Centri-Kid 5 Live!

burgers and the idol

2006-05-24T10:07:00.000-05:00

WooHoo for camp! Well, so whats been going on the past 2 days???? Well I have been in meeting after meeting. Learning about sales, inventory, expenses, revenue, credit cards, snow cones, missions offering, registration-AH! So much and so little time. My lifeway credit card hasnt come in yet, so that makes me a little nervous. WHOA.

Last night was super fun. We learned the staff sign language. it was alot of fun and then we went to one of our coordinators house to eat burgers. then we played volleyball, i sucked pretty bad. and then american idol. i cant decide who i want to win. katherine is good. she is so talented, but she isnt very different from every other female artist. now taylor, he is fun and entertaining. i like him alot too. but really who's cd would i buy? Katherines... so i guess thats who i vote for (like it matters)

i love kelly clarkson! for real!

2006-05-22T23:24:00.000-05:00

Well I made it! Yay. My first flight, i got SO claustrophopic. anyway, we had a session today on Bible Study evaluations. we went to walmart. ate dinner at Otters, and then we did name tags for like 3 hours. fun times. camp is coming...2 weeks and camp starts...tomorrow is going to be long and alot of work! and....AMERICAN IDOL! Im gonna vote alot...ok thats it. im glad to be here.

Centri-Kid 5

2006-05-15T17:12:00.000-05:00

I have decided to use this site as an update of camp! Here are the dates and addresses of where I will be!

Training Week (May 22- June 4)
Campbellsville University
1 University Drive
Campbellsville, KY 42718

Week 1 (June 5-9)
Northern Arizona University
PO Box 15003
Flagstaff, AZ 86011-5003

Week 2 (June 12-16)
Hannibal-Grange College
2800 Palmyra Rd.
Hannibal, MO 63401

Week 3 & 4 (June 19-30)
Carson Springs Confrence Center
120 Carson Springs Rd.
Newport, TN 37821

Weeks 5 & 6 (July 3-14)
705 Lambuth Blvd.
Jackson, TN 38301

Week 7 ( July 20-22)
William Carey College
497 Tuscan Ave./ Box 155
Hattiesburg, MS 39401

Week 8 (July 24-28)
Maryville College
502 E. Lamar Alexander Pkwy.
Maryville, TN 37804

Week 9 (July 31-August 4)
Bluefield College
3000 College Dr.
Bluefield, VA 24605

so here i am at week before i leave for camp. im excited and a bit nervous. i feel a little more attached here then i did last year before i left. i feel closer to my parents and brothers and sister in laws. so im sad to leave, but happy to go. joel reminded me tonight that i hated the first 3 weeks of camp last year, but then i ended up loving it and not wanting to come back. he was right. i did feel this way last year... so i guess its normal. i found out today that i dont have to drive the budget, im pumped about that! well...so here is my centri-kid blog...

send me mail and leave me comments!

Binding and Loosing

2005-12-14T14:43:00.000-06:00

this is how right now I view Scriptures, and the interpretation there of...and if you would like to hear someone else thoughts on this subject you can go to www.blairology.com.

for so long, i have been a poser. i have taught teenagers and told them to read their Bible. I have lied and told other people I read my Bible everyday. well I was a liar. and it just wasnt true. and those days I did attempt to read my Bible, I would get SO frustrated. I wouldnt understand it. I couldnt interpret it. It meant nothing to me. Then I would be like well am I even a Christian. and certainly I could never tell anyone this. it wasnt until recently, about a year ago...that all of this has come together, and made a bit more sense. this was the biggest part I was missing out on. to understand clearly the Bible, we need to know the history. we need to study the culture the Bible was being written in (Old and New Testament), who was being talked to? who was speaking? what was the government like? what were the people like? what was the religion? what were the customs? why did Jesus say that, who was He speaking to? etc... Then after we study the history, we read the Scripture in that context. who? what? when? b/c the Bible was written by and about, real people, in a real place at a real time. this is so important to understanding...after that then we know Gods word is ALIVE and so we can apply to today. well what does that mean for this culture? what is the message God is trying to say to you and me? and this last part is a bit tricky. i personally do not think this should be done alone. i think there exist these communities in which we should be allowed to share scripture and as a group interpret these things, and still of course have person individual beliefs, but there is just something about coming together and feeding off of ideas. and also asking God to reveal these truths...rabbi's use to us these method they called it binding and loosing. there is a familiar passage in the Bible where Jesus says whatever you bind on earth, will be binded in Heaven... very interesting, im not going to go into my thoughts on that scripture, maybe it is a good place to research the rabbi's and the culture etc...

