Boot Camp for The Church

Click here for a discussion about how our neighborhoods can transform the American Church into a vibrant and healthy one. This Neighborhood project has revealed a lot about how Christians interact outside of church, both negative and positive. It seems we are in as much need of transformation as the neighborhood itself. 

Click here to be part of the discussion

Do you own the Footprint of your Neighborhood?

Click here to view part of an interview in which Pastor Randy Frazee talks about Neighborhood Life.

Scared to meet your Neighbors?

O if it were that simple. Sorry to burst your bubble, but you will actually have to step out your door to meet them. Relationships don’t come with shortcuts.

Bring the Church experience into your neighborhood

I have created a site called SimpleChurch.tv which highlights effective ways you can use to bring the Church experience into the neighborhood, along with the tools to make it happen.

We are not selling anything. It’s all free of charge for any one who is serious about facilitating spiritual transformation where they live.  Jump in if you want to be part. You won’t be disappointed. The feedback so far has been enthusiastically positive.

Have fun with it and be patient.

Bring healing to society

You have heard the metaphor, “When a pebble is dropped into a pond it creates a ripple” or “A small wave on one side of the ocean eventually ends up on the other side” It also relates to us and our society in a personal way.

“Every spoken or non spoken word and every action or non action we take create either a positive or negative result. These results are always moving and growing and the consequences pass from one generation to the next.”

From a biblical perspective its meaning and consequences are even more powerful.

“Every spoken or non spoken word and every action or non action we take will either bring life and joy, or bitterness and death to…

• Our intimate relationships.
• Our friends
• Those who live around us
• Strangers we meet.
• People we will never meet.
• The society we live

These results are always moving and growing and the consequences pass from one generation to the next.

Examples:

• Each time I yell at my wife or kids, it usually causes hurt and bitterness and takes life out of the marriage and creates unbelief and skepticism in the institution of marriage. God’s credibility is questioned and the message of his character becomes corrupted.

• Whenever I smile, speak words of encouragement and give lots of hugs with an attitude of gratefulness, it is like water to a thirsty soul and breaths life into our relationship. It creates hope for others in their relationships, in the institute of marriage and in God’s credibility and purposes to those who embrace him.

• Each time I smile, listen, touch and serve people and am grateful for the privilege, it breaths seeds of life into them which will in turn breath the seeds life into someone else.

• Each time I do the opposite it will breath seeds of destruction I may never see for generations.

Fact: Christians have more potential because of the power of God and the principles he gives us through the bible to make positive change in peoples lives than anyone.

Fact: Christians use so little of what we have been given access to in the power of God and the scriptures, yet with the little we do use we have still made a powerful impact in the world.

Fact: Because we have not fully utilized that which has been given to us, our actions or in-actions in attitudes and obedience have caused much of the hopelessness and scepticism in the world today. We will be held accountable because we have been given the mantle of responsibility. If it seems to much to carry and a weight to bear there is good news.

Fact: It takes the same amount of effort to make right decisions and actions as it does to make wrong ones.

God created life. With his power and biblical instruction, so can we.

Making room for the Christian life

The garage door opener syndrome has changed how we in our neighborhoods interact with one another. We open the garage door in the morning as we drive out and close the garage door as we drive in. We find ourselves rarely having to interact with anyone else on our street.

When I come home my favorite tv show and the microwave oven await me like an old friend. I sit in a familiar and comfortable enviornment as I watch the the evening news. The bad news is outside my door. I feel safe for the moment.

I open the garage door again to drive myself, the kids or family to school, athletic events, church activities or the store which usually take place outside the neighborhood.

I run myself ragged along with the rest of my family with all the picking up and dropping off with barely enough time to breath before I start over the next day.

Most of the people I have interacted with on a regular basis live outside our neighborhood as well. We find our social interactions take place using cell phones, email. instant messaging.
When I do go outdoors for a walk or jog it is usually with a musical device connected to my ears or mowing a lawn, washing a car, or barbecueing in the backyard.

How many times do we find ourselves outside our house trying to get a better signal on the cell phone and when we are done, we disappear into our cozy rabbit hole once more.

Do we fail to see the danger of isolating ourselves in the neighborhoods we live in. No one knows who we really are and we know little about who they are either…. at least until we see them on the evening news. By then it’s to late.

As much as I would like to, I find myself too busy to create the positive change my life let alone the neighborhood.

