Don't Go, Be

We had a beautiful weekend here in southwest Ohio. Perfect for slaving away in our yard. And that's just what we did around here. The results are worth the hours spent ripping dandelions out of our flower beds.

I love this time of year for so many reasons, but one of the best is that you actually get to see your neighbors again. The colder months find us running from our house to our car with an occasional wave to the neighbors if we happened to coordinate our timing right. We have lived in this small community for 2 years and we still only know our immediate neighbors for the most part. We are blessed with great, helpful, caring neighbors and we are thankful for the relationships that we have built with them. But there's a whole street out there of homes filled with people and we don't even know their names.

Our church has started doing something called "Don't Go To Church, Be the Church" Weekends. The idea is that one weekend each month you don't go to the gathering at our church, instead be intentional and find practical ways to reach out to your community and to share the love of Christ with your neighbors, co-workers and friends. We are divided up by our house churches as to which weekend we participate in this and have the option to do something as an entire house church or on our own.

This past weekend was our weekend to "Be the Church". Cale and I decided that we need to be much more intentional with our neighbors and so that is why we decided to reach out to a family that we don't know much about beyond their names and that they just had a new baby. I went over the other day to chat with her and we had a wonderful visit. We took them dinner last night and again were able to talk with them for a little bit. Plans are in the works for a BBQ in the next few weeks. It might not seem like much, but I know it's a start.

But it was very evident yesterday that we have a long way to go as police cars filled the street several houses down from us. An ambulance, a lot of yelling and people standing out on their lawns is what greeted everyone as they arrived here last night for house church. My heart was heavy as we heard things unfold down the street. I walked around getting ready for house church praying for that family and being convicted that we need to do more. Yes, we have built real relationship with the people right around us, but the fact that I don't even know the name of the people 4 houses down disturbs me and I want to do something about it.

I think the "Don't Go to Church" weekends are a great idea, but they aren't enough. We are called to BE the church everyday, wherever we are. And I am challenged to get out of the comforting, albeit confining walls of my house and truly shine the light of Christ on this street.

"But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing"

-2Corinthians 2:14-15