Have you ever known a workaholic? The way this guy described it was that outside of work, "Not one person depended on me, nor I upon them." There's nothing wrong with working hard, but it can take over in an unhealthy way.
Well, there are also churchaholics, what Bob Lupton calls "unneighbors" (Restoring At-Risk Communities, 87). People who you can't interact with unless you go to the same church. Like working hard, there isn't anything wrong with being deeply involved with your church, but at some point it becomes withdrawal from society. It reminds me of students with headphones blasting, oblivious to their surroundings.
I don't really feel in danger of becoming a workaholic or churchaholic, but that's how it always is, isn't it? You look up one day and realize that all your meaningful relationships are in one place and you've neglected your neighbors: family, those who live nearby, or the most vulnerable in society. "You have to re-neighbor yourself," as Tim Keller puts it. We hope to nurture connections within Union and throughout the neighborhood.
(We are heading up a South Lake Union based group seeking to be intentional about: 1. moving into close geographical proximity to one another 2. supporting one another through daily community practices that help us follow Jesus 3. connecting ourselves and our resources to the people of South Lake Union 4. maintaining "one foot in, one foot out" of Union Church)
Been trying to follow your blogging since it excites and encourages me to see what God is doing in your lives. I downloaded and look forward to the Tim Keller audio on Neighbors. The Philippines mission team I went with Food for the Hungry was requested to listen to his sermon on Blessed are the Poor which really challenged me to consider our attitudes and responsibilities.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thegospelcoalition.org/resources/search/a/blessed%20are%20the%20poor
Thanks, Clint. What wonderful news to hear that you've become involved with Food for the Hungry! We made some friends in Seattle--Ryan and Angela Smedes--who are FH missionaries and are now in Lima, Peru. What a holistic, wonderful organization. Ryan pointed me to an email course about poverty from a place in GA galled the Chalmers Center, which has FH connections, and it was so helpful. Thanks for the sermon link. We look forward to listening to it.
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