I can’t believe it.  In less than 12 hours we moved all our stuff from one place to the next, and assembled everything we purchased from IKEA…I suppose the help from 15 friends throughout our various walks in Abilene of life didn’t impede our progress!  I am thankful to all of you who helped us move all our stuff!

Already I am seeing a change in our lifestyle since moving toward a missional lifestyle in a district of town known for poverty and homelessness.  I am walking and riding my bike more.  I am seeing faces that look very different from my own.  I am praying for sidewalks and streets.  In general it seems our new locale forces me to be aware of “the others” (yeah, I’ve been watching Lost and I’m proud of it!) that now live around me…or should I say, that I now live around.
Sort of interesting; I find that I am fearful of these “others”.  What has happened to me to make me afraid of anyone different from me?  Just because I see you digging in the trash, or wearing a black, rugged face doesn’t say anything about your heart; what God cares about most!  So why do I worry about what that man at the corner might do to me while I am waiting for the light to turn green?  Why do I check my door to make sure it’s locked?  Why do I look behind me as I ride my bike at night through the neighborhood?  When did I develop this fear?

I don’t remember always having it.  I’ve always had a very diverse group of friends.  Friends that come from all over the world, and many walks of life.  But never poor friends.  Never drug addicts.  Never those who seem mentally insane.  These are my neighbors now.  These will be my friends.  I choose not to fear them - I choose to understand them.  Like it or not, we are living together, and I want to incarnate the Gospel in their midst.

What will that look like?  I can’t be afraid of them.  I can’t be afraid of it.  I will let the Gospel rule.  I will let love rule.

I want to see lives changed.  I want to see my own life changed.  I need humility.  I live among the largest church buildings in the city, and as I walk through their crowded parking lots on Sunday morning, I notice a man digging through a dumpster.

What is he looking for?  What am I looking for?

I pray for his humility.

Last 5 posts by Mark

• God is Wholly - October 2nd, 2008
• The Great Moderation - September 30th, 2008

This entry was posted on Monday, February 5th, 2007 at 4:34 pm and is filed under Confessions, Gospel in Action, Homeless, Human Nature, Poverty. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.