Community II

As I am away from the people that make up my community in Raleigh, I am able to reflect on that fellowship of believers.  Also, I've begun reading Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, which is absolutely fantastic (thanks Rob).  Both have allowed me to dwell on the concept of fellowship and to appreciate the community that God has given me.  As most of us head into the new semester, it seems that we should take time to praise God for the community he has given us.  In Raleigh, our community group is a fellowship of believers that is pursuing Christ. Though we may all be at different stages, or going through various trials, I have seen that the hearts in that group desire to pursue Christ.  This should overwhelm each of us.  In fact, I'm getting pretty emotional right now thinking about everyone (Although, the fact that I'm listening to hymns, Joshua Radin, and Iron & Wine might also have something to do with it).  Bonhoeffer said in his book, “So between the death of Christ and the Last Day it is only by a gracious anticipation of the last things that Christians are privileged to live in visible fellowship with other Christians.”  Paul writes of  living together in peace through the Spirit in Ephesians 4.  At the time, he was in prison, so he absolutely knew that community was a blessing to praise God for.  We should praise God every time we come together simply because he allows us to know each other.

This is not a naive or overly idealistic notion.  Our community is pursuing Christ, and many others are as well.  The idealism comes in when we think that our group should look/behave in a certain way, even if that way is based in good intentions, for, "By sheer grace, God will not permit us to live even for a brief period in a dream world… Only that fellowship which faces disillusionment, with all its unhappy and ugly aspects, begins to be what it should be in God’s sight, begins to grasp in faith the promise that is given to it" (Bonhoeffer).   Our community is constantly in flux.  Some are going through trials, or wandering through the desert, while others are able to swim in the word and his goodness continually and passionately.  Praise God that this should happen!  Not just because eventually our stages will change and others will need our support, but because it illuminates that Christ alone is all that can support fellowship. "If we do not give thanks daily for the Christian fellowship in which we have been placed, even where there is no great experience, no discoverable riches, but much weakness, small faith, and difficulty; if on the contrary, we only keep complaining to God that everything is so paltry and petty, so far from what we expected, then we hinder God from letting our fellowship grow according to the measure and riches which are there for us all in Jesus Christ" (Bonhoeffer).  I am certainly guilty of this.  Looking for the "right" amount of Bible study or fellowship during our time together.  Invariably, this drives my heart away from God's will and towards my own.  Christ is all that allows a community to grow, or even exist.  As Ephesians 2: 20-22 communicates, we are being "built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.  In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.  And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit." To quote Bonhoeffer again, “Christian brotherhood is not an ideal which we must realize; it is rather a reality created by God in Christ in which we may participate.” 

So as we all look to this next semester, it may be our inclination (it's certainly mine) to achieve Christ-centered community.  By the grace of God, that will not happen.  Since the group's inception, and since I've been attending, God has used the people in our community group to glorify his name above all else.  There has absolutely been trials and frustration, and I'm fairly confident we have all been hurt in some way.  This will continue to happen.  God is leading this group; not that we would know comfort, but that we would know his glory and absolutely depend on him.  

Hypocrisy

When I've heard those who don't follow Jesus explain why they choose not to, many times it's because of the hypocrisy they see that is in the church.  My first inclination is not to disagree with them, but to figure out what can be done to fix this.  I don't think it's fair to say that a church as a whole is hypocritical, but it is easy to say that some sort of hypocrisy is present in most, if not all, churches.  Obviously this is frustrating because I desperately want the world to see the church as a place that pursues Christ, and a place that will offer respite to those who suffer.

I recently listened to a sermon from the Village Church on Ultimate Authority: Guiding & Confronting the Mess.  It talked about where the hypocrisy can come from.  First, there are wolves in sheep's clothing, as 2 Peter 2:2 says, "And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed." Also, Jesus told the Pharisees, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves" (Matthew 23:15).  Secondly, there are varying levels of spiritual maturity within the church.  Paul writes about this in Romans 14.  The last reason that those outside the church see hypocrisy is because there is always a possibility of theological/missiological drift.  A good example of the last issue is the church of Ephesus, which was called out in Revelation 2 for losing its first love.  The Ephesians were still doing good things, but they had lost their focus on Christ.

