Life Together

I'm thinking about this life together paper that I'm supposed to have written and posted for the world of Guilder's to read. I wanted to have something readable yesterday but, alas, it is now today and I haven't really made anything available expect my blogspot.

The reason for all this is that I am in 'overdrive' on the integration part of it all. You see, I live in a community whose goal is "life together" for Christ and with Christ. We aren't a hippy compound, just a simple house in the eastern suburbs of Paris France, full of people from the US and France. Some of us can't even speak to oneanother without avoiding 'miscommunication' because of the language. We are calling ourselves OIKOS, a greek term for "household" or "family." We share food, living space and ministry.

Since I am an intern, which is what OIKOS is made up of (interns and full-time workers (aka: missionary), I meet regularly with Jonathan, the full-time worker here. I mentioned that I was working on this paper and the book. I told him about CREDO, Steve Patty, and one of the toughest moments in my life: being rejected for a project that I thought I was capable of. I got to explain the pain of being refused (he knows just like any of us these feelings) and he listened. And then he encouraged me. It was a simple encouragement that I was growing and would continue to, his perspectives from these last 3 months. Funny, it doesn't change the disappointment of those moments or the fact that it happened, but I am reminded that I am indeed a part of the Body- destined for another project in another place for another purpose but with the same goal in mind. And I will continue to grow out of my faults by the grace of God who supports us so strongly until we physically reach His side.

Jonathan's reaction here within our little OIKOS experiment provides an glimmer of example that I want to dwell on in regards to Bonhoeffer's book. None of us is perfect and neither is our little house of saved sinners, but something is happening here that has immense value in the grand scheme of things. According to Bonhoeffer, the community lives out several things: togetherness in worship and love, solitude in the LORD, interpersonal ministries, outreach, and confession and community.

I'll leave it there for now and convert this to a paper for the Guilders... That's enough to keep the head spinning for the afternoon.