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Out of Practice?

This past weekend I taught about neighbouring in Fairview, Alberta. The vibrant small community listened to a few true stories that help make neighbours and neighbourhoods flourish.  It was not a surprise to me that residents from Fairview had been practicing the art of neighbouring already.  Simple decisions, such as asking for eggs from the neighbours when you run out in the middle of baking, seemed more second nature.  It was a delight to hear that neighbours were part of life's plan.  Loving your neighbour was not an option!  (Practicing hospitality was not an option either - thanks to those who generously hosted us fort the weekend).

On Sunday morning, a youth leader shared some thoughts on the movie, "The Grace Card" (Netflix) which included a scene challenging a police officer to understand his mission to be outside the walls of his church.    This was great to hear since it played nicely into the teaching of neighbouring.  Loving your neighbour is hard to do from within the walls of a church, much the same as trying to harvest from inside the barn.  It is difficult to practice loving your neighbour when we have not practiced it for a very long time.  What Fairview reminded me of this weekend was that practicing  is important.  Many of us are "out of practice"; it is easier to not do it.

And thanks to Thomas, the young man who inspired me by reading Romans 10:14,15 -  "How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in?  And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?  And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?  And how can they preach unless they are sent?  As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"

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Trust

This past June, I accidentally trusted a couple of guys at a block party.  I had arrived with the Neighbourhood Life travelling BBQ and began helping with the set up.  It seems that people like to ask questions about this travelling trailer BBQ, and these two men were no exception.   They asked, “Where did you get this thing?” and “How much did it cost you?”  The two gentlemen, who were excited about playing (cooking) on this BBQ trailer, settled in with their aprons and spatula’s.  Then I received a call that required me to pick up my daughter from swimming.  The problem here was that I could not make it back to pick up the BBQ trailer, so I asked the two gentlemen if I could leave it with them for the night and pick it up in the morning?  To my astonishment, they replied with a, “You’re going to just leave this thing with us?”  I proceeded to explain the dilemma in my schedule, to which they responded, “People don’t trust each other like this anymore these days.”

Albeit a force play, I ended up leaving the trailer BBQ with my two new buddies.  Their comments intrigued me.  As a result, I have found other opportunities to trust my neighbours.

One recent story has to do with Christmas presents,( but I cannot say too much since my family reads this blog).  I found a lady in our neighbourhood who knows a thing or two about a product that she has started ordering for herself.  I went over to her place last week to see if she wanted to fill an “Operation Manna” shoe box for a child (see last months blog post) and ended up hearing a little about this product.  So I listened.  I actually did more than listen in the end.  I decided to apply the lesson learned from leaving the BBQ trailer at the block party last June.  Since I ended up ordering some of this product from her for Christmas, I gave her more than enough money…up front.  Handing the cash over communicated a trust that could not be put into words.

Now I am searching for a neighbour with whom I could build trust in other situations.  Perhaps there is a new neighbour in whom I can build trust by giving them the keys to our house when we are away this holiday season.

This is nothing new for those who have experienced an abundance of trust in their lives.  Building trust works, especially with those who have a great deal of experience with broken trust.  Building trust with neighbours is a prerequisite for loving them.  To trust a neighbour who is more familiar with broken trust is a gift.

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Neighbourhood Prayer

Last night four families from our neighburhood met to pray.  Among them were Pentecostal, Baptist and Reformed upbringings.  During this time I encouraged each of us to see ourselves as the neighbours who know much about grace, mercy, forgiveness, peace...more so than those who do not know about the Kingdom of God.  I challenged us to dream and envision what our neighbourhood could be like, and how we could each see ourselves in that vision.  Among the beauty and the brokenness is death and loneliness, growth and celebration.  Since we all have church experience, we understand beauty and brokenness.  And we understand them to be very real as we discover our neighbourhood together.  As a result, we will be bringing a card to a man who lost his mother to cancer 6 months ago.  One of the families extended an invitation to a widower to join them for dinner on any Tuesday from here on in.  And we will keep going.

This is just one neighbourhood.  Perhaps your neighbourhood has another family that would be willing to come over for some food and engage in a little dreaming or praying?  To be intentional is key; who could you invite and with whom could you pray?

