Back in the summer of 2005, when I was Executive Director of the Mustard Seed, I was asked by the Rankin Record to write an article about the importance of community. I still love the Seed and encourage everyone to participate in the type of community that is nurtured there...
Rediscovering Community
I have found what is profoundly missing in the world and I discovered it at a Christian community for mentally challenged adults. Our world, and especially our culture, has lost any real comprehension and appreciation of community. While I cannot offer a concrete definition, I am referring to community that is defined by shared goals, shared hopes, shared needs, and shared resources. I am not talking about vapid utopianism or the nightmare of socialism. However, I am suggesting a deliberate effort to open ourselves to each other and recognition that the accomplishments of one are build upon the efforts of us all. We stand in such profound need of each other; yet continue to live as if everything we have and need can be provided by our hands alone?! I confess that my understanding of community is predicated upon a belief in the radical notions of Jesus Christ…that only through dying to ourselves and taking the position of a humble servant will we ever know the Gospel. Living shared lives is both good news and part of the Good News.
At the Mustard Seed I have found 40 friends who love me unconditionally and are overjoyed about our friendship. The residents of the Mustard Seed, whom we lovingly call the Seedsters, live in a condition and situation requiring total trust in others. They cannot produce and compete at a level that is needed to make it in this world, so they have to live by faith: a faith which trusts the promises of God for provision and companionship; a faith which motivates them to reach out to each other and work together for their common needs and desires; a faith that invites all who may come to participate with them in community; a faith that creates expectations for generosity, forgiveness, and accountability; a faith that says thank you!
Have you ever thought about what it takes to have a single egg for breakfast? Have you considered all the people that you have to trust in order to eat such a simple meal? Someone has to build a coop for the hens. Someone else needs to prepare the feed. Yet another has to shovel out the coops. Someone needs to inspect the hens for health. Someone else has to process the hens for egg making ability. Yet another is required to move the hens from the coops to the egg processing facility. Someone has to grade and evaluate the eggs. Someone else needs to prepare packaging for the eggs. Yet another has to load the eggs and carry them to market. Someone has to unload the egg cartons and place them on the store shelves. Someone else keeps track of the inventory to make sure that only fresh eggs are sold. Yet another has to scan the eggs and bag them so they are not crushed. Finally, someone is required to crack the egg and cook it to our satisfaction. All this work for just a single egg breakfast! We have yet to consider what it takes to make the skillet, provide the power, build the stove, and create the plate and fork! By the way, would you like toast, coffee, orange juice, and fresh fruit with your egg? The power of one person is an amazing force, but unless we cast away our selfish individualism and begin to celebrate our interconnectedness, we will never know community. We will remain lost and alone in a busy and uncaring world.
I have come to understand through the Seedsters that we are all incapable of making it alone. We really need each other and that is truly part of God's plan for us. In the kingdom of God we learn that having faith means the last shall be first, the least are the most important, and our care of the poor, sick, hungry, and disabled is non-negotiable. By ministering to and with the mentally handicapped I have found faith and faith has found me. I have found hope and hope has found me. I have found love and love has found me. I have found the Lord and the Lord has found me. Real community is rough around the edges, often difficult, and usually quite messy…but it is the only way for us to survive or, more importantly, for us to truly thrive. What are you doing to create community? If you need some guidance then visit the Mustard Seed and rediscover what community really is!
May the grace and peace of Christ be with you all...
Rediscovering Community
I have found what is profoundly missing in the world and I discovered it at a Christian community for mentally challenged adults. Our world, and especially our culture, has lost any real comprehension and appreciation of community. While I cannot offer a concrete definition, I am referring to community that is defined by shared goals, shared hopes, shared needs, and shared resources. I am not talking about vapid utopianism or the nightmare of socialism. However, I am suggesting a deliberate effort to open ourselves to each other and recognition that the accomplishments of one are build upon the efforts of us all. We stand in such profound need of each other; yet continue to live as if everything we have and need can be provided by our hands alone?! I confess that my understanding of community is predicated upon a belief in the radical notions of Jesus Christ…that only through dying to ourselves and taking the position of a humble servant will we ever know the Gospel. Living shared lives is both good