having fun.
By living life with them.
Embrace every chaotic moment of the kids in and out of the door. Wrangle those kids from the Legos, to have reading time (Jesus Storybook Bible, always first choice!). Bake cookies, and get real messy doing it.
Love, love, love every smiling little face. Listen, listen, listen to every heart poured out. Serve, serve, serve with a strength not your own. Pray often, pray hard, pray now.
THIS is how the mission of making Jesus’ power known is lived out.
It is only HIS POWER IN you that can give you the love, the listening, and the serving.
“Christ in you, hope of glory.”
Christ in you, hope of GOING.
Christ in you, hope of GIVING.
Christ in you hope of GROWING.
For it is in the going (the living amongst, for those of us who are lazy), and the giving, and the constant need for glory (in you! how else are you going to put up with all the messes without losing it?!?), that the growing happens. And then it becomes not so much about them needing the Gospel, but us needing Jesus.
Jesus Christ.
Christ in you, hope of glory.
And if these reasons don’t spill forth glory,
well, then, maybe you and I have different ideas as to what glory is.
Twenty Reasons I love my Neighborhood
#1. Impromptu neighborhood feasts
#2. The way that once a few kids get wind of it, many more join
The way that once a few kids get wind of it, many more join
#3. I get to watch Jesus multiply food. Turning water into…more soup.
More guests? Just add more water, and a pack of frozen veggies
#4. Every physical meal served, gathers kids and neighbors long enough for a spiritual one too, (BEFORE we eat!)
Danny reads the Word and then has the kids answer questions about it… all while my soup gets cold (but its worth it)
#5. The “Little Gang”
They run around like they own the street.
#6. I’m forced get to do arts and crafts, because the kids come in demanding it
Adrianna LOVES cutting up bits of paper to make collages out of..
#7. The comraderie of kids forces you into the lives of the parents…
If their kid is at your house, you end up talking, becoming friends, and even start going to church together…Janki and Adrianna
#8. Resulting in beautiful friendships
My new and wonderful friend, Supreena and me, after church one Sunday
#9. That blossom and deepen in your home entryway….
Many heart-to-hearts, exhortations, prayers have occurred in this little entry way, when a parent comes looking for their kid..
10. Tea Parties in the street
Who needs a lush field?! The pavement in front of the broken down car will do just fine for a picnic!
#11. The older kids look out for the younger ones
Cray is Benjamins unofficial “guardian” if a car is ever coming down our street
12. Absolutely.self.explanatory.
That gorgeous grin grabs your heart and won’t let go.
13. The kids love playing outside together.
I love me som’ dirty kids (if its because they’ve been playing “camping out” for the past 2 1/2 hours.
14. Trick or Treating buddies are easy to come by
Our “buddy” system on Oct. 31 so we didn’t leave behind any keep-begging-for-more-candy stragglers
15. “Politeness Points” incentive works better with the neighborhood kids
For some reason, Jamar is really good at earning politeness points at the dinner table and everyone wants to keep up with him.
16. Baking Parties!!!
Everyone’s favorite thing to do!
17.Hilarious SONGS about baking parties!
18. I have a lot of little “mothers” running around now
And the Lord knows I NEED some mothering help!!
19. Basketball games on the fly happen very frequently!
They are ALWAYS up for a basketball game! And who knew?! Basketball games cure mother’s headaches and energize weary bodies at 4pm…even better than chocolate and another cup of coffee
20. We are seeing lives transformed by Jesus.
Prayer time for one of our friends, during Wednesday night Bible study
