Sunday, July 19

What a Beautiful Week in the Neighborhood

What a week.

This week, more than 50 youth and adult volunteers became the hands and feet of Christ across Columbia. Together, we repaired three homes, shared countless meals, laughed until our sides hurt, worshiped, prayed, sweated through some South Carolina heat, and discovered again what Jesus meant when he said, "Love your neighbor as yourself."

Three homes received much-needed repairs.

Three families were reminded that they are seen, valued, and loved.

And more than 50 campers returned home carrying something they couldn't fit in a toolbox—a deeper understanding that loving our neighbor is less about extraordinary moments and more about faithfully showing up, listening well, and choosing love day after day.

Throughout the week, we asked one simple question:

Who is our neighbor?

And every morning came the same answer:

The one we choose to love.

That's the gift of Salkehatchie. We don't just build ramps, paint walls, or repair roofs. We practice becoming the kind of people who notice others, who make room for their stories, and who discover that God is already at work in the neighborhoods we call home.

Thank you to every camper, adult leader, homeowner, church, volunteer, cook, donor, and prayer partner who made this week possible. You made this a beautiful week in the neighborhood.

Now the neighborhood grows a little larger.

Tomorrow, there will be new neighbors to notice. New opportunities to listen first. New chances to choose kindness, extend grace, and share Christ's love.

The work of Salkehatchie may be finished for this summer.

But loving our neighbor is never over.

Saturday, July 18

Saturday Send-Off

Scripture:
1 John 4:21 — “Those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.”

Reflection:
All week long, you have been practicing what it means to love your neighbor. Not just in big ways, but in small ones. In conversations. In moments of patience. In showing up, even when you are tired. And maybe you’ve noticed something: Loving your neighbor isn’t just something you do.It becomes part of who you are.

There’s a story about Fred Rogers and his goldfish. Every day on his show, he would say out loud, “I’m feeding the fish.” He did that because a young girl once wrote to him. She was blind, and she was worried the fish might not be fed, because she couldn’t see it. So, she asked him to say it out loud. And from that moment on, he did. Every time. So she would know. So she wouldn’t have to wonder. So she could trust that someone was paying attention.

It seems like such a small thing. But it meant everything to her. That’s what loving your neighbor looks like. Paying attention. Doing small things with great love. Choosing to care in ways that others might not even notice. So as you go home, take this fish with you. (the campers will be given a goldfish keychain)

Let it remind you: To pay attention. To care in small ways. To keep choosing love. Because the question doesn’t end here… (go right into Feed the Fish, “the question” we are referring back to is “Who is our neighbor?”)

Feed the Fish:
Leader: Who is our neighbor?
All: The one we choose to love.
All: Amen.

Benediction prayer: As you go from this place, go back to your homes, your schools, your work, your everyday lives… keep loving your neighbor as yourself.

Take what you have practiced here: the listening, the patience, the kindness, the attention and carry it with you.  Notice the people around you. Make space. Choose love, again and again.

And as you go, remember: you are always welcome in this neighborhood.

Go in peace, to love and serve your neighbor and we hope to see you again next summer. Amen.

Friday, July 17

 Friday

Cardigan:
Leader: It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood…
All: A beautiful day for a neighbor.

Today’s Mail:
1 John 4:21 — “The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.”

Devotion:
We’ve spent this week loving our neighbor. Not perfectly, but intentionally. And something happens when you practice that kind of love day after day. You start to notice things. Moments that felt small at the time begin to mean more. Conversations stay with you. Acts of kindness linger. You begin to see that God has been at work all along.

Mister Rogers had a way of helping people feel seen, known, and cared for. He connected with people in real, authentic ways and in doing so, he helped them recognize something important: that love is not just something we give, it’s something we receive. 

This week, you didn’t just bring love to your neighbor. You were changed by it.

Tonight, we’ll gather for communion, and we’ll bring with us symbols from this week, something from your work site or this week’s experience that holds meaning for you. It might be something simple. It might not seem important at first. But as you think about it, ask yourself: Where did I see love this week? Where did I notice God? What moment is staying with me? That symbol becomes a way to share your story; your moment of love, your moment of learning, your moment of seeing God at work. 

Because loving our neighbor doesn’t just change the world around us. It changes us, too.

Wonder Question (For pondering today)
What is one moment from this week that you don’t want to forget?

Daily Prayer:
God, as we go to serve today, help us love our neighbor as ourselves.
Guide our hands in the work we do, and our hearts in the people we meet.
Teach us to listen, to be kind, and to share your love in all we do. Amen.

Feed the Fish:
Leader: Who is our neighbor?
All: The one we choose to love.
All: Amen.

Thursday, July 16

 Thursday

Cardigan:
Leader: It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood…
All: A beautiful day for a neighbor.

