still laughing

8 seconds of glorious-ness!

Answers (Part 2)

I'm going to answer a few more of Julie's questions. This time I hope I get more than a post reply, but actually land on her "Good Bloggers" list.

18. What I really think of the electric slide
I hold to the belief that the electric slide, much like the electric fence, should not be peed on.

51. People who I should call/write/delete from my cell phone

Call - I need to call Brooke Asbury and see if she can recommend any DJ's for my sister's wedding.

Write - I don't understand. Do you mean e-mail? Or text?

Delete - I just went through this weekend deleting every phone number that I don't need or have been changed, there was several.

71. How I met the love of my life

Still to be written... at least I hope so. Wouldn't that suck if I've already met her? Maybe when we were in the 7th grade together we met and moved on never to meet again. Yep that would suck because I only remember a few people from 7th grade and we all played baseball together... and I don't date dudes.

6. The best meal of my life

This is hard to say. I'm going to go with the current one. Unless it happens to have something in it I don't care for, in which case then meal after that.

Honorable mentions: This five star restaurant in Izmir, Turkey. Any one of my birthday dinners ever (hamburgers and chocolate cake). Any dinner at my parents (except when they stuff mushrooms into dishes), Thanksgiving, grilling steaks, mom's taco salads, etc. A box of Mac & Cheese.

14. If I could be anyone in the world

I feel a Freaky Friday lesson comin' on, so I'm just going to say me.

33. How I'd make the world a better place

Quickly and permanently.

40. Here's pictures of my garden, house, kids, golf clubs, car, most expensive pair of shoes

My arm back in October of '07 after I fell climbing over the fence to get into my apartment. I had walked out of my apartment to check out the Deuce's new truck and forgot my keys. When trying to go back through the complex gate I realized my error and decided to hop the fence like I've done numerous times before. This time I slipped and slashed my arm and landed face first. Pure grace, I know. There's still a scar today that I wonder if other people assume was me trying to kill myself.

27. Favorite poet/author/artist

Poet - Allison and friends HERE and HERE

Author - Mark Buchanan

Artist - Van Gogh

Community

The church today is obsessed with small groups.

Here are statements that I have heard in some fashion:

- "for the church to grow larger it must grow smaller"

- "at this church we do community in small groups"

- "if you are not in a small group you are missing out on community"

- "true community occurs in homes"

I could go on and on I think, but you get the point. These are things I have said, and have preached, and have believed.

But what I'm curious about is this: Why can community not be experienced in the mass?

- Have we declared ourselves so bad at loving one another that we have to regulate our intimacy in order to possibly experience community?

- Are we limiting God by declaring the mass community a nonviable means of intimacy?

- Can I experience true community in a large gather on a daily basis.

I think for that last question there might be those who say, "No". That in our world today logistically it's impossible. Again I think that's limiting God, the God of Scripture. My scriptures tell me that "nothing is impossible with God."

I want to be careful here. I don't want people to hear me saying that I think smaller community groups are bad, or wrong, or unbiblical. I'm in a small group. I meet with a limited gathering every Thursday evening. I just don't want to say that through my Thursday evenings, because I eat dinner with others, pray and gloss over some Bible questions, that I've experienced community.

I believe that community occurs, despite the numbering of people, when we are aware of the movement of God in our lives and the connectivity of Christ as displayed through our authenticity and interdependency.

I've stood in the old Mile High Stadium with approximate 50,000 other men and felt the same communal relationship as I have with a group of 5 men in a dorm room. Community is not limited in size.

The moment we begin to put the understanding of community into a box, we've in essence limiting the church, thereby creating a framework in which to place God. I was singing yesterday that my God is limitless. And I believe the church needs to have visions of limitless possibilities.

Certainly I don't declare myself an expert. These thoughts are somewhat ramblings that I prefer hope create dialogue. I'm honestly just asking questions and considering possibilities. So please tell me:

- What do you think?

- Am I completely off base?

- Would you alter my definition of community in anyway?