this recently has struck me very important over the Christmas holiday's, with the interpretation of the Christmas message. Since this is already SO long, I will wait a few days, and I will look at the Scripture in reference to the roots of the passages and etc...

Intimacy

2005-12-09T16:52:00.000-06:00

i wish more people would say what they think. im sure most people have felt that way but for some reason we have been taught not to talk about tihngs...or maybe not to be vulnerable by talking.

so i have been thinking and developing my ideas more. and this is my new thinking...i wrote about how erikson thought "Losing and finding self in another" so maybe he is saying you create your identity by yourself then you lose it and find a new identity when you create an intimate relationship with someone. i dont know. but then the other psychologist said its not true for females. and what they think is females find themselves when they enter the intimate relationships...so i am thinking...how can they think that...and i think i have an answer, im sure its wrong but hey...whatever...and a little warning its pretty sunday schoolish. so it is true females (and personally i think males too) find there identity in a relationship...but the key is who the relationship is with, and i think it is Christ. we were put here for a mission. a mission to redeem the world. to serve, to restore, to love, to help, etc... who else had that mission? Jesus. we are here to fulfil the mission that Christ came to begin, and to show us how to carry them out.

so to find out who we are, and what we are here for...we need to realize our role in this huge story...and to do that we need to learn more of who Jesus is, and that will in turn create this intimate relationship with our Redeemer. it is true we need to form an intimate relationship to find out who we are...they are just confused on who to form the relationship with.

i have decided no human man can tell me who i am created to be, or what i am created to do. how would they know? they didnt make me. they didnt "form me in my mother's womb"...and this is really isnt meant to be some girl power thing...i am just trying to make sense of things...and i think it is the very same thing for guys. no girl can tell them those things either. so why do we try? maybe it all goes back to Eden when God said women would try to control man. who knows...

Dating vs. Waiting

2005-12-07T15:25:00.000-06:00

wow this is going to be long...

first i want to set up my post by explaining my history when it comes to dating and everything tied to it. i had my first boyfriend when i was in 8th grade. and for 8th graders we were pretty serious. from 8th grade until my senior year, i always had a boyfriend. not the same one, i just had one. 2 years before 8th grade i had my first kiss and was from that point hopelessly infatuated with guys.

so that is a smig of my dating/love/intimacy history. currently i am single. and have been since college. but it wasnt until about a year ago that i got rid of being hopelessly infatuated with any guy. so i have begun this journey of wholeness. and i wanted and want to find out, why am i this way? what makes me want this attachement to guys so much? what makes me find my self worth in a boy? i mean i know all the sunday school answers, ive heard them at every dating/true love waits thing...and they just do not work. those ideas and answers are so shallow and cannot heal or answer the deep need that i have felt.

in this search, and i am continuously searching...this is what i have found is the root causes...

1. Culture... in our culture it is expected that we get married. i am now 21, and it seems everyone that i havent seen in a while or even those i have always ask...so are you dating anyone? and most of the people around me also seem to be getting married or has a boyfriend (which i am totally not saying it is bad for them)...also, in books that we read, in TV shows, in Movies...everyone is either married or been married or getting married...etc... our culture expects us to get married or to have a significant other

2. Biological...well i am in psychology right now and from the tiny bit of knowledge i have obtain through that class, im sure i have some kind of genetic code that tells me i need attachment and blah blah...but this one doesnt really matter to me...

