Community

my church. chad, a previous tattoo artist, used to do graffiti illegally.
as the cops drove by he felt odd that he was using his gift to beautify his church.

I don't think I knew the real definition of community until I moved to Nashville. Now this is what I know to be community:

throwing a huge party every few months for the community

seeing a 60-year-old woman get baptized for the first time after a life of hardship

pooling money to pay for daycare for a friend

having tornado parties in our basement 

meeting over coffee for conversations focused on Him 

showering women from the mission with love on valentine's day

having a small family that I have earth shattering conversations with every tuesday

making coffee and setting up communion every week for my family

nine people baptized on one sunday

your pastor weeping with joy and unable to speak after witnessing baptism 

having a child write math problems in sharpy all over your backseat and then taking him to the preds game the next week

sobbing in front of your pastor and his wife during a moment of darkness 

having random guests show up to our house daily 

seeing a precious baby grow up when you held her in the hospital

showing up unannounced to your pastor's house and staying for hours

looking around you and seeing people from all walks of life

meeting with a pregnant mom to help her with her gestational diabetes meal planning

having boy friends come over to watch jane austen movies

feeling like you could say anything and they would love you anyway

seeing the young reach out to the old and the old to the young

knowing the deepest secrets of your brothers and sisters and seeing them as Jesus does

being asked if you want to be prayed for by a stranger

investment and intentionality in relationships

being comfortable to be yourself around these people more than anyone

fighting in prayer for each others family

the poor wrecking the perception of the rich

doing life, not just sundays with an amazing God-fearing group

...and talking about the Lord all the way through

These thoughts are brought to you by sitting at my community group outside tonight and tears welling up in my eyes knowing that I have found a picture of heaven on earth. This is community: