Who are my "Neighbors"....

My dear friend Lance preached a great message this passed weekend. As a church we've been going through a series, "All In", going through Mark 12:28-30.  Lance tackled the second greatest commandment, " You should love your neighbor as yourself..." Using the story of The Good Samaritan, he really made me think about not only how I treat people, but what I think or say about people. Towards the end of the sermon Lance shared a list of those who are our "neighbors"....  It was convicting to say the least. 

As I processed through the sermon and thought about the "list" that Lance presented, I thought of my own.
These are what I came up with...

President of Sudan Omar al-Bashir
Joseph Kony
Sex Traffickers
Child abusers
Pat Robertson or any "Christian" who give Christ Followers a bad name.
the "johns" that keep up the demand side of prostitutin
Parents of patients who may not lay a hand on their children, but abuse them just the same.
The woman who told my friend she's going to hell.
The patient's dad who called me "abrasive".
My Facebook "friends" who post political rhetoric that is unsubstantiated
Anybody who hurts my friends, my youth or my family.
 
The list could go on.  I'm sure.  Here's the thing.  Regardless of who they are or what they've done, Jesus died for them just as much as He died for me.







For those of you who are interested, here's Lance's sermon...

PT:7 All In Series from Greater Gresham on Vimeo.

A good example of a bad idea....

Four shifts in a row.

Nuff said.

The nose knows....

Isn't it funny how smells can just transport us??  Like, the smell of the first rain in spring always transports me back to outdoor school or camping.  I love that wet, green smell.  Sometimes I'll get a hint of cologne mixed with pipe tobacco that reminds me of my dad.(He smoked a pipe when I was little) Or if I smell baking cookies -really sweet ones, I think about Disneyland and walking down Main Street, breathing in all the goodness the bakery has to offer. (side note - did you know that Disneyland actually pipes the smells from the bakery out to the street? Walt's idea. True story) But nothing transports me back than the smells that remind me of Africa.  Sometimes it's just the smell of burning wood mixed in with other odors that does it.  Even here at the hospital sometimes I get a wiff of something and BAM... I'm in Tanzania.  I find myself inhaling even harder, trying to capture that moment, that feeling of being back in the place I love most...