3. Biblical... i have been to many many weddings in my day, and read every Christain and some non-Chirstian dating books. and most of them if not all of them use scripture...and I am not saying that marriage or intimate relationships are not of God. because I 100% think some of them are. but for some reason I was confused and I thought that because it was Biblical then it was the only way to do things. If i didnt get married then I couldnt fulfil what God would have me to fulfil. which was totally not true. now that i am older and have read scripture and interpreted for myself...the scripture I have found says, if you want to get married...get married, if you dont, then dont.

4. I dont know that to name this one...Somewhere along my way, I have been very confused. I thought my self worth would or could only come from being married. I felt I would not be anyone if I didnt get married. I felt that my status in life would come from that. Today, I was in my parenting class and this guy named Erikson..Im sure many of you have heard of...created the idea of the stages people go through as they being parented, and the 6th one is Intimacy vs. Isolation..and its the idea of "Losing and finding self in another" but then he thinks you must create your identity before you can have an intimate relationship with someone. I was very confused. but then these other psychologist say that that is not true for females they find there self worth or identity through having an intimate relationship. with all of this...I am SCREAMING...NOOOOOOO...an intimate relationship can be beautiful and wonderful, but it doesnt make us who we are or what we are. the only person who has any authority over our self-worth is Christ. and I know that does sound Sunday School, but it is SO true.

I am not knocking marriage or dating...Like I said, they can be beautiful and wonderful. And I am not opposed to being married or dating someone one day, what I am saying is that right now I am Lydia Allen...and God has things planned for me out of the WAZOO, and maybe it involves a partner, maybe not, but I do know that God's word to me is full of who I am, and full of what God has created me to be. I am not waiting for someone b/c even if I did it would do alot more harm then good.

I heard a song that said "I am not into dating, I am in to waiting" Waiting for what? Be you now. Dont wait. There is nothing to wait for, God has already provided everything we need, the rest is just extra...

My life as a 20 year old

2005-12-05T16:13:00.000-06:00

As of yesterday, I am now 21. And for me birthdays cause me to look over the past year of my life. I think how I spend my life being 20. Yesterday, I asked my mom what she did on her 21st birthday and she didnt remember...when she did, it was that her and my dad got engaged. Mine was not quite that exciting. So with my reflection on this past year I am going to share some of my life...

I dont think I have ever grown this much spiritually ever. It really all started when I went to YS confrence in Nashville. Which was actually before I turned 20, but thats still where it started. My brother had bought the CD's of a few sessions, one being Rob Bell. There began a fascination with the truth and history, and the mixing of the two. I totally wouldnt be who I am right now if it werent for Rob Bell and the truths God has spoken into my life through him.

Second, I have changed in relation with my family. My relationship with my brothers have only gotten better. They are more of friends now then ever. My parents and I have such a better, honest relationship. My family has obviously made me who I am, and they continue to do that.

My bestfriend Jessica and I have a relationship that also has matured and grown over the year. Really in just the past 2 months. She is constantly on this journey with me, and we are constantly sharpening each other to be the real us.

This summer I was a part of team doing kids camp for Centri-Kid. And this would be the height of my growth of this year. I was challenged more than I ever have been. I learned to love people I would never have loved other wise. I learned to care and encourage when I was empty. I learned to rely on people when I wanted to be independent. I learned to be who I was, not who someone wanted me to be. I learned to travel. I learned to shut my mouth when I wanted my opinion to be known, but knew it would do more harm then good. I learned patience. I learned that I really dont need that much sleep. I learned that people who dont "think like me" arent wrong they are just different. I learned that how I thought about things might not be really that true. I really truly learned how to care, not conditionally, but truely deep down caring about people and life in general.

The last thing I have learned which might be the most important is I have learned how important relationships are. I prayed not too long ago for friends. Then last night really God showed me very clearly, Lydia, you already have them. My prayer really wasnt for friends, it was for new friends. Which was very selfish of me. I needed and am praying for a heart to genuienly care for my friends. And for me to know how to be a friend b/c I suck at it. So, if you are reading this and consider yourself my friend, I am sorry I have done a bad job, but its going to change.