That needed to change. And it has.
As for me, I have chosen to no longer live the kind of frenzied life that swallows me up by simply changing the way I think about what I do and taking practical steps to implement it.

I have found how much life is right here in front of me. I have less stress, deeper relationships and better health. Of all the activities I have been involved in I have never experienced the spiritual transformation in my life I am seeing now.

It is making a difference in my neighbors lives as well. Spiritual transformation is beginning to take place in the most unusual ways as more and more neighbors are beginning to experience God’s hand in thier lives.

One of the side affects is that our neighborhood is becoming a thriving, living and healthy place to enjoy life. The Holy Spirit is leading the way. We are simply obeying.

A spiritually transformed neighborhood makes healthy communities and that’s good for everyone.

It can happen to you if you want it.

 

Note:

After writing this article, I ran across a book by Randy Frazee called, Making Room for Life which I highly recommend along with his other book, The Connecting Church.

Is it possible God is trying to tell us something?

 

 

How do I meet my Neighbors?

Let’s keep it simple. Here is an interview of what one person did.

Here are a few more idea’s.

1. Go for a walk in your neighborhood. Say hi to people. Become familiar with the people around you.

2. Use what you have – A touch, a smile, a listening ear, food, your TV. Everyone has one of these items.

3. Keep an “open chair” at the kitchen table and invite family, friends, neighbors, churched or the unchurched to join you for a meal.

Click here to view another example of what one person can do.

Click here to start the Journey

Look what I found!

Well I am meeting people, waving, being polite, listening and enjoy my walks with God.

In the neighborhood I have met several Christians and am having dialogs with them, often asking as to why we don't interact more. Most of the reasons given mostly has to do with activities outside of the neighborhood and busy schedules. They all want to make a difference and seem to be pleasant folks. This is making me hungry for a salad.

Hmm.. A potluck anyone?

 

 

Just smile and wave

Now that I am walking with God through the neighborhood. What happens if I encounter someone coming towards me.

My heart is starts to pound. O no! What if they look at me? I might have to say something. I don't know what to do. Help!

Here are some suggestions.

1. How we should think about people we encounter.

• They are intelligent and have great value.

• They are worth listening to.

• They are significant.

• They have the same challenges and fears as we do.

• They care as much as we do.

• They are probably as nervous to meet us as we are of meeting them.

2. What we can do when we encounter an individual.

• Smile

• Make eye contact

• Say "Hi!"

• Try a friendly wave if they are across the street or on their porch.

• Listen more than you speak if someone engages you in conversation.

3. Some phrases and questions we can use if someone engages us when we greet them.

• Do you live in the neighborhood?

• I've been here several years, How long have you lived here?

• Are you originally from here?

• What's the best thing you like about the neighborhood?

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Well, Lets see how this goes. This is my congregation. I might as well meet them.

Walking with God

As I begin walking around the block of my neighborhood I decide to talk to God. I’m not sure what to say. What would I talk to with my friend if he/she were walking with me?.

We would probably conjecture who lives in what house, the condition of the houses, cars or landscaping. We definitely would talk about what’s happening in our lives. We would probably end talk about anything. So here’s a common sense observation.

• I don’t need to be a spiritual giant to talk with my friend.

• I don’t need to be a spiritual giant to talk to God either.

OK then.
Here it goes as I utter my first words… “I wonder who lives in that house?”.

So begins my first prayer walk in the neighborhood.

The neighborhood project begins

I open my door.

OK, What now?

It starts with one step.

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We are the Church in our Neighborhoods

Can our cities become spiritually transformed? Then it must start where we live.

We as followers of Jesus need to connect and empower one another in the neighborhoods we live in.

If we love God, love each other, and connect where we live…

We can have a living breathing Church in every neighborhood in America starting tommorrow. The spiritual landscape would change overnight.

 

Be the Church and connect the “Church” where you live and watch incredible things happen in your neighborhood. We have an opportunity to do something we have never done before.

Click here to continue

How it all began Part 3

As I drove home that afternoon, I passed through my neighborhood looking at all the houses and people mowing lawns and kids playing. Everyday I pass by these houses when going to work and coming home. Inside these homes are, kids, parents, the elderly, the broken, business men and women, politicians and people who may never step foot in a church door.

There were also Christians like myself coming home from church who live on my street and down the block and we have never met. The “Church” lives here and we don’t even know each other.

