Walking to Work

Today was the first day of walking to work. It took me and my two children 12 minutes from our front door to the church/school. It has been raining non-stop here for the last couple of days but it stopped just long enough for us to make the walk today. It is a beautiful walk and just the right distance. I am walking for several reasons: the kids think it is cool (for now), my fat gut needs help, and my intentions to fully inhabit my neighborhood. The third of these reasons comes as a result of how I have been challenging our 8:45 worship congregation to become “Matthews” in their neighborhoods, getting out of their houses and comfort zones to meet their neighbors. I think it is easier for me than those I’m challenging because I am new in my neighborhood and can introduce myself to people as new as opposed to having lived next door to someone for ten years and still haven’t met. One of the strategies we are using is remembered by the acronym for the abbreviation for Matthew’s name:

M—ake a commitment to God for your neighborhood

A—sk a neighbor over to share your dinner table

T—ake the initiative to build relationships with your neighbors

T—throw great parties

I will be blogging about my walks and neighborhood experiences and I hope you will share some of yours as well.