How interesting the way God works. It never ceases to amaze me. So this reading the Bible in a year project my church started. Fantastic! Old Testament is done...and then we move to a new state. The plan is to stick with it one they start up the new testament in the fall, but it just won't be the same. My persisting (such a much more use friendly word than Type A, OCD, or stubborn) personality requires that I check to box, but low and behold this little hippie church we have been visiting started this new thing. You come on Sunday having read and the pastor doesn't talk at you, he asks you questions that are NOT RHETORICAL. You are expected to answer, out loud, where everyone can hear you. What. If you don't, there is a REALLY awkward pause and I love it. I really felt in my speed reading that while there was freedom in the 30,000 foot view, I still want to go back and chew on it. Well, what would this little place be doing but going through Genesis, Exodus, and chew on it on a Sunday morning together. Now that is brunch! The church cynic in me wants to squeal in my seat because this is the stuff. This is what it was most likely like in Acts. It's less about what I think church should be like and more about getting to the most pure, relational, authentic, program free version of church. And I looked up to the sky with my hands open and mouthed, "Thank you." Its like a strange season of spiritual rest for me, who has gone to all the emotive youth camps, run all the worship transparencies, memorized all the Bible verses because you would get a donut hole, lived through all the hurt and loneliness of when "godly people do ungodly things." I have struggled to feel connected, truly connected and not just like I have a lot of great friends in church who prove I'm popular with lots of pics of us at bunko. I just have so struggled to connect with the single gal, the young mom, the girls I so desperately want to share "the stuff." No, not just the occasional social justice project, but an ongoing life that desires to be joyfully exhausted in the fact that you are not thinking about doing life, but actually doing it. Free from career ambition, worry over a 401k, bondage to social status, or being lost in mommy land never to emerge from homes or parks and into where he directs us. I truly feel that God has had me in this relational wilderness for so yet to be determined purpose.
So to get to this little hippie church downtown, it takes us a 35 minute drive and every single person we have met cocks their head at us when they hear we are coming from Pflugerville (next door to Austin's Clovisland). BUT YOU ARE SO DAD-GUMB NICE HERE! ARE YOU TRYING TO MAKE ME STOP COMING?! I ain't afeared. My heart wants to fully dive in and commit, but WE are still exploring, taking our time. You said you weren't a cult and we are gonna make sure of that. Been there and done that in church. Last week, "church" was cancelled because that is just what they do every 5th Sunday in order to quit the program and be church in the city with a buffet of Austin's finest non-profits. So we went to the informational meeting. Things that blew my mind...
1. All their buildings are hokey rented facilities (and they fully admitted that we were in a the nice officey one that they only rented because God called them too) There will be no construction.
2. There was no coffee (still weeding out preference in my life)
3. The pastor had tattoos
4. We were not slapped with a bulletin, but stopped at the entrance to have our hands shaken and asked our names
5. 5 seconds later someone else gives us a look like they know us and smiles and starts a conversation
6. "we try to give away as much time as we use"
7. The pastor-all the emails go to me and I'm just bad about answering them. Sorry, I can guarantee we will be messy and unrehearsed.
8. a barrage of crazy stats about post modernists leaving church at a rapid rate
9, they don't want their campuses to get larger than 300 folks. It felt like the magic doable community size
10. Love your neighbor, serve your city. The motto structures their small group life. One week you don't meet, but you gotta go do life, dinner, a beer, a bottle, a movie night, something with your neighbors. the other weeks, you go with your small group and DO something to serve the city alongside each other. Can you imagine how little we would deal with, "The group didn't fit my personality, 3 groups and it will stick, it just wasn't for me..."?!?!? Its like that magic love potion you seem to take on a solid missions trip. Where you don't know somebody and then you have a deep connection over Israel, New Orleans, Snow Cones, or whatever other thing you did with someone that transcends personality preference?
11. they make church decisions democratically, like with town hall meetings
12. sunday morning is just about you and HIM. They practice a few sacramental things like communion EVERY Sunday, Lords Prayer, a benediction sheerly because is connects us in that old pure way with Christ
13. "Sunday is Vertical, Monday through Saturday is Horizontal"
14. The pastor-I'm not gonna get mad you didn't go through us to do something for Christ. Those are my favorite
15. Give your money to what you believe in. If you believe in us, give some to us
It's why we are making friends with neighbor's and sharing caught fish over the back fence (thank you Daisy Dog for making the introduction)
It's why I need to buy a bar-b-que
It's why I have researched shipping that 3rd generation sno cone machine that wouldn't fit in the pods (food doesn't bring people together, sno cones do)
It's why we chat in the driveway with the bold neighbor's chilling out of their garage with their kids
It's why I started talking to the lady next to me while getting the best pedicure ever, "What kind of white wine did you get? You got the peppermint pedicure? Tell me about your breast cancer recovery?" Yeah, I went there and she told me how to make a marriage last 31 years with a glow like I've never seen
It's why I am not afraid to ask the random couple whose date night we crashed at a packed brew pub (they would have given us a fake last name if they didn't like us back)
It's why I'm going to clean out my new garden bed this week up the street at a community garden
It's why I am heaving and huffing through this running group at Aaron's office that I am in no way in shape for. (You must be super cute and athletic to live in Austin BTW. I can't wear those cute tops that give you a good tan, I have to where 2 bras and look like a ripe tomato for 30 minutes post the "light jog")
It's not perfect, but community is coming and I have one agenda. The spur others on to good works, to encourage, and just bring joy and depth to the lives of those open to it. Forget Sunday morning and Sunday night church...I want church at the park, church at the grocery story, church at the brew pub, church all the time. This is the stuff.