Community
It's a rainy day in the DFW metroplex. Nice all week, rain on the weekend. It was the same thing last weekend too. I'm kinda cooped up (no pun intended) in the room today. Later on, I'll be studying for next week but now I'm just kinda sitting here.
I don't do alone very well, I found out. I mean that. I don't think I'm supposed to. I'm reminded that at Creation the only thing God said wasn't good was that man didn't have a mate. It's never been more vivid to me that God's observation was right. For all the struggles I ever faced in my life, being completely alone has been one of the hardest.
I finally got some sleep last night. Sleep has been elusive. Aside from all the stuff I have to know about airplanes, I have been going through a spiritual refresher course too. And it's been challenging, but necessary. I have an understanding of a lot of things that hadn't really occurred to me. The solitude has been a blessing, but at the same time, one of the hardest things I've ever had to endure.
One of the things I really like about the church I went to on Sunday was that they're big into community. They want to BE the church, but they want the people that make up the church to be in fellowship and community with other people. I like the thought of that. They have "dinner parties" on Wednesday. It's their version of small group and for a church that averages about a hundred on Sunday, the participation in the Wednesday events is about 70%. That's a big number, if you're counting numbers. But the relationships and fellowship that are taking place and the opportunity to grow through that kind of thing are tremendous things happening in Fort Worth for the Kingdom.
I was talking to someone from church online yesterday and asked if she was going to our church's game night. Like me, she lives alone but she has some health challengers that keep her indoors on bad weather days. I think that's unfortunate, because after being alone for just two weeks, I understand more than ever that need for friendship and human interaction.
Last Thanksgiving, I was blessed to have 35 people at the house for dinner. They comfortably fit in the dining room with the way we had tables set up. I actually now, through some provision from the God who provides, am blessed to own tableware for twenty-four. That includes flatware. I don't think that Ogden First Baptist is quite ready for Wednesday "dinner parties", but I'm toying with the idea of starting to have Sunday dinner at my place.
I'm toying with a lot of ideas right now that involve community. I'm really interested in the whole listening to other people's stories and I think I know a way we can do that as a church during the outreach we already do. The idea of Sunday dinner intrigues me. I have the place for it, to be sure. Who to invite and what it would look like from there is something that I will have to work on. I'm sure that there would be smoked meat involved.
We'll see.
What I do know though, is that we need that community among the believers. The Bible talks about it a lot in the New Testament. We need church to fellowship together; we need our church families to experience and be a part of that community. It helps us grow, helps us help each other, and it offers an opportunity for us to invite our friends and acquaintances to join us in that community. I know that alone is about the worst thing a believer can be.
Don't get me wrong: This time for me was necessary or it wouldn't have worked out the way it has. I'm right where I'm supposed to be. I needed to get away from even my furry friends to just experience some things. It's taught me much, and helped me grow much closer to God. It's been a struggle too; mostly with not doing what I used to do when I was out of town. Like drinking too much or going to places that aren't botanical gardens.
So far, so good.
I don't do alone very well, I found out. I mean that. I don't think I'm supposed to. I'm reminded that at Creation the only thing God said wasn't good was that man didn't have a mate. It's never been more vivid to me that God's observation was right. For all the struggles I ever faced in my life, being completely alone has been one of the hardest.
I finally got some sleep last night. Sleep has been elusive. Aside from all the stuff I have to know about airplanes, I have been going through a spiritual refresher course too. And it's been challenging, but necessary. I have an understanding of a lot of things that hadn't really occurred to me. The solitude has been a blessing, but at the same time, one of the hardest things I've ever had to endure.
One of the things I really like about the church I went to on Sunday was that they're big into community. They want to BE the church, but they want the people that make up the church to be in fellowship and community with other people. I like the thought of that. They have "dinner parties" on Wednesday. It's their version of small group and for a church that averages about a hundred on Sunday, the participation in the Wednesday events is about 70%. That's a big number, if you're counting numbers. But the relationships and fellowship that are taking place and the opportunity to grow through that kind of thing are tremendous things happening in Fort Worth for the Kingdom.
I was talking to someone from church online yesterday and asked if she was going to our church's game night. Like me, she lives alone but she has some health challengers that keep her indoors on bad weather days. I think that's unfortunate, because after being alone for just two weeks, I understand more than ever that need for friendship and human interaction.
Last Thanksgiving, I was blessed to have 35 people at the house for dinner. They comfortably fit in the dining room with the way we had tables set up. I actually now, through some provision from the God who provides, am blessed to own tableware for twenty-four. That includes flatware. I don't think that Ogden First Baptist is quite ready for Wednesday "dinner parties", but I'm toying with the idea of starting to have Sunday dinner at my place.
I'm toying with a lot of ideas right now that involve community. I'm really interested in the whole listening to other people's stories and I think I know a way we can do that as a church during the outreach we already do. The idea of Sunday dinner intrigues me. I have the place for it, to be sure. Who to invite and what it would look like from there is something that I will have to work on. I'm sure that there would be smoked meat involved.
We'll see.
What I do know though, is that we need that community among the believers. The Bible talks about it a lot in the New Testament. We need church to fellowship together; we need our church families to experience and be a part of that community. It helps us grow, helps us help each other, and it offers an opportunity for us to invite our friends and acquaintances to join us in that community. I know that alone is about the worst thing a believer can be.
Don't get me wrong: This time for me was necessary or it wouldn't have worked out the way it has. I'm right where I'm supposed to be. I needed to get away from even my furry friends to just experience some things. It's taught me much, and helped me grow much closer to God. It's been a struggle too; mostly with not doing what I used to do when I was out of town. Like drinking too much or going to places that aren't botanical gardens.
So far, so good.
you should check out "fresh Expressions" it's a different way of doing and being church. Often it involves meals together
ReplyDeleteThanks, I will.
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