After seeing all of these it seems clear that hypocrisy is a heart issue, and instead of asking what the church should do, it is imperative that I look at my own hypocrisy.  Those who don't believe, as said by Charles Spurgeon in a sermon on Ezekiel 16:54, could easily say, "You say you are crucified to the world, and the world to you: it is a very merry sort of crucifixion.  You say that you mortify your members and deny yourselves: your mortification must be suffered in secret, for it is but very little that we can see of it!"  My hypocrisy comes from being content in my pride and seeking my own selfish desires.  Even though I say that I serve others, my heart is too often turned inward.  Not only that, but I am okay with being comfortable.  This hypocrisy cripples my relationship with Christ, but also shows others a twisted view of following him. 

I pray that I would only seek Christ, for as he said, "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth.  I have not come to bring peace, but a sword... And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.  Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it" (Matthew 10:34, 38-39).  If the church is focused on Christ, then we will absolutely be ridiculed, but not for hypocrisy.  Again, as Jesus said, "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.  It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant to be like his master.  If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household" (Matthew 10:24-25)

Prayer

Today I was able to meet with a fellow brother in Christ as we take part in a Bible study, and something struck me.  I was asking him how I could pray for him, and he did the same, but for some reason, this time it seemed different.  I know he's asked me before, and others have in the past as well, but this time it just hit me that I REALLY need prayer.  As I become a member of Vintage 21 church, and as I seek to be a Christ-like example in all my relationships, I desperately need prayer.  I am certainly plagued with a fair amount of self-doubt and trepidation as I look to the future, and I'm not sure where the line between healthy vulnerability and humble leadership is.  So, for whatever reason (probably divine), I found today that I am in need of prayer and support from those in my community of faith. 

Prayer to be open and honest with the people in my life.  Not in a complaining way, but in a way that would show Christ through my brokenness.  As Paul says in 1 Timothy 1:15-16, "The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.  But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life."

Along with this, I am only beginning to understand what it means to be a man of God.  To stop living in laziness and lead in humility.  As Paul says in 1 Timothy 6:11-12, "But as for you, O man of God, flee these things.  Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.  Fight the good fight of the faith.  Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses." Also, in 2 Timothy 2:15, "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth."

Throughout the rest of my life, but especially in the coming months, I beg for prayer, and may I never forget how much I need the support of the community God has given me.

"Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain." -(1 Corinthians 15:58)

Pride

I am so thankful for the past few months.  I have surely seen God move in my life and in others', and I have definitely grown in my relationship with him.  What's more, in the past God has revealed himself through a series of experiences that were humbling, but this past semester has been growth through delving into the scripture.  That has been a unique and amazing thing for me.  God certainly uses experiences, but it has been great to meet him through his word.

So, understandably, I KNEW that when I went back home for Thanksgiving break, I would be able to die to myself and serve the other members of my family in a Christ-like way.  The love that I have for my immediate and extended family would absolutely be enough for me to be able to show Christ to them, if only in a fraction of the way that they have showed me.  What I found, however, is that I failed... pretty miserably.  What DID take place is a pretty amazing back-step into my habits of high-school.  The only difference was that, instead of watching TV, I read most of the time.  It was a Christian book about following Christ radically.  I share this, because, given the general selfishness of my attitude, it's pretty hilarious that that's what I was reading.  When I say "hilarious," I don't really mean "ha-ha" funny, I mean, "you have to laugh to keep from crying" funny. 

This is certainly frustrating.  After thinking about it for the past couple days, I think I found why this happens (maybe).  I know that my family accepts me, and I know that they love me unconditionally.  This makes it so much easier for me to regress into a selfish child who has his mom make every meal for him, and groans every time his Dad asks him to help out.  Another interesting point, maybe I've changed.  I always thought that I could seamlessly transition between Greensboro and Raleigh, but I don't think I can.  They are two very different places, and both have glimpses, but not entire pictures of who I am. 

That last statement is very important, mainly for this reason: it is absolutely the selfishness that God hates.  That last statement is exactly what I've thought in the past, and seemed completely rational when I wrote it here.  I think this often, and I am sure others do as well.  I have a view of myself as this incredibly complex soul that few are able to understand.  So there it is, there is the pride that is underlying everything.  This entry itself has been teeming with pride, "I have grown, I failed to serve, I have changed."  Self-analysis is necessary, but goodness gracious, stop viewing the world as some Citizen Kane featuring yourself and follow Christ!  Empty words are evil, and we are wasting time when we should be proclaiming his name!  As Jesus said in Matthew 10:25-26, "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.  It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant to be like his master."  Also, in James 4, "What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes."  We could also read Proverbs 4:25, "Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you." 

