"Community matters. That's about like saying oxygen matters. As our lungs require air, so our souls require what only community provides." - Larry Crabb
What would you be willing to sacrifice to live in rich, rewarding community? The following, taken from Randy Frazee's The Connecting Church, is an example of what I dream about happening in central Topeka.
"Several years ago my husband and I built a home in a heighborhood of about a hundred homes. It was a great neighborhood--perfect for raising children. Just on our street alone there must have been twelve children. All of the kids would play out front and make up games. People were always out walking and would stop to talk. We had lived in this neighborhood for about two and a half years when we came across this beautiful piece of property on one and a half acres, with lots of trees and a creek at the back of the property. We were so excited. This would be the perfect place to build our dream house and raise our four boys. So we bought the property. We put our current house up for sale. We started with what would be the backyard--our park. We built a go-cart track, a trampoline pit, and zip lines from tree to tree. The we built retaining walls and sidewalks and had plans drawn for the pool. The house we designed was approximately seven thousand square feet--from marble floors to granite countertops to special paint finishes. It was awesome. Finally, there it was. The American Dream! A large house and lots of property. This house had it all--except my old neighborhood. We had everything we thought we could want, but I wanted so badly to be back in my old neighborhood.
What we did not realize is that it's not the value or the size that makes a house a home; it's the neighborhood. We sold our big, beautiul "American Dream" house one year later, only to move back to "our" neighborhood in a house less than half the size. A neighborhood Home Group (a Bible study and fellowship group from their church) was forming shortly after we moved back. We meet with several neighbors each week to support each other, share faith, and try to make a difference in our community. The group grew so large so quickly that we had to split into two groups. I love my neighbors and my Home Group" (taken from Randy Frazee, The Connecting Church, p. 150).
The family in the story above didn't give up much. She says that they gave up the American Dream. Nah. They just went from the Super Sized American Dream to the average, every day suburban American Dream. But at least they recognized their God-given need for community and pursued it.
What about you? What would you be willing to give up to experience authentic community?
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