kindness is surprising

3 years ago you would have heard me rant about doing a kindness event (free something or other) every month. It wasn't a bad thing, and it was always a great experience. Since then, I (and Westside) have come down from that emphasis, but still keep a few similar projects going (Annual Community BBQ), and have leaned more towards compassion (it's resonates more with our community)
Today, someone from Westside headed up Love Montreal. It was a free car wash with an identity. I don't say that in a bad way... it really had an identity (and the leader did an excellent job motivated by love and mission). Here was the difference with Love Montreal: 1. we didn't do it on our own - it's the start of trying to get other churches into doing this to blanket the city with love. 2. it sends a message of unity rather then competition (all day, my conversations were not focused on getting someone to come to my church - b/c now we were 2 churches - a great practice)

Here's the deal and thrust of my thoughts:
1. Kindness is still surprising. It still surprises people. I'm glad their surprise surprised me. There was a number of people that just didn't know what to say to the gesture.

2. Montreal isn't yourcity.com. People couldn't care less about any kind of church (cool, old, new, open, closed, long, short, whatever). This is not pessimism, it's reality. There's walls up everywhere. The walls we run up against in the city has the same brick and mortar in the lives we're trying to reach. What's my point? I still see kindness - genuine kindness - large or small - organized or disorganized - in groups or individual - as a way to chip away at the wall(s) in the human heart. It might not crumble before you and respond to Jesus (that's not the motive behind kindness that's genuine anyway), but the crumble effect is in process. And that means their heart is "that much" more open to God's revealed truth one day.

Please pray for Montreal. I don't want our mission to get easier, but just more fruitful all across the city.