Could community be the key to radical?

The thing about community is that it is messy. People have baggage, and issues, and hurts, and pains, and the enemy feeds them lies at every turn they take. And people, in their hurt and brokenness, believe the lies, take them to heart, and live their lives based on them, rather than believing the Truth. You see, the Truth isn't shouted. It is gentle, unassuming, quiet. It removes any pretenses or excuses that we may carry with us. It frees us from all things, coming and going.

And so all of us, in our brokenness and bondage, fear each other. Either we are judging or being judged. Some may lash out to protect, believing that there is no one who will stand up for us. Other may hide away fearing the harshness of others. This is what we bring to relationships with each other, and until we discover the reality of grace, towards ourselves and others, communities remain a very safe arm's length away. We hide behind privacy and space, and personal preference. We gather with for Sunday service, maybe another night in the week for a small group, and then go on about our quiet, broken lives the rest of the week. Community happens on our terms. We choose when we want to engage and when we want to be alone. And many times fear can dictate these terms.

We read the teachings of Jesus to feed the poor, and so we send a check in to United Way.
We read that we are to care for the orphans, and so we send our check to Compassion.
We read that we are to visit the sick care for the widows, so we send our check to the foundation that will do this.

And our hands are clean, untarnished by the filthy reality of this life, not scathed by the broken mess of lives that comprise people in a fragile world so far from its Creator. And we can go on about our pristine lives knowing that we have done our part to make a difference.

But the thing about Jesus, was that He was a man of the people. He was a man of relationships. He was a man who would stand beside the adulteress and speak beautiful truths over her. He was a man who would speak life into the dead man before Him. He was a man who broke bread with the people as He taught of God's love and compassion. He demonstrated the compassion He spoke of. He lived it out. His life was covered in the dirt and filth of those whom He came to save. He walked the road with them.
And it was an outrage to the religious leaders. It was an abomination to be seen with the sinners with whom He dined. It was unspeakable to allow such women to touch Him.

It was completely radical. And those around Him took notice.

He was different and the gospel he taught was different than what the world knew.

He was inconvenienced by their sudden appearances. He was delayed by impromptu conversations. He was held up by the cry of someone's heart. And He was compassionate and ever gracious. He did not judge and held no record of sin.

But instead He scribbled something in the dirt which held the attention of the accusers. His gaze caught theirs as He leveled the field, "Let him without sin cast the first stone."

We are all broken, and we have been called to community, true bleed on each other community.

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he has need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Is this not what we have been called to? Is this not the example that was set for us? What the early Church did was completely radical, completely against the culture of their day, completely set apart. They pooled resources for the sake of living the vision set forth in Acts 1:8, the vision set for them by Christ himself, of being His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. They gave all that they had to ensure that those among them had what they needed to do what God had called them to do. And they broke bread together. This is mentioned more than once. Community was done on the terms of the community, not on the terms of the individual, when and where he felt like engaging.

Oh how my heart longs to see this come to fruition in our day, to see lives being saved from the hurt and brokenness of a world that does not know Truth, to see numbers added daily because the Truth of God's love and the demonstration of His people living it out is that compelling. Are we that compelling?

A group that is able to come together and get along? A group of the Christians that are able to come together and get along? Now that will get some attention.

There has to be more....

On Coming Down from the Mountain

There is a stirring, a discontent. No, discontent isn't the right word. I cannot put my finger on it. A restlessness that I cannot define. 

We go home in 9 days. 9 days before we return to life stateside, to grocery stores and farmers' markets, preschool, Chipotle, girlfriends, walls and fences, rights and privilege, hot showers, reliable electricity, driving on the left side of the road, car seats, abundance, abundance, abundance.

9 days. Have I learned what You brought me here to teach? My eyes have been opened to MANY, many things, but I am slow to learn. My head is slow and heart is stubborn.

9 days. What I have heard, what I have seen throughout the past four months have been incredible lessons in community, what it is and how to live it. In grace; this has always been an ambiguous, churchy word to me, but I have seen it lived out and now know that it is much harder, and much more freeing than I ever imagined. In humility, which apparently I knew nothing about. It is freeing to know, and believe, that there is One who speaks on my behalf, yet incredibly hard to not open my mouth and fight. Learning to ask the questions, "Does it matter? Will this glorify God?"

Community, grace, humility.

There are things in my own life that I know must change, steps that I have taken that have hindered my growth, slowed my faith walk. Finding your way back to the path of God can be challenging, but He has promised that those who seek Him are sure to find Him. And so I seek, grasp, cry out, and know that He will answer.

