God is calling me to live purposefully

1 Peter 2:12
Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

One of the greatest blessings that Carlin and I have experienced in our move to Dallas is the street we live on. We could not have asked for a better group of neighbors. Every day (that is not an exaggeration), we see, talk with, share our life with the people that live around us. We have eaten dinner, planned parties, celebrated birthdays, borrowed tools, and helped out wherever possible. Our neighborhood is a sweet place to live.

We are intentional with our neighbors as well. I know where some of them stand in their faith journey, but not all. So, each day, I seek to interact in a way that Jesus is known and thought highly of. I feel like I get to be a witness of what the church should operate like, how Christians should treat others, and how we are to love.

A few years back, one of our neighbors even said, “We have never had a friend that was a pastor, so we didn’t know what to do or how to act.”

I have tried my best to live both similarly and differently to my neighbors. I want a relationship with our family to feel natural while also feel different because we believe differently. I want them to feel safe while also feel loved.

We are not perfect at it, but our hope is each day to build relationships that point others to Christ. That does not mean we ask “If you died tonight, where will you spend eternity?”, but we model, invite, and open our home and lives to those around us so they may experience the life of faith.