Time and availability allows us to get acquainted with those near us.  You may be discouraged, thinking I’m talking about adding things to your already busy schedule.  Sometimes that’s necessary, but usually it’s just about making intentional choices to Love God, Love Neighbour in the midst of daily life.

Think about your downtime – how can downtime connect me with neighbours?

First, be interruptible.  I used to have a retired neighbour who was often outside, and always up for a chat.  His availability meant I could ask him for a ladder, to get the mail while we were away, etc.  My availability to stop and chat meant he could ask me questions about the theology of the church he grew up attending.

You can also make other choices.  Stick around on weekends instead of going away.  Play in the front yard instead of the back.  Putter around your garden, walk the neighbourhood, and read on your porch.

Ask questions, talk about the weather, laugh about something that happened.   Ask for referrals – who did your driveway/kitchen/landscaping?  Ask about the neighbourhood – how’s X doing?  Share something – let someone park in your driveway for a party, or share newspapers.

As you do, get to know their name, and then a bit of their story.

Challenge: Look at your calendar and see how you spend your time over the last two weeks.  Reflect on how this compares with your priorities.  How can you spend more time with your neighbours, to get acquainted?

mapthumbChallenge #2: Try to complete the second part of grid: one fact you know about them.   Not sure what we mean?  Click here: https://www.redeemthecommute.com/2013/09/18/strangerstoneighbours or look under Extras.

Don’t forget our outdoor movie night is this Friday night!  Click here for details.

Ryan Sim - May 12, 2014

Monday - A New Idea - Pioneer Spirit

When did you first hear about life coaches? I hear about them all the time, but it’s a relatively new phenomenon. I had a terrible time finding its origins. A Google search reveals mostly ads. Searching through Huffington Post reveals article after article written by life coaches, but nothing about what that means. A search on Maclean’s, a reputable news source reveals mostly quotes from interviews with life coaches, and only two articles about the idea, including one about 25 year olds coaching each other through their “quarter life crisis”. This is when Millenials hit the workforce and find it’s not all they’d hoped for, and a lot of hard work. Some have decided to share these ideas with others for up to $70 an hour by becoming life coaches. In fact, a friend suddenly announced she was quitting her job and going to be a life coach. She tooks osme courses, but many don’t. More and more people taking on the title – pastors, bloggers, etc. as they find it’s something people want. The profession is not regulated – so anyone with advice to offer, good or bad, can call themselves a life coach, and if you’re willing to pay them, you can put your career and life in their hands. We do all need help – I meet with a mentor regularly, maybe you do too. We need doctors, psychologists, home inspectors, investment advisors, and so on. We need good advice. So how do you tell the difference? How do you know when you’re getting good guidance on your life’s mission? We regularly find that our little missions in life – to buy a house, to get a job, to be happy at work, etc. could benefit from some guidance. But we should be especially careful about the big mission – the reason God put you on this earth in the first place. That’s not one to take lightly. That’s what we’ll talk about this week – as Jesus’ followers were given a mission, and they weren’t going to be alone in doing it, they’d have the ultimate guide. Question: Who would be your ideal coach or guide in life? What could they do, say for you?

Related Topics: Ascension, Early Church, Jesus, Pioneer | More Messages from Ryan Sim | Download Audio

From Series: "Pioneer Story"

We read through the Book of Acts as a Pioneer Story for the church.

Discuss

More From "Pioneer Story"

Powered by Series Engine