Today’s Mail:
Romans 13:9 — “Whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Devotion:
By now, we’re feeling it. The heat. The tiredness. The sore muscles. Maybe even a little frustration. This is the part of the week where loving your neighbor can feel harder.

Paul writes that all the commandments are summed up in this one: love your neighbor as yourself. Not just when it’s easy. Not just when we have energy to spare. But even now. Because love isn’t just something we feel when everything is going well. Love is something we choose. We choose love, especially when it is easier not to.

Mister Rogers once reminded people to pause and think before they act. That small pause can change everything. Today, love might look like that pause. Taking a deep Holy Spirit breath before responding. Choosing patience when you’re tired. Choosing kindness when you’re frustrated. And maybe even noticing the good again. My younger sister used to call moments of seeing good, whiffs of joy! I pray you have a whiff of joy today.  

Mr. Rogers had a way of looking for the strengths in others and calling them forth to shine. Remember Mr. Rogers’ words, “I like you just the way you are.” Jesus did too. Jesus called us beloved. That doesn’t stop on Thursday. In fact, it might matter even more today. So as you go into this day, remember: You are loved. You don’t have to do everything perfectly, just keep choosing love, one moment at a time. 

Wonder Question (For pondering today)
When you feel tired or frustrated today, what will help you pause and choose love?

Daily Prayer:
God, as we go to serve today, help us love our neighbor as ourselves.
Guide our hands in the work we do, and our hearts in the people we meet.
Teach us to listen, to be kind, and to share your love in all we do. Amen.

Feed the Fish:
Leader: Who is our neighbor?
All: The one we choose to love.
All: Amen.

Wednesday, July 15

 Wednesday

Cardigan:
Leader: It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood…
All: A beautiful day for a neighbor.

Today’s Mail:
Mark 12:31 — “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Devotion:
By now, you’ve had time to meet your neighbor, not just in passing, but in real moments. You’ve worked side by side. You’ve heard stories. You’ve started to notice what matters to the people around you.

Jesus says there is no commandment greater than this: to love your neighbor as yourself. Not just in big ways, but in the small, everyday moments that build trust.

The truth is, loving our neighbor means making room for their whole story. Not just the easy parts, but the complicated ones too. Sometimes that means sitting with someone’s frustration or listening to a story that doesn’t have a neat ending. Because many of us don’t always know what to do with our feelings: anger, sadness, even joy. We can miss what someone else is carrying.

But this is part of loving our neighbor: We pay attention. We honor what people are feeling. We don’t rush past it. Even on day 3 when we’re tired or ready for the project to be completed...we listen. We love as we would want to be loved.  Mister Rogers understood this. He connected with people in real, authentic ways, especially in the moments when they felt most vulnerable. So today, loving your neighbor might look like this: Slowing down long enough to really see someone. Listening without fixing. Being present without rushing.

Sometimes the most important thing we build isn’t something you can measure, it’s a moment where someone feels known.

Wonder Question (For pondering today)
Where might you need to slow down and truly listen to someone today?

Daily Prayer:
God, as we go to serve today, help us love our neighbor as ourselves.
Guide our hands in the work we do, and our hearts in the people we meet.
Teach us to listen, to be kind, and to share your love in all we do. Amen.

Feed the Fish:
Leader: “Who is our neighbor?”
All: “The one we choose to love.”
All: Amen.

Tuesday, July 14

 Tuesday

Cardigan:
Leader: It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood…
All: A beautiful day for a neighbor.

Today’s Mail:
Galatians 5:14 — “For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Devotion:
Yesterday, we began by seeing our neighbor: by listening, noticing, and making space.

Today, we remember that love doesn’t stop there. Love is not just something we feel.
It’s something we do. The work you’re doing this week. The hammering, painting, cleaning, carrying… this is love in action. But it’s not just the work itself. It’s HOW you do it.

Love looks like patience when something takes longer than expected. Love looks like gratitude for the homeowner, for your crew, for the chance to be here. Love looks like paying attention, even in the middle of a busy day.

Mister Rogers had a way of transforming everyone he met into a neighbor. Not because he did something extraordinary, but because he treated ordinary moments with care. That’s what we’re invited to do today. Not just to do the work, but to let the way we do the work become good news.

Wonder Question (For pondering today)
Where did you see love in action yesterday—and how can you carry that into today?

Daily Prayer:
God, as we go to serve today, help us love our neighbor as ourselves.
Guide our hands in the work we do, and our hearts in the people we meet.
Teach us to listen, to be kind, and to share your love in all we do. Amen.

Feed the Fish:
Leader: Who is our neighbor?
All: The one we choose to love.
All: Amen.