Neighbourhood Life Gatherings

Here is the first season of Neighbourhood Life gatherings in 2015.  We meet at the YU Turn Center in Lacombe (5025 – 50^th street), unless posted otherwise.  The time we gather is from 4:30 – 6:30 pm and includes a potluck meal, prayer and Scripture. 

January 11 – Nathan/Brittany share their neighbourhood.  Luke 10:25-29  - “Who is my neighbour?”

January 25 - Henry/Joan share their neighbourhood.  II Kings 6:8-23 – “Eating with the enemy”

February 8 – Rick/Joyce share their neighbourhood.  Psalm 23 - “Setting the Table”

February 22 – Brian/Bente share their neighbourhood.  Romans 12:18-21 – “Leaving room for God”

March 6-8  - NEIGHBOURHOOD ENGAGEMENT RETREAT at Camp Nakunum (north/west of Edmonton).  We register as a group.

March 15 – “A tale of three friends” discussion. 

April  5 or 12^th -  Neighbours and the Easter story.

April 17-18 – Inhabit Conference in Seattle, Washington.  See more at www.inhabitconference.com

May 3 – Debrief and brainstorm for the summer months.

May 24 – Prepare for block party month.

June – Block party month.

Neighbourhood Life intentionally seek to build community through God’s love (in us) for the purpose of transforming and renewing our neighbourhood.  This “community-building” includes neighbourhood parties, tournaments, the sharing of material items, and enjoying our unique neighbourhood with our neighbours.  Through this, we value our practice and posture over the program.

We feel called to identify where God is already at work and join His mission, as we seek to alert others to His reign.  Our role in the neighbourhood is to be the new community of Christ, demonstrating His grace and power and inviting our neighbours into His body, the church.  In essence, we “become the church” in the neighbourhood, rather than “attending church” outside of our living space.  The gospel becomes more accessible to those who otherwise would deem it irrelevant, simply because its message is now active among them.

We have embraced “transforming lives and communities in Christ” as central to our vision and mission.  This Neighbourhood Life strategy seeks to embrace this vision by recognizing that one of the communities that needs the transformational presence of Christ is our neighbourhood.  This approach takes seriously a theology of place, in which we are called to “bloom where we are planted”.  At the heart of this model is the call to love our neighbours, the certainty that our neighbours’ lives need transformation, and the assurance that Christ “dwells among us.”

The Spiritual Side

I recently attended a conference to learn more about how the Holy Spirit moves. Those words by themselves elicit a variety of reactions:  some people get really excited, others roll their eyes, and still others ponder the mystery.  Those of us in attendance were simply given permission to share our thoughts and inhibitions. We came to the conclusion that we all believed that the Spiritdoes move and work, but were unclear as to how that is relevant to our lives. The teaching came from Dunamis (http://dunamisfellowshipcanada.org/) which taught the approach of listening and following the Holy Spirit. This spiritual act is simple, yet demands our attentiveness. Perhaps a walk through your neighbourhood leads to an unexpected moment or event that you sense as opportunity; different than a few moments ago when nothing grabbed your attention. On one occasion, I was walking through my neighbourhood and noticed a neighbour trimming bushes at 8 am Sunday morning. This was unlike him, and I had a subtle prompting to just say “hi”. It turned out that he had just experienced the death of a loved one, and within one minute, his eyes teared up as he shared the story- this was what he needed.  Was this the Holy Spirit nudging me?  I believe it was.  So perhaps we can give ourselves permission to try to respond to the Spirit at work in us, always reminding ourselves to do it in love. No weird stuff is necessary and we do not need to manufacture anything in order to call it a “spiritual event”.  We must simply be willing to listen and perhaps gently act on the Spirit’s promptings in truth, grace and love.

Operation Christmas Child

Are you filling an 'Operation Christmas Child' shoe box?  The shoe box that you put together for a child, somewhere around the world, is a great idea to do with neighbours.  And this is truly an intergenerational idea.  Elderly and children alike can easily participate.   Samaritan's Purse has made these shoe boxes available through various churches.  All the directions come with the shoe box.
More at: http://www.samaritanspurse.org/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child/.  Simply invite your neighbours to the challenge of blessing a child by filling one of these shoe boxes.