I am so thankful I have reached 21. And more than that I am so thankful God has brought me to this place and will continue to teach me and stretch me, and that I will not be the same when I turn 22.

Unclean Unclean

2005-11-26T01:13:00.000-06:00

Ok, so I was suppose to do this a while ago.. I got too busy with all my thanksgiving festivities...

I went to the National Youth Workers Convention in Nashville. While I was there, there was a speaker whos name is Doug Paggett, He is the pastor of what the convention labeled an "emerging" church. So the rest of this is his thoughts plus a few of mind.

Read Acts 10

Ok, if you didnt read it you wont understand some of this...

So in vs 14...God tells Peter, Dont call anything unclean that I have called clean. Peter was trying to tell God what the Bible says. And God was like no Peter, I have called that clean. SO many many times, I try to tell God those things that I consider "unclean" or the people I consider "unclean" and God always compassinately reminds me that they are no more unclean than I. And that they are really clean.

Further in the passage Peter obeys God and goes to this persons house who most people would not. And right then Peter is establishing the idea that Christ didnt come to just make the Jews whole but the gentiles too. Wow. What a statement. And if you keep reading the followers of Christ get mad and they are questioning Peter, even after he tells them of God telling him to go. Thas the story of my life. Questioning Gods will for other people. Who am I to think that I know? Why do I think I have any ground to judge anyone?

The last thing is there is the Band called Jolly Napier who wrote this song called unclean, and I cant find all the lyrics but it is so my heart right now...so here are the ones I can think of without butchering it...

Who do I think I am?
Who do I think you are?
Maybe some kind of better breed of sinner than they are?
I think we could all take a flying leap
From the top of lady liberty
And try to cross the sea
You might jump farther than some,
But we would all end up drowning
Far ashore from the glories of the East....

Seasons of Love

2005-11-11T14:51:00.000-06:00

525,600 minutes - how do you measure, measure a year?
In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee.
In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife.
In 525,600 minutes - how do you measure a year in the life?
How about love? How about love? How about love? Measure in love.
Seasons of love.

In 31680 minutes...ill be 21. How do you measure that???

Where did 20 go? Didnt I just turn 18? How come sometimes I feel 30 but then other times I feel 12???

Why does age let people know how mature we are? Thats ridiculous. Its just a number.

Am I old enough to drink? or to gamble? Who got to decide that? Why isnt there a maturity test? This system is whack...Like one day you cant and then one day you can. Kinda like marriage...one day you cant have sex and then one day you can. Why isnt there an age limit on that? That seems to require way much more maturity then drinking or gambling.

Maybe it isnt about the age or committment at all. Maybe our culture just tells us it is.

Why did we start letting culture make our decisions instead of God?

Renewed and Restored

2005-11-08T12:12:00.000-06:00

I constantly have this frustration with the church. I really think I am just constantly frustrated about something. I don't know.

I have been thinking a lot about struggles. I have also been thinking about God's sovereignty. And why God allows bad things to happen. I think I have made my conclusion. When God created everything, God said that it was good. When man sinned it wasn't in the plan. Maybe it was...But it did throw everything out of whack. Everything. From earthquakes to cancer. It is all chaos. It wasn't intended to be. So, we live in this world of mass craziness and in our hearts there is a message of hope and peace. It isn't just a coincidence either but God placed that desire because that's how it was suppose to be.

So we have this world full of pain, hurt and struggle. And it seems like we try to hide that. That we try to make everything look good and happy. I have never met a person who doesn't struggle. We constantly say Well, we are only humans. Can there be a bigger cop-out? Yes, we are only humans so we have temptations and we have struggles..But since Christ came we have the power to not give into the struggle. Why doesn't the church understand that? It is ok to be broken. It is ok to be tempted. How can we overcome or deal with these issues if people who "care about us most' turn their backs on us.

