Community

Community
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other uses, see Community (disambiguation).
A community is a social group of organisms sharing an environment, normally with shared interests. In human communities, intent, belief, resources, preferences, needs, risks and a number of other conditions may be present and common, affecting the identity of the participants and their degree of cohesiveness.
The word community is derived from the Latin communitas (meaning the same), which is in turn derived from communis, which means "common, public, shared by all or many"[1]. Communis comes from a combination of the Latin prefix con- (which means "together") and the word munis (which has to do with performing services).

For Those of you who know me personally you know that community is a term and idea that makes me light up. Gets me excited and is at the heart of who I am.

I have been blessed amazing with a group of guys to journey with. Guys who seem/appear to be wanting to care for each other. Its awesome. I'm excited to be part of their journey and to have them be part of mine.

With my seminary classes I have had it reinforced (not that I didn't already know it) that community and relationship is important. Even thought my current evangelism class is pushing us to share our faith with people we encounter, I am reminded of the important of a relationship and getting new believers connected to the body.

It is important that as the body of Christ we welcome people into our lives. We accept them as they are, sinners loved by the Savior. In community we need to remeber that our past mistakes and bad choices make us who we are. We need to be accepting, loving, and willing to challenge each other to grow.

I seek to walk the walk, and live the life in community.

~tfkr

Behind the doors the same as in front......

Well, Yes the title is confusing or perplexing but well I think it should be. I have had thoughts for a while based on my struggles that well have been enlightened in someways by my Introduction to the New Testament course I'm in.

Christian have always battled with being in the world but not of it. God gave the Israelites the law as a direction and guidance for them on how to live so that they would be set apart for Him and not be part of the world. However the Israelites continually failed in following the laws and commands that God had set forth.

The church today I believe is in the same boat. Some people are living the lives that God has called them to, and there are others who aren't. There also are those in between that aren't living the way God wants us to but is living behind a mask. Having lived this way myself I wonder how we can address the sins in the church and help people to change, to grow, to be made new in Christ? How do we help the church realize that the same sins that are out in the "world" are in the pews next to them? How do we help the church to be more compasionate in their handlings of people who are battling sin? What do we do? How does God want us to do this?

Its a hard topic to address, and a hard one to live out.

The church is the same behind its closed doors as those who live outside of the church doors. there is sin and filth all the same. We need to make a difference. Where do we start? How do we start?

-Lord make me an instrument of your peace........

~tfkr

Secrets in Community

I have been thinking back to Christmas and other times in my life where you have to keep a good secret from someone you love or even a ton of people. Be it the present you bought them, an anouncement of a new job, a move, an engagement or whatever.

I have found myself in this positions numerous times. From when I asked my Wife to marry me (Kept the ring a secret for like a month), to a Christmas present that I had to keep secret for 2 months, to just those things that you are so excited to tell others but can't until the time is just right.

Why is it so hard for us to keep secrets?

Well my thoughts aren't too profund I think so reasons come back to the fact that we are living in community with others and they are so involved in our lives that we can't keep things from them. Other times its hard becuase it such exciting news like an impending new job, a move, a house purchase. Other times its hard to keep a secret as we don't know the full extent of the situation and can't divulge any of the information.

There are other secrets that we hold, those of our sins, activities we are ashamed of. Those it is quite obvious why we try to keep it a secret. We don't want to admit failure. We are afraid of the possible outcomes and often don't have faith in those around us.

Its hard to keep a secret no matter what type it is. There are some that I believe are honestly no harm at all. but those of the dark side are ones that need to be released in order for any good to result.

To sum it up: Keep the exciting and pure secrets till they must errupt at their due time in history and make sure to rid yourself of any dark secrets!

~tfkr

New Year New Challenge. Todays Topic: Suffering

Well I have a challenge with my friend Remy to be more focused and consistent with my writings, and him with his. So today is the start. He challenged me to make a post within 3 days, so well I am posting today, now, before he has a chance to post his! Oh well I'm sometimes competitive.

So now for the post:

Suffering:
In the past months I have heard about, seen, experienced and walked with friends, family, and others through different periods of suffering. It is hard to see friends and families suffer. Its hard to not just try to jump into a situation and try to fix it. My wife was reading to me a question she had to respond to last night for her graduate program. The question was whether a counselor should try to remove the patients suffering.

To me this question is ridiculous. We as humans can't remove suffering, only God can. I have found and am still learning that we as followers of the Rabbi are called to support others, comfort them, help guide them if needed, and just plan share God's love.

I will never be able to provide medical answers or medical healing, I'm not a doctor or God, but I can be there in prayer, physically by one's side, and I can walk with them. With those who have struggles and addictions, I can encourage them, give them advice, walk with them and love them, BUT I CAN'T HEAL THEM.

So often we want to heal those who are suffering or remove their pain. But I think we forget that in our trials and suffering we often grow the most, and are able to be molded more and more into the man or woman God has made us to be.

Lets not try to be God, but instead be His Hands, Feet, and Arms. Let us love others, comfort them, and be with them. Let us be present in the pain and suffering. I know it won't be comfortable, it won't be easy, but God smiles when are his instruments of love and comfort, even though true healing may not occur.

