Recently, there was an article in the newspaper reporting that the mosquitoes that carry Dengue Fever and yellow fever have been discovered in the Central Valley of California. No sign of either disease has been discovered; so far these mosquitoes are not currently carrying these diseases. As I read the article I wanted to be sure to let people I care about know this bit of information. Why? Because I want them to be careful.

Since you are people I care about, I’m telling you, in case you hadn’t seen the article. While these particular mosquitoes have not yet been discovered in Southern California, I imagine it’s only a matter of time. Be sure there is no standing water around where you live. This isn’t usually a problem in Southern California.

What has this got to do with Christian faith, with living a life of Christian discipleship? The Christian life has practical application. One such application is looking out for each other, which can be done in a myriad of ways.

One way is serving in the community. My dad, as part of his service while a city council member in Huntington Park, served on the Southern California Mosquito Abatement Board. Did you know there is such a thing?

There are so many services that happen we are not aware of but that make our communities safer and stronger. The same can be said about the church. There are many things that happen in a congregation and in the larger church we don’t know about but that make the community of church stronger and effective beyond our walls.