After spending a lot of time hanging out on Apple St in New Orleans, I started to catch on to one thing that I believe that the people down there have mastered, and thats
It’s very rare to catch someone inside just watching TV. When we pull up in our rented passenger van, or Lisa’s Durango (R.I.P.), there’s at least 4-5 people outside, sitting on a stoop, just talking. Once the street becomes aware that we’re there, people just start showing up to hang out. They LOVE having a conversation. If it’s telling their story about Katrina, about their family, or their kids school, or how it used to be in New Orleans, or even if their just rambling about the humidity.. they LOVE to sit and talk. It’s awesome!
Now I love to sit and chat with friends, but honestly, honestly we sit and watch movies or TV more often than being intentional about having quality conversation.
Another great thing about their community is whenever ANYBODY drives or walks by, you always get a honk, a wave, or a pleasant “Alright, alright“. It’s little things like that, which spread the love around Apple St. Everyone knows they’ve got each other’s back, and that you can come over and chat anytime.
Now can we honestly say in our suburbia neighborhoods, that everyone is friendly when you drive by their house, that they stop and wave, or say what’s up? When I tried to bring that tradition back home to Georgia, I got strange looks and a few fingers that weren’t waving.
Apple St Lesson 2:
Obviously love is good. (Can’t be any more simple than that) God made us to love, but love is hard to come by. Community is vital to the survival of love. Whether it’s having hours worth of conversation or just a slight wave or head nod, community is important.
When I think first thought of “laying my life down for my friends” , i think of pushing them out of the way of a bullet and getting hit, or the speeding car or train.. u know, certain-death stuff. Maybe “laying down our life for our friends” doesn’t have to be as dramatic as the movies might put it.Maybe it just means taking time out of your day, out of your life, and having a conversation, maybe your friends are holding something in and need for you to initiate some good dialogue, or they could just be having a bad day.
I think we’re so scared of taking risks and being vulnerable, that we miss out on a lot of good community.
I’m very excited that I’ll get to experience new types, challenges, and levels of community as we go around the World:
1) Living 10 ft from 6 other people for 11 months: Tough, but new and interesting.
2 )Trying to communicate with someone with a completely different language: Help!
3) Try to pass on the gospel to impact an already established culture and worldview: Impossible without God.
