Building Community 5/19/2022

 Good Morning,

The alarm clock said hello to me this morning and announced the start of my day. The sound of the Door County Jingle Bell Java brewing, seconded the emotion to get moving. 

I chose to title today's thought with "Building Community". I long for the types of neighborhoods we had around us as kids. I was in kindergarten when my mother would send me to the store with a note. I could pull my coaster wagon one block with my sister sitting in it and pick up some type of groceries. I would initial the receipt and Dad would pay the bill on Saturday. My credit score as a 5 year old was perfect! As kids we were allowed to be entrepreneurs. Soda bottles and beer bottles had a deposit on them and lots of people just threw them away. Off my sister and I would go and snatch up a few and then bring them to the pool hall to redeem them for cash and buy two orange sherbet cones. Yes the two of us went into the pool hall. No one bothered us and Joe the proprietor always packed our two cones to the max. Our neighborhood was safe. 

We had a strong community back then. I believe the sense of community is missing today and to restore it will take some work and a desire to do so. 

James 3:18 (The Message) You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and respect. 

The key to this is the fact that people have to want this and if wanted bad enough, you have to work at it. The violence that occurred in the city closest to where I live saw 21 people shot the other night. Instead of community, people chose violence. I have listened to the jargon being thrown about and I am convinced that a lot of people would like to have a sense of community, but they don't think it can happen. Thus, the cycle continues until people want it bad enough and are willing to get involved. Or you lose another city to thugs. Like roaches once given a free run, thugs multiply and good people give up and leave if possible. 

The solutions are many, but the key link is a community that prays together. 

1 Thessalonians 5;17 Pray without ceasing.  Matthew 18:20 For where two or more are gathered in my name, there I am among them.

Food for thought!  

Marty