Prayer Walk

This past month, a group of us started to take prayer walks in our neighbourhoods.  Simply put, we walked about two blocks.  With an undivided attention, we observed beauty and brokenness, such as clean yards and empty lots.  On one occasion, just as we turned the first corner, we met an elderly man coming out of his home and our conversation revealed a little of his personality.  Before we were done, we prayed for a home which had a cross embedded in its gable end...near the peak.  And at that very moment, the home owners came out to thank us for praying.  They also began to tell us their journey, which included the salvation story of the husband's father on his death bed just recently.  All in all, the prayer walk was another creative way to help us understand the places in which we live. Walking your neighbourhood with prayerful purpose is highly recommended and is an easy thing to do.

Halloween

On October 31st, neighbours will be expecting to meet each other.  This is why Brian and Bente will be setting up a table where their home once stood, before it was one of three homes that burnt down at the end of July.  They are grateful for their neighbours and will be ready to share a hot drink with those trick-or-treaters who will inevitably pass by.  Of course they will be willing to share their story, too (I Thessalonians 2:8 - "Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.").  Their family has every reason to expect to rebuild and return to the neighbourhood they have grown to love.  In the meantime, they will take up "residence" for a few hours again on October 31st to reconnect on a night in which neighbourhoods come alive.  The richness of this goes deeper than decorations or giving candy.  There is no doubt that one could imagine this to be an emotional time.  The reason for this is not simply because of the tragic events that took place in the summer.  The reason for this comes from the application of Jesus' command to "love your neighbours."  For if there was no love among neighbours, there would be good reason to believe that this lot would remain lifeless on October 31st.

Article

Thanks to the Lacombe Express for publishing my article on neighbouring (October 16, 2014):

Neighbours connecting

2014 marked the inaugural year of Neighbourhood Life in Central Alberta.  This included the neighbourhood life trailer BBQ that played host to over 15 neighbourhood block parties that spurred on much needed connections.  It seems that the old fashioned neighbourly instincts have fallen to the wayside, much to the surprise of many.  Loneliness was one symptom that surprised those who lived a few houses down.  And just after someone told me that “it’s different in the smaller communities such as Lacombe and Blackfalds,” we found two neighbours who have lived down the road from each other for 18 years and  had never met.   Perhaps the remote operated garage door and the 60 inch HDTV have played a role in our “unfriending” our neighbour without even noticing.  Possibly, we have taken on the attitude: we can afford to live without our neighbours, so why bother?  The hard working family needs to get ahead, therefor, the work week is longer (after all, “busy” is the status symbol), or perhaps multiple jobs are required?  That’s the case with many I have met in the block parties that took place in Blackfalds and Lacombe.  It is true for my family as well.  But over the past year, we have made attempts to connect with neighbours.  The reason is simply for a richer community. 

            Each time I am in discussion with neighbours, I find surprises that give way to the statement, “I cannot believe that happened in our neighbourhood!”  That can be negative or positive.  Regardless, the evidence is clear that in this day and age, neighbours have found their “Love your neighbour” wall hanging something that used to be part of their lifestyle. 

            Loving your neighbour was God’s idea.  Loving neighbours make a healthy community, a place where love, joy, peace, kindness and forgiveness reside.  These are some of the attributes that belong to the Kingdom of God.  I have never met a neighbour in Lacombe or Blackfalds that has been opposed to these attributes.  The neighbourhoods where these are practiced have been enriched.  In fact, the statement, “I cannot believe that happened” has redefined ‘miracle.’  For it is a miracle that the old grumpy guy next door did that, or it is a miracle that the busy neighbour took the time to do this.  But for those of us who continue to drive by our neighbours without even knowing their names, we will never come to witness those miracles, let alone know the richness of what Christ was talking about when he talked about community.

            One thing to keep in mind:  Loving your neighbour is not about who you like or do not like.  Love is a word that God invented that He initiated without conditions!  The problem that many of us stumble across is that we will try this “loving your neighbour” thing and discover that we do it with conditions.  Love (I Corinthians 13) is negated if it is connected to an expectations.  Just as a parent loves a child, so God loves us.  And this love is without conditions.  Mom just cannot stop loving her children.  God cannot stop loving us.  It has no conditions, and it cannot be stopped.  This is good reason for us to propel ourselves to love those who maybe will never love us back.  But it is this love that we have been freely given, so that we can also give it freely. 