Praise God that we may find rest in him, and be turned away from our own prideful hearts.

"Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling." -Psalms 2:11

Family (I) - Grandparents

I started writing this blog because I wanted the communities that have had the most profound effect on me to be able to see how they have affected me.  Also, although practically impossible, I greatly desire for the communities to see each other, even if it is only seeing each other through me.  I was reminded of this because I was able to take part in the interview for the Vintage 21 membership process today.  Answering the questions allowed me to reflect and remember the profound effect that my family and the members of Friendly Avenue Baptist Church in Greensboro have had on me.  So, for all the people in Raleigh that I have come to know and love, I ask that you would read this.  Not so I can talk about myself, but so that all of you can see the people that have been such a huge part of my life, and have showed me Christ in various ways.

An important note: None of these people are perfect.  They, like every person, are broken human beings that need Christ's love above all else.  I see Christ through them in so many varied ways, but Christ is revealed through all of their inconsistencies, as well as the great multitude of my inconsistencies, because he is ALL that is sufficient (Hebrews 4:15-16).

I was blessed to be born into a family that faithfully pursues Christ.  Not just my immediate family, but my extended family as well.  All of my grandparents (and two living great-grandparents) follow Christ, in fact, my parents and their families went to the same church for most of their childhoods.   It is truly a profound blessing to have grandparents that have shown me Christ, and it is a testament to their endurance that they have poured into two generations (Hebrews 12:1).  Paw-Paw Chandler is a minister, and has absolutely shown me what it means to be a shepherd.  He continually visits those that are hurting, and greatly desires for Christ to be known.  Maw-Maw Chandler has a servant's heart that is unparalleled.  Her focus is unwavering in its desire to sacrifice for others.  Maw-Maw Lane loves her family.  I don't just mean she is proud of them, I mean she will shower all of us with Godly love, as well as defend us.  Paw-Paw Lane is, simply put, a man of wisdom.  He is continually pursuing knowledge and understanding of the true nature of God.  I have had four loving, enduring followers of Christ pour into me.  Oh praise the Lord that a lowly sinner should be blessed by such people!  That the sheer weight of his blessing should crush my pride and reveal his truly omnipotent love!

I am unable to effectively communicate how much of an impact these four people have had on me.  How can I relate four loving, complex souls when the entirety of a life fails to reach the depth that God has blessed us, his creations, with? These four descriptions are horrifyingly inadequate, but only an attempt to let others see a glimpse of who they are.  One of the most difficult things to deal with in Christianity is loving communication between followers, especially between generations.  My methodology is markedly different from my grandparents, and several other members of my extended family, but what I pray for, what the spirit groans for, is that I would never lose sight of the fact that they have pursued Christ.  Also that we, as a generation, would see that previous generations have pursued Christ, even if we disagree with their methods.  Then let us pursue Christ as well.  With reckless abandon!  Let future generations say that we ran a good race and did not shy away from the Gospel.  That we humbled ourselves to the point of death for Christ! (Philippians 2: 5-8)

Broken

Yesterday in community group we covered James 2:8-13.  This passage gets to one of the most difficult issues in Christianity: obedience to the Law and the old covenant in light of the new covenant expounded by Jesus.  Verses 9 and 10 say, "But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.  For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it."  This verse is what I have dwelt on for a while.  To understand that the entire law is broken with any one offense.  I have heard for years that all sin is equal in God's eyes, but that phrase seems to have become cliche, at least for me.

Though I don't know if we can ever fully understand the weight of our sin, I have been imbued with a deeper understanding, thanks to Ezekiel 16.  This is one of the most vivid and horrifying passages I have read in the Bible, and it has profoundly changed my view of sin.  The chapter begins with God describing what he has done for Jerusalem.  When she (Jerusalem) was born, no one wanted her.  She was abandoned and alone, but God took her and cared for her. When she grew up she was clothed and cared for by God (Ezekiel 16:13).

