Community & Conversation

I’ve been pestered by Kevin and asked by others to blog more. I’m not making any promises. All I can do is make a beginning. Life is EXTREMELY BUSY! Full time school and full time work leaves little time for extracurricular activities such as blogging. To be perfectly honest, I have to write hundreds of pages for school and then spend 10 hours a day for work. When I do have free time I’m not interested in staring at a computer screen anymore. This also means I’m not on Facebook and Twitter as much.

This past weekend I had the opportunity to preach on community. I’m currently sitting in a conference and Eugene Peterson (author of The Message Bible and about 40other books) is the speaker. He is all about community. He’s also 77 and has some very unique ideas. This man doesn’t have email. He doesn’t use a cell phone. He doesn’t believe in three-point, PowerPoint illustrated sermons. What he does believe in is actual community in which people actually speak and listen to each other. Not speaking and conversing through typing, but using speech and our ears to process that speech. There’s a whole world that exists outside of the web and our computers. There are real stories of real people waiting to be told and heard. I’m not saying I’m unplugging…what I am saying is that I have a new appreciation for actual conversation that has true give and take. I realize the world we live in makes us dependent upon the web and social media to keep in touch with far-flung friends and family.

When was the last time you sat and had a conversation with someone that doesn’t live with you? A real conversation beyond the how are yous and chatter about world events or weather. When was the last time you connected with someone at a soul level?

Take time to listen. Take time to cultivate conversations. Take time to be in community. It’s what we’re created to do.