just being neighborly?

isn't it amazing to think of the term, 'just being neighborly....' who could ever imagine such a concept would look like these two pictures?!

but we live in a time when we really don't know our neighbors very well. we drive into our garages and close the door; safety in our homes. who watches out for our neighbors? who watches out for our neighborhood?

these pictures were taken with my i-phone (who new one could have a camera so handy?!) saturday morning, after a spree in our neighborhood friday night/saturday morning. gratefully, with a few phone calls, clean up was able to be done, at least on the church. in the background of the second picture is our neighborhood school. in the background behind our church sign is the steeple. is nothing sacred any more?

we live in times when it takes such energy to be neighbors; life, it seems, takes so much energy. maybe that is why we don't really extend ourselves to get to know one another. but maybe we need to start taking the time. i know of at least one street where neighbors are, well, neighborly. they watch out for one another; they check in with one another; they move refuge cans on and off the streets. does that happen in your neighborhood?

i am reminded of the movie, 'sister act', where the nuns are scared to go out, even though they have been tagged, and their church community is dying. and such concern is understandable -- not just in a hollywood movie, but in real life.

how do we go about being "neighborly" again? such action must be intentional, and yes, it does take time and energy. but so does repairing a community. and a community that falls into dis-repair takes much more time, energy, and resources to bring it back into shape.

prayerfully consider what you will do in your neighborhood....we need to explore that same issue in ours. what shall we do?