Community Matters
com·mu·ni·ty: a group of people having common interests.
God designed us for community. Introverts, such as myself, sometimes struggle to spill over into other people’s lives, but my appreciation for community has been on the rise in recent weeks. What better time to show a little thankfulness?
Let’s get started…
- Family – the first community, designed by God. As you can see from the picture above, baby Piper had many family members awaiting her arrival Monday night. Every “first” in the Word is significant. Family matters to God and should never be taken for granted.
- Church – friendships birthed within God’s family are not perfect but the One in whom we share is, resulting in friendships that propel past church walls, denominations, or anything this world has to throw at them.
- Community Bible Study group – last week, I received an email from a woman who attended the 2011 Winter Session. She shared how she and a few of her closest friends (two of which also attended the bible study) took a trip to the beach in March. It was a sweet time of fellowship as they shared with one another how the Lord had used the study to touch their lives. The woman said it was a weekend she would never forget. You see, one of the friends in attendance for both the study and the sistership weekend passed away unexpectantly in the Fall. She is now experiencing firsthand all God taught us during our time together. Truth anchors true community. (I hope to lead another community study in Jan/Feb 2012 – stay tuned!)
- 4 Corners – my writer’s small group consisting of four women who care more about the “being” than the “doing”.
- Upstate Fellowship of Writers (soon to be Word Weavers) – my large community of writers where victories, set backs, and honest critiques (ouch!) are all shared under the umbrella of trust.
- Light Brigade – my online writing community—encouragement stretching across the States into 26 different homes. For some, this is the only writing camaraderie they share. Talk to them about the importance of community.
What groups of people are you especially thankful for today?
“Be united with other Christians. A wall with loose bricks is not good. The bricks must be cemented together.” – Corrie ten Boom
