Hey! Its Earth Day!

:: photo taken from NASA (Clemintine) ::

What did you do for Earth Day? I carpooled to the movies. :)

So, I posed the question a few days ago, and honestly... I expected one or two responses, but; I did not expect genuine, real, good answers. I should rephrase that, I did not expect to hear some of the same things that come to my mind when I think of what community means to me. But, I do not have a perfectly clear cut picture of what community means to me. I think it is too fragile to define completely. In Gladiator, The Emperor Marcus Aurelius says to Maximus just before he dies, "There once was an idea that was Rome, but, you could only whisper it, any more then a whisper, and it would vanish." When I try to fully grasp community, it slips out of my fingers. If you try and force community, it fails. Like Jenn said... there is no four step plan.

But, I think community is also intentional. I know, it sounds like a dichotomy... but it is not. To have real community takes effort, but it also just happens. If you don't ever call your best friend back, what is his motivation to call you? True intent means picking up the phone and calling your friend. Even if you are the one who never gets the call back.

Carl asked me after he read my question, "Jeez, why didn't you just ask us to define God?" If you have a healthy relationship with Christ, you are experiencing true community with our maker. That is, the reason we were created. You fulfill your purpose in life.

This doesn't mean that you are always happy. Carl also said... "Scottish clans had a communal aspect to them." Then we talked briefly about what that meant. And, that is one metaphor I have been thinking about the last few days. In the clan, every person had a role. Every person looked out for one another. Every person belonged. But, this was not without problems, as we are fallen, we will sin against one another. Clans also were probably the most dangerous place to be. Tempers flared within community as often as externally. But, the key is, no matter what happened, you still belonged to the clan.

Now, I can not speak from experience ;), but marriage is the closest earthly thing, I believe, that we can have to Godly community. You enter into a relationship with this person that is unconditional. For better or for worse, in sickness and in health. You love and laugh in the good times, and you cry and love in the hard times. The common thread in community, marriage, or a relationship with Christ is love. Spend quality time with someone, and you will disagree. Ken has Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday's off from work, so we usually hang out in the evenings when his wife Sherry is at work. We usually get something to eat, and we frequently want different places. I think I am more of a pain then Ken, because I usually begin to crave a particular kind of food well before I am hungry and need to eat, and so, when time comes, I usually know the place I want to go to get dinner... But, Ken usually does not crave the same kind of food I do... and maybe he wants Chinese food, but I really want steak and potatoes. I desire to spend time with my friend, but I still want steak. He desires to spend time with me, but he still wants orange chicken. One of us has to compromise if we are going to eat dinner together.

So what is community? I am still exploring it, but to summarize my thoughts about it:

Community is a place to feel comfortable, but also a place to be challenged. Community is a place where your purpose is fulfilled.
Community is love.