Jerusalem, however, turned from God, and after experiencing his perfect love, Jerusalem whored herself out to idols (Ezekiel 16:15).  Then God says, "How lovesick is your heart, declares the Lord God, because you did all these things, the deeds of a brazen prostitute... yet you were not like a prostitute, because you scorned payment.  Adulterous wife, who receives strangers instead of her husband!" (Ezekiel 16:30-32).  This is sin.  To be the precious, chosen bride of God, and to whore ourselves out to the idols of this world.  I am now able to understand better, but not fully, what my sin is. 

This passage drives me straight to God.  My flesh is capable of horrible, atrocious things, simply because it has already spat in the face of the Almighty, Omnipotent, Creator of the universe.  Now, I am broken, and I tremble with fear at what my flesh can do.  However, God is with me, and ONLY through him may my flesh be destroyed and my soul restored.  Now I don't just feel that I need God, but that I must cling to him with all the strength that I have.  He is all that can save me from myself, and I am nothing without him.

The final glorious step is Christ's sacrifice and resurrection.  After beginning to understand how broken I am, I am then able to better understand his sacrifice.  That flesh that is so heinous was destroyed, and I have new life.  In fact, I no longer live, but Christ lives THROUGH me (Galatians 2:20).  This is why I praise the Lord that he has revealed my brokenness, especially through Ezekiel 16, because when I better understand the profound evil of reviling the Alpha and Omega, then I am able to better understand the complete and perfect grace that I have received.  Now I must desperately cling to Christ, and follow him with reckless abandon, for that is where life is found.

"Do not forsake me, O Lord! O my God, be not far from me!  Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!" - Psalm 38:21-22

Time

I finally have a time of rest.  Two weeks of tests and projects are done, and I get at least a day to relax.  Having said that, I realize that my "busy" is trivial compared to others (i.e. anyone married, working, or raising children).  I have been blessed with time.  My schoolwork is certainly not trivial, but at this point in my life I don't have the constraints that others do/I will later.  My conviction then is to use this time that I have for the glory of God, for "to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more" (Luke 12:48).  It stands to reason that properly giving of the resources that I have now (limited funds, much time), will translate into proper giving of the resources that I will have in the future (more funds, less time).

This train of thought has led me to contemplating Christian endurance.  As Hebrews 12:1 says, "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside our weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us."  Pursuing Christ takes patience.  Not just in individuals' lives, but as a church body, endurance is desperately needed.  I recently read a blog that talked about tradition, especially in western evangelical churches.  It dawned on me that I couldn't think of any older church bodies (150+ years) that exist.  That's pathetic.  We belong to a universal church, so the church body is always present, but the local church is and will be the agent of reform in the world (Acts 2:42-47). How can we expect to show Christ to the rest of the world if church bodies only exist for a generation?

Of all the subjects that I could discuss, I think this is one of the hardest for my generation and age group.  When I think of showing Christ to the city of Raleigh, some practical steps I can think of are tutoring a student at Hunter Elementary or the Raleigh Boys' Club, or living in the communities that need holy transformation.  The problem is, I want to see these actions take place and have immediate results.  I want all of us at Vintage 21 (jointly, with the entire fellowship of believers in Raleigh) to become a servant to the city, and to help transform the city by putting Christ first.  To do this, however, requires commitment and patience.  To show the perfect and loving Father to Raleigh is a lifetime commitment.  In fact, it should be more.  There needs to be a church body actively pursuing Christ for generations.  If I and my fellow 18-24 year old peers are honest, this is one of the hardest things to deal with.  It fills me with anxiety and frustration, because I want it done NOW.  That is why I need to pray desperately for endurance.  I know that the attributes of my age group are to be passionate and impetuous, but that is not a bad thing.  The tragedy is when we burn ourselves out and then lose the passion to run the race.  I NEVER want to lose this passion, but I pray that God will instill me with patience to commit my life to Christ-like transformation.


God truly can change a city.  He can bring about social transformation the world has never seen and couldn't even imagine, but we are naive if we think that that will happen through us working with any certain group while we're in college.  I pray fervently that this city will be changed through Christ, and that the followers of Christ will pursue that end for centuries to come.  We have time.  We don't know how the world will change, or what will happen in each of our lives, but we all have a lifetime to give to the pursuit of Christ.

