Caedmon's Concert--Afterthoughts

The concert was an amazing event, but beside the songs, the great presentation about the Dalit people and Compassion International, one statement really stood out to me the whole night. With the election this year and all that entails, Derek Webb said this (I'm paraphrasing):

"Getting to know the 6 to 8 people that are your neighbors and knowing what their needs are and how you can meet them will have longer lasting effects than what you will ever do in that voting booth."

Whoa. I mean, WHOA! That was convicting for me--how well do I know my neighbors? Do I choose who I want to know? Of course I do! I have chosen to know the neighbors on either side of me because they were nice and solid, Christian people. I haven't tried to get to know the unchurched younger man across the street who lives by himself or the new family across the street because THEY AREN'T LIKE ME. Driving to court today, I really felt sick knowing that I have not been living the Gospel like I should and I repent of that today.

While living at the Beach, I did this kind of selective getting-to-know my neighbors. At the townhouse, there was a Jamaican-American family on one side and a Puerto Rican-American family on the other side, and in living there two years I got to know their names and maybe where they worked. TWO YEARS!

I don't know what I am going to do to rectify the situation but I do have some ideas that I will be praying about that will help in living out the Gospel as I know that I am called to do.

Can you imagine what this country would be like if everyone got to know their neighbors? What a concept. Now have the life-source of that idea be the Gospel, and man, the Holy Spirit will work.

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As promised, I'll give a short comment on what happened after the concert that night at a certain fast-food restaurant in downtown Hickory when I wanted to order four milkshakes for my friend and his wife and my wife and me (this is a replay of what happened--you have to remember, this is 10:30 PM and we're all tired after a long drive/concert):

Me: "I'd like two small chocolate milkshakes, two small vanilla milkshakes and a burger."

Girl on the intercom: "What kind of small milkshake do you want? Do you want the regular small or the 12 oz. small?"

(After a few moments of staring at the menu quite confused and in disbelief at the question asked, having seen only Small, Medium and Large as options on the milkshake menu)

Me: "I want the smallest small that you have!"

Upon reflection in a more lucid moment later that night, maybe there was some "kid" small size that was not on the menu but for someone like me who was tired, it was too much to try to think at that point. I was only concerned of having enough thought of how to drive to get home.