Community is a real buzz word in the church today, and I'm glad that it is.  Over the past 3-4 years, God has taught Janna and I so much about living in community.  As we begin life on the Island our prayer is that God will not limit community to a concept or topic for philosophical debate, but that we will have incredible opportunities to live it out.  While I have to admit I love the idea, I have to also say that the trouble with truly living life "in community" (Acts 3.43-47 is a great example of what I'm talking about)  is also it's greatest joy… Other People!  That may sound harsh, but you have to admit that there are times when life seems safer and easier to control when we don't have to share it with others.

Friends, family, spouses, children, employers, our church bodies…  Other people often complicate life.  Their words, opposing ideas, loving attempts to offer advice, etc.  With some (often those we love the most) it's the simple fact that they exist and have an opinion that can make life tricky.  Our inability to escape certain relationships can truly intensify what it means to live in community. The reality of life however, is that the sacrifice and vulnerability needed to 'share life' are worth every terrifying moment.  We need each other! 

While it's hard to find people who disagree with the need for community, it is equally as hard to find those that are willing to "lay down their lives for their friends".  There are a million ways that we make community hard for each other, and I'd say one of the biggest is our inability to both give and receive forgiveness. 

Lately I've been thinking a lot about what it takes to really share life.  Ultimately, the most intense and unchanging environment in my life is that of family.  I have awesome family, and love them dearly.  This past couple years have overflowed with both joy and sorrow for much of my immediate family.  MS, Cancer, the loss of my beloved Grandma…   I can't think of a better example of community from my own experience than the journey that my family has shared in the past couple years.  The intensity of this journey has been incredible, and while we have really learned to share life in a deeper way through it all, it hasn't come without it's challenges.  

One of the lessons that I've learned from my family, is the power of forgiveness.  Understandably, there have been many moments where the intensity of our lives caused us to interact with each other in less than admirable ways.  In other words, we messed up.  The note worth truth of our story isn't how we handled relationships and situations at every turn.  It is however, the power of forgiveness in both the big and the small.  Rather than give up on relationship (as many do in times of crisis) we found deeper places of life together by way of forgiveness.

Henri Nouwen said that we need to "forgive each other for not being God".  I truly believe that in order for the church to live life together, we need God to teach us the art of forgiveness.  I pray that we have the continued strength and humility to both ask for and give it extravagantly.  Community is more than a buzz word, it is Christ's desire for the His church.  It will cost us everything, and it's worth every penny.