            It is clear to me that there are neighbours in every neighbourhood who have not had the Kingdom of God (peace, joy, kindness, forgiveness, etc.) demonstrated to them before.  It is up to those of us who have been loved; or, in other words, have been shown peace, joy, kindness, forgiveness, etc.  For those of us who know what this is like, we are being called to engage in loving our neighbours.   

Check out the Neighbourhood Life blog at www.centralalberta.blogspot.ca

Rick Abma  

Good Neighbour Coffee

Coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world.  So three years ago I learned how to roast and market coffee for the purpose of connecting neighbours and strengthening neighbourhoods.  On the packaging you will find true stories of what has recently happened in the neighbourhoods of Central Alberta.  Today marks the first day that "Good Neighbour Coffee" is available to the public, featuring three of these stories .  You can submit your story, too, as a way to help others reimagine the art of good neighbouring.  And you can start by picking up some Good Neighbour Coffee to give to your neighbours! You can find it in Lacombe, either at Sobeys or the Culinary and Gift Shoppe.

 

Surprise!

This week held two significant days for me personally.  One was surrounded by people who take their neighbourhoods seroiusly and have invested in them greatly.  I met a man who has lived on his street for 25 years and has led 25 people on his street to follow Christ.  Another elderly gentlemen told me that 6 years ago he did not want to move to Victoria, BC because of his grandchildren but today he will not move because of his compassion and love for his neighbours.  It was inspiring to be surrounded by people like these who are invested in the very place they live.  Second, I was at a gathering surrounded by my neighbours for whom I have had a growing compassion and love.  One gentleman who grew up with the Scriptures and the church

professed to having lost his faith.  Another single mother shared her many life lessons while standing next to her teenage daughter.   I listened for a couple of hours as my food became cold.  These are two neighbours who surprised  me because they could teach and preach better than most.  It surprised me to encounter beautiful people who need to be heard...and loved!

Harvesting in the neighbourhood

This summer has been filled with many stories.  Stories are valuable.  We often want to tell them or hear them, but most of all, experience them.  We often find that our encounter with neighbours is facilitated by something that happens to us.  The beauty comes in redeeming what has been left broken, or creating when it is not expected.  For example, the harvest season usually leads to new connections or new ideas when we ask neighbours to share in the experience.  Harvesting opens many doors and windows for us to discuss the faithfulness of the seasons, the faithfulness of God and the miracle of new growth.

Maclean's magazine cover story

Check out Maclean's magazine cover story on the stands August 19, 2014.  it is entitles, "Stop Ignoring your neighbours."  Interesting...

Block Party List

Congratulations to Bill and Cheryl on winning a "block party" for Mackenzie Ranch neighbourhood in Lacombe.  The draw was organized by the City of Lacombe, food by Co-op, and the Neighbourhood Life travelling BBQ was on hand with Good Neighbour Coffee to give away this past Wednesday.  This was a first for Mackenzie Ranch,a nd you could tell by the droves of people that came to eat together.  Sunny 94 announced this was happening, and the neighbouring neighbourhood asked if they could join.  Many are intrigued by what has happened so far with a simple block party.  Everyone loves a strong and healthy neighbourhood.

Block Party!

Here are a few pics of block parties in Central Alberta.  When you look at these pictures you may see food, but not the communion that is taking root, you may see birdhouses being built, but not see the caring and loving and generosity that is built.  But these are the reasons we love to see healthy neighbourhoods gathering together.

Building

We have now hosted several block parties over the years.  One block party was a breakfast where only two other people participated, and one was in conjunction with a 40th birthday, including two bands.  This year we built bird houses.  It was a wonderful time because it included ages 3 - 70.  We hammered, painted and played.  The weather turned from sun to wind to rain.  The food was great too!  But in all of this we heard the stories of joy, love and kindness..and healing: the Kingdom of God.  We look forward to attracting more birds, gathering around the fire, having more great BBQ's, and seeing more of the new life that is faithfully represented in the new growth of spring.