If we really want to see spiritual transformation of a city it needs to start where the “Church” lives. It seems our neighborhoods are the most effective place for doing transformation ministry because we live here 7 days a week.

I examined where I spend most of my ministry time and where I interact with my Christian friends and it wasn’t here. I had allowed myself to become more active outside of my neighborhood than in it !

So the question came to me.

Who is responsible for the spiritual transformation in my neighborhood ?

Pause….

I didn’t really want to answer the question, but I know what it is. We all do.

 

So how do we start?

How it all began Part 2

It happened as I was evaluating the measurement of our influence in creating real spiritual transformation while assisting the amazing children’s ministry.

I was sitting around with a group of kids listening to them tell me about their life at home as others had many times before when all of a sudden, everything just seemed to stop as if I were in a dream. It was as though all that I had learned and observed throughout the years converged at once.

A weariness grew over my normally cheerful disposition. For so many years I had been striving to make a difference to see whole communities and cities be spiritually transformed and had missed the obvious. I couldn’t deny it anymore.

No matter how good we are at influencing peoples lives, in order to
be the most effective in those children’s life or any one else’s, we would need to live where they live and be part of the environment they live in.

It was time to do something I have never done before and I wasn’t sure how to do it.

To be continued

How it all began Part 1

For over 35 years I have been actively involved in helping church ministries get from point A to point B. I seen just about every church model function at different levels with many different results.

As a ministry analyst I have actively engaged myself in ministries within the churches, working with as many ministry volunteers as possible in order to properly examine the operational and spiritual structure down to its smallest component, recommend changes and help implement those changes working side by side with wonderful and faithful friends.

All the Church leadership, coworkers and partners whom I have enjoyed ministry time with want to experience the real authentic Christ filled life. We want to make a difference and offer others the same experience.

One particular church ministry I enjoyed tremendously. It had such wonderful people who allowed others to use whatever gifts they had to make a difference. Anyone had the opportunity to get involved in places where they had a passion and gifting. Many gifted leaders also flourished in this environment, creating more leaders.

Then something happened that I did not expect.

To be continued….

 

 

 

What this site is about

This site will show what can happen…

• When Christians learn to connect and empower one another where they live.

It’s already beginning and in time you will learn about the story which is unfolding here and in other neighborhoods across America.

How Do I Start ?

Here’s what you need to start to begin facilitating transformation in your neighborhood

 

• See the need where you live. We have allowed ourselves to become more active outside our neighborhood than in them.

• Accept full responsibility for the spiritual and physical well being of yourself and your neighborhood.

• Be inspired or desperate enough to create habits of action. Good intentions pave the way to inaction. It allows us to feel good for doing little or nothing at all. Its path leads to ruin.

• Open your door and step out. Most evenings we close our doors to the same people we say we care about.

• Open your door and let people in.

• Listen much, act much, talk little.

• Connect the “Church” in your neighborhood. Look for other Christians, connect with them, love them and work together. Raise Jesus above the walls.

• Seek to love your neighbor. We have mistaken good intentions for actions. Show them Jesus. It will allow us to live the life we were meant to live on an everyday basis.

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Love God and love your neighbor. Its that simple

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Click here to continue

 

 

The Church in every Neighborhood

Spiritual transformation of our cities and communities is now possible within our generation

because…

The “Church” now lives in every neighborhood across America!!

We have an opportunity to do something we have never done before.

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Since the Church (followers of Jesus) now live in every neighborhood in America. We can…

• Connect to each other where we live.

• Love and support one another where we live.

• Love and support those around us.

• All within walking distance.

If we love God, love each other, and grow the kingdom where we live…

We can have a living breathing Church in every neighborhood starting tomorrow!

 

The spiritual landscape would change overnight

 

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Our Neighborhoods define America

When we, as Christians connect and empower one another in the neighborhoods we live in, then all neighborhoods would have a “living Church” to serve and transform it. The vision of spiritual transformation in every community and city will become a reality.

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…“The land is mine and you are but aliens and my tenants. Throughout the country that you hold as a possession, you must provide for the redemption of the land.“

Leviticus 25:23,24

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Connect the “Church” where you live and watch incredible things happen in your neighborhood.

Click here to continue

The Neighborhood Initiative Project

Accelerating spiritual transformation in our communities by connecting the “Church” in every neighborhood across America.