Loving ALL of our Neighbors (February Synchroblog)

       

        We are almost fully moved into our new home and as we begin the process of unpacking and settling in, we are also beginning the process of meeting our new neighbors. A few days ago, our kids were playing outside and saw some kids in the yard a few houses over and asked if my wife would take them over to meet the new neighbors. My wife took the kids over and was greeted at the door by a young Hispanic lady and her fiancé's heavily tattooed brother. The young lady and her fiancé have five kids all under 7 and were very happy to know that there were new children in the neighborhood close in age to their own. The brother-in-law-to-be stood at a distance watching the interaction, but the woman was quite friendly and commented on how much her fiancé liked motorcycles. My wife invited them to come over the next time the riders from Men of Praise are over to check out the bikes and meet the group. As we are settling in, we are praying over our new neighbors and how God will lead us in being part of their lives.

Moving Clouds and Lasting Monuments

       

It is the night before our big move into the new house. If you have followed our story at all you know that this was what we did NOT want to have happen. We know this is what God is up to in our life at this moment. We know that we are following Him into a new place in our lives in oh so many ways, but emotionally this has been extremely difficult, especially for me.  Some of my beautiful friends have given me so much grief in this process because I am so strongly outspoken that "church" is NOT a building, but a body of people, dynamic, organic, constantly changing, but family, well that can just stay right here in the walls it lives in now.  It has taken time for me to embrace this move and to get even a little excited about the possibilities, but I think I am finally there. We spent the evening having a picnic in the new, completely empty house.  It was the first time the children had seen the house and they were dreaming BIG about where all their most prized possessions were going to go in their new space.  It was fun to watch them and for a moment I allowed my emotions to see myself in the new place and to dream......a little.  It was a start.