I think of my family right now who is dealing with my sister-in-laws surprise visit to the hospital. I can't be with them 24/7, I can't watch my nephew all day and night, and I am not a medical professional who can heal her, but I can be there to help support them, love them, and just be with them. I can be God's hands, feet, arms, and mouth.

The Bottom Line: Don't try to remove the suffering of others, be present, be there, be the arms, hands, feet, and words of God to those who are in pain around you.

His servant, His Son......
~tfkr

Restoring Brokeness and Community

As many people know I am very passionate about community,
and well again as I write I know that in advance that I’m going to hit on the
issue of community and its role in our walk as Christians. Right now I’m reading a book entitled Restoring
Broken Things by Chapman and
Smith. It talks about God’s desire
and intention to restore that which is broken, primarily us, sinful
humans. In the early part of their
book they make a statement that I’ve found elsewhere and heard a couple of
times recently, they state ”The Bible tells a story of personal,
not privatized blessing.” In writing this they are basically
reminding the reader that their interaction and role in the greater story of
God’s working and in the individual stories of others is important. We aren’t isolated individuals but
instead are called to make an impact and difference on those around us. So I guess now the passion
for community that God has given me makes more sense.

God wants us to interact, to care for each other, to love
each other. In many ways God is
calling us to be Jesus with skin on to those we encounter. We can’t make this walk of life
alone. We need the support, the
love, the correction and guidance of those around us. I know that I often feel inadequate to help those around me
who are in the middle of struggles, battles and devastating life issues. But God and the Holy Spirit will guide
our words and will translate them to the person who is need.

I know that often its hard to develop community and
relationship with others because of our own fears and desires to remain
isolated and not put on a front.
But I believe that it is important to jump into community. To open our doors, our lives and our
pain to others. As I sit here in a
Panera Bread in Columbus I think of the importance of Family. It’s a time of pain and unknown futures
as my wife’s grandfather goes into surgery this evening. But one thing I know is that to me
family is important, maybe a bit more than friends and those in my community
around me. But I know that we have
people praying for us who are parts of different communities around the
country. I know that I
need to start to see my Christian community as family. As people who I will give up things
for, who I will give my time to, and who I will care for, even if there aren’t
necessarily common interests. As
we love family because they are family so we need to love those around us just
because they are there!

I enter today not knowing what the next 24 hours will
bring. I want to be the strong one
for my wife and her family. I
don’t claim to have the answers or knowledge of what to say. But I will be here with my presence, I
will allow my self to be a vessel of God’s love, His power, and just be.

To be part of community means to sacrifice, to love the
unlovable, and to just be! I know
that I need to learn this lesson more and more as there are people who I have
been hurt by and have refused to talk to them, have turned my back on any
chance of God redeeming the relationship, and even to the point of being hurt
each and every time that I see them.
I want to step more and more into God’s story of restoring that which is
broken. I want Him to restore me
more and more so that He can use me to make an impact where I am.

Off I go into the unknown. May God bless
all those who I encounter today.
May he restore that which is broken. And may I be sensitive and open to His movement an
prodding.

-tfkr (6/14/06 9:53 AM)

Churches as Community

Most any person who knows me to any degree will tell you that community is a buzz word for me. I believe churches are meant to be communities of faith, communities of shared experiences, communities of love and sacrifice.

Modern society is looking for a place to belong. What I like to call at times the Cheers of now. I think everyone remebers the TV Show Cheers. Everyone who walked into Cheers was greated by name. Thats what kept people coming back, oh well at least the characters in the show. So often this is the same thing that many people around us yearn for. People yearn to be known by name, to be cared for, loved regardless of their beliefs, hair-do, political stance. People desire to be loved the way that Christ loved Sinners.

Yes Jesus Christ loved the sinner where they were at. He did not ask them to move from where they are at. He ate with sinners. He did not accept 100% what they did, but he accepted them as what they are, a creation of our almight, all powerful savior, His Father, God.

Churches should be places where people feel accepted, loved and cared for. So often the modern church has created walls of division that make people fell unwanted and unaccepted. This is not what God would want. He wants people to be welcomed, for the love that they experience to cause them to draw closer to Him, to experience a life change that is so radical that those around them are astonished and amazed and drawn in to the wonder and awe. To experience a journey into the Love, Grace, and beauty of Christ.

The Church is supposed to create this amazing community that draws people in. I have seen at different times of my life communities that have missed the mark. Communities where people have been involved for years and leave away for school or other things and when they come back they are not even acknowledged by name, but instead feel like an outcast. Communities where people are pushed away becasue of their sin, lifestyle, or even worse yet, something that does not even matter, their clothing or hair-do.

So, what does this mean for us. We are the body of Christ and should be His Hands, Feet, and love to those around us. We are called to be the living expression of who the most high God is. We are to be community to those around us. With acceptance, love and a willingness to be there for those around us.

This might be repetative of my previous writings, but each day is a new day, and so the thoughts must be expressed.

~tfkr