Some people are like, well we will be perfect that day when we see the Lord. But what about now? Jesus said He came to bring life...Right now. Not when we die. Right now!

I know this seems to be such an elementary concept...But I don't think we get it. Who did Jesus hang out with? What did Jesus do? He loved. Love. And love means embracing the struggles. The struggles you personally have and the struggles of the people who you are connected with. Not to agree with sin, but to be there during the struggle. God never meant for us to be in this alone. So, why do we feel that way? Why has the church made us feel this way? Why have they pushed us out but still preach love? What is their definition of love? Where did they learn this? When did it go wrong? Why? Why? Why?

I am reading a book called The Challenge of Jesus by NT Wright...and it talks about this issue...

It says that when Jesus performed miracles it was symbolic of "dealing with the problems at the root so as to bring to birth a truly renewed, restored community whose new life would symbolize and embody the kingdom of which Jesus was speaking." How do we expect to be renewed if we aren't allowed to acknowledge the old? How can we be restored if we aren't allowed to be broken?

Christ talked to the woman at the well, and acknowledged her sin. He didn't accuse her of being wrong and point out all the bad stuff. He said, I know you are living in this lifestyle, but that not how I intended life for you. I intended to give you abundant life. I came so that you could live freely, right now. Not when you die. Not when you get everything right. Just right now, as you are. And it changed her life, and the life of her family. B/c He accepted her hurt and her struggles. He didn't her sin, but He loved her inspite of it. Something we so often miss. We preach love, but do we really really show it? Do others around us feel loved? Do I show true love?

Constructivism

2005-11-03T10:25:00.000-06:00

I am transcribing this interview for work. And it is a teacher who won teacher of the year. And my boss, the interviewer, asks her, what makes a successful teacher? and She replies by saying she uses a method of constructivism, where I present the information and the students construct their own meaning. Because if I they can construct their own meaning, then they learn it, but if I tell them the meaning they have not learned.

I have struggled so hard with the frustration of church, of feeling so condemned and so guilty from pastors. And not just them, by Sunday school teachers, church members, and Christian friends. And not only them making me feel that way, but me making people feel that way too. I knew it wasn't right. There had to be something more. What was Jesus main message, LOVE. He said, I didn't come to condemn the world, but the save it. And what was Jesus? He was a teacher. He wasn't a pastor or an evangelist...He was a teacher. He told the disciples go and make other disciples by teaching them.

How do we learn when we are told the meaning? When we are told how to believe and how to act. I do agree in the wise counsel of others, and of having a source of information to go on. But when did they become the authority to decide things for me. Rob Bell said in his sermon sexy on the inside, that he doesn't want to have the last word, but the first word. He doesn't want to tell people what to believe, but to just share information with people. To began a conversation. Not only to come up with meanings on your own, but to real truly believe in these things from deep inside you who are.

I believe that is why in the Bible Jesus would answer questions with another question. He knew people needed to really learn. They had to construct their own meaning and He led them to it. He didn't make it for them. If God gives us free will, why don't we extend it to the people around us?

Being a real teacher is knowing how to lead people to discover things for themselves, and giving them the freedom to be who they are while doing it.

Time

2005-10-30T22:24:00.000-06:00

Ive been thinking about time alot. How before time God knew me. Psalms 139 is one of my most treasured passage of scripture. How God ordained my days and wove me together, all the while having a relationship with me that I didnt know existed. And God is having a relationship with my future children, and their future children, and my great grandparents and so on. It seems so...unreal. I guess our minds can not fathom those things. Atleast it is hard to.

This weekend I went to six flags. and I was waiting in line at the Titan and i began to think of the first time I rode the Titan. It was the first summer it opened, like 3 years ago. And it was so new. Everything about it was new. And this time it wasnt so new. I was with different people. The weather was different. My life was different. The titan didnt change though althought it got a little rusty, it was the same ride. My friend and I began dicussing all the people who had been in that very line before, and how some of them we knew. Or some of them we were connected with in some way or another, somehow.

