Lupton gives us two vignettes. One was of how teenage pregnancy is low in his community because of their neighborhood’s commitments to each other. The other was of how their neighborhood came together to catch and prosecute a thief that stole from several of the neighbors.
What I like about these stories is that they give a contrast to the program based approaches that so many of us have. Because neighbors trust each other, they agree on how they’ll deal with certain situations. They call each other and are there for each other. They have a loyalty to the cause—which is the peace of their neighborhood.
I guess this is where the really hard work comes in as a neighborhood.
How well do you know your neighbors?
What have you done to receive them in your home or spend time with them in or around a park?
What do you know about them besides gossip?
Have you ever constructed a plan in case of emergency?
Have you ever attended a neighborhood meeting?
Is your posture about housing prices one of consumerism or redemption?
Do you think about how life could be better for your neighbor? Do you even care?
Do you pray for your street?
Even as I write these questions I realize how difficult it is for me to thin like this. It’s counter intuitive but it’s right on the mark from a kingdom perspective. May we all encourage either toward righteousness and good deeds. And may we continue to beg the Holy Spirit to renew our minds and hearts toward living as if we were not the only things that mattered.
February 8, 2008 at 3:01 am
The situation that came to my mind in this chapter is what school will my child attend? I don’t know if any one else out there is dealing with this decesion but I am. I want to be invested in my neighborhood, but I am really unsure about the prospect of sending my child to the struggling neighborhood school. I want to think “Kingdomly” but this is my baby.
February 12, 2008 at 6:31 pm
Sorry ya’ll. I’ve been sick with the flu since Thursday. I think i’m on the mend now…so here a shot at an “answer.”
Jess, great question. Deciding on schools is a gloriously difficult situation when applying kingdom principles. I think its an issue of wisdom that is often beyond us. there are a couple of guidelines that my wife and i have used to make our decisions about this.
Who has God given us?: What are our children like? how will the best learn? In what environment will they excel? With a child with special needs we’d head in one direction, with a child in the middle of the bell-curves we have more options.
Where has God put us? Where do we live?: Where is God asking us to put roots down in our city–working for its purity and peace? For us the answer was the city. Amanda and i love teh center city of Charlotte, We live 5 minutes from the loop. Most of our days, we shop, play, work, and workout in a city environment. We want the same for our kids educaiton. We are looking for a school that is in and loves teh city.
What will we be supplementing/fighting?: There is a a myth out there that there is a perfect school. It’s not true. Every school is dangerous and every school has weaknesses for children. Some need safety from violence; others need safety from anexorexia. Both can kill your child. Both ravage homes and schools. Some will need to be supplemented with spritual formation others with reading achievement others. Some will need a suuplement agaist myopic thinking while others will need an supplement against american consumerism.
Are we consumers or redeemers?
You need to chose a school that you are committed to make better. All schools need to be better and wherever we go we must fight for what is true, good, and beautiful.
What does our community think?
Get help. Talk to wise, trusted sources…folks who’ve done something differeent than you would naturally do. Here their perspective. And pray alot.
February 22, 2008 at 6:21 pm
i just returned from central america and was struck by how well they live in community. it seems like every time i go abroad, i have the same experience. where did we go wrong in this country? how did we become so self-centered and start isolating ourselves from each other? perhaps our prosperity has made us less inclined to rely on each other. we’re not such a rich nation after all.