Yesterday, I was writing early at local Starbucks. Books were stacked everywhere and a guy shared the table with me. He noticed the book, The Naked Anabaptist (interesting picture, right) and assumed that I was Mennonite. I shared with him that I was writing a dissertation, attending George Fox University. Small world; he attended Western Seminary before George Fox acquired it. In short, he and I went to the same school, in a round about way.
He was joined by another guy, someone that meets with him on a regular basis. At the end of a 30 minute conversation with the two of them, all three of us felt ministered to and encouraged.
I didn’t know these guys 30 minutes before.
Our churches really aren’t that allergic to connection and community.
We are.
If we don’t have sufficient community, we should probably go find it, instead of complaining that someone hasn’t simulated it for us.
It will take looking at each other in the eyes, opening up our lives/fears/worries/pains/faults, bless instead of curse, believe instead of doubt, affirm instead of antagonize, making a few more phone calls, sending a few more texts, buying wrapping paper from their kids during school fundraisers, loaning (or giving away) resources… we might just have the time of our lives with the coolest people we could ever imagine sharing life with.
Connecting is at the heart of human’s response to the gospel. Instead of hiding from one another and blaming someone else (the two responses of Adam and Eve in the Garden), we actually affirm and choose the other, even when we know their faults. (Even if they wear NASCAR gear in public with us)
Joe Skillen 