I’m back…in more ways than one!

Last week I deleted by accident my facebook page and in an instant through the click of a mouse….POOF I disappeared from cyberspace. It was somewhat surreal, kind of like dying in a way. No one would even know I wasn’t their “friend” anymore because with facebook, you don’t get notified when you lose a friend. I had to not only sign up again, but also invite people to be my friend for the second time. There was an extreme sadness that I experienced when I realized I had “lost” all my friends and disappeared from the lives of those I know and love. As a result of this I’ve been pondering why in the world this facebook thing was so important to me. After all I’m not friendless and I did live before without facebook. Maybe the reason why this was a big deal is because I’m wired as a person (and maybe we’re wired as people) to want to be connected, and not just connected to the people around me who I see everyday, but also connected to a greater audience, to people who can interact and care for me even if they live miles and sometimes countries away.

Are we starved or lacking for community? Isn’t that what facebook is…a large community of people connected together. What if the church was like this? What if we were in community with each other enough to care about the everyday stuff in each other’s lives?

On Monday nights I meet with 10-15 other ladies and I believe that in the space of 2 hours we experience this kind of community. In fact we’ve grown from just 6 women to over 15 if everyone comes. The overwhelming comment I get from why it is they keep coming and bringing others with them is that they are looking for a place where they are accepted and where there is authenticity. Someone said it best: “Church happens between you as you love each other in the name of Jesus. Church is the meeting place of three relationships which say: I am in Christ (personal faith), we are the body of Christ (community), and we are living out the life of Christ (mission).” This is something we long to experience not only in Norfolk, VA but also in Brussels.

In the end, I guess it’s not just about connecting but also about community.