One of the points Nancy made was that community is not perpetual niceness. I think this is one of the things that hurts the church the most. We are perceived as Ned Flanders, or anyone on TBN.
Community is not us pretending that everything is ok. That’s pseudo-community.
I think the best definition I have heard of community is that community is knowing someone’s good, bad and ugly and yet you still love them just the same.
This is where I think the church has lost out on community, to pool halls, civic events and bars. People want to go where everybody knows your name.
In the name of community we put on a face of perpetual niceness and call it community people looking for real community call it fake. We need to be real and find others who we can be real with.
I am lucky I have community. I have people who I can be real with who I can go beyond perpetual niceness. They love me and wish God’s best for me they believe in what God has for me. I also have people who see the bad and the ugly. But that’s for tomorrow.
Hey Sam,
I thought I'd comment again on oyur post. The idea and reality of community has been something I have given a lot of thought to lately. I just went out to lunch with my good friend Chico Woo. Chico and I have been friends now for 18 years. The great thing about our friendship is we have been through a lot together. Through that "lot" that we have been together through, we have disappointed each other and have not always been perfect or "ideal" with one another. I have to say it's defiantely more so on my part. The thing about what i am saying is through it all we both have an unfortunate (or should i say fortunate?) accurate view of who each other are. The great thing about what i am saying is in spite of it we have a great friendship. Those things that have been tensious for us are not swept under the carpet but are dealt with and at tiems ahve taken time…Im talking months. We have debated and even been distant but through it all we have grown closer. Today, I know Chico can tell you all of my strengths and all of me weeknesses, but at the end of the day I know I have a loyal friend who is on my side, who supports me and wants the best for me knowing everything about me. I have talked about Chico but this is the same realtionship that I share with Sam, Rick, and a few others. To me I wish that everybody in the church has these kind of relationships. Why? Becasue if it wasnt for these realtionships I would not be the person I am today nor would i be able to do the things God wants me to do OR be where God wants me to be. That, That is Community!
Hey Sam,
I thought I’d comment again on oyur post. The idea and reality of community has been something I have given a lot of thought to lately. I just went out to lunch with my good friend Chico Woo. Chico and I have been friends now for 18 years. The great thing about our friendship is we have been through a lot together. Through that “lot” that we have been together through, we have disappointed each other and have not always been perfect or “ideal” with one another. I have to say it’s defiantely more so on my part. The thing about what i am saying is through it all we both have an unfortunate (or should i say fortunate?) accurate view of who each other are. The great thing about what i am saying is in spite of it we have a great friendship. Those things that have been tensious for us are not swept under the carpet but are dealt with and at tiems ahve taken time…Im talking months. We have debated and even been distant but through it all we have grown closer. Today, I know Chico can tell you all of my strengths and all of me weeknesses, but at the end of the day I know I have a loyal friend who is on my side, who supports me and wants the best for me knowing everything about me. I have talked about Chico but this is the same realtionship that I share with Sam, Rick, and a few others. To me I wish that everybody in the church has these kind of relationships. Why? Becasue if it wasnt for these realtionships I would not be the person I am today nor would i be able to do the things God wants me to do OR be where God wants me to be. That, That is Community!