I almost titled this four strands of rope in homage to the very first 3 Ninjas movie in which the importance of family and team work are ingrained into the brothers. Instead I will keep it simple-Community Matters.
This has been a long time coming. The gist of this has been floating around in my head for about two weeks now. I had planned on writing it last weekend while dog sitting and then I got sick so I did nothing but read and watch a lot of Vet School on Nat Geo Wild. Then I came home finally got over my sickness and have spent the last few days studying about cows, pigs, and sheep for the farm I plan on owning when I get the money to afford such a place. You would think that such research has nothing to do with community, and it doesn't really, except my main conspirator other than my father in this future venture is one of my best friends who has been with me every step of the way listening to my ramblings on sheep breeds and money breakdowns. (Thanks Adelphos)
Now, for the important things. I mentioned in my last two posts that I go to a Bible Study on Tuesday nights. That is where the idea for this post started, Bible Study. We've been going for two years and I've known a majority of these people most of my life. Even that didn't mean being vulnerable and open came easy. It took quite some time before these people heard it all, the hard stuff included, not just the happy stuff that is social media worthy. I can remember the first time I really opened up during the study of Hosea, the results of that night became a post and you can find it under the title Hedged Up.
Why is that important? Because, we aren't meant to do life alone. It isn't biblical and we weren't created that way. We were created for community. The Church is a body, made up of parts that have to work together. If one part doesn't do its job then the body suffers. By the same token if a member of the body is hurt the rest of the body surrounds it and helps. I can find no better example of this than my sister Nikki. Two years ago she was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. By the grace of God she's been cancer free for a year. Then again it can easily be said on the basis of Romans 8:28 that the grace of God is why she had it in the first place. God made my sister much stronger through it, it was for her good, no matter the ugly shape that it took.
Anyway, her first surgery happened just a day or so after a Tuesday night bible study. So as is our modus operandi we took prayer request that night and I had some of my favorite people in the world praying for my favorite sister in the world. It didn't stop that night though. The day dawned and my phone was making all manner of noises from texts and twitter notification from these brothers and sisters of mine telling me that they were praying for Nikki, not just my sister, but theirs because of Christ. I've seen the body of Christ do some pretty amazing things around the world but I don't know that I will see that topped. Mostly because it was personal but also because I got a front row seat to seeing how the body was supposed to work.
In these past two years I've sat in our circle, sometimes a crude example of the shape as we've gathered on couches and chairs and sometimes picnic tables, and I've listened and learned and let myself be open. I'm not by nature an open person. Introverted, I tend to err on the side of letting what I'm feeling stay hidden unless you're one of a select few people.These people, the community of Auxano have changed that. I do not go in gushing every detail of my life but I know I don't have to hide. Repeatedly God has used them to show me things. Sometimes good things, what and how others see me still astounds me (like I said I'm an introvert and I am not a fan of attention). Other times my shortcomings are revealed but that is most often accomplished by discussion and God pointing out where I'm not doing as I should. Though I have no doubt one of these brothers or sisters of mine would be willing to do the right thing and help me by showing me something wrong in my life if they saw it.
These last few posts have been of the latter variety. We do not shy away from the hard passages, we dig into them. In discussing them my lack of trust, my idolizing dreams, have been revealed through the Word as we battle with what the passages say and how they deal with our lives as Christians. I'm sure it will continue to happen. I will be built up by these people and I hope build them up as well.
Community matters because they support you. It matters because they help you grow. It matters because they aren't willing to let you shy away from dealing with hard things when you need to grow. They are there to laugh, to pray, and to be as they should, your brothers and sisters.
I just finished watching Fast 7 with my father. If you aren't a stranger to my blog you know that I tend to draw meanings from movies that may or may not have been put there but they are things I see. In this as the others the importance of a tight knit group is clearly laid out. However, there is a single line that brings it all together. Vin Diesel's character while squaring up against Jason Statham utters the words 'I don't have friends, I have a lot of family.'
In the end that is incredibly true, as the body of Christ I don't really have friends I have family. Within Auxano I have family not friends, but people I look out for and I know look out for me. I will be forever grateful for that family, and community. If you don't have such a group I urge you to get plugged in somewhere and find it. You won't be the same if you do. Life isn't always social media worthy. Having someone there during the bad times and the good, who knows the ins and outs is what community is all about.
"Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone. two will withstand him-a threefold cord is not quickly broken."-Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
"Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpen another."-Proverbs 27:17
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