We certainly weren’t looking for one more thing to do. We had just moved into a new home and were in the most stressful season of our lives. As an introvert, I (Chris) was already maxed with directing a local college ministry and commuting to seminary, so reaching out to the neighbors just wasn’t on my radar. Elizabeth was sapped and barely keeping her head above water while balancing ministry responsibilities along with caring for our four young kids. Home was a place of survival mode where we hunkered down and tried to do the next urgent thing.

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Looking back, we were really at a crossroads.

 

Despite the persistent pull to stay in our busy, overwhelmed, and insulated bubble and leave our neighbors alone, there began to grow in us a sense that we needed people right around us. And, we thought, maybe it could be something fun and life-giving in the midst of our monotony. So, we threw a small fish fry. Little did we know at the time that God was pulling us out of the cultural story of neighboring and sweeping us into his story of redemption in our neighborhood.