Abundant Life Right Outside of Your Door

I’m Amanda Buccola, and I’m excited to share with you one of the many stories of how God has changed my life for the better by throwing it off-course from what I had planned.

My husband, Nick, and I were married in 2009 and joined Watermark Community Church that same year. We were living in an apartment, with plans to start the search for our first home. One Saturday, we drove up North to check out a neighborhood of new builds, and after a couple of tours, we left with our hearts set on buying a home that was halfway complete. We flew the idea past community, ran the numbers, and made a down payment within days. I don’t remember praying much about the decision, and if I did, it was probably something like “Please let us get this house!!” Well, we got the house. It was far from church, work, family and community. But it had all the things we wanted for our future family, so none of that mattered. I poured countless hours and dollars into making that house beautiful. I scrolled through Pinterest endlessly, then scoured the internet, West Elm, and Canton, TX to make all of those dreams come true.

Soon after that, Nick and I watched Jesus start to change our hearts as we spent more time at Watermark. I joined a class called Equipped Disciple that helped me start the habit that God used to change my life forever: reading the Bible every day. This new habit brought me into a personal relationship with The Lord. I had known and believed the gospel my whole life, but it wasn’t until I talked with the Lord daily, listening to Him intently, that I truly began to surrender my will to His.

As I read The Word, I realized I had made life all about me. But God calls us to do the opposite. Matthew 22:37-39 says

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.”

I was on my way to following the first command, but still so far from the second.

We had our first child in 2012, and I remember devouring books on Christian living during those early days of motherhood. One of those books was “Anything” by Jennie Allen. It’s Jennie’s story of offering The Lord her life for His service. I prayed that same prayer with open hands, offering The Lord every corner of my heart to Him, willing to let go of whatever I was holding onto too tightly. I knew immediately what He was asking me to place in those open hands. It was our house.

I had quit my job, and started a business from home, so it wasn’t hard to see the financial strain the house had become on our family. But more importantly, it was an idol taking up space in my heart that belonged to God. Jonah 2:8 says “Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love.” I would be unable to love others until I dealt with my obsession with possessions. When I told Nick about this conviction, he had been thinking and praying about the same thing. Both of us were afraid to speak it out loud, but we knew our next faithful step would be to sell our “forever home” after only three years.

This time, we approached the house search in a completely different way. We prayed to be placed in a neighborhood that needed the light of Jesus. We prayed for those neighbors before we even knew where we’d be living. We prayed for ourselves, that we’d grow in boldness and love for others, willing to share our lives with whomever God placed us with. He led us to a smaller house in the heart of Plano, and we were excited to start our new adventure.

As we settled in, we found that our new neighborhood was tough to crack! Our first Halloween, we only had one trick-or-treater. We brought Christmas treats to the houses on our street, but many had to be left on porches because hardly anyone would open their door to us. It continued like this for a few years, but with some incremental progress along the way. Despite the lack of response, we were still convinced our neighborhood was our mission field, so we based our schooling decision on the ability to do every day life with our neighbors.

Over time, we started to see more and more new families move into these old homes (thank you Chip and Joanna), and in 2016, a friendly woman I had met at the park started a neighborhood facebook page. Now that we had this place to connect online, I planned our first neighborhood get-together: a craft party for the kids. I was blown away by the quick RSVPs, the many offers to bring food, and the great turnout. These neighbors were beyond excited to have an excuse to connect with each other!

As we got together more often and started to build true friendships, I decided to host a Bible study. The ladies who showed up ranged from non-denominational, Catholic, Methodist and Mormon, to those who were unchurched or had been burned by the church with no plans to return. I was blown away by their enthusiasm and commitment to show up each week and share what they had learned. But I was also surprised to hear how little they knew about the Bible and Jesus’ call to follow Him.

So as that study wrapped up, and I began to think about our next one, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I couldn’t help but share with these friends the habit that God had used to change my life 7 years earlier: reading the Bible every day. So as my family set out on a road trip, I sat in the front seat and wrote a simple Bible study just for my neighbors.

The study focused on the validity of the Bible, how to stay engaged and informed as you read, the value in journaling and responding in prayer, and making this a habit for life. I sent out the invitation, and all of the same women signed up, along with a few new faces. We shared prayer requests and sin struggles, deepening trust and vulnerability each time we met. Week 5 has a presentation of the gospel, so I walked the group through it to make sure they clearly heard the primary message of The Bible.

I don’t have any alter-call, walk-the-aisle stories of salvation for you, but I do have countless stories of a neighborhood transformed. Each of them are on a different path with Jesus, some more active than others. But we have remained a group who shares struggles, joys, and prayer requests, and these women have become the hands and feet of Jesus in our neighborhood. Anytime there’s a need, this group shows up.

I’ve seen these women gather up $1,000 in under an hour for a family in need. They’ve created patterns of giving and gathering that have become a way of life for dozens of families in the neighborhood. These ladies have hosted their own Bible studies, bringing new friends into the culture of authenticity that has become characteristic of our neighborhood. We also continue to host events that focus on fun, making sure the whole neighborhood feels welcome, no matter where they are on their journey with Christ.

When I set out to love my neighbors, I never anticipated the overwhelming love our family would receive in return. These friends cover our family in love and support when we’re in need. Our kids have become like siblings, we travel together, and are constantly sharing tools and talents. Just like Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 2:8

“Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.”

Last year, Nick and I moved our family into a community group that’s completely inside our neighborhood. Each step we’ve taken to build stronger bonds with our neighbors has resulted in a richness of life we couldn’t have imagined.

I started out building my life around a beautiful house far away, with no concern for anyone outside of it. I’m so thankful that God rerouted my course. He opened my eyes to see the beauty in a life pursuing the two greatest commandments: Love God and love your neighbor. It’s an abundant life, and all it took was a willing heart to follow His lead.

The exciting thing about my story is that it’s not unique. It will play out differently in each of our lives, but we’ve all been called to follow the two greatest commandments. Initiating with your neighbors may feel awkward at first, but give it time. God’s plans are always better than ours, and He’s worth following. Abundant life might be waiting right outside your door!