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it." -Romans 9:24

Honesty (response to Proverbs 14:10)

As with anyone who professes to follow Christ, honesty has a high place of honor in my mind.  As we follow Christ, honesty with him allows us to realize our complete dependence on him, and honesty with others allows us to reflect his love.  It also allows us to live in community with each other (Galatians 6:1-2).  The only way to truly grow in Christ is to have the ability to analyze yourself and to allow others to analyze/support you.

Honesty, however, is tricky.  First, because there is a point at which honesty is not healthy sharing, but unloading all our problems and hoping that people are listening (or reading).  Second, because I doubt human beings' ability to truly analyze themselves.  With apologies to Bacon, emotions are ever-present, and cold rationality is equally undesirable and impossible. The outcome is that honesty can be in a constant state of flux within the individual.  Lastly, language is inherently imperfect.  Personal complexity and nuance is lost when expressed through language that strives to standardize ideas into forms that can be applicable to all situations.  To clarify, language is not broken, just imperfect.  This backdrop helps to explain why honesty is not as visibly present in the world as we may wish.  Just as humans are, or because humans are, slightly bent, so is honesty.

So where does pure honesty exist?  As Rob said, only God is able to fully and completely know each of us.  Thus pure honesty can only be experienced in relationship with God, as shown by Psalm 139.  We should desire to be honest with him so that we may grow in our relationship, something Paul points to in 1 Corinthians 4:3-4 & 8:2.  As Proverbs 14:10 said, "the heart knows its own bitterness, and no stranger shares its joy," a fact that is freeing.  Only after we realize that we can only be honest with God are we able to die to ourselves and live out Galatians 5:1.  It could also be added that though it is difficult/impossible to be truly honest with the people around us, relationships not only survive, but thrive, due to God's presence. 

Thank you so much for the input!  It was great to look deeper into this incredibly powerful verse.

Proverbs 14:10

I was reading through Proverbs 14 today, and stumbled across a very interesting passage.  Somewhat randomly, verse 10 says, "The heart knows its own bitterness, and no stranger shares its joy."  I would be greatly interested if people could comment on what they think this could mean, and it might be good to read the rest of that chapter to understand context.  I have some thoughts on the verse, but wouldn't mind some input.  Hopefully several people will offer suggestions, and then I'll do a follow up post in a few days!

Also, a passage that could possibly go with it is Ecclesiastes 7.  Specifically, verses 2-4.  I'd love to get some feedback, so please let me know what you think!

Worship (1)

"Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!" -Psalm 34:8

Throughout this past weekend, I was constantly inundated by God's grace and goodness.  It seems that I am experiencing a season of happiness, one that I am so thankful for.  However, I do not want this season to be taken for granted, or cause me to look away from the eternal peace that supports me through ALL times.  That is why the source of this happiness should ALWAYS be recognized as Christ.

Sunday's service at Vintage 21 seems to be a focal point in my recent joy.  Admittedly, I went into the service after a five hour car ride, so I may have had a little more energy than normal.  After the message, we sang three songs.  During each one, it truly felt like the entire congregation was crying out with one voice.  While the church body in that building was singing I felt the presence of God more clearly and acutely than I ever have before in a corporate worship setting.  There was no anxiety or hindrance in the act of praising God.  Hands lifted high, kneeling in prayer, or just breathing in the spirit, we worshiped.  It was pure, and it was of Christ.  It was also from Christ, "For from him and through him and to him are all things" (Romans 11:36).
How freeing a verse!  I was given the ability and opportunity to worship with reckless abandon.  That is why I was filled with a joy that is difficult to describe!  My face was radiant and unashamed (Psalm 34:5), but not by me or for me, only from and for Christ.

What followed for the next hour or two was what can only be described as joy bordering on annoyance to those around me.  Believe me, there are witnesses.  But after the energy died down, I didn't sink into a disconsolate state wishing that I could feel like I had earlier.  That's exactly the point, it wasn't a feeling.  It was worship of the Almighty.  An image even began to form of me and all the people that I hold dear lying in a field together and praising God.  No instruments.  Not even looking at each other, but looking straight up to the heavens and praising Christ with reckless abandon.  Oh how I pray that this would be ingrained in my memory forever, and that I would never fail to see the greatness of God.



