Always love where you live
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The Baptist Church was pleased to share our “Love where you live” slogan with Clearwater for this years' Canoe Regatta. What a great day! We had a blast — even though our pride suffered a setback, having lost the Canoe Relay against the Catholic Church. Way to go, guys. See you next year. Same time. Same place.
It’s easy to love this place, isn’t it? Great people, spectacular climate, lots of trucks and sleds, great schools, tones of recreational opportunities, inexpensive housing ... I could go on and on, and so could you. However, there is more to this phrase than, “What is in it for me?” That is what I love about this slogan. It has two parts.
I came by this “Love where you live” slogan sitting in some medical waiting room, flipping routinely through that stack of magazines better suited to a female readership. There it was, printed on some flyer promoting high end community living. “Love where you live.” I think strategy was: You deserve a place you can truly love. You deserve to have pretty houses, perfect lawns and shiny cars on both sides of you. Nothing of that flyer appealed to me except that profound little line which set my mind a racing.
Imagine a community where people applied their God given nature to love, not just their immediate family, but their community? Imagine a place where people shared their very self for the good of the entire population. I left that room somewhat changed. I had heard the call. I knew it had to begin with someone — somewhere. I was up for the challenge. I moved to Clearwater three years ago with a mind to put feet to that phrase. Incidentally I soon found myself surrounded by a group of people who were living as if they had already stumbled across this little phrase.
They were living what I had imagined In spite of a few warts, they loved this place and it loved them back. Their love seems immovable, unconditional, and definitely contagious.
Jesus said it is better to give than to receive, which is a rather counter cultural statement. Having put it to the test, there is not a truer truth. Try it out. Take up the challenge. You’ll be surprised at your God given capacity to love, the towns capacity to love you back, and the difference it makes in peoples lives ... the difference in entire communities!
The Bible says that we love because Christ first loved us. It did begin with someone! It did begin somewhere. So, thank you Jesus for loving me, in spite of my warts! Thank you for Calvary.
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