Community

God seems to keep shoving this idea of community into my face. Book after book, after movie, after scripture, after conversation, after dream are pointing me towards this idea of COMMUNITY. The idea cannot leave my head. The word cannot leave my heart. And this picture of COMMUNITY is growing much bigger than just my friends and family at church...into a broader more beautiful picture of the world outside of these walls.

Last night I was studying creation with the teens. And there was a pattern. God saw everything and said it was good. This was not ego (though I figure He can have one if He wants :)) This was simple truth....a statement of fact. But, in the 1st 2 chapters of the Bible, there is ONE thing that God sees on this brand new earth He's created which prompts him to say: NOT GOOD. Do you know what this is? LONELINESS!

He sees His created man alone and knows it is NOT good...so God sets out to create a partner. God knows it is NOT GOOD for us to be alone. It has never been His intention for us to be alone. This was the 1st community.

Recently I saw a movie that touched me deeply. It was one of those that you could not get out of your head when you got home. It stuck with me for several days. I had read the book twice in college, so I had high expectations. The movie is called "Into the Wild". It is about a young man who is disenchanted with the world and the greed he sees, so off he sets on a search for something real and true. His goal is to basically go "off the grid" and head to the Alaska wilderness and live off the land with no addiction to money and things.

I cannot spoil the entire plot, but there was a powerful scene in the end. Things just were not going as planned, and as he sat alone, he was writing, and a thought came to him. He basically realized that man cannot live alone. He understands that hapiness is only real when shared. It was quite powerful to me!

I am not sure where I am going with this, or what God is teaching me. I know I am SO grateful for the community in my life. I praise Him for my family. I praise God for W Main Church of Christ. I thank him for my network of friends here. I thank him for all the people brought into my life from this valley. I thank him for the people I have met in past jobs. I am thankful for the group I meet with at YFC. I cannot believe what God blesses me with.

Yet, I know I am being called to more. I urge you...don't be a loner. God says it is no good. And if you are reading this....pannell loves you! :)