Love God. Love Neighbor. It really is that simple.
“To become a disciple means a decisive and irrevocable turning to both God and neighbor.” — David J. Bosch
All Sandy was trying to do that night was host a simple Christmas Cookie party for her neighbors. Exchange some cookies, tell some stories, and enjoy the festive time of year. But the mood changed when they learned that Sandy’s new neighbor, a young mom in her 30s, had just had a stroke the day before.
Sobered by this news, another neighbor suggested they take up a collection to help pay for her medical expenses and the kids’ Christmas, which they did. A couple weeks later, this young mom had returned home but was facing a difficult recovery. She had partial paralysis and couldn’t do much of anything without assistance. She was learning to walk again. She also struggled emotionally as she wasn’t able to help her family, or work, or do any number of things that had given her identity.
Sandy continued to check in on her and offer help. She prayed for her and brought over a devotional book and they got talking. It turned out her neighbor had a Christian background, was actually a pastor’s daughter, but had largely wandered away from the faith. Her medical crisis had surfaced some old questions. She was asking where God was in all of…