"From you comes my praise in the great congregation... All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you." -Psalm 22:25-27

Community

Because I will more than likely be missing Community Group tonight, I have been thinking about the role that it has played in my life.  Although, the better question should be, what role have I played to pour into and help the community group grow in Christ?  Vintage 21, the church I've attended for the past two years while at college, has community groups meet once a week to study and delve deeper into the passage that was taught on Sunday.  This group is not merely a Bible study though.  It is exactly what its name suggests, a gathering of people that wish to learn and grow in Christ through community.  A much better description than my own is available on this link: http://www.vintage21.com/community-groups/.

I started going to community group January of 2010, and was instantly appreciative of what was happening.  There was a depth to the study of scripture that I had not seen before, and for the most part, everyone desired to be open and honest with each other.  Two things made me stay: 1)  Someone I was doing discipleship with and his roommates were going, and I'd grown to respect all of them. 2) I saw the potential to be vulnerable and honest with others about my struggles without being judged.

Looking back on the past several months, I can say that I have been honest and vulnerable (to the point of exhaustion) at some times.  That vulnerability, scattered as it is, would not be possible if I didn't see an underlying desire within the community to build others up in Christ.  This gets to my greatest struggle with any group, but especially this group in particular, I desire commitment, or, selfishly desire loyalty.  I can be vulnerable and "throw my heart out on the floor," but I often want something in return.  Maybe it's praise, or sympathy, but whatever it is, it is not of Christ.  More often than not, I just want others to stay.  Many people have attended community group for a few weeks and then left.  This is perfectly justifiable, we are all fed spiritually in different ways, but my heart breaks every time someone leaves. 

I'm sure that I will continue to throw my heart out on the floor and be met at times with blank stares, but there is one constant in everything: God.  As Psalm 73 says, "Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.  My flesh and my heart fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever" (Psalm 73:25-26), also in James, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change" (James 1:17).  God is the one constant, the relationship that will never fail me or turn away.

This is the progression that leads me back to community.  I trust that God is with me and also with every single person in that group.  He has an intimate and beautiful relationship with each of them, and what a joy to see that in others!  The complexity and experience that each of these people bring to the group is overwhelming.  When I am scared because I know people will leave, I turn to God as my constant, and then I can turn back to the community group and love them each will all that I have.  I can bear their burdens joyfully and pray that I would be able to sacrifice for them so much that it's painful.

"Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.  For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself"
-Galatians 6:2-3

Introduction

I'm still not completely confident that I should start a blog.  But I guess you only live once, and I want to take advantage of life by sitting in front of a computer and sharing my thoughts!  One reason I want to write is to share my experience following Christ and get feedback from others.  Solomon's writings in Ecclesiastes and Proverbs have pushed me to search for Godly wisdom. However, it says in Proverbs, "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice." (Proverbs 12:15)  I need others to ask about/critique my thoughts to grow in my relationship with Christ.  I pray that I would always be open to others' thoughts so that Christ my be seen through me.

In addition to this, I have enjoyed reading others' blogs over the past several weeks and months.  I have seen new perspectives and been introduced to passages from the Bible that have helped in my walk with Christ.  Though I don't have a long list of blogs I consistently keep up with, the blogs are my gateway to the various communities that I'm apart of.  That is one of my chief desires for this exercise, to link the communities and people that I love dearly.  There are three specific communities that have had the largest impact on my life.  First, my family.  Next, the church community I grew up with in Greensboro, and lastly, the church community I am apart of in Raleigh.  Each group is so full of complex and joyful people that I could not begin to describe any of their members with the proper respect and love that they deserve.  That is a main reason why I want to write.  To link the worlds that have shaped me and that pursue Christ together, even if they don't know each other.  Galatians 2:20 says, "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." I no longer live, but Christ lives through me, and I have seen him in various ways through his followers that surround me.

So with that, I hope that this blog will reveal, not myself, but Christ and the precious people that have poured into me throughout my life.  In some small way, maybe my parents will now be able to meet Patrick, or Christian will be able to see what worship is like at Vintage 21.  Maybe Rob will be able to meet my community group and Chris will be able to talk to Reece about the Bible.  When I walk around Raleigh, or when I drive to Greensboro, these people are with me.  They are in my thoughts and prayers, and these communities shower Christ-like love on me in ways I could never begin to explain or even understand.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us."
-Hebrews 12:1