Time is a strange. We dont have too much of it. But it seems I waste my time. Constantly.

Unencumbered numbered words

2005-10-27T10:35:00.000-05:00

Ive been thinking about what to post. And to be honest...I'm thinking in my head...ok what is God teaching me? What new spiritual revelation have I had? And honestly there isnt any. I am a firm believer that everything is spiritual. And everything I do is spiritual, but for so long I believed that it only happened in moments. And that only going to church and doing those kind of events were spiritual. Whoa was I wrong. Everything is. Sure there are things that happen where I encounter God more intimately then others, and specific things happen where I know God is teaching me something, but anyway, all of that to say...I dont have anything to say that most people would label "Spiritual"...

I have been looking at random blogs for the past hour. It is fun. Sometimes, I know this is going to sound so dumb, I forget that other people live on this earth. Other people outside of this box we call Ruston. There are so many sites in different languages. I wish I knew another language. But I forget about them. I forget how big this world is, and how small I am. I enjoy reading random blogs, its like I get to watch a bunch of movies, or read a bunch of short stories. And the wierd thing is that these people dont even know I am reading about them. They have no idea who a Lydia Allen is. And I have no idea who they are but I still get a glimpse into their lives. But isnt it all just words? It is so wierd how one word can change everything. It reminds me of Jason Mraz... "See I'm all about them words, Over numbers, unencumbered numbered words, Hundreds of pages, pages, pages forwards, More words then I had ever heard and I feel so alive..."

What if there were no words? What if we couldnt speak? I guess then we would be animals. Would we bark? That would be weird.

Sometimes I wish some people were not allowed to talk.

Sex

2005-10-24T22:24:00.000-05:00

Why is sex such an awkward topic? Is it because the idea of sex is two human beings being totally vulnerable to each other is embarrassing? Is it because we have been told that those kind of discussions are to be taboo? That that topic should be saved for discussion when they actually experience it and it should only be talked about with that person. Who knows? But I think it is time to get out of that. And to start talking about it. Not only in the sense of that one act, but the whole idea of sex, and everything that comes with that.

I listen to a pastor named Rob Bell weekly. And his message for this week is this very topic. So for most of this post, I will be discussing his ideas. If you would like to listen to it yourself you can go here (http://www.mhbcmi.org/listen/index.php). The word sex or sexual comes from latin. And the definition of the word is to cut off from, to disconnect from the whole. When something is said to be sexed it means to be disconnected from. How ironic is that? The word we used to describe the most intimate form of connection, actually means the opposite.

In Genesis, we are created to be connected with God, people, and our surroundings. At the whole fruit incident, we became unconnected. We have this deep desire to be connected with God, people, and our surroundings. Being that we are not connected, we try to connect. Our generation is full of connection. Cell phones, instant message, facebook, xanga, text messaging etc... But we are said to be the most lonely generation. Why is that? We arent connecting with an emotional, intimate connection. It seems that sex is such a big deal, yet so many people are hurting and are lonely, and unconnected. We have taken the idea of sex and made into this definition where it is just this thing shared b/t two people. But the idea of this connection goes far beyond the act of sex.

Author of "The Holy Longing", Ronald Rolheiser, says that Mother Teresa was one of the most sexual beings. She found her connection with meeting the needs of others. There are so many ways to be connected and as a generation we have the wrong idea. Connection can come from sex, but isnt limited through sex. Connection. God desires for us to be connected to him, others, and our environment.

I have missed this idea completely. I try to become connected in ways that are false. Through this false reality of connection. I hope with this new outlook I will learn to become connected to God, people, and my surroundings without limits.

Listening

2005-10-23T21:53:00.000-05:00

I didnt want to post this. I think mainly because I feel if I let everyone know, then I am responsible for it. Which is probably a good thing. Also, I have read like 8 books since this book but I keep being drawn back to it. So here it is...

