Dear First Pres,

"The Whole Church taking the Whole Gospel to the Whole City, one neighborhood at a time."

     Per Dallas Willard, professor of philosophy at USC,  "the key to understanding the teachings of Jesus still remains ... Loving your neighbor as ourselves in the Power of God. Of Course, loving God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength come first ... without that you can't love your neighbor as yourself and be a part of His mission in the world which is incarnational. ... Incarnation (being the present day hands and feet of Jesus) is not just a theological doctrine, it's a doctrine about how we live"

     I was struck this past week by the events in Roseburg, OR. A young man who felt disconnected and without hope ... a neighborhood in shock ... and now a community that has started paying it forward in kindness toward one another- in one example by buying each other coffee. 

     As per similar tragedies in recent years (Newtown, Columbine, Charleston, and now Roseburg), the focus of the resulting "what if" discussion seems to center on gun control considerations and policy. Separate from this ongoing debate, I wonder if someone in Roseburg had attempted to love this young man and his mother in their apartment complex - as themselves -  as the incarnation of Jesus in our time? If it was attempted and received, would nine other men and women still be alive today?  I am not anywhere close to being an expert on mental illness, but I trust that something could have been done to give this young man enough hope to not bring six guns to the community college campus. 

     How is life in your castle? Do you believe that the world is going to hell and there is nothing you can do about it?  Or do you believe that the redemptive work of God is already in motion and is incarnational on earth through His people today? Whether you make this decision proactively or not, you are in effect making it every day with the choices you make (and do not make). Perhaps it is time to look next door or across the street and be open to being the incarnation of Christ. Loving our neighbors as ourselves in the power of God....

Blessings,

Jamie Franklin

Community Growth Elder

PS: Your community group meets this Sunday the 11th at 5pm.  

     If you are seeing your community group as just one more thing to do in your busy schedules, I encourage you to consider inviting others in your community group and neighborhood to come alongside you in what you are already doing in the Kingdom (vocationally or as a volunteer). It will lift your burden and bring opportunity to plant new seeds with more people about opportunities to serve our neighborhoods and our city.