Author: Wick

Over the past years, my wife and I have had the privilege of being a part of a small group. Surprisingly, this hasn’t (for me at least, hopefully for the others too) become something we dread, or another time consuming commitment, or “church” thing that we do because we feel like we should participate in church stuff. In fact, the level of community that I’ve experienced in this group has been refreshing on a deep level.

I care about what’s going on in their lives. I find myself praying for them. I look forward to seeing them at events, etc. I actually feel like we’ve developed relationships that are echoes of what God intended back when he said “You, together, are the body of Christ”…etc. I look forward to where this group goes together/the work we do, and where we each find ourselves down the road.

In this group, and in a couple other friendships, my wife/life/God have taught me how to grow…..I’ve learned, and continue to learn what it means to actually “build a relationship” with another human being. I’m thankful for her pushing me beyond the type of person who simply likes to shake hands, make connections, and share a ride with others. (check my Facebook friends population….I’m actually more ashamed than proud…the numbers speak to the depth of many of those relationships.)

So much so, that I really wish we could all buy a giant house or a few houses in a neighborhood together, and move in together as a small group…or somethin’ crazy like that. To experience intentional community with these friends, supporting from and drawing from each other as each is able…etc. Not sure how it’d all work out….and it’s probably more like a 5th grader level desire to “have all my friends live near me” or what not. Although I can be honest and say, I don’t wanna live near them just because I like playing together: They know I’m not a big AOE fan.

Which seems to be the issue some other “New Monasticism” communities are dealing with. In reading this article, which came in response to this article (feel free to read both/either/neither). How intentional communities somehow end up being of one “culture” or color, or whatever.

Even with the issues that have been brought up in the article above, I think there are VERY important things about living as communities that the new monasticism movement brings up. I think we can all agree that technology, cities, development, and population, etc. have all led to a very independant, individual-driven, selfish lifestyle; and sometimes even a theology to go with it.

God has called us, and even created us…for life with each other. When we model that in our own lives, across any kind of social/economic/racial/political barrier….we are speaking the good news of the Kingdom of God. Maybe that needs to look like something large and radical. Maybe it’s a radical that transforms in the small things…

There have been a couple times in my life that my diet has been forced to consist of mostly liquids.

The first, when I had a nissan-fundleplycation back in High School. I grew up with Acid Reflux (heartburn), and it was burning a hole through my esophagus, so they went in, and tightened the top of my stomach to make it a “one way” valve. So yah, I can’t burp much, and can’t puke at all (which is worse than it sounds)….but I don’t ever have heartburn, which rocks.

After the surgery, I couldn’t even drink stuff for a while. Just a pink sponge dabbed on my tongue whenever my mouth got dry. But after that I could only eat Jello, and pudding and what-not for a couple weeks at least. I lost like 30 pounds that I would keep off until college. 🙂

The second, was last year. I had my tonsils removed, which was incidentally the worst pain I’ve ever experienced. The result of such a sore throat, kept me on water for a LONG time. A couple weeks went by, adding small things like pudding and soft cheese, etc. I lost like 20 pounds, that I’ve definitely gained back since then.

So why bring this up? My brother-in-law Ben is going under the knife later this month for a surgery that requires him to do a liquid diet until the 16th. Prompted both by the desire to be in prayer for him, and also to be the “always take a dare” kinda guy that I am….I committed to endure the liquid diet together.

So starting this past Tuesday night, I stopped eating solid foods. It’s now friday, and I’m hungry as all get out. The previous two occasions for this diet, I was in such pain, I didn’t care to eat much anyways. This is different. I see food. I smell food. I want food. 🙂

So we’ll see what happens. At the starting point, I weighed in at 197 lbs. (huge, I know…but it’s ALL muscle…hehe). Until the 16th, I’ll be drinking instant breakfasts, eating fat-free pudding, and drinking bouillion.

It’ll be tough on the Mrs. too, cause she’s a big fan of making full meals lately, gettin’ all creative with her cooking with some of her room-mates from college. But she’ll love being able to make all sorts of vegetables with no complaints…hehe.

(skip to the * and start reading there, if you want this to make more sense)
Been reading through some commentaries lately, on the book of Luke (this year’s quizzing materials). I’ll be digging more through Luke throughout the school year, as we are also taking a look at it in our youth Sunday School class.

Because it had been on my desk for so long, I accidentally started reading a commentary on the book of Acts, though.

Reading through the beginning of Acts, with the understanding that it’s kinda like the second book of Luke, has been pretty cool. To realize that, by saying what he does about Jesus in the beginning, he’s setting this book up as “the continued works of Jesus Christ”.

* We’ve probably heard before, that the New Testament is the story of the people of God entering into the Kingdom of God. That Kingdom is inaugurated at Christs’ birth/life/death/resurrection, and then we see how it continues to take shape and transform the world throughout the rest of the story. From this perspective, we can also understand that as a time-line, we are still caught up in the midst of the New Testament. Most of the time when you hear someone say this, they refer to us being somewhere in the midst of the Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ. I like that too.

But to think of us being still invited to, and caught up in, the work of Jesus Christ as proclaimed in the book of Acts, is something a bit new to me. The fact that the “end” of the book is not quite an “ending”…but a “to be continued” in the lives of those who come after Paul….is pretty stinkin’ exciting.

I’ve heard before, and I’ve even said before, “check out the book of Acts, see how they lived as the beginning of the body of Christ”. To imply that we can be really inspired and motivated by how life after Christ was resurrected began to take shape in the communities that followed. I think that’s a good implication to make.

But even more exciting is the fact that not only can we simply be “inspired or encouraged” by the quaint stories found in 2 Luke, but can actually find ourselves invited to the same Holy Spirit-empowered experience of Jesus continuing the work He began previously…..whew.

That’s better than Cinnamon Toast Crunch for breakfast.