New Book Review

Next Door as it is in Heaven: living out God's kingdom in your neighborhood - Lance Ford & Brad Brisco

NavPress 2016 

Reviewed by Diane Busch

If you have read books on missional living and incarnational living this will not be new stuff. But these guys put it all together in one place (quoting many other authors) and focus missional living to the neighborhood in which you live.

They give you reasons for the the who and why, and give you options and ideas for the what and where and how. They are inspiring and challenging and leave you with the desire to get to work getting to know the people in your neighborhood.  

The authors talk a lot about using meals to spend time with others building relationships. They mention that "A primary (maybe the primary) venue for evangelism in Jesus' life was the meal. Eating and drinking with others is a constant theme throughout the biblical history of how and what Jesus did during his earthly ministry. Churches are most often found meeting. Jesus was most often found eating. If you were to bump into him on the streets of Jerusalem, he would have been more likely to invite you to a barbecue than to a Bible study."

"Christians should see their calling as missionaries to their neighborhoods as being every bit as high of a calling as the calling to preach in a pulpit." The authors are big advocates of the front porch. We should set aside time in our lives to get to know our neighbors, spend time with them, and be available to them. "If you have a front porch, use it!", they write.  

This book will be an inspiration to all who read it. I highly recommend it.

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for the purpose of review.