I go to a coffee shop and I see someone I know. I go up to this person and I try to make conversation. I ask them how they are, etc... And i get no response. Just the cold shoulder. So not only did I feel ridiculous, but I felt like that person had no time for me at all. Not even time to say hi. And then as I was studying an old friend came in, He came over and gave me a hug. Sat down and asked me how my life has been. It was only a 5 min. conversation. But he really listened to me. And told me about his life as well. With all of this going on, I pulled out Life Together b/c it was the only book in my backpack and I was sick of studying. and I turn to the page about the Ministry of Listening.

Ok, I am horrible at listening. I always feel like I have to give my opinions. I do want to talk to others, but I always just get through their part of the conversation to tell them my thoughts. I think I might have developed this through having two olders brothers and my opinions never really got accounted for. But nonetheless, it isnt a good thing. I talked in my previous post about spiritually loving your community, and i think a part of that love, is spiritually listening to your community. "Just as love to God begins with listening to His Word, so the beginning of love for the brethen is learning to listen to them."-Bonhoeffer... And this idea of listening, isnt just half way listening. but it is completely stopping everything around you, and listening to that person. Really soaking in everything that person is saying. Genuinely caring for that person. Is that not how God listens to us? What if God was like, "you know I am really busy doing all this other stuff, I really dont have time for you"? But He doesnt. His listens to everything. And takes it in. Our attitude, even in listening, will reflect who we are in Christ. And it is suppose to be a mirror image of who God is, so if God listens, we should as well.

I was thinking of the childhood song, "Oh be careful little ears what you hear..." Maybe it would be more appropriate as, "Oh be careful little ears HOW you hear."

"We should listen with the ears of God that we may speak the Word of God."- Bonhoeffer

I am constantly like the first person I encountered at the coffee shop. But I find when I really listen to people, I really begin to love people. I cant imagine how many oppurtunities I have missed by not listening. I cant imagine how many people have gotten a bad taste of Christ through how I failed in listening.

Community

2005-10-21T20:14:00.000-05:00

I have decided to make this site my spiritual questions and thoughts. Buckets if you will :) . Alot of it might not make any sense, actually it probably wont. So we will see where this journey takes us.

I first heard of the idea of community from John Eldridge. In Waking the Dead, he discusses his community and his need for that community. He talks about how they fight for each other, and they share struggles etc... After reading that, I desperately wanted this community he was talking about. Sure I have friends, but it wasnt like the kind of group that Eldridge had painted a picture of. I was actually reading that book in a group so I talked about it with them. An honestly, the answer I got was that I was so young, a community like that wont exist for you, and maybe it never will. So, that was a bummer, and as a result I hid that desire deep down in my heart.

This summer I worked doing Centri-Kid camps. Well, when I got home I realized that the group I was with was the closest thing to community that I have ever experienced. So, I knew it did exist and I let it rise back up in my heart. It was like this longing that had been buried for so long. Well, the problem is that I wasnt with that community anymore. I was back in my old surroundings. I really began to pray for community. A friend of mine recommends I read the book, Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I realized a whole lot through it. First, I realized that I wanted a community that was Spiritually mature. And thats not how I feel God desires community. I think He just desires the willing. The people who are thirsty for His truth and His word. Second, this isnt about me. The community isnt about my needs, but me serving the needs of others. And as a community serving the needs of the people around us. Third, that this community is a part of a body, and is also a body of itself. Ok this might sound a little nuts. But God is a community. There are three parts. And they all are the same. Just like that our communities serve the same purpose, but yet are so unique. And every community that I am part of is unique. So this one kind of goes with my first thought...about wanting a spiritual mature community. I realized that it wasnt about have a spiritually mature one, but it was about spiritually loving the communities I am apart of.

One of my favorite quotes from Rob Bell's "Velvet Elvis" is this..."Community, Community, Community. Together with others, wrestling and searching and engaging the Bible as a group of people hungry to know God in order to follow God."

Another blog...

2005-10-20T23:28:00.000-05:00

Not sure why I created this one. Maybe just for more things to look at while im at work...This will be fun!