Awkward Interruptions

Authentic Christian Community has become a hot button. We love talking about it, preaching about it, reading about it, and for the most part we all desire it, but how many days a week do we pursue it? For most people there is some awkward unspoken barrier that deprives us from one of humans' earliest identified needs. So why is it so hard to find and create this creature? When you continue this conversation through our culture of gated driveways and bolt-locked doors it becomes clear that we have created a security system to protect our lives from the world.

Not only have we locked our doors to protect ourselves but we have a fatalistic fear to even attempt to ring a doorbell. What do we fear? Most people I talk to agree that this fear is directly related with interruption. Why should I visit a friend unannounced or uninvited when I could be risking interrupting them from their busy lives? But my question is what are you actually going to interrupt? Most likely, with most Americans (if they are home) you are going to interrupt 1 of 2 things, eating or watching TV, both of which are great to do with people!

There are researches, studies, and journals written on the fact, but it doesn't take much to show that Mark Zuckerberg, Jack Dorsey and Steve Jobs have drastically changed humanity's lifestyle. The internet and social media are great tools and without them I would not be connected to friends and family across state and country. But, they can create a superficial connection that some label as stalking. No matter how many times someone tweets, posts, or texts how often do even your closest friends communicate their true struggles and needs? Stalk all you want but I'm going to go on a walk and have a conversation (go ahead, call me weird). So, stop "following" on YourPhone and start using it as a tool for this authentic community that you keep tweeting about.

My Lord and Savior did not come into this world with an invitation, and it was nowhere on Mary's Gmail Calendar. The community we drool over that is accounted in the Acts of the Apostles was not created on their own, but existed by and with the Holy Spirit. Stop waiting for some one to write on your wall and start knocking on some doors. Get awkward, interrupt, and allow Holy Spirit to move and create what we are all looking for!