july 4th might be an obvious one, so make a day of it! what about the farmer’s market or the art walk or a grand opening? we had a voting day in June for our city’s mayor and a flea market i’ve only ever driven by. our city hall will host events and we discovered a whole new world at the park recently. 

you'll need a link to your city/community events. your town's newspaper is a good source. coffee shops often have bulletin boards with local events posted. my go-to is http://sf.funcheap.com. for locals, you can scroll down and select the date to give you today's events, many for free.

Surprise the people in line behind you.

    you’re already in line for your shave ice, frappe, ice cream, or funnel cake. go ahead and surprise the ones in line behind you. simply turn and ask what they want and that you’re covering it! It’s like you just gave them the moon or something similar!

If our city had a gate and I knew Jesus was about to come in,

I'd be there to greet Him, to welcome Him in.

I'd thank Him for coming

Shower Him with praise - stating the obvious to the Ancient of Days.

I'd tell Jesus that I know He heals, comforts and mourns. That He sits with the outcasts, has compassion, serves, breaks the chains of sin and bondage, sets us free, and loves everyone.

I'd show Him the beautiful places - all of which He made -

The bay, the hills, the cliffs on His ocean's edge.

The lavender, succulents, and calla lilies that grow wild.

The seals, the canyons, the overflowing fruit outside the markets, the tide.

I'd want Him to see what His people were doing -

wide open space. it felt good to see the kids take off in sprints. the park was absent of sidewalks and intersections and traffic. the soft ground was a comfort to our souls that were accustomed to concrete. we'd only lived in san francisco for 10 months and our church plant was only weeks old. the city was still fresh and new and our family was experiencing many firsts.