Block Party

This is the season for block parties.  I will be attending 10 to which I have been invited.  Some are making use of the Neighbourhood Life trailer BBQ; some want me to come and roast (not brew) coffee on site.  I love it!  After all, I am party guy myself.  But I am constantly reminded that it is not always just about the party.  I have made it a practice to listen whether it is at a party or as I walk/bike through our the neighbourhood.  This is a prayerful act where we look and listen with the eyes of God and see what He sees or hear what He hears:  joy, generosity, pain, brokenness, etc. We can learn a lot about our neighbours by being observant:  bumper stickers, the unkempt home, hear a story or see new growth.  But we might miss it if we think it's just a party.

10 ways to love where you live

"It's easy to focus on your own needs and concerns, but a slight shift in outlook can make a big difference in the day-to-day lives in a neighbourhood.  To be sure, grievances among neighbours are common.  But when a neighbourhood grows from a base of good will, little squables won't escalate into turf fights, and neighbourhoods can become what they are meant to be: places of support, security and friendship."
- Ross Chapin

http://www.yesmagazine.org/happiness/step-up-step-out-10-ways-to-love-where-you-live

Community is not just for extroverts.

For thousands of years, our ancestors lived in barrios, hamlets, neighborhoods, and villages. Yet in the time since our parents and grandparents were young, privacy has become so valued that many neighborhoods are not much more than houses in proximity.

Now, many activities take place behind locked doors and backyard privacy fences. The street out front is not always safe for pedestrians, and is often out of bounds for children. With families spread across the country and friends living across town, a person who doesn’t know their neighbors can feel isolated and insecure. And when the links among neighbors are weak, security relies on locks, gates, and guns, rather than a closely knit web of connections.  

Building a community from scratch is daunting. But the good news is that vibrant communities can grow over time from existing neighborhoods.

Rig ht here, right now: Ten ways to build community.

Neighbors at N Street in Davis, Calif., joined their backyards.

Photo by Ross Chapin.

1. Move your picnic table to the front yard. See what happens when you eat supper out front. It’s likely you’ll strike up a conversation with a neighbor, so invite them to bring a dish to share.

2. Plant a front yard vegetable garden. Don’t stop with the picnic table. Build a raised bed for veggies and plant edible landscaping and fruit trees. Break your boundaries by inviting your neighbors to share your garden.

3.  Build a room-sized front porch. The magic of a good porch comes from both its private and public setting. It belongs to the household while also being open to passersby. Its placement, size, relation to the interior and the public space, and railing height are both an art and a science. Make it more than a tiny covering under which you fumble for your keys; make it big enough to be a veritable outdoor living room.

Front yard garden at Danielson Grove, Kirkland, Wash.

Photo by Ross Chapin.

4. Add layers of privacy. Curiously, giving your personal space more definition will foster connections with neighbors. A secure space will be more comfortable and more often used, which will increase chances for seeing your neighbors—even if only in a passing nod.

 

But rather than achieving privacy with a tall fence, consider an approach with layers: a bed of perennial flowers in front of a low fence, with a shade tree to further filter the view. These layers help define personal boundaries, but are permeable at the same time.

5. Take down your backyard fence. Join with your neighbors to create a shared safe play space for children, a community garden, or a wood-fired pizza oven. In Davis, Calif., a group of neighbors on N Street did just that. Twenty years later, nearly all the neighbors around the block have joined in.

If that’s too radical, consider cutting your six-foot fence to four feet to make chatting across the fence easier, or building a gate between yards.

Layers of privacy at Greenwood Avenue Cottages in Shoreline, Wash.

Photo by Ross Chapin.

6. Organize summer potluck street parties. Claim the street, gather the lawn chairs, and fire up the hibachi! Take over the otherwise off-limits street as a space to draw neighbors together. 

 

 

7. Put up a book lending cupboard. Bring a book, take a book. Collect your old reads and share them with passersby in a cupboard mounted next to the sidewalk out front. Give it a roof, a door with glass panes, and paint it to match the flowers below.

8. Build resilience together. Create a neighborhood survey of assets, skills, and needs for times of crisis. Frame it around "emergency preparedness," but watch how it cultivates community.

9. Create an online network for nearby neighbors. Expand the survey into an active online resource and communication tool. Find a new home for an outgrown bike. Ask for help keeping an eye out for a lost dog. Organize a yard sale.

Take advantage of free neighbor-to-neighbor networking tools such as Nextdoor  to facilitate communications and build happier, safer neighborhoods.

