Yesterday our friends Mark and Jessica came over for lunch. We sat out on the porch for three hours talking about what we could do to reach out to people in our neighborhood- lend a helping hand where needed, offer connection and community, cast vision and hope for lives that crave it. Strange timing since Tim and I only expect to be in our house maybe four more months.

This is a strange season all together. I am preparing for ministry. But how can I read these books about loving people and hold back from trying to put into practice everything I am learning? Why would I want to try to hold back? It certainly makes me lament time wasted. I know if I intended to stay in Charlotte, I would be bursting with ideas right now about how to pray "thy Kingdom come, thy will be done in Charlotte as it is in Heaven" with my hands and not just my lips.

Well let me not waste these four months. Last night Tim and I visited a handful of homes on our street and invited people to come over Wednesday night for drinks and discussion. It was the first time that we have done anything like that together (reaching out to new friends), and as socially-challenged as we are, we were nervous wrecks as we left the house. At the same time, there was a fresh excitement about something new and bold and lovely.

PS- We labeled our gathering "Deep Thoughts" on our invitation. Here's the "deep thought" we included to get the mind flowing:

I think there should be something in science called the "reindeer effect." I don't know what it would be, but I think it'd be good to hear someone say, "Gentlemen, what we have here is a terrifying example of the reindeer effect." -Jack Handy

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