Connect with your neighbours. Yes, that's exactly what we were doing at 7.30 this morning when Ash went round to bang loudly on their door in an attempt to get them to turn the music down! Ok, so maybe that's not quite what today's challenge was about.
Thankfully, like today's devotional bit pointed out, our neighbours aren't just the people who live directly next door to us. They are the people who we come into contact with as we go about our lives.
The nature of Ash's job means we live practically on top of Strawberry Vale, our local estate which falls within the top 10% of deprevation. There are some days I wished we actually lived on the estate, like Ash used to, mixing with the residents and enjoying the same sewer problems they encounter. There are also many other days when I'm glad we are a one minute walk away and can get into our lift and be thankful it doesn't smell of weed or urine. However, no matter which day I'm having I still want to build community with the people. Ash does an awesome job with relationships (for someone who would describe themselves as an introvert!) He knows the people in our community, he makes himself available to them, he wades through their problems with them and he celebrates in their joys. When you wander through the estate there's an oppressed kind of feel about it, a darkness if you like. But the light comes from the people. When you wander through people say hello. Kids are playing football outside together or tearing round on their bikes. You can get invited into people's homes for a cuppa and a chat. I don't know of anywhere else where this kind of community happens. Where community feels like family, a disfunctional one, but still a family.
So as we get to know our neighbours, these are the people I'll be trying to spend some time with and getting to know better. The ones who are already doing community well. Maybe they will teach me something!
Today we have been encouraged to think about what's in our toolbox, or in other words, to think about what resources we have to hand that we can give out at anytime. I don't want to sit here and get all boastful about my list, but I was surprised with how much I have.
Yesterday I mentioned our Kids Church offering mantra "God gave us everything and we want to give him something back to say thank you." Yes, God gave me everything and that's not just the things of monetary value, it includes all the things in my toolbox. The gifts, talents and resources I have are mine because he gave them to me.
There are tools that I love and therefore use all the time but I'm aware that I have tools that sometimes go to waste because I don't take the opportunities to use them. How much TIME do I waste away on Facebook? How much MONEY do I waste away on unecessary purchases? How many times do I keep quiet about JESUS?
If God has given me my toolbox then he wants me to be using it. Lord, help me to once again to remember that everything I have comes from you. Help me to use what you have given me wisely.
*my rather amazing friend Alice is also blogging her #40acts journey. You can find her at www.hellotheremynameisalice.blogspot.com go take a peek*
Today's challenge is to make a generosity jar. I hunted high and low for a suitable jar but couldn't find anything. For now I've settled on a candle holder but it really doesn't appeal to my creative side!
The idea behind this challenge is to collect loose change in the jar that will then be used later on in lent. I happened to have a whole pile of change on my bedside table so quite smugly popped it all into my jar. I gave myself an imaginary high five and a gold sticker and went off to work.
During the day I was suddenly struck by my actions. All the loose change I had chucked inside my jar had been sat there on my bedside table for weeks. The only times I looked at it was when I wondered if I had enough time to swing by Starbucks before work, or whether I'd need one of the pound coins for a shopping trolley at Tescos. Not once had I thought to use it to be generous and bless someone else. The smug feelings from the morning were beginning to fade away. Why did I never think to carry around that change? Perhaps I'd meet a homeless person who needed a sandwich and a coffee. Perhaps I'd see the guy selling the Big Issue outside Sainsburys. Perhaps a friend would be having a bad day and I could buy them something just to make them smile.
In Kids Church when I ask the children why we do an offering the mantra we have is "because God gave us everything and we want to give him something back to say thank you." Everything I am and everything I own is his, not mine. All my loose change is his not mine. It will be hard to look at the change in my purse and think about my generosity jar instead of my Starbucks/new boots/takeaway food. My prayer is that I will remember God gave it to me and so I should use it to be generous.
Like many others across the nation I have signed up for the 40 Acts movement. All through lent I will be participating in big and small actions that help me give back, live generously and do good! As much as I want to bless others over lent I have an expectation that I will end up learning and growing through it too. I'm excited about the challenges and all that is to come!
Today's challenge was to write a gratitude list. I enjoy being thankful to God for the 'highlight' moments of my day but it was really good to sit and write down not only those wow moments but the little, seemingly insignificant, things in my life that I forget to be thankful for.
I'm thankful that I am a chosen child of God
I'm thankful I have a husband who loves me despite my faults and failings
I'm thankful for our flat and our car
I'm thankful I get to do a job I love doing
I'm thankful for the friends I have around me who support me and make me laugh
I'm thankful for the sun which is shining right now!
I'm thankful for clothes to wear
I'm thankful for clean running water that comes out of a tap
I'm thankful for food to eat
I'm thankful for social media which allows me to connect easily to far away friends
