Community

That's a word that might start appearing in my blogs more. It's on my mind a lot. Our Kansas City experience was like a symphony that crescendoed at the end as we watched our group negotiate a transition. I describe that transition in my post from March 20, 2008 so I won't describe it here.

In about 30 years I have gone from being one who was reclusive, a loner in fact, to being one who desires community. I sought it out in KC with not so good results so I caution you to let God be the establisher of your community. The group we met with in KC was a God estabilished thing and it was very beautiful.

But I realized with this little experience of Larry's and mine of sharing a very small space together that Father is teaching US community. He is also teaching Larry and Me and Shan community. After all - we're family. Surely there must be community there. It would be lovely if I could talk about the history of us as a family in glowing terms where community is the subject. But I can't. We didn't do so well. We did OK.

As Larry and I began in KC to really understand our own differences I began to think of ways to put space between us. He created a man space downstairs so that I could have the upstairs. I had a bedroom with my computer and my stuff in it. My nobel thinking was to allow us the space to each be who we are. My not so nobel thinking was that I wanted to stop being aggravated with the contentions that would rise up between us.

Who US??

You betcha.

So I put a great distance between us. It wasn't conscious thinking on my part but I think it was part of the whole picture. We really didn't think we'd be apart as as long as we were but over time I settled into some routines that worked for me. Enter Larry. Just as I changed the dynamic of Shan's life with her dogs Larry changed the dynamic of my life and really the whole house.

Father doesn't want us to live apart. He doesn't want us to pass each other and say Hi, how's the weather. One of the reason's I knew getting in the same room in the evenings was important was that we weren't talking to each other much. Father is not the least upset by people rubbing up against each other. Doesn't he call it iron sharpening iron or something like that?

Our world is changing. Our country is changing. Christianity and it's ways are not the given in our society the way it was a generation ago. Could it be that we are going to have to learn this community thing as we get more and more boxed in by an unbelieving society? Could it be that those of us who chose to live outside the established structures of Christianity are going to find that we need each other more - even for something so basic as survival? Sounds drastic - but our world is changing. A generation ago Christians did not have to contend over the presence of nativity scenes or saying Merry Christmas. What will the generation after this bring - I'm not without hope for something better - a better expression of what life as a believer in Christ really means.

Community, I guess, starts at the lowest common denominator - a husband and wife, or parent and child, or whoever makes up the combination - and goes from there.