Winning Ways -- Hillcrest Baptist Church

Neighborhood Connections
by Tom Goodman
July 2, 2008

What lengths would you go to connect with your neighbors? How about sleeping on their living room floor for a night or two?

That's what Peter Lovenheim decided to do, and he wrote about his project in the New York Times. A tragedy in a nearby house awakened him to the fact that he really didn't know his neighbors that well. "Did I live in a community," he asked himself, "or just in a house on a street surrounded by people whose lives were entirely separate?"

He thought about the childhood sleepovers he used to have at friends' houses and the insight into those families he gained, and that gave him an idea. He decided to ask his neighbors if he could bring his sleeping bag over to their houses and spend the night on their living room floor.

Of the 18 or so neighbors he asked, more than half said yes. "There was the recently married young couple, both working in business; the real estate agent and her two small children; the pathologist married to a pediatrician who specializes in autism." And then there was a neighbor seriously ill with breast cancer. "My goal shifted: Could we build a supportive community around her -- in effect, patch together a real neighborhood?" People in the surrounding houses ended up taking turns driving her to doctors' appointments and watching her children.

"Why is it," Lovenheim asks, "that in an age of cheap long-distance rates, discount airlines and the Internet, when we can create community anywhere, we often don't know the people who live next door?"

Good question.

I probably won't go so far as to sleep on someone's living room floor, but I'm slowly getting to know my neighbors. There's Joe, a single man and former pro football player. There's Russ and Kathy and their son: They've taken us out on their boat and tried to teach me how to stand up on a wakeboard. There's Steve and Jean: We saw them frequently during the lacrosse games that our youngest sons played. I stood in the yard with a couple across the street to watch fireworks one night, and I've shared gardening tips with an empty-nester, but those relationships still need development. Today, I waved at a man who just bought a house near us: I'll have to carve out some time to welcome him to the street.

How are you doing at connecting with those around you? Jesus commanded us to love God and love our neighbors, adding, "There is no commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:30)

--Tom

Do you know friends who would appreciate Winning Ways? Just forward this e-mail to them!

Have you subscribed to Winning Ways? You can subscribe by clicking here and following the instructions. Your e-mail address will not be sold or given away to anyone, and you can automatically change your subscription or drop it by following the easy steps provided with each e-mail.

FRESH NEWS AT HILLCREST UPDATED WEEKLY: www.HillcrestAustin.org

LISTEN TO RECENT SERMONS: Click here

MANAGE YOUR SUBSCRIPTIONS TO OUR EMAIL NEWSLETTERS: Click here. If you do not have access to the web, please send a note to newsmaster@hbcaustin.org to tell us of any changes you would like to make.

Winning Ways - from Hillcrest Baptist Church, Austin, Texas	Contact Tom Goodman, Pastor
Manage Your Subscription -- Subscribe/Unsubscribe	Contact Us About Your Subscription
Neighborhood Connections by Tom Goodman July 2, 2008 What lengths would you go to connect with your neighbors? How about sleeping on their living room floor for a night or two? That's what Peter Lovenheim decided to do, and he wrote about his project in the New York Times. A tragedy in a nearby house awakened him to the fact that he really didn't know his neighbors that well. "Did I live in a community," he asked himself, "or just in a house on a street surrounded by people whose lives were entirely separate?" He thought about the childhood sleepovers he used to have at friends' houses and the insight into those families he gained, and that gave him an idea. He decided to ask his neighbors if he could bring his sleeping bag over to their houses and spend the night on their living room floor. Of the 18 or so neighbors he asked, more than half said yes. "There was the recently married young couple, both working in business; the real estate agent and her two small children; the pathologist married to a pediatrician who specializes in autism." And then there was a neighbor seriously ill with breast cancer. "My goal shifted: Could we build a supportive community around her -- in effect, patch together a real neighborhood?" People in the surrounding houses ended up taking turns driving her to doctors' appointments and watching her children. "Why is it," Lovenheim asks, "that in an age of cheap long-distance rates, discount airlines and the Internet, when we can create community anywhere, we often don't know the people who live next door?" Good question. I probably won't go so far as to sleep on someone's living room floor, but I'm slowly getting to know my neighbors. There's Joe, a single man and former pro football player. There's Russ and Kathy and their son: They've taken us out on their boat and tried to teach me how to stand up on a wakeboard. There's Steve and Jean: We saw them frequently during the lacrosse games that our youngest sons played. I stood in the yard with a couple across the street to watch fireworks one night, and I've shared gardening tips with an empty-nester, but those relationships still need development. Today, I waved at a man who just bought a house near us: I'll have to carve out some time to welcome him to the street. How are you doing at connecting with those around you? Jesus commanded us to love God and love our neighbors, adding, "There is no commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:30) --Tom Do you know friends who would appreciate Winning Ways? Just forward this e-mail to them! Have you subscribed to Winning Ways? You can subscribe by clicking here and following the instructions. Your e-mail address will not be sold or given away to anyone, and you can automatically change your subscription or drop it by following the easy steps provided with each e-mail. FRESH NEWS AT HILLCREST UPDATED WEEKLY: www.HillcrestAustin.org LISTEN TO RECENT SERMONS: Click here MANAGE YOUR SUBSCRIPTIONS TO OUR EMAIL NEWSLETTERS: Click here. If you do not have access to the web, please send a note to newsmaster@hbcaustin.org to tell us of any changes you would like to make.