I want to pray throughout the day, even fixed-hour prayer. I want to be sure to give You thanks before bites go into the mouth, because my eyes have seen and my heart has loved many who do not have such privilege. They have faces and names, bodies that I have held. They are not strangers to me, and I do not want to forget their plight, or the One who provides for us all. I want to be in the habit of feasting on the real Bread of life several times each day, and not when crisis or concern strikes, as that is what will nourish and grow me through all seasons. I want these things not for the sake of being a "better" Christian, but for the sake of knowing You more, walking more closely with You, living out this Christ-life and actually looking more like Christ. I want these to define my life with passion and energy, without becoming mindless routines.

Somehow, this status quo isn't enough. There is a void that has to be filled and my habit and flesh tendency would fill it with worldly things, such as food, or shopping, or just making myself busier to fill that void. But I have learned enough to know that those things don't fill the void, but only ease the pain of it for a short, short time. Here I have not had access to those "drugs" and so God has revealed Himself in mighty ways, as the Comforter and the One who heals.

How can I be truly set apart when my life feels so ordinary, so much like everybody else? How will anyone know anything about Jesus by looking at my life?

I have seen short-term mission teams come and go throughout the summer, so alive, passion burning. They are intentional and focused, set apart for a short season to proclaim the goodness of God. And I too have been a part of such a team, and remember standing at the mountaintop, bold for my Savior, wildly in love and wanting all in my path to receive His blessings of peace and life. But I cannot help but wonder, what happens when this short season ends and life goes back to normal? My summer began with a team, moving from village to village, but when the team left and everyday life resumed of raising up my family of little people, the excitement and passion of a focused purpose quickly waned. Daily trips to the market for food for dinner, sibling squabbles, diapers, upset tummies, temper tantrums replaced travel and interaction and being seen as important, relevant, needed.

And I wondered, "How now, will they know that I am His?"

When you travel with a mission team, life is a bit different. The standard is set a bit higher and everyone feeds off of each other, for better or worse, and the spiritual air is thick with anticipation of God's movement. With the demands of the mission field, it is know that one cannot survive a day, at least not well, without full reliance on the guidance, grace, and mercy of the Holy Spirit. There is much more reliance. There has to be.

And then seasons shift drastically and the excitement of work well done becomes the mundane of routine. And someone says with the best of intentions, "Just give it some time, and everything will go back to normal."

And somehow it always does, except that it is never quite the same ever again because I'm trying to fit all that my eyes have seen and my heart has absorbed into a box that wasn't prepared for such things. And it just doesn't fit.

What happened when Moses had to come down from the Mountain so beautiful and face so radiant, and deal with bickering, rebellious siblings, and squabbling families, and the chores of keeping the people focused long enough to not build golden calfs and call them god?

He threw his tablets on the ground and stomped his feet in anger.

Yeah, I know that feeling.

How do the passions keep from becoming mere smoldering coals?
Is it that we are to be set apart for a mere short season, a 10-week short-term trip, or set apart for life, day-to-day life lived out in sacrifice and humility and community? And in the "normal" day-to-day of life, what is my role in seeing that the hungry are fed, the thirsty are given water, the orphans are cared for and the widows are loved? What is my role in creating and contributing to community, that they may know that we are one?
And how do we do that when we are all seeking to move away from others, with walls that separate us to preserve our privacy and personal space?

I dont' want everything to go back to normal. I want the radical obedience and wild passion of following Jesus. I just need to know what it looks like.

As we are preparing for the journey back to the states, these are the questions I am struggling with, praying for discernment.
How now shall we live? For the next 9 days, I am pondering this with intensity.

What about you? What are your thoughts on community and humility and grace towards others? 

I have more thoughts to share on those things soon. They are a tornado in my heart right now, moving too fast to make any sense. Hopefully the winds will die down soon.

Venturing Out

Today the girls and ventured out by foot to do some shopping at the local market. We discovered a few days ago that they folks around our neighborhood are saying that our house is occupied by a bunch of tourists who are coming and going, so we wanted to show our faces in the community to let them know that we are slightly more permanent than tourists. A couple of days ago we did a walk through of a loop just outside of our neighborhood so that I could see where it goes and so that some of the folks in the community could see the face of this white woman with locals. It was the beginning of building relationships in the community. So today I put it to the test.