10. Be a good neighbor. It’s easy to focus on your own needs and concerns, but a slight shift in outlook can make a big difference in the day-to-day lives in a neighborhood. Check in on your elderly neighbor if her curtains aren’t raised in the morning. On a hot summer day, put out a pitcher of ice lemonade for passersby, or a bowl of cool water for dogs on walks.

To be sure, grievances among neighbors are common. But when a neighborhood grows from a base of goodwill, little squabbles won’t escalate into turf fights, and neighborhoods can become what they are meant to be: places of support, security, and friendship. 

Cul-de-sac street party.

Read more: http://goodvillenews.com/10-Ways-to-Love-Where-You-Live-FT4yRy.html#ixzz30fJWnyF7

200

This past weekend I had the privilege to hang out with more than 200 people from all over North America, who are staying home more to live out the reality of 'loving your neighbour.'  One of them was author Michael Frost who said, "I believe Christians should be the most rooted people in their community; their loyalty and devotion to a particular geographical area and everyone who lives there should be legendary."  When you encounter 200 people who are scattered in different neighbourhoods doing just that, it makes the vision of our Lord's prayer, "thy Kingdom come" very real.

Axiom

"Axiom"

Purpose of aXiom:

To help people understand that what we believe about God shapes how we live.  If God is on mission, then we must live as missionaries!  We live as missionaries by learning to love God with all of our heart, mind and strength and by loving our neighbours as ourselves.  All of these activities witness to the God we follow.

Where:  Balmoral bible Chapel, Red Deer
When:  May 9-10, 2014
Register at: http://www.forgecanada.ca/events/

Excellent training opportunity

Axiom exists "to help people understand that what we believe about God shapes how we live.  If God is on mission, then we must live as missionaries!  We live as missionaries by learning to love God with all our heart, mind and strength and by loving our neighbours as oursleves.  All of these activities witness to the god we follow.

Easter

Easter is one of the most highlighted times of the year for hope.  Everyone has or will be affected by death, and it is the reality of death that is overcome by the Son of God.  Some neighbourhoods will enjoy an Easter egg hunt or perhaps the sunrise.  We will all be enjoying the warmth after this cold winter...17 degrees Celsius?  That sign of spring is another story of God's faithfulness that we see in the seasons.  But the greatest part of this all is the hope we have in the Resurrection story!  Pray and listen for conversations or activities that may come up this Easter in your neighbourhood, so that you can engage with your neighbours.

Keeping it simple

Today I will be talking to a group of seniors.  Perhaps they will not be reading this blog, but they are the inspiration for this particular blog entry.  In fact, many people who were born before the 1950's may tell you all kinds of neighbouring stories just because of the circumstances they lived through.  Once a senior told me a story about the house they built but it was when they retired (late 90's); it had a place for coffee and tea in the front yard so they could meet and talk with the neighbours as they walked by.  She was still intentional about neighbouring after all those years. I was amazed! She taught how to simply make neighbouring part of her life.  This front yard led to many conversations with neighburs and many life connections.  Thanks Mom!

Opportunities

Neighbourhood Life in Central Alberta is moving forward.  Our original 8 neighbourhoods are looking to add to the mix.  And we are inviting you to join us beginning in May.  Here are a few ways to do this:

1. Invite someone from Neighbourhood Life over to discuss the ways in which we have effectively connected neighbours together and sought out what God has already been doing in our neighbourhoods.

2. Register for "Axiom" in Red Deer (May 9&10).  This training is provided free of charge as a donor has covered the cost for those involved with Neighbourhood Life.  Contact Neighbourhood Life for more info or look for "Axiom" on the web: www.forgecanada.ca/events

3. Host a block party.  Ideas for block parties have been placed on the Red Deer, Blackfalds and Lacombe websites.  Red Deer has block party month in May, otherwise "June is block party month" in central Alberta.  Build bird houses together, host a garage sale together, use Neighbourhood Life's free BBQ to eat together, practice hospitality.

Reply to this post more more info, more idea's or to get started.

Flesh

"Flesh" is the title of a new book written by Hugh Halter.  It is a wonderful read.  Halter maps the way a person can live as Christ in their neighbourhood.  This book is a great encouragement to the journey of loving our neighbour.
- "Every Christian is either a missionary or an impostor." (Charles Spurgeon, 1875)

Dog-sittin'

It's spring break and one neighbour asked our teenage daughters to stay over at their house tonight and watch their dog.  Simple!  From relationship comes trust which then meets needs.