Monday, July 13

 Monday Morning

Cardigan (Greeting Ritual)

Leader: It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood…
All: A beautiful day for a neighbor.

Today’s Mail (Scripture): Matthew 22:39    “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Devotion:  Jesus gives us this command, but Jesus doesn’t define neighbor by distance. This week, neighbor isn’t theoretical. It’s the person whose house we’re standing in. It’s the people on your crew. It’s the voices you’ll hear and the stories you’ll be invited into.

One of the things Mister Rogers did so well was this: he looked for the good in people and helped it shine. He had a way of meeting someone, even in a short moment, and helping them feel safe.

And that matters, because not everyone comes into this week feeling safe. Not everyone has had their story heard. Not everyone knows what to do with their feelings of anger or sadness or joy. 

So, loving our neighbor begins here: We listen first. We make space. We pay attention. Because before we ever pick up a tool, we are already building something: trust.

Wonder Question (For pondering today)
What’s one way you can help someone feel seen and safe today?

Daily Prayer: 
God, as we go to serve today, help us love our neighbor as ourselves.
Guide our hands in the work we do, and our hearts in the people we meet.
Teach us to listen, to be kind, and to share your love in all we do. Amen.

Feed the Fish: (Daily litany)

Leader: Who is our neighbor?
All: The one we choose to love.
All: Amen.

July 11 Cola Salk 2026 Theme and introduction to the week

 

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

What does it really mean to love your neighbor?

That simple question will guide our week together at Columbia Salkehatchie as youth and adult volunteers serve homeowners across our community. Inspired by Jesus' command to "love your neighbor as yourself," and the gentle wisdom of Fred Rogers, we'll discover that being a good neighbor begins with paying attention—listening first, showing kindness, practicing empathy, and creating spaces where others feel seen, valued, and loved.

Each workday, our campers and homeowners will begin the morning with a short devotion built around one verse of Scripture, a brief reflection, a "Wonder Question" to carry throughout the day, and a simple sending that reminds us all: "Who is our neighbor?" "The one we choose to love."

Beginning Monday, July 13, I'll be sharing each day's devotion here on the blog. Whether you're serving at Salkehatchie, praying from home, or simply looking for a moment of encouragement, I hope you'll join us as we learn together that loving our neighbor isn't just something we do for one week each summer—it's a way of following Jesus every day.

Welcome to the neighborhood.

Cultivating Sabbath and family vacations

 

Packing for Sabbath

I'm in that familiar season of to-do's and don't forget and did you check that!

Not the laundry lists—John has that well in hand. (One of the many reasons I'm grateful for him.)

Mine are the less tangible kind. Bulletins and sermons finished ahead of schedule. Worship details finalized. Pastoral conversations wrapped up as best they can be. Pastoral coverage lined up so the congregation is well cared for. Itineraries checked. Reservations confirmed. Activities planned for two energetic boys on airplanes, in hotel rooms, and along the way. Calendars shared. A few "don't forget..." notes sent before I step away.

There is a funny irony to getting away. Rest rarely just happens. It has to be prepared for. I suspect I'm not alone.

Whether you're leaving for a trip, taking a long weekend, or simply trying to carve out an afternoon to breathe, Sabbath asks something of us before it gives something to us. It asks us to stop believing that everything depends on us. Hard for some of us to are more tightly wound than others.

Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggemann describes Sabbath as an act of resistance. In a world that constantly whispers, Produce more. Hurry. Achieve. Stay available., Sabbath quietly declares that our worth isn't measured by our productivity. The world keeps turning because God is God and we are not. We are not. 

That release of control is both comforting and, if I'm honest, a little uncomfortable.

As a pastor, there's always one more visit to make, one more email to send, one more good idea to chase. Ministry is deeply meaningful work, but it can also convince us that we're indispensable if we're not careful. And I love the work. 

Yet, Sabbath tells a different story.

It reminds us that the church belongs to Christ. That God cares for God's people even when pastors step away for a little while. That grace is still at work, even when we're not. We are not the work; we are here to worship. 

So yes, there are lists to finish and plans to make before I can truly step away.

But I'm also trying to prepare something less tangible: a willingness to rest (as much as possible on a family trip, said with a smile).

Not because I've earned it. Because God commands it. God commands and models sabbath. (Genesis 2: 2-3) REST. Because we need it. Because I need it. Because the people I love deserve the healthiest version of me. And because I believe the world, and the church, will still be held together by hands much stronger than mine. A break is good for everyone. 

When I return, I'll share a few stories and pictures from wherever grace finds us along the way.

Until then, may you find your own moments of Sabbath, however they come. May you remember that you are more than what you accomplish. And may you discover, again, that God's faithfulness never takes a vacation.