Week Four: Inside Out

[Trey Finley]

Neighbors and hospitality were the topic of conversation this week...we discussed three categories of people where graciousness, kindness, and hospitality are required. Here's what we left with:

Strange: Find a neighbor and spend 10 good minutes getting to know them. Use the formula we talked about last week. Ask about family, work, and recreation. You might even (gasp) invite them to dinner.

Stranger: Do a little investigation into the challenges of immigration. The growing number of people with Hispanic roots in Texas is growing exponentially. Put your assumptions aside and find out more. If you need a place to start, contact Sixto Rivera in the church office. He’s the minister to our Spanish-speaking congregation that meets here. Perhaps you could ask this question: “Among non-Hispanics, what are the most common assumptions that you run into about immigrants and immigration?”

Estranged: Find someone you are “estranged” from. Extend an offer of peace/reconciliation to them.

Bring on the stories!

[James Nored]

Trey, these are good things to do. We need to get to know our neighbors where possible, as well as people from other points of contact (kids' recreation teams, for instance).

The immigration issue is challenging, particularly in regards to illegal immigrants. As Christians, we are called to welcome the stranger and the alien. We also want to obey the laws of the land. When these two conflict, what do we do?