Do You Know Your Neighbors?

I do. I live in a neighborhood of 15 houses and we do all know one another but we don't all know what each other is doing all the time. Yet when I saw this article, “PleaseRobMe website reveals dangers of social networks,” the article being at this website: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8521598.stm I thought it IS good to know your neighbors. It is good to let a couple three of them know when you are gone so they can keep a watch on your place for you. I usually leave giving permission to a couple of my neighbors that if they see someone back up to the house with a moving van, feel free to call 911 for I am only out of town; not moving!

We think we are really not sharing much on our Twitter, websites, face books or blogs; only that we are going to _____; and now fill in the blank where you are going to. Soon I can say I am going to Maui and how can anybody know details from that that I should worry? How am I basically advertising “PleaseRobMe” from that little information?

Well, our face book and blog and whatever we are social networking off of has profiles. Not only that, I could take my name and put it in goggle or some other search engine and find out my phone number, address and even 'location' on a map where I live right down to being able to put an X on my house. If I were a thief, it would take only a short stint of observation called “stalking the house” and I would have a good idea if somebody is coming and going into my house and what the times are that they are checking on my house for me. Then I could determine if I were a high risk to burglarize or if I was an 'open door' so to speak. Yes, it is good to know your neighbors and all the more so if you social network. Tell your neighbors when you go and alert them to 'watch' with permission to call 911 if they need to so you can go, and go with peace of mind. It's a good thing.

Some people have nobody living nearby that they want to have watching their place so they let the local police force know. An officer on duty will swing down your street at random times to be the one to keep the watch for you then.

Folks in the country are not without risk from the thieves these days either. Rural crime has been on the increase for some time already. Even folks in the rural areas have people who routinely pass each others houses. It is good to know your resources and use them for sooner or later everybody needs to receive so be a good giver against the day you need the favor back!

I would be amiss if I didn't recall the all importance of hedging your property up with prayer before going too. We hedge 'ourselves' up all the time but don't forget your belongings too! I learned to do that when my husband was in the hospital. On a rare occasion I would see a lab slip on the floor of an elevator and would know it was going to be important to someone so I'd pick it up and turn it in to the nearest nurses station. The ward secretaries at nurses stations know what to do with lab orders and things like that. The realization that my husband's records were important to keep safe entered into me at that point and it was then I started to pray for all our property whether it was within or without our very own hands for safe keeping. I based the prayer off this scripture: Deuteronomy 28:2-3(King James Version)

“And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.

Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.”

We lived in the country at the time and yet very important property was in the medical records that were being kept in the city. We were blessed. The records were kept safe and available when needed.

Now, if you ever wonder what happened to that lab test result you never received and they were never able to find, know it likely floated down an elevator shaft somewhere before someone could find it and turn it in for you.

Here is something to hang onto and consider carefully during the extra time you have this weekend. Isaiah 24 which shows the status of what we are in right now and Isaiah 25 which we will be in later. Isaiah 24 can be read here:

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=isaiha%2024&version=KJV

and

Isaiah 25 here: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=isaiha%2025&version=KJV

I read chapter 24 first and was blessed to read chapter 25 right afterward. Chapter 24 is tough news but we have a lot of blessing to look forward to in chapter 25!

May God bless you and you have a great weekend!

P.S. I really am off to Maui now and will post again when I get back. Please keep the watch for me; you know how to get a hold of me electronically. I'll look forward to the emails when I get back home!

IN the mean time, I really do have others watching my place and property already too. I am a high risk to rob....AND my Lord's angels have double edged swords! ;-)