What’s Wrong With Our Communities Nowadays
I have spent the better part of the last 13 hours trying to figure out how to approach this subject. I definitely due believe that this is part of my daily walk with the Lord. The event I attended yesterday and participated in, showed me just how amazing Jesus Christ was to do all that he did for the world. I know that some of this blog might seem petty and irrelevant to some and maybe offensive, but if you actually take the time to read and listen to the message it should hopefully make sense.
When I was stationed in DC and drinking all the time, one of the things I looked forward to every year was the Chili Cookoff in downtown DC. This was an awesome event, you pay your money for the entry, have access to tons of awesome Chili samples (that you had to pay for), could go to numerous local bars (which all charged a cover, and you had to pay for your drinks), and you were able to act like drunken fools with those in your community that you would not remember the next day. All in all, after about 200 dollars, it turned out to be a great weekend that I could not remember most of. I mean come on now, that is the best way to act within your community right. Get drunk, start a fight, meet new people you can forget later, I mean what else could you ask for right. Now I will say this, if that last sentence made sense to you and you actually relate to it, WAKE UP and get a clue.
I have recently learned that the best way to spend time with the people in your community is to serve your community without expectations. Eventhough I say this, I am finding it much harder to do than to say because there you can still get frustrated because you do have an expectation. I will say, before I was saved by Christ, if someone had come by from a Church group and offered a day or evening of FREE entertainment and food, I would have definitely been apprehensive and suspect. I mean in this day and age, who offers anything for free with no expectations other than to commune with the people in their community? I mean why in your right mind, would you take your own free time, go to a location where you don’t really know anyone, and offer to make them food and good conversation? That has to be what goes through most peoples minds when a community has this offer put in front of them by a group of God faring people. You might ask yourself right now, man this guy seems a little upset and you would be correct, but not for the reasons that you are thinking.
I have been deployed to one of the most deprived and miserable places on the planet, and let me tell you something, when you have been to a place like Iraq and see people who are in real need of things you get a different perspective on life. I mean come on now, even in a place where you could get blown up just walking down the street, if you where to offer a free meal and games to play for the children, you would not be able to cook fast enough to feed all the people who would come out just to eat, play, and tell stories.
Not us in the United States though. You can go door to door a week early, take the time to make up flyers announcing a block party with free food, bouncy house, music, and good company and the community you went into will just not show up. Whether they make it their purpose to just not be home or watch you cook and just not come over, it doesn’t really matter the reason but in my mind it is just sad. I have held these same kind of events while in the military with the difference that it was called a fund raiser with a price on the food and fun, and tons of people will show up to blow their money. Why not do it for free. Do we avoid this because we are scared to talk to people who Believe in their faith in Christ? I mean are we scared that if we eat the food from the people from the Church that we might be infected? Come on now, get real. I think that our communities really need to start looking at themselves, are they truly a community or just a group of people who live near each other.
For those who do take the deliberate time and effort to avoid a good time that is completely cost free just so they don’t have to be around those who are trying to be good stewards of Gods image, I say this to you. You will not deter me, I will not give up, and I will continue to extend myself in friendship to you and let you know the glory of Christ. Thank you and God Bless.
G.E.D.D.
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