Just wondering...

I wonder where are we headed? What is the plan here? When will we have a plan?

I wonder how will anyone ever make a real difference in this little neighborhood that is totally locked-in land-wise. Since the county has told us it will be very difficult for us to be "in the neighborhood," I went for a drive today to determine what our options are just outside of the neighborhood. Well, that didn't look so great either.

So, then, I wonder, how long will this larger community, this town ignore this neighborhood that is in such need and has so much to offer. This neigborhood, yes, is filled with addicts of all sorts, criminals, the elderly, and the mentally and physically handicapped. But, this community is also filled with sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, artists, people who work hard, people who just need a little help and someone to listen to their story and someone to answer their questions.

I wonder, if this town continues to ignore High Ridge, because let's face it...it is easy to ignore, it is mostly hidden from sight, what will our town become? Will it become like High Ridge? Or will it continue to be more and more wealthy and ignore this neighborhood that continues to struggle and struggle? Neither is good, right? Neither is what Jesus had in mind, right?

And I wonder, where is the church? Didn't Jesus come to rescue the poor and down and out and the broken-hearted and the captives? Why are so few of his followers (and in our little town the majority of people claim to be his followers) ignoring the people he came to rescue? I wonder if the church focused on reaching these people whom Jesus focused on, would we need all of our gimmicks? Would we need all of our programs? Or would we just find that as we acted like Jesus (obviously we have to study scripture to know how to do that) and talked to the kinds of people Jesus spent so much of his time with (and then debriefed from these experiences with other people trying to follow Jesus), that we would actually become more and more like him?

I know this is harsh. And I know that I have to judge myself here too, and I know that often times I screw all of this up. I know that I have been, and am still, blind to the people around me who are in need.

I know there are people and churches who are ministering to the down and out. I just wonder if we are doing enough. I wonder are we really going to hear, "Well done, my good and faithful servant"?

Anybody have any answers? I don't. Anybody want to add some questions? I'm sure I will have more.


Trying a new thing: