Friday, January 21, 2011

Ways to Love Where You Live - #4

This one is for all of you cold-weather dwellers!  Shovel or snowblow/plow for a neighbor.  I was blessed to be on the receiving end of this one when we lived in a subdivision neighborhood before we moved to Madison.  It was a year with an inordinate amount of snow.  I think Green Bay received over 100 inches that winter.  It seemed as if we were shoveling every day, sometimes twice each day.  Both my husband and I had injured our backs earlier in the week trying to shovel very wet snow, and we just could not get the driveway cleared, as every time the plow would go by, we would be blocked by about 2-3 feet of hard, heavy snow.  That morning, around 5am, I heard what I thought was the plow go by in the street yet again.  Later that morning, around 8am, I glanced out my front window and noticed that my entire driveway and sidewalk had been PLOWED out.  I was in tears, as I had been perusing the phone book and internet earlier the day before to try to find someone to hire to do this for us. 

Does it seem strange to you that the kindness of a stranger (this was a neighbor we had not yet met) would mean so very much to someone?  Sometimes, I think we have become so disconnected from each other that we forget how very easy it is to touch another person's life.  Take a minute or so to consider a time when someone did something kind for you out of the blue, and hold onto that feeling as a way to continue to remember to Love Where You Live!

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Ways to Love Where You Live - #3

Happy Wednesday everyone, and thank you so much for taking the time to visit Love Where You Live!

Wednesdays are incredibly crazy days as far as my schedule goes, so I mostly won't have time to write a long entry.  I thought today would be a great day to continue with our 365 Ways to Love Where You Live.

#3 - Make a meal for someone in need.  It could be a neighbor, coworker, or friend who has just had a baby.  Maybe you know someone who has just lost a loved one and is too busy planning a funeral and the like to make a meal.  Or, it could be for someone who is moving, has lost their job, is studying for finals, or is just generally overwhelmed by life.  This does not have to be expensive or complicated.  One of the easiest meals I can think of is a pan of lasagna using no-boil noodles.  Soups are also very easy and can be as inexpensive or fancy as you'd like.  Casseroles are another simple idea.  You do need to find out if there are any food allergies in the family that you are making the food for.

I had planned on including a few simple recipes with today's blog, but am short on time, so I will make sure to add that at a later date.  A nice touch - if you have time - is to add a card with the recipe of the item you've provided.  I've found many times that people are very interested in being able to make the dish again for their family when time permits.

Have a wonderful day, and whether or not you have time to make a meal for someone, just remember to Love Where You Live!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Why do we Love Where We Live?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWSAw6VNuzQ&feature=related

This video was produced at the church I belong to, but today was the first time I had ever viewed it.  This really gets to the central question of why "Love Where You Live" is something I strive for on a daily basis.

Do you ever get frustrated with circumstances and yell at the car in front of you because they are driving too slowly and you are running late?  Do you ever feel like you are the ONLY one going through your particular struggles?  Does it ever seem like everyone else has a smooth life, but things continually go wrong for you?  Remember that everyone struggles.  Everyone has pain, disappointment, fears, dreams.  Hang in there, take it one day at a time, and remember to...

LOVE WHERE YOU LIVE


Monday, January 17, 2011

Welcome to Love Where You Live!

Thank you so much for taking the time to check out my new blog. I want to take a quick moment in this first post to introduce myself, and the basic purpose of why I'm here. My name is Holly, I am the mother of three beautiful girls, the wife to my amazing husband Scott, and a Christ-follower. This blog is about love. Agape love. "Love where you live" is a phrase that I first experienced during a Sunday message at the church I attend. It has become my mantra, something that I want to learn to apply to every aspect of my life. It starts with agape. Many of you may be wondering, "What the heck is agape, and why should I care about it?". I plan to return to a more in-depth discussion on that in a later post. The basic definition of the Greek word, "agape", is that of unconditional, sacrificial love. This is the love spoken of in the most well-known Bible verse, John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." This is the good news of the Gospel in a nutshell. Therefore, as a follower of Christ, it would only make sense that I name my blog after this concept. Right? ;)

Agape encompasses so many different things, all of which my blog will focus on, and more! I will discuss ways to Love Where You Live. This includes your family,
friends, neighbors, co-workers, enemies, and Joe Blow who happens to pass you on the street. We'll talk about child-rearing, maintaining and strengthening friendships, cooking and recipes, how to save money and live well (even in this crazy economy), and anything else that happens to pop into my head! The best part is that I will ask for and look forward to feedback from all of you as to the direction of the blog.

Enjoy, and I hope to see you back here again soon!