Meet The NeighborWhen your child cries because of the cruelty of your neighbor, does the command to love them still matter? If so, what does that love look like? The Neighbor is a true story of one family’s attempt to follow seemingly easy commands such as “Love your neighbor as yourself” and “Do good to those who hate you.” Through a series of increasingly difficult encounters, a new neighbor quickly becomes an enemy. Life is turned upside down as the family realizes that loving one’s enemy, while a feel-good thought, can be life-altering and deeply painful. So painful in fact, that it can bring you to question the goodness and love of God. Through this messy journey, we see the path we are called to walk as followers of Christ is not meant to be easy. It’s not meant to be comfortable. But it is the way to the very heart of God. Available at: Amazon * Barnes & Noble * iTunes & coming soon in paperback! Meet Allison HilliardI've had the privilege of working with Allison on the release of her memoir, The Neighbor. She's real, and honest, and don't let her quiet demeanor fool you--she's tough as nails. She battled a hateful neighbor, all while battling herself and her own desire for peace, as she followed God's plan to give her a greater understanding of what it means to "love thy neighbor." Bio: Allison Hilliard spent 12 years facilitating a women’s bible study at her home church. She resides in the suburbs with her husband and their four children. You can connect with Allison online at http://www.allisonhilliard.wix.com/allison Facebook * Twitter * Goodreads Note: I would normally include a photo of the author, but given the difficulties Allison and her family faced, she's understandably hesitant to put herself out there. Meet The NeighborNo, not the book, the man. He does everything in his power to terrorize and torture the young family next door. And when I say next door, I'm talking eight feet away, could practically touch both houses at the same time next door. What makes someone hate us? What is within them that is capable? Certainly we are not created to be evil towards one another. No one is created by God with such hatred in his heart. No, we are all created in God's own image, designed by love and for love. ***POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT*** So what, then, makes this neighbor tick like a time bomb? Fluctuating between kind and giving and outright spiteful, both giving gifts to the young couple and blaring an air horn with the purpose of scaring their children, The Neighbor is completely unpredictable. So how does Allison deal with him? She looks internally. She cannot change The Neighbor, but she can change herself and resolve her own transgressions. You'd think "But Allison, you're the victim here!" As much as that may be true, hate does not cast out hate. Darkness does not cast out darkness. Only love and light can cast away our own shadows in our hearts, and that means loving The Neighbor. It's not a battle easily won. It's a difficult read. There were times I cried, my heart breaking for this author I am so honored to know and work with. This book changed me. It changed how I view my neighbors, not just those who live around me, but my neighbors in my town, my state, my country, and this world. It has changed how I view evil in this world--those who seek to destroy us are not our enemy, though the devil would have us believe otherwise. I must remember to show God's love to those who would harm me. People are not our enemy. We were all created by the same God who has forgiven me my own trespasses. Final Thoughts...Buy this book. Read it. Be forever changed. Be prepared for God to work in your life, for you to be altered in such a way that your neighbor will see God's light shining through you.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
|