Ponoka & Neighbourhood Life

This past Sunday I had the privilege to speak to a few hundred people in Ponoka.  I borrowed the message from Peter, an original disciple of Jesus.  Here Peter addresses the 'church' with words such as "chosen", "scattered" and "strangers."  "Chosen" to pass on the good news that, after Jesus died, he came back to life.   "Scattered" to give a real sense that we are 'out there' among neighbours who have not seen how this good news can give life!  And "strangers" knowing we are surrounded by many who live with a different hope and a different motivation (I Peter 1:1-2).
By Sunday afternoon I was enjoying supper with Neighbourhood  Life families, hearing stories and challenges that come with loving your neighbour.  Loving a neighbour, much like loving a child, is not always easy.  In a lighthearted moment,  I was reminded that, 'we should walk a mile in our neighbour's shoes...because then we are a mile away from our neighbour and we have our neighbour's shoes!'  We know how challenging it can be to love our neighbour, but also the joy that is found in neighbours who give more than they take.

Sylvan Lake BBQ

In a few months we will see the snow melt and trees come to life, and block parties will begin.  But why wait?  I have a trailer BBQ that will be delivered and cleaned, with propane included for the simple reason that 4 or more neighbours come together for a block party.  So Sylvan Lake started early and yesterday we had a feast.  Following the food, we kicked back to discuss the benefits of neighbours coming together.  And we told stories of what happened when neighbourhoods came together.  A trailer BBQ helps, but it is the neighbours that know the benefit of caring for and loving each other that make neighbourhoods rich.  And it starts with  a few neighbours getting together.  Thank Sylvan Lake for leading the way!

Shifting Stats; Shaking the Church

Yesterday, I spent the afternoon with Rev. Dr. Don Moore and teaching pastor (The Meeting House), Bruxy Cavey to discuss shifting stats and how this is shaking the church.  Stats were shared, such as the changing face of Canadians and its relation to the body of Christ.  Other stats, such as 32% of Canadians went to church on Christmas (2013) drove us to discuss how we can make the gospel more accessible to our neighbours.  This eventually led to this map of  Lacombe I passed around which demonstrated where some of the Christians live (as churches of Lacombe literally took turns laying this map out after a Sunday service for the members to mark where they live).  Looking at the map below it would be magnificent if each Christian would simply stay home more often in order to "love their neighbours."  Better yet, that each household would find another 'person of peace' (Luke 10) who would join them in loving their neighbourhood...motivated by the unconditional love they were given!

Do something!

A business man once asked, "Pastor, is my 10 percent tithe off of the gross or net?" The pastor replied, "When you actually tithe 10 percent, we will talk again."
I share this story when people ask about the effectiveness of loving your neighbour, especially when I find that person cannot even tell me the name of their neighbour.  I was at point in life when I did not know my neighbours' names, nor did I know anything about them.  It seems mysterious, but it is clear that the question about 'gross' or 'net' becomes irrelevant after tithing 10 percent.  Actually, those questions will probably dissipate much earlier for the business man.
The point is we will never understand the effectiveness of loving neighbours if we simply ask questions about effectiveness in lieu of  loving a neighbour.

Improv

Today we had our monthly gathering for leaders who are challenging their people to take their neighbourhoods seriously.  We call this our "Hub."  It was here that we were challenged by a colleague to do life in our neighbourhood as an improve:
        (1) Always say "yes!"
        (2) Then add something.
A great challenge for neighbours!

Another colleague added  we should read the book, "The 10 Second Rule." (http://www.claredegraaf.com/10-second-rule/)  - a short book written to inspire us to respond to the promptings of the Holy Spirit within 10 seconds; waiting any longer may give us the time it takes to talk ourselves out of it!

