Our Neighbors

[Woody]

I've shared with you how that since buying this home and moving in this summer ... We have been pleased to see our neighbors come to church with us and also to help us each week with the church's ministries.

But, today I would like to talk about our other neighbors ... on the other side of us across the street. (We live in the country so we don't have many close neighbors.)

The issue here is that my wife and I both have an impression from God to approach these people. But we are concerned and don't know how. Well ... maybe that isn't true. Maybe we are just searching for excuses due to our lack of faith. I will let you decide.

This neighbor is on the 'Sexual Abusor List' for our county.

Does this excuse us from getting to know him and loving and caring for him in a Christian way? What about our concern for ourselves and our safty? How do we act responsibly?

Okay ... Help us out. What do we do to love this person as someone who Christ died for? Or ... do we just write him off. Can we just say to Jesus ... well we did our part with the 'other' neighbors ....

[Woody]

Okay ... I know that no one has answered yet. But this has got me thinkin.

When I checked the Registered Sexual Offenders list ... there are 82 others on this list for my zip code. Beyond my neighbor ... what am I doing for the other 82 ? Aren't they also my neighbor. Aren't they my brother ?

Should I just stop with my concern for my neighbor? I have to wonder what life is like for these people caught up in sin.

But wait .... Aren't we ALL caught up in sin ???

[Neil D]

What are you doing here? Work yourself up to a frenzy???

YOU are not required to save the world. You ARE required to work in your sphere of the world....You decide how much you want to take on...if the Lord says otherwise, they go ahead and save those too...[i know, I make it sound so easy!]

Hey, In the mean time, save some of those guys you can't reach for the ones you did reach....!

[Woody]

Quote:

Hey, In the mean time, save some of those guys you can't reach for the ones you did reach....!

This is an interesting thought Neil. I must confess. And I hate confessing to you. But anyway .... if we do take you at your word ... What happens if those I did reach ... don't do their job good enough. What if we all just said ... there are others that can reach THOSE neighbors???

[Lineman]

Seems to me that we need to stop worrying about who we should go out and reach and let God lead us to each one HE wants us to reach.

There are some whom we can reach with our personalities and whatever and there are some that cannot be reached by us. Only God knows who is who, and where we should go.

I truly believe that if we ask God to open only the door He wants us to go through that is exactly what He will do. All the other doors will remain shut and if we try to open one and go through it we are not following our Leader.

I remember years ago a time when I was out selling books door to door. I was with my director and we had just tried to follow a lead card with no one home. There were quite a few homes off to the east, but even though we could have gone there and spend some time we prayed and asked God to lead us, to show us exactly where we should go. I remember "seeing" a place in my head and knowing that we were to go there, but the pull to the other homes was strong.

We pulled into the driveway of the home I had seen and an older man was just leaving to go into the woods to work (behind his house). He greeted us and invited us into his home and as we visited he asked us which was day was the Sabbath, right out of the blue. My friend opened one of our books to a certain chapter and told him to read it later. The man closed the book right away and layed it down. My friend picked it up again and opened it to the same place, but the man said, "I know the page number".

What I am getting at is, you can visit everyone of those 83 people, but if you will follow just where the Lord leads, you will save yourself a lot of time and headache, and maybe help to save a soul. You will be able to spend your time just where it is needed.

[Woody]

Thanks for your good advice. I appreciate what you have said. I think we should pray that God will open the doors for where He wants us to work.

That said ... My wife and I both have felt impressed to reach our neighbor. My wife was wondering if we should take over some cookies and that way we could introduce ourselves. After all ... isn't that what neighbors do? So, we have felt some responsibility. But so far we just haven't made the move for some reason. I am just trying to analyze why? Like I say ... we both felt we needed to make some kind of contact.

If I am reading your correctly ... would you suggest that we just wait for GOD to open the door and give us an opportunity?

[Amelia]

I don't think we were charged so much with "go out and save the world" but with "go out and take my message with you". Saving is Gods business. Getting the word out is our business.

[Gerr]

Quote:

Okay ... Help us out. What do we do to love this person as someone who Christ died for? Or ... do we just write him off. Can we just say to Jesus ... well we did our part with the 'other' neighbors ....

"It's not those who are well who need a physician but those who are sick."

Gerry

[phkrause]

I would say to pray about it, but it seems to me that you have probably done that already. I think God has already opened that door by you wanting to reach out to your neighbor. And take over those cookies and introduce yourselves and let him know who and what you do. And let him know that you are there if he needs to talk or in need of prayer. Ha like I should be giving you advise! I probably would be more hesitent than you.

pk

[Lineman]

If I am reading your correctly ... would you suggest that we just wait for GOD to open the door and give us an opportunity?

PK seems to think the door has already opened, but I'm personally not so sure. I believe that God will show you the exact time somehow.

Another story? Some time back I wanted to purchase a laptop. I prayed about it and asked Him for a sign, but I never felt it was the right thing to do. One day I just went for it and when I got there I found that the Lord actually wanted me to buy one, the sign was there.

Maybe PK is right, but there have been times when I had the desire but no opportunity. Either way, watch your neighbor and be ready when he is. I'm a teacher aide part-time and when working with kids you have to be ready to teach them when the time is right.

