From the beginning of this Love Dare, I've wanted to include both a 'family' aspect to the Dare and a community or neighborhood aspect. I've been pretty intentional with family stuff - especially with Karen - but I haven't had the same intentional doggedness in the neighborhood or broader community. I'd like to change that, but what should I do?
The challenge from The Love Dare, for today, is to pray for your spouse's heart, and to pray for three specific things. That's not a bad place to start with regard to neighborhood ministry. How might I intercede on behalf of my neighbors? So today, I intend to identify three key things I can begin asking God to do in our neighbor- hood. And for me, my home neighborhood is one and the same with the church's neighborhood. So, any positive involvement I can have in my neighborhood should have a positive effect on Trinity as well, or on how Trinity is perceived. (I suppose that same effect works if I do something negative! But let's stay optimistic here!)
I think it will be better if I don't disclose what I'm praying. I don't want my neighbors to think I have specific expectations they have to meet before I will love them. I don't. I just want to get better at loving my neighbors. And I certainly don't want to use people as a means to achieve something for myself. That doesn't seem at all like what Jesus did for us. He didn't gain from His coming to earth to love us. We did! I want my neighbors to think they have genuinely gained something good from having me as a neighbor. Pulling that off, while staying humble, is going to require a God-like grace! Maybe I'd better start by praying that God will keep my motives pure.
The challenge from The Love Dare, for today, is to pray for your spouse's heart, and to pray for three specific things. That's not a bad place to start with regard to neighborhood ministry. How might I intercede on behalf of my neighbors? So today, I intend to identify three key things I can begin asking God to do in our neighbor- hood. And for me, my home neighborhood is one and the same with the church's neighborhood. So, any positive involvement I can have in my neighborhood should have a positive effect on Trinity as well, or on how Trinity is perceived. (I suppose that same effect works if I do something negative! But let's stay optimistic here!)I think it will be better if I don't disclose what I'm praying. I don't want my neighbors to think I have specific expectations they have to meet before I will love them. I don't. I just want to get better at loving my neighbors. And I certainly don't want to use people as a means to achieve something for myself. That doesn't seem at all like what Jesus did for us. He didn't gain from His coming to earth to love us. We did! I want my neighbors to think they have genuinely gained something good from having me as a neighbor. Pulling that off, while staying humble, is going to require a God-like grace! Maybe I'd better start by praying that God will keep my motives pure.
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