Painting the picture of our neighbourhoods

I was told of a tragic event that occurred to a family in a home not far from where I live.  As a result of this tragedy, they go directly to their neighbours....even before calling 911.  I am now well aware that these neighbours have a relationship that runs deep. I have loved neighbours to the point where I get called when they are stuck in the snow.  That's a start.  It is encouraging to know that I would be called, and that I could call on them.  Perhaps one day I will be surprised with a phone call or a knock on the door as relationships deepen.  This all makes sense when we discover how much brokenness is hidden behind the walls of those we call our neighbours.  The good news and stuff worth celebrating is what we are willing to share, but the brokenness is there too.  And their is no home, including our own that is without brokenness.  When we discover this truth, we can begin to redeem or restore through the hope we have in love.  Perhaps this story is best described in Karen Tamminga-Paton's painting, "Rumours of Glory (the Intercessor)."  See her work at: www.tammingapation.com.

Don't Invite them to Church

"Don't Invite them to Church" is the title of Karen Wilks (Alberta author and neighbourhood pastor) book on being missional.  Its an odd but important title that immediately gets our attention.  In some cases this title may bother us, and rightly so!  David Bosch (a South African missionary) wrote, "Mission is more and different from recruitment to our brand of religion; it is alerting people to the universal reign of God through Christ."  It a question of motives; do we live and love out of motives that indicate God's reign?
So an invitation to the provincial curling championship in Lacombe last week was extended to a few neighbours, when it could be more natural to invite family or friends from across town.  When asked to "love our neighbour" we may think this is a good way to eventually get them to a program or a church.  But we need to check our motives as we live knowing God still reigns, and love knowing God still reigns.  Unconditional love (as Christ taught and demonstrated) is love without conditions.  God's Kingdom is at hand.  So now we are demonstrating the Kingdom of God to our neighbours, much like a 'movie trailer' creating an appetite for the whole story!

Neighbourhood Networks in Central Alberta

Since the beginning of 2014, representatives from seven neighbourhoods in Central Alberta have gathered to share how we can become healthier neighbourhoods.  One area of focus is to love your neighbour with pure motive; with no strings attached.  It is good to check your motives when loving your neighbours.  Sometimes we find ourselves motivated by other means:  to rally support for your cause, to use them for theirr influence, to trade favours, or even to get them to "go to church".  Simply put, neighbours may wonder why you love them even when you have no strings attached.  In fact, loving your neighbour with pure motives may help you to move forward without disappointment.  If we love with ulterior motives, we carry expectations that look to be met, instead of acting out of unconditional love (as Jesus demonstrated).  A few months ago CTV news shared a story from Milton, Ontario where a 21 year old shared her liver with the mother next door.  You may want to look up the video on the CTV website and judge for yourself as to the motives.

Central Alberta begins "Neighbourhood Life"

"Neighbourhod Life" is a movement in Central Alberta where community development is taken seriously in the neighbourhood.  It takes Jesus seriously when he said, "Love the Lord your God with all you heart, soul and strength, and love your neighbour as yourself."  For the next four months, seven neighbourhoods in Central Alberta will take their neighbourhoods seriously, in an effort to awaken the power of families and neighbourhoods.  These seven neighbourhoods will begin to shape what others can join come April/May.  Stories are shared, as are tools and ideas.  Block parties are high on the list and always end with one neighbour asking why this is not done more often.  Spending time listening and learning about your neighbours is essential.  Sharing a meal seems to always be helpful. A few things to check out if this interests you:  The "Neighbourhood Engagement Weekend" at Camp Nakanum (NW of Edmonton) on March 7-9.  The Inhabit conference at the end of April.  See:  www.inhabitconference.com to register.  And check out the book, "The Abundant Community."

 

Skipping Christmas

Neighbourhood Life is about awakening the power of families and neighbourhoods.  Here you will find stories, insights and challenges from life in various neighbourhoods throughout Central Alberta.  The greatest commandment includes, 'to love your neighbour as yourself' and when this is taken seriously so much happens that make neighbours say, "Why don't we do this more often."

Grisham's book, "Skipping Christmas" is one to make you tear up with joy.  Ironically, Christmas was filled with joy and the idea of skipping it was more stressful in the end for the family.  Read the book or watch the movie, "Christmas with the Kranks" and you will see the neighbours rally around the Kranks!  There is no doubt Christmas is prime opportunity to share the joy with neighbours.  Bring a meal, host a party, or simply enjoy the fireworks that the neighbourhood wants to share (which are some of the pleasures that we shared in our neighbourhood this season).  Others have told me how they shared Christmas with neighbours.  If you have a story, you may share it here.