Community

Meetings.  I spend too much time in meetings.  Some meetings are online with Skype or GoTo Meeting.  Sometimes I travel to another city or another country for a meeting.  Those are the ones which eat up a lot of time - time in aircraft, time in airports, time travelling.  Right now I am in Spain.  Why bother?  Why not just do things on your own?

In our organization, World Team, we do things together, in teams, cooperating synergistically.  We get more done and do a better job when we do things together, so that means we have to get together either electronically or in person.  So often today people seek to be alone.  They are with their computer, with their video game, seldom with others, seldom having social interaction.  Being constantly alone robs you of something; we are incomplete.  God created us to be in community, to be together, to work and live together in community.  Our example of perfect community is the Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Our communities here on earth can’t be that perfect, but we do need each other.  We get things done better when we are doing things with others, planning with others, working together.

I’m in a meeting, with great people, fellow workers in the gospel and together we can plan and stimulate one other to do our very best.  We will do more together than we can do alone, just as in a church people do more together than they could alone.  God called us to community, to work and live together, to serve together in community.  It is vital to who we are as human beings. Together, in community, we will find our greatest joy because that is how God made us.

Take A Hike

I just watched a news item which stated that if you leave your busy city life and go for a hike you not only feel better, your brain is refreshed and you will see a remarkable increase in productivity and problem solving ability.  In fact, a study recently published in Proceedings, an online medical journal of the National Academy of Sciences, states that hiking or walking grows brains.   Hiking is good for you, and not just for your physical health.

I love the outdoors, I love hiking and skiing, so of course I am glad to read the results of this study.  It’s not going to change much in my life because I already spend lots of time in outdoor activities, but maybe it will prompt me to encourage others to get more exercise so they stay fitter and smarter.  There’s another thing I’ve read lately which has some dramatic advice for living better.  It’s called the Bible and it has some great words on how to enjoy life more, live better and be more joyful.  It also has some great thoughts on what happens after death and how to make sure that your after-death experience is a good one.  I am excited to share with people that hiking will help them, but am I just as excited to share that knowing Jesus will help them?  I’m even more excited about Jesus than I am about hiking, but I notice that friends are more apt to listen to my words on hiking than they are to my thoughts on how much I love Jesus and what He has done for me.  Perhaps it is that people don’t mind adding hiking to their life, but realize that asking Jesus into their life will change everything.  They’re willing to talk about modification but not about transformation. 

Go take a hike, it’s good for you.  Get to know Jesus, it’s even better for you, now and for eternity.  Yes, it means transformation, but don’t be frightened.  A caterpillar becomes a butterfly in it’s transformation.  God wants to do something just as dramatic in your life.