COMMUNITY CREATOR

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

Bonhoeffer surmised that,

The person who’s in love with their vision of community will destroy community. But the person who loves the people around them will create community everywhere they go.

The past couple of days have been spent with some of my colleagues, “competitors”, and friends in the recovery business at the Addiction Studies Institute held in Columbus Ohio.

It is an educational forum for the professionals in this space.

And as is with these “trade-show” kinds of things you get the chance to catch up with others that you have seen through the years who are dedicated to the same work.  And while sometimes “business” tries to sour, most of the time the atmosphere is less about competition and more about community.

We all are doing a tough job and appreciate that about each other.

And yesterday a friend from one of those “other treatment” centers wandered by to chat.  She was wanting to engage her faith community and she heard about what I have the honor of doing in conjunction with my work at WOODHAVEN.

Yet she approached me “reluctantly” at first.  She even remarked that “technically” we weren’t competitors because we serve two different types of clients.  And that is when I told her I am WAY more about community than competition; way more about loving than bottom-lines and census data.  That if she had a GOOD idea to engage MORE folks, especially FAITH folks to help, I was all in despite what her or my business card said.

I think I surprised her.

I am pleased to say an IMPORTANT connection was made and a FAITH-FOCUSED opportunity is in the works!

But the conversation reminded me of BONHOEFFER’S wisdom regarding COMMUNITY.  She had a “vision” of what this community looked like and yet when LOVE became the motivator; love for those that were hurting, knowing the LOVE of the FAITH community could make a difference, then a DIFFERENT vision of COMMUNITY won the day.

Friends, I have been blessed to travel all over the place these last few weeks seeking to motivate people to JUST love. 

For the church to love the addicted.  

For the addicted to come to love JESUS and those HE has motivated to represent Him. 

And WHY?

Because when we can put aside things like competition, pettiness, fear, awkwardness and just LOVE, fruitful COMMUNITY results!

Mother Teresa remarked that, Love is a fruit in season at all times, and within reach of every hand. 

It is!

And its by-products are REMARKABLE.

Hope is birthed!

Ideas are generated!

Solutions forged!

Change occurs!

Restoration begins!

Community is created!

Today can I encourage you to begin to SEEK ways to love those you encounter?   

If you have been craving community it will happen! 

And if you are seeking to make a difference, it is the MOST AMAZING and IMPACTING FIRST STEP!

let us consider how to stir up one another to love – Hebrews 10:24 (ESV)

HAVE A BLESSED WEEKEND!

LOVE YOU ALL

OPPORTUNITIES for HOPE