The Art of Neighboring - a great book about building relationships with your neighbors

"These guys are reading my mind!  Or, maybe I am reading theirs since they have been doing for years what I have been thinking about for months!"  While seeking some counsel for our mobile home community ministry from missional thinker and coach Lance Ford, he recommended that I read Jay Pathak & Dave Runyon's book, "The Art of Neighboring."  A very quick read, I loved it!  As I read it, I was glad I already had a rough outline for an upcoming sermon, because I could easily have been accused of outright stealing their insights.  But I really didn't!  I was already discovering their thoughts on the application of the second-greatest commandment, ("Love your neighbor as yourself").  My neighborhood "map" sat in our kitchen junk drawer, on which we wrote the names of our neighbors after moving into our house a few years ago.  We organized a neighborhood block party last summer!  The connections were unbelievable!  I, however, was not living in the depth of relationships of these two authors enjoy with their neighbors.  I still have a lot to learn.  No, wait. I still have a lot to practice.

But this isn't about me.  I don't want you to look at me.  I want you to read this book.  These guys are up front with the fact that this is no evangelism program, or strategy to merely get a chance to tell your neighbors about Jesus.  It is about learning to live in community with your neighbors, loving and serving each other, building real relationships.    (We know, however, that the best spiritual conversations happen inside of genuine relationships).

The Neighborhood Map - Genius!

If you have ever waved at your neighbors while pulling into your garage, wondering what exactly they do for a living, this book is for you.  If you have ever driven to the grocery store for a sack of sugar, really only needing 1/2 cup but too embarrassed to ask the lady across the street because, honestly, you don't really know her), this book is for you.  If you nod to your neighbors while driving to church, as they mow their grass, and wonder what it would take for them to join you, this book is for you!  If you look to see what the neighbors are doing while peeking through the blinds of an upstairs room, this book is definitely for you!

Pathak and Runyon combine Bible teaching, practical steps and personal stories to help make their case for building relationships.  For instance, the remind us that we might not be the best person to actually host a neighborhood block party.  They tell us not to organize one all on our own, but to get at least another couple of help.  Good suggestions!  They teach how to set up appropriate boundaries so that we don't let neighbors take advantage of us.  Very helpful!  And they tell their story of what happened in theirs and other cities around the nation who have taken the "neighboring" challenge.

Pick up a copy today!  You will be done reading it by next week.  You will be inspired for months!  But be warned:  you will never again drive down your street seeing things as you do now!

Book Review: The Volunteer Revolution

I love to see people thrive in meaningful volunteer ministry roles.  It is so much fun to see electricians discover that they can use their skills not just to earn a living, to further God's purposes by wiring houses and repairing outlets for single parents.  It is equally enjoyable, however, to see see other electricians who prefer to leave their wire strippers at work and use their spare time to do what they love, whether it is teaching toddlers or running a sound system.  This is the thesis of Bill Hybels' book, The Volunteer Revolution: Unleashing the Power of Everybody.

At just under 130 pages, Hybels does not offer a theoretical or scholarly essay of volunteerism, nor does he cover the spiritual gifts in depth.  He does not here offer a training manual for launching a ministry (see his other works for that).  What he does is encourage pastors and lay leaders to further volunteer engagement.

If you are a faithful church member who is longing to make a difference with your time and energy, pick up this book.  You will be inspired to get off the bleachers, put on a Jersey and lace up your shoes.  You will hear the stories of others who got involved.  Maybe you have been faithfully volunteering for years and, for some reason, are wondering if it is time to find a new ministry.  This book will help you to see the hundreds of places to give your time.  This book could be the catalyst you need to discover the new ministry God has for you!

If you are a pastor, this book will inspire you to continue to invest in volunteers (in spite of the fact that they sometimes make your job harder when you think they should be making it easier.)  If you are teaching a series on every-member-ministry, Hybels offers great insights into the Biblical stories you might teach from.

If you are a church leader, or the volunteerism coordinator of a church or non-profit, Hybels offers some very practical help for engaging first-time volunteers, as well as helping seasoned volunteers evaluate and assess their ministry effectiveness.

Confrontation (1 Timothy 1:5)

I am four weeks into my sabbatical and I just made it past the first chapter of 1 Timothy. There is just so much there. This time I can't get past verse 5. I have worked on it a lot, so here are my thoughts. (I am hoping that blogging my thoughts will help me move on.) Paul left Timothy in Ephesus while he moved on to another region. Evidently, there were some Christians in Ephesus teaching false doctrines, clinging to old myths, and other law-related issues contrary to the gospel. Timothy's job was to teach the truth and to command those men out of their error. Now if you read my previous post, this isn't the same word used in verse 1 when Paul described his calling/command to ministry. But it is still strong. Paul isn't telling Timothy to mildly suggest to these men that they reflect on the possibility of a conversation regarding their potentially erroneous teachings. No. Basically he tells Timothy to order the men to cease and desist. It is a very strong word.

"Thanks, Paul. I'll get right on that. Easy for you to say, Paul. You aren't here to take the beating. They might listen to you, the former Pharisee and law-expert yourself, famed preacher, missionary and elder in the church. I'm just a young buck."

I hate confrontation. It makes me want to vomit just thinking about it. I tend to be a people-pleaser. I want everyone to be happy and I really don't want to make waves. What if they get mad at me and reject me? But sometimes you have to confront. A mentor once told me that if I am not willing to confront when confrontation is needed, I am putting my own desires ahead of what is best for the church. Ouch. So I confront. And then throw up.

What I think is most important for Timothy is Paul's insight into the need for this confrontation. Timothy is working with several wannabe teachers who have lots of words and knowledge, but they are wrong AND are not loving. Their arrogant heresy produces anti-love. So, in verse 5 Paul says, "The goal of this command (the confrontation) is love . . ." He is describing the desired outcome. If these guys take Timothy's command to heart, they will become more loving. Notice that the desired outcome is not just the teaching of truth for the sake of truth. While truth is essential, Paul really wants love. Evidently their teachings were producing controversy within the community of Christ-followers.

So here is my thought: when I confront someone, is my desire for them to be more loving? It is a focus on their future goodness, not their present error. It is a focus on their best interests, not mine. And if they are going to change and become more loving (the result), then the process of the confrontation must also be infused with love. In other words, in the act of confronting and commanding, I must confront and command in love. And if I do that and they reject me, I guess it really is their issue. In the end, it is not about me or for me. Love isn't.