I strapped my baby girl on my back, grabbed a basket and the older girls, and we headed out. Our streets are all dirt roads, very rough and very dirty. As we leave the gates of our neighborhood, we are greeted with strange looks and whispers of , "mzungu! mzungu!," which simply means "white person." The streets are littered with all kinds of trash. At one point, my oldest asked me why there were so many old shoes left on the ground. Then she asked me why people leave their trash on the ground, because she knows that isn't wise. Oh boy, that began a discussion as we walk of different values and priorities and that sometimes people are not taught to value the same things that she values. And on we went. So the street outside of our community is lined with shanty little kiosks made of old wood. Some have bags of beans and rice and maize sitting out front. Another has a few crates of brown eggs. Most have bananas hanging from them, big green and yellow ones, and also the tiny sweet yellow bananas. Those are 5 kenyan shillings each, and so yummy. One kiosk has oranges, mangos, and avocados all neatly laid out in an appetizing display, with green, leafy vegetables behind them. I discovered today that I could buy a bag of greens already chopped up into tiny shreds. That was a brilliant discovery and came in handy at dinnertime!

We made our way to the local neighborhood "supermarket"to see what they had to offer. It consisted of three very tight aisles cram-packed with all sorts of things. So we grabbed a basket and began to work our way through it. It was tough to do with the baby on my back, as the aisles were just wide enough for us to walk through, with all sorts of tempting things on either side for her sweet baby hands to grab. So we moved quickly and I just kept turning from side to side to keep things out of her reach. We were able to buy bread, butter, detergent, rice, and napkins at this supermarket, and I was quite pleased to discover that it was remarkably cheaper than driving to the big supermarket at the shopping mall where we had been doing our grocery shopping. As we wormed our way around the other locals who were shopping there, we paid for our goods and moved on out the door. We had step over an old dog covered in flies and dirt to get through the doorway, and then crossed the bumpy dirt road to buy some produce.

I stopped at a couple of kiosks to buy bananas and greens, more so that I could meet the ladies selling them. Then we stopped at a little restaurant (here they call them hotels) to grab some lunch to take home. This is our version of a fast food take-away, but much healthier than McDonalds. We like the beans and chapati (something in between a tortilla and Indian fry bread-love it!) there, so we ordered our lunch and waited. They serve up an order of beans in a thin plastic bag with the end tied in a knot, and the chapati is folded over and placed in the same sort of bag. We paid our bill of 140 shillings (under $2), gathered our goods and headed home to eat lunch.

I am waiting a few more days for my hands to heal before I give the laundry another go. I am trying to not wait too long, otherwise the load will be huge and will surely lead to bloody hands. Evidently, though, my technique is part of the problem, so I have to refine how I hold the clothes and wash them. None the less, the scabs are still a bit fragile, so I will give them another few days. Needless to say, my standard of dirty clothes has changed drastically. If the clothes are not standing up on their own yet, they are still clean. Hahaha! No, seriously.

Well, that's all I have for tonight. Blessings yall! Thank you to those who are praying for us and have sent encouraging words. They have been needed, and have been well received here.

The Community that Builds Up

In general, the culture of the West is not communal. Now there are certainly places here and there, small breakaways from the norm, such as The Simple Way, or Solomon's Porch, but they are certainly more the exception than the anything else. For the most part, this culture prides itself on the individuality and space, while many other cultures around the world still live in that communal setting, all joined together, working and living together. 

Because we are not a communal people, many of the things written about the early Church can be very hard to relate to. So what I see more often than not in this society, is lots of people who claim to follow Christ, all struggling (or thriving) on their own, individually. Some can pay their bills and are able to afford such luxuries as healthcare, and have extra left over to be able to give; and let it be known that there are many who give generously according to their ability. Many more are not able to pay their bills, have lost their homes, and certainly cannot afford any luxuries, including healthcare and life-saving medications, such as insulin. But because we are such an individualistic people, everyone is doing it on their own. Many of those who are drowning are going down in silence. They are working VERY hard, but are not in the right job that would afford them these seeming luxuries. And many on the other side are, possibly unknowingly, yet callously nonetheless, labeling them a drag on the economy, a casualty of capitalism.

But in community, no one struggles alone. Your problem, your lack, your deficiency, is my problem, my lack, my deficiency. As it says in the Word, “There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.”

2 Corinthians 8:13-15 says this:

"Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, as it is written: 'He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little.'"

Equality was the goal. Simple, divine equality. No keeping up with the Joneses, because they have exactly what you have and all needs are met. For everyone. 

