As Dallas Willard writes, it matters for all the world to know that life is ahead of us.

To Build or Not to Build....... a Fence

From Mark Priddy's blog and Simon Carey's blog....

There’s an interesting post by Chris Smith circulating at the moment entitled 10 ways to live more intentionally in the suburbs. It includes some great insights and is worth a read.

There is one thing in Chris’s list, though, that I’m not sure about. His point 8 reads "Don’t fence in your yard", and includes the following assertion: “the fence is a major component of the impenetrable fortress syndrome; it protects our privacy and keeps out our ‘evil’ neighbors. It often is a statement of distrust.”

On one level, I understand Chris’s point. In today’s suburbia, the fence is often a marker of exclusion, a clear communal preference for anonymity, privacy and independence—the higher the fence the louder the preference.

I have noticed fences going up in my neighborhood. When I was a kid we had very few fences. We knew every neighbor for at least a block around us. There were a few who yelled when our "army" ran through their yard. Why are we building fences?

Did Jesus come to tear them down? Did He penetrate our fence? Did He knock on our door; our gate? Is there another side to this story? What about loving your neighbor as yourself? Do you have a fence? Do I have a fence?

Is it in your back yard? Is it in my heart?