Living with the people
On Saturday we moved to Decatur. Man, it is great! Everything is amazingly close to our house, the neighborhood is great, and all of the people that we have met are cool. Then mentality of the people here is very different and so far (for the last 4 days) our lifestyle has changed.
We have walked to the park several times and every time we go the place is packed with young families that we can connect with. Today, after dinner, we decided we wanted some ice cream, so we popped the kids in the stoller and walked downtown to Jake’s Ice Cream for some home made ice cream goodness. The walk took about 15 minutes at an easy pace.
Now more than ever I am realizing how important it is to live among the people that we want to connect with. We have to get out of our Christian bubbles, outside of our Christian circle of friends, and away from our comfortable routines and comfort zones.
We must really live among the people, not just go into culture like gospel commandos on some search and rescue mission.
July 3rd, 2008 at 2:32 am
This is a big step for you. Really excited to see you making well there in Decature. I still think there are some things that you are going to realize soon, or at least I hope. The term “among the people” is super separatist. That language suggest there is a difference between you and those who live in the city you have been sent to be a part of. You will do great things when you become a Decaturite, not just merely someone who has moved into the area. I hope you’ll find your routine in the area and intentionally create collision points for yourself and family that will help you discover a person of peace.
Go through the same cashier’s check out line at the grocery store every time, not just the shortest for convenience, and go to the same bank teller, find the closet dry cleaner and go often (they know everyone.) And two biggest of all, eat at local restaurants often, not chains, if possible, and create a meetup.com group for something you like to do, something you wanna look into, and one for the Gay, Lesbian, Bi and Transgendered for the city. Especially the last one, go ahead and tackle it.
Looking forward to hearing how things go.
Love and respect,
E
July 3rd, 2008 at 9:04 am
So, I suppose I should clarify myself here. I used the term “among the people” because that is how most Christians tend to think. It is a somewhat separatist term and at heart, most Christians are separatists, which I agree is a problem.
But, I don’t see myself as separated from the people of Decatur. I see my family as a very new member of a vibrant, great community. We are still learning and growing and figuring out what it means to be a Decaturite, but at the same time we have totally embraced the position and are excited about the community.
Sorry if it came off differently in my post, that wasn’t my intention. I was merely trying to point out that Christians can’t separate themselves from the cities that they live in. That we must embrace the people around us without reservation and live in community with everyone.