Let me back up before I set forth and say that there isn't ever a trip that isn't heavily focused on basking in the presence and being with some of my favorite people. I will take a moment to brag and say that God has somehow seen my life fit enough to include some of the best humans on this spinning globe, through the presence of my family and friends. Each of us are just your corky and abstract, typical two legged, two armed, and one heart beating being (mouthful), but when we are in community together, well, that's when things get good. There's snorting and bur - cupping (a burp/hiccup combo). Turtles turn to cows and nightfall's are never noticed because the sun is back up and risen by the time we're done talking. It's loud. Really loud. When there's an abundance of ladies, the gentleman graciously accept their new names (the Brandon's becomes Barbara's, Brian's becomes Brianna's, Adam's become Adrianna's, Shane's become Shania's, etc.). And when there's an abundance of gentleman, the ladies not so graciously accept any male names. We wrestle, have eaten balut together, and snuck out of hospitals together. We've fought. Hard. Harder. We've cried. Until dry. Dryer. We've cliff jumped and sunk below the waves all in one leap. Drooling on each other during flights and sharing deodorant and toothbrushes are not uncommon. We've climbed to the tops of building's together and we've fallen off the very same ladders that took us there. We've camped together in both lush forests and barren deserts. We've endured war together - moth wars and life wars. We're the ones that drive down wide open roads with the heat of the sun touching our skin and just the same, we're the ones that are pulled over on the side of the road with only the heat of anger touching our skin.
And as there seems to be an ever increasing amount of "life just sucks" moments, cancer striking families, relationships crumbling, jobs being lost, and life feeling random and wrong amidst my family and friends, I am even more so reminded of not only the need of, but the provision, calling, and commitment to and for community. I believe community and relationship that looks radically different to the world and points up, will find itself threatened over and over and over and over and over again. That's when it's time to up your game and stick Satan under your foot and crush the @#$% out of him. If it didn't look radical and didn't speak of God's glory and redemption, then there would be no reason for Satan and his damn ploys to get involved. (Sorry, my profanity only surfaces when speaking of him, okay, and if I drop a really hot pan on my barefoot, okay, and maybe a few other things that light my wick). ;)
In listening to a podcast from Reality LA church and describing authentic community, the Pastor compared a bag of marbles to a cluster of grapes. The bag of marbles being a group of individuals coming together and the cluster of grapes still being a group of individuals, but organically linked. He went on to share that the "full experience of life happens in community." But in order to experience that life, there has to be a commitment toward one another, that is motivated by love, to teach, serve, rejoice, weep, pray, and share in the heavy lifting and burden bearing. We must consider one another. And to say that it will take work, well let's be honest, that is probably an understatement because it essentially means being intentional and deliberate with all of your activity. More so than just considering one another, we must also irritate one another. Okay, well, it does says "spur" one another on, but did you know that they actually mean in and of the same thing? Yep, uh huh. I think for most of us, this happens without even trying. ;) But really, it's the idea of being so transparent with one another that we have given each other permission to call each other out, to receive their truthful correction. This is attributed to the fact that "the sin and weaknesses that will likely destroy us, are the very ones we (ourselves), do not even see." With the irritating, we are also granted the privilege of encouraging one another. Carrying the baggage together. Walking, or maybe even carrying one another through the dark, scorpion infested roads (I just learned what a scorpion was so I felt as though it's very appropriate in this context).
All of these things, welp, they simply cannot happen at a distance. We cannot be changed, nor can we grow without the necessity of community. It's not about jumping ship or abandoning or neglecting, but always about ramping it up and being more radical in the ways which we love, consider, irritate, and encourage one another. And for those of you that read a previous blog post of mine, know that anything more radical and more crazy is definitely on my radar right now. :)
As my Pastor reminded us this weekend, we need to be the one's who don't allow one another to forget the "God did's" and the "God will's."
When marbles are crushed, they are a bunch of broken pieces of glass. When grapes are crushed, oh boy, don't they have the capacity to make some liquid goodness? Just another reason for us to be grapes over marbles. :)
So as some of us move and some of us travel, some of us take new jobs or get married, struggle with finances and fight against deep insecurities and generational bondage, or wrestle through the pain of lost and past relationships and unmet expectations, celebrate new beating hearts into the world or small, medium, and large victories, I hope that as John Wesley said, "the Bible knows nothing of solitary religion," that similarly, our lives no nothing of solitary relationship.
As I come to the end of yet another lengthy blog post (oops), I hope that the thankfulness in my heart for my family and friends that are traversing this life (even if it's happening states away) with me, is more than evident. The emails, the calls, the long walks and all nighters, it's just plain obvious that I am surrounded by an extraordinary community of people that I will forever wonder how God ever deemed me worthy of such a gift and responsibility. My hope is that I can honor Him by building, fostering, and replicating community that exists solely for His glory, wherever it is that He leads me, and even (secretly and hopefully) in the context of a marriage and family one day. (Okay, that's not really a secret to anyone who has chit chatted with me for more than five minutes). ;)
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