There may have been times when each of us could have been put on that same list with the other 83 people. My guess is that some of them are really evil people (those are the ones you need to avoid IMO), but that some of these guys just made some bad choices and don't really want to be where they are.

d

[carolaa]

I think your idea of taking cookies over is a great initial introduction.

Just a few thoughts on the Sex Abuse Register. Those people tend to move a lot, and so just because someone is listed at that address doesn't mean they are still living there. Or, for instance, we have one just down the street from us, but it is actually the grown son who lives there off and on.

Another thing is that the Sex Abuse lists include anyone from rapists to child molesters. And somone classified as a child molester could be a man who had sex with a girl when he was 18 and she was 17. So it really covers a whole gamut of abuse.

My point is that you have to be careful about pre-judging people because of a list (not that you were judging them).

I'm sure your wife is well aware that as a pastor, she is a mandatory reporter, so if something comes to light during your visits, she is obligated to report it to the authorities.

[Woody]

Originally Posted By: Redwood

If I am reading your correctly ... would you suggest that we just wait for GOD to open the door and give us an opportunity?

PK seems to think the door has already opened, but I'm personally not so sure. I believe that God will show you the exact time somehow.

Another story? Some time back I wanted to purchase a laptop. I prayed about it and asked Him for a sign, but I never felt it was the right thing to do. One day I just went for it and when I got there I found that the Lord actually wanted me to buy one, the sign was there.

Maybe PK is right, but there have been times when I had the desire but no opportunity. Either way, watch your neighbor and be ready when he is. I'm a teacher aide part-time and when working with kids you have to be ready to teach them when the time is right.

There may have been times when each of us could have been put on that same list with the other 83 people. My guess is that some of them are really evil people (those are the ones you need to avoid IMO), but that some of these guys just made some bad choices and don't really want to be where they are.

d

Thank you very much Lineman. I appreciate all that you have said. This helps me. I will try to be in tune. I think like you say that making sure it is the right moment is good. I will submit this to more prayer. I am still torn . So many here have given good suggestions. I don't think any are wrong. But like you say ... I need to really be in tune with God.

[Woody]

I think your idea of taking cookies over is a great initial introduction.

Just a few thoughts on the Sex Abuse Register. Those people tend to move a lot, and so just because someone is listed at that address doesn't mean they are still living there. Or, for instance, we have one just down the street from us, but it is actually the grown son who lives there off and on.

Another thing is that the Sex Abuse lists include anyone from rapists to child molesters. And somone classified as a child molester could be a man who had sex with a girl when he was 18 and she was 17. So it really covers a whole gamut of abuse.

My point is that you have to be careful about pre-judging people because of a list (not that you were judging them).

I'm sure your wife is well aware that as a pastor, she is a mandatory reporter, so if something comes to light during your visits, she is obligated to report it to the authorities.

Thank you Carolaa. Some very good and valid points. So true.

[Neil D]

Quote:

Hey, In the mean time, save some of those guys you can't reach for the ones you did reach....!

This is an interesting thought Neil. I must confess. And I hate confessing to you. But anyway .... if we do take you at your word ... What happens if those I did reach ... don't do their job good enough. What if we all just said ... there are others that can reach THOSE neighbors???

Redwood! There's that "I have got to save the whole world" mentality again....Look-just do those within your sphere...Just go where God tells you to go.

...If He says, "Redwood, you need to go to 123 Knickerboxer lane, in Redding California", I would probably check again and ask " Lord forgive me, but are you sure???"...You, OTOH, might go....

[Woody]

I am not talkin about going all the way over to Redding. I was born there. I know my way. But, No. I am just talkin about crossin the street and goin to my neighbor. Who knows ... he may not even want to talk to this poppy grower. He may have seen the people stoppin by to see my poppy growth. He may have seen Blanche out cultivatin the poppies. He may consider us to be antiestablishmentarist Hippies and want to stay clear of us.

[Neil D]

Well, you are definitively an anti-Authoritarian and anti-establishmentarist.

So what are you worried about???

Him, a sexual offender, and you ought to get along just fine....

[Liz]

I am not talkin about going all the way over to Redding. I was born there. I know my way. But, No. I am just talkin about crossin the street and goin to my neighbor. Who knows ... he may not even want to talk to this poppy grower. He may have seen the people stoppin by to see my poppy growth. He may have seen Blanche out cultivatin the poppies. He may consider us to be antiestablishmentarist Hippies and want to stay clear of us.

To know you is to love you, so you and Blanche take some cookies to your neighbor and let him get to know you.

[Woody]

Quote:

To know you is to love you

Oh I know ... but how many of you in this day and age and political climate ... want to be associated like Obama ... with ...

Quote:

antiestablishmentarist Hippies

who grow poppies in their back yard.

[Liz]

Oh Red, I think you are just making excuses now.

[Neil D]

Oh Red, I think you are just making excuses now.

I concur!!!!!

make like a bakery truck and get yer buns over there!

[Amelia]

The hardest step is the first one out your front door.

[Woody]

Progress Report:

I just went past the front of my neighbor's house. I excercised my brain to think of going in. But, it was obvious that no one was home. So, I pretended to be mindin my own business.

Quote:

get yer buns over there!

I can now report that them there buns were over there ... but they were cold.

[Neil D]

I can now report that them there buns were over there ... but they were cold.

But them buns were not delivered!!!!

How do you expect to build bridges with undelivered hot buns....????

[Liz]

Reheat and repeat.

[Amelia]