Monday, July 30, 2012

Sharing Life with Others

I'm a big believer in small groups of Jesus-lovers gathering together.  We were not designed to be hermits, but to share in community.  God shaped us with a yearning to be known, to be heard, to be accountable, to be challenged, to grow.   We need to know that someone's got our back, will pray us through our stuff, won't abandon us when crisis hits ... and will care enough to have courage to speak the truth in love when we head off in the wrong direction.


I love this video!  This joker's more than a bit apprehensive with the whole concept of getting unmasked and being real.  The whole humor thing simply disguises his true longing to be more than just a stand-up comedian ... and his downright fear that people might run the other way if they REALLY knew who he was deep down inside. 

It might be a bit of a challenge and require some patient effort to find the right community, a family, a home.  And doing life together doesn't always come easy.  It can be hard work. 

Maybe we need to drop our endless excuses and instead face our hurts and disillusionment over past experiences that ended up in disaster.  We might need to forgive one or two who did us wrong.  Or forgive ourselves for sinful or selfish responses.  And begin to find a gathering of other like-minded, broken, wounded sinners saved by the lavish, ongoing love of our Savior. 

And by the way, please don't keep looking for the perfect community.  Last time I checked, it simply doesn't exist.  But someday, far from here, it will.  We can be assured of that. 

So until He comes and takes us home, let's 'not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching' {Hebrews 10:25}.

Thanks, Marilyn, for sending this along ...

6 comments:

  1. Having just agreed to be small group leaders, this blog post was well-timed, and we found the video to be quite funny (and worthy of sharing with our pastor).

    The community found in small groups is amazing and worthwhile. I have developed some amazing relationships, and grown significantly through small groups.

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  2. Yes, small groups can be tough. That video is funny...not sure if it is making fun of Christians meeting in small groups or if it is just bringing to light how small groups need to work on their dynamics.
    I have had mostly good experiences with small groups...accept when one leader was using it as a springboard to assert a certain agenda...boo.
    I am have forgiven this person and I love how you talk about the fact that know community of believers are perfect. Amen!

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  3. It'd be interesting to show this video to our small groups ... it could be a real conversation kicker! We might be surprised at the responses ... or how the group might morph into something deeper than before.

    Thanks for your early morning insight, Student Mommy, Jonathan, and Dionne!

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  4. I'm a firm believer in the power of small group as well, Linda. Thanks so much for the reminder that God made us to need these kinds of relationships.

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  5. We've often viewed numbers {bodies & bucks} as a sign of a church's having arrived, of success, of achievement.

    But power and effectiveness in ministry is marked by loving well. And I've found that this is often easier to come by in those simple, safe, small, welcoming settings, without being incumbered by political power plays, and as Ruth Haley Barton so beautifully put it, 'posturing and manuvering.'

    Thanks for dropping in this morning, Beth ...

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Welcome to the table, friend!

This is where we gather and hang out. I'd love for you to pull up a chair and jump right into the conversation. Or simply say 'hello.'

l'll be dropping in to visit you sometime soon ...

Linda

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