Here’s the real beauty of the Church building itself in that manner: it frees people to be about Kingdom business rather than the business of the world. The early Church was all about spreading, teaching, sharing, equipping, engaging the gospel. Not about surrounding themselves with comfort or building up their portfolios or retirement. For all they knew, they were going to be martyred, so all they had guaranteed was the very moment they were living in, and the blessed assurance that what they had waiting for them was well worth the sacrifice. 

No one claimed that any of his possessions were his own, so all needs were met and the various parts of the body were free to truly live in their giftings and callings. The teachers were free to teach without having to worry about the mouths of their family being fed. Those gifted with hospitality certainly had more than enough room to move and work and love and invite. The apostles were free to come and go, knowing that the needs of others were being met. These men and women knew their gifts, accepted their calling, and then walked in them. Fully. Moreover, they had the backing and support of a community to fill in the gaps that they could not. Their attention was not divided. They were not working day jobs to pay the bills and then serving with whatever they had left over. The fulfillment of the gospel was their day job. All of them.

Look at Acts 6:

In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit, and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”

         This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

         So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.

Because we, as a society, have strayed so far from community, there are many, many among the faithful church-goers, teachers, shepherds, apostles, healers, prophets, and those with gifts of administration and working miracles who are waiting on tables to meet the needs of their families. They are struggling to scrape by, to pay the bills, to buy more things, to appease whatever desire is in them, rather than living out the calling on their lives. Because we are not joined together, one in heart and mind, we have lost focus of what it is that we have been called to. We have become enslaved to the duties and responsibilities of the culture rather than the commandment of the Kingdom, so we work to pay the bills and hope that maybe we’ll have something left over at the end of it all to give a little something to the church.

But what if...what if we got radical? What if we sold a house to pay for the medical needs of someone among us? Who would take us in? Where would we live? Would you take a family into your home? What about someone who is homeless? It might get really inconvenient, maybe even tight. Could your kids share a room so that you had a room open to a stranger? A stranger?? What if two or three families were to combine residences? Sell the other homes and pool the resources. It would be tight living quarters, but I bet folks would discover very quickly how to be Christ to each other, or at least the need for it. 

And what if those resources were then used to put together a feeding ministry in a local school, taking over a government-run program? What if the resources were used to buy medication for those who could not afford it, on a regular basis? What if the Church became the healthcare reform that so many are desperate for? And what if the right job that guarantees benefits was simply in the community of the Church, walking and serving in the gifting that given to you? 

What if we just took another look at what we were doing and asked some really hard questions of ourselves? Do we really need all this space? Or could we invite another family in and pool the resources? Don't you think it could be done?

I do.

So did the early Church. 

And their numbers grew by the thousands. Daily.

Who Deserves Healthcare?

Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 2:4-5

All this discussion about the new healthcare bill has sparked new rounds of ugly talk and divisiveness throughout this country. I have heard some, possibly well-intended, comments coming from those who claim to be followers of Christ. Things posted as statuses on facebook, since that seems to be an appropriate place to air political ideologies, such as:

Democracy will cease to exist when you take from those who are willing to work and give to those who are not.

This one was quoting Thomas Jefferson, and I have to confess that I did not ask the one who posted it if it was in reference to the healthcare bill, but if not, it certainly was interesting timing for the post. If this was indeed in reference to the bill, one has to ask the question, are only those unwilling to work going without healthcare coverage? I know plenty of folks who work VERY hard but are just not able to have ends meet at the end of the month. Maybe they just aren’t privileged enough to work the right kind of job?

I saw a status that was apologizing to Abe Lincoln for the decline of democracy, saying that it was no longer of the people, for the people, etc. That’s really a huge assumption. Here’s a thought on that one: Is it possible that there are just as many, if not more people, who are calling, emailing, and writing their congressmen/women on a daily basis, asking for reform? Is it not a possibility that there are thousands upon thousands upon thousands of people out there who are desperate for reform, and have let their representatives know this on a regular basis? Is it not possible that for every person who became a fan of the “I demand a repeal of Obamacare” page, there are others out there who are working two and three jobs just to make ends meet and so don’t have the luxury of playing Farmville on the internet at home? Is it possible that there is another perspective outside of ourselves that has not yet been considered? Isn’t it possible?

All of this has me asking lots of questions about the state of the Church. To see Christians flinging labels such as socialist and communist, comparing Obama to Hitler, seriously, is this what we are called to? Are we called to contribute to the division or have we not been called to be instruments of reconciliation, called to be at peace with everyone (which is not the same as agreeing with everyone, but it’s hard to be at peace with those whom we are labeling Hitler) regardless of the circumstances or situations? Have we forgotten where our true citizenship lies (Philippians 3:20)?

I often wonder about the state of the Church and how far we have strayed from that picture of Church in Acts 4. I often wonder how different the world would be if we, the Church, were more like the description we see there:

All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.

Well, those who like to label and name-call might just be able to say that those in the early Church were socialists, as they distributed all they had around to everyone among them. What a beautiful thing. You know what I like even more than that, though: they were one in heart and mind. They were one!! Just as Jesus has interceded for them, “That they may be one,” they were united as a body, together in full force for the sake of one purpose: fulfilling the commandment of their Christ. And they grew as a body daily, because they were different, set apart, didn’t get bogged down by the political nonsense of the day, but stayed the course that was set for them by their Teacher.

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

Then before Jesus was taken up into heaven, he spoke to his followers, saying, “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Tomorrow I'll look at the community that formed the Church, enabling it to accomplish the command that Jesus gave...

In all things, friends, there is grace and peace,

Life of Service Fleshed Out

As I was working on organizing all of these thoughts, I was sitting at our local Chick-Fil-A (one of my favorite places, by the way). I was asking God for practical ways to flesh out a life of service in the midst of our busy mommy chaos. How do we create a lifestyle without adding burden to our already burdened lives, because Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

As I was working on my computer, one of the Chick-Fil-A employees came and sat at the table next to me for her dinner break. She had begun to eat her dinner when she noticed a homeless man eating by himself on the outside patio. His hands were thoroughly dirty, as were his clothes and hair. His face was worn and tired, showing the cruel wear and tear of the world around him.

This young girl watched him from her booth inside for a couple of minutes, then got up, grabbed her tray of food, and walked out the door. She walked to his table, set her tray down, and asked if she could join him. I watched her extend her hand in greeting, and I watched him hesitate, staring in disbelief, and then slowly reach out and take her hand. 

Have you ever seen a person soften? Have you ever seen the power of the human touch? As I watched his eyes light up, I wondered how long it had been since someone touched him last? This young girl sat down with him, and I watched the two of them engage in conversation. She was asking questions, and he was answering, telling stories, sharing a bit of his journey. She was listening, caring for who he was, restoring humanity to an inhumane situation. It was so beautiful and so real and so Jesus. She had eyes to see and ears to hear the promptings of the Lord, and she was obedient.

Would I be willing to do the same? 

Would you?

This is what it is to serve. Eyes to see, ears to hear, a heart constantly on the lookout for those in need, open arms to embrace, and open hands to give, ready to give it all away. When we talk about serving, it is a lifestyle choice. Especially after we make a conscious choice to follow Jesus, we are choosing to follow in His steps, love as he loved, give as He gave, and serve as He served.

In wrapping all of this up, I came across Galatians 5:6, which says, “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” I realize that not everyone is called to serve in Africa or Asia, or Hawaii (hehe). But every single one of us has been called to serve. We have been called to be witnesses, to give an account, to leave an imprint of Christ in every situation and circumstance we come across. And Jesus walked out how He wants us to live. And then he said, "Do as I do." There are so many great projects out there to be done, but unless we are making a human connection and touching an actual life, are we really loving, or are we checking off another errand to run? We may even thoroughly enjoy the errand, but without availing yourself to be a part of a human connection, it’s hard to really love. Just as Isaiah 5 said, that we would be the ones to make the community livable again. That's powerful image to hold onto. 

I'll talk more about that soon...

Back to the Early Church

So for the past several days, I was recounting an experience and the amazing power of forgiveness that was shown to me while in South Africa. Where to go from there? Back to the early church, of course. My mind is consumed by it these days. I can't seem to get away from it, and more over I am left with the unyielding question of "What do I do with this?"

It is interesting that right now the church body that I fellowship with is in the midst of series about finances and resources and stewardship. It seems to me that the question always seems to come back around to "how much is too much and what is ok for me to keep?" Is it ok for me to have this or is it ok for me to hold on to that?

So last night at our small group, we were discussing the Lord's prayer, and specifically the Matthew 6:11. "Give us today our daily bread." So, here's the thing...how do you ask for that which you already have? And yes, I know that some will reply that we give thanks everyday for all that God has provided, but seriously, when was the last time that you prayed that, really needing God to provide you with bread that day? When did you pray that and not already have bread in your well-stocked kitchen? Or even meagerly-stocked kitchen? When did you have to plead of God to truly come through for you? When were you left with no other option than to depend on God?

When is the last time that you were unsure where your next meal was coming from? When was the last time that your pantry was bare and your refrigerator was just empty? When was the last time you swung through Starbucks because you just had to have some coffee? Or pulled through the drive-through or take out for a quick bite? Did you even give it a thought? Maybe you wondered whether you had cash on you or if you should just whip out the debit card? When was the last time that you seriously had no idea where your next meal was coming from? When was the last time that you just resigned that you weren't going to eat that day, and prayed and hoped for a better day tomorrow? And know that I ask these questions simply because they are being asked of me. I am certainly not innocent in these manners.

Here is what I struggle with these days: how joined are we with the rest of the Church? Do we struggle with the rest of the body of Christ, or is the global disconnect so great that we rarely even give the sufferings of our brothers and sisters a thought? Here's what I love about the early Church. Distance did not disconnect them. Nor did nationalities or boundary lines. They were united by their love for Christ. It superseded all other allegiances or patriotic notions. Look at the letters that Paul wrote to the Church at Philippi, thanking and encouraging their giving and supporting him in Rome. Look at the letter to the Hebrews, who are being encouraged in their giving and support of the Christ followers who are being persecuted in Jerusalem. Look at the letter to the Church in Corinth, as well as the Church at Galatia. They are challenged to continue in the collection for the Church in Jerusalem.

So, going back to Acts 4, where Scripture says that all the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. And then I am drawn back to Matthew 6:11, where we are instructed to ask God for our daily bread. Everyday, ask Him for our provision. And this isn't the first time in Scripture that we have been instructed to ask and receive just enough to get us through the day. Think back to the Exodus story while the Israelites were wandering in the desert. God provided manna from the sky for them, but they were instructed to take just enough to get through the day, and then trust and believe that God was going to come through for them again tomorrow.

So, what is it that we are supposed to hang on to? Just our daily bread? Just enough for today? Are we not to be vessels through whom blessings flow? Are your blessings flowing, or are the landing on you and coming to a full stop? What if your next door neighbor were going hungry? Would you not allow your blessings to flow readily through your hands to see that your neighbor was properly taken care of? And what about your family? Even if your family were in another city, would you not go out of your way to see that your family is properly cared for?

So now Scripture tells us that we are born into the family of God, as we are bound together by the blood of Christ and we all have been adopted in as family. But truly, are we taking care of our family? Anyone can look at the world situation and see that the family is a bit (read a lot) out of balance. While our brothers and sisters around the world are daily pleading for even a piece of bread, we drop too much money on an over-priced coffee drink without even giving it a thought.

It's time to start thinking about it...

I long to see that community

All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There was no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it al the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.

So goes the description of the early Church, conceived out of the crucifixion of Christ, birthed out of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, grown under the weight of the persecution of the surrounding Roman empire. In those days, the Romans presented a brute military presence, marching through territories claiming, "Peace through Victory!" crucifying those who resist. This young budding church, though, was a thorn in the flesh of the an otherwise dominating empire. This Church refused to pledge their allegiance to Caesar. They refused to shout out, "Caesar is Lord." They refused to contribute to the machine that had built up the most powerful world super-power at that point in history. They were underground. They were subversive. They were rebels. They were generous, forgiving, and welcoming.

Oh, how I long to see that community. In previous posts, I have talked about the idea of giving it all away for the sake of others, pouring ourselves out, hoarding nothing for our own sake, but giving it all away. I see here in Acts 4, it says, "No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had." That's powerful. Could you imagine seeing that fleshed out? Does that mean that everyone sold everything and gave it to the church? I would imagine not, as that would leave everyone homeless. Look further down that passage in verse 34:

"For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money form the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need."

As needs arose, the body responded. If a widow needed medical attention but could not afford it, a field could be sold to provide for her need. If mouths were going unfed because the resources were not available, a house could be sold to provide resources. It was all community property.

But even if the field or house were not sold, no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, whether they sold it to give the profits to the church or remained with it. It was still not a possession to be claimed. It was all community property. It was all a gift that was given, and could easily be taken away.

My house...not my house, but community property.

My car...not my car, but community property.

God has provided these things, not for me to hoard, but to be used for His glory, for His name's sake, for His Kingdom work. Is that what I'm doing with them? Oh, how I hate questions like that. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is so selfish and weak.

That would change things a bit, wouldn't it. More later. My head is spinning in that tonight.