Our mailbox leads a rather solitary existence. It interacts with our mail carrier once a day, sees either Janice or me the same amount—and that’s it—except for the many vehicles that drive by. Only the vehicles don’t always drive by. One time during a rainstorm a car came off the road and ran over theContinue reading “A Mailbox, a Note, and a Good Neighbor”
Tag Archives: community
Celebrating Community
Do you recognize where these slogans come from? “Caring is part of our package.” “Find you family at . . . “ Did you guess Jack’s? If so, you only get partial credit because the business’s name is actually Jack’s Family Restaurants. In their branding as well as in their hiring, they want you to associateContinue reading “Celebrating Community”
The Third Call
Hebrews 10:19-25 is an instructive text—both for understanding the letter as well as for living as a follower of Jesus today—especially as it relates to community life. This section consists of two conclusions (punctuated by the word “since”) and three calls (“let us”). The conclusions are: 1) We have confidence to enter into the presence ofContinue reading “The Third Call”
We Need More Pearls!
The Torah’s good neighbor policy (Deuteronomy 22:1-4) was about more than simply making sure everyone’s lost ox, sheep, cloak, or “anything else” (see v. 3) found its way back to it owner. It was about cultivating community. Lost animals or objects simply provided opportunities for relationships to be enhanced and grown. Not everyone would lookContinue reading “We Need More Pearls!”
Rooted Or Roaming (Up In The Air)
Up in the Air is a movie from 2009 about a man (Ryan Bingham), who spends most of his life up in the air, flying from one place to another. He is away from home about 300 days a year and his goal is to reach the 10 million mile mark in air travel— something thatContinue reading “Rooted Or Roaming (Up In The Air)”
Touchable
We’ve learned a lot about touch and isolation in the last two years, haven’t we? We started off being told not to touch our eyes, nose, or mouth (remember that?). Then we graduated to not touching things, people, and carrying around sanitizer. There was also social distancing, masks, and isolation (a.k.a., “staying in”). We didContinue reading “Touchable”
Fresh Faith (2)
Let’s look at each of these more closely. Renewing ourselves as disciples: There are few things more toxic spiritually than a failure to learn and grow. This happens because people either think they already know it all or they are apathetic about learning. Either way, the results are the same. I’ve known some people over the years whoContinue reading “Fresh Faith (2)”
Thinking about Community (2)
In the movie Places in the Heart, Moses Hadnot is a drifter who has heroically oversees Edna Spalding’s farm through the planting and harvesting of a cotton crop during the Depression. Shortly after the cotton is taken to the gin, members of the Ku Klux Klan pay him a visit and he is badly beaten. The attackContinue reading “Thinking about Community (2)”
Rhubarb Pie and the Community of Christ
Do you remember the United States Army recruiting slogan, Army of One? If not, don’t feel bad—it wasn’t around too long. For those of you who don’t remember, it replaced the quite well known, Be all that you can be, motto that attracted young people into the service for two decades. Supposedly the marketing strategy behind Army ofContinue reading “Rhubarb Pie and the Community of Christ”
Part of a Family
One of the more challenging tasks parents have in raising their children is in helping them to understand the proper relationship between the individual and community. This undertaking is complicated by the facts that our culture places an extremely high value on individualism and that most children tend to be naturally self-centered. Any parent or teacher canContinue reading “Part of a Family”
A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green 