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Below are some useful resources we have benefited from in our efforts to learn how to better care
for, relate to, and interact with our neighbors.
Books
Theirs is the Kingdom, by Robert Lupton
The Master Plan of Evangelism, by Robert Coleman
Compassion, Justice and the Christian Life,
by Robert Lupton
When Helping Hurts, by Steve Corbett & Brian Fikkert
Restoring At-Risk Communities, by John Perkins
Sidewalks in the Kingdom, by Eric Jacobsen
Follow Me to Freedom, by Shane Claiborne
& John Perkins
Friendship at the Margins, by Christine Pohl & Christopher Heuertz
The Abundant Community, by John McKnight
In the Neighborhood: The Search for Community on an American Street, One Sleepover at a Time, by Peter Lovenheim
This Land of Strangers, by Robert Hall
A Framework for Understanding Poverty, by Ruby Payne
So You Think I Drive a Cadillac?, by Karen Seccombe
Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger, by Ron Sider
The Irresistible Revolution, by Shane Claiborne
Building Community from the Inside Out, by John Kretzmann & John McKnight
Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion, by Gregory Boyle
Toxic Charity: How Churches and Charities Hurt Those They Help (And How to Reverse It), by Robert D. Lupton
Blogs
- Allelon Community
- Larry James' Urban Daily (CEO of CitySquare in D/FW)
- Stories from Communities First
- Urban Farming Guys (Kansas City)
- Shane Claiborne (The Simple Way)
- Neo-Restorationists
- Sip with Dusty
Other Resources
- Prayer Walk Guide
- Ten Tips for Getting to Know Your Neighbors
- Recipe for Loving Your Neighbor
- Have You Met the Next Door Neighbor?
Quotes
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
“We but mirror the world. All the tendencies present in the outer world are to be found in the world of our body. If we change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. This is the divine mystery supreme. A wonderful thing it is and the source of happiness. We need not wait to see what others do.”
Note: This quote is often paraphrased as “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”
“Never abandon a friend—either yours or your father’s. When disaster strikes, you won’t have to ask your brother for assistance. It’s better to go to a neighbor than to a brother who lives far away.”
“It may be possible for each to think too much of his own potential glory hereafter; it is hardly possible for him to think too often or too deeply about that of his neighbor. The load, or weight, or burden of my neighbor's glory should be laid daily on my back, a load so heavy that only humility can carry it, and the backs of the proud will be broken.”
“Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses.”
“Relationships are the building blocks of any community. Basing our identity on our relationship with God is necessary to have meaningful, sustainable community transformation.”
“The fundamental building blocks of the kingdom are relationships. Not programs, systems, or productivity. But inconvenient, time-consuming, intrusive relationships.”
“If you limit worship to where you are, the minute you leave that place of worship you will leave your attitude of worship behind like a crumpled-up church bulletin.”
“But the end is reconciliation; the end is redemption; the end is the creation of the beloved community. It is this type of spirit and this type of love that can transform opposers into friends. The type of love that I stress here is not eros, a sort of esthetic or romantic love; not philia, a sort of reciprocal love between personal friends; but it is agape which is understanding goodwill for all men. It is an overflowing love which seeks nothing in return. It is the love of God working in the lives of men. This is the love that may well be the salvation of our civilization.”