Hello friends! This semester I've understood so much more of the benefits of community and how God loves to work through communities that seek to honor him. In this post I will explore more of what that looks like.
Drew poses by a waterfall in Pocket. Living life in community means making much of Christ in every situation. This semester I've been challenged with how to do that--how not to compartmentalize my life where I forget God in the times when I am together with people, and only pursue him when I am alone praying or reading the word.
This is a group of girls that came up to Drew's house to celebrate his birthday one weekend in December. We went ice skating and played games and had a good time of fellowship. We also sang "worship" songs but were reminded that the worship doesn't stop when the music stops. I have known these principles for a long time but until now have not been able to walk them out because I had not been living in such a community. I used to practice 'lone ranger Christianity' where I radically pursued God, but it was by myself. I thought that spending my life in the context of a community would keep me from where I wanted to go in God. Rather it was the key to unlocking so many doors in my own sanctification.
While everything I have said is good, it must not stop there. As John Piper puts it, making sure you do all you're regular life's activities with a worshipful heart is like the batboy in Yankee stadium thinking handing the bat to the batter is the main event. It needs to happen, but there is so much more. I believe God's message for the Dayton community is Amos 7:9, that he is lowering a plumb line to measure us and we must be blameless before a holy God. As a community, we must come together in solemn assemblies, humbling our hearts before the Lord and asking for repentance on behalf of our city and our nation. Certainly, there will be much rejoicing and laughing and having fun in our communities, but out of this season revival must be birthed, and that will only come from our travail in private and public prayer. But take courage--God is on the move!
For one of my classes I had the option of either writing a paper or going to a Monastery. An opportunity came up for me to go to St. Bernard's Abbey near Birmingham, so I went. Please excuse the picture quality--these were taken on Jason Poarch's camera.
A shot of St. Bernard's Abbey. The monks gather here four times a day for prayer and scripture reading.
It was really thought provoking getting to know some of the monks--I guess I knew that they did normal things like eating and sleeping, but it was kind of strange at first seeing them line up in the cafeteria.
This is the choir area where we sat for the prayer gatherings. It was really powerful when we sang the word. There is something about gathering together in community and singing scripture--it really helps to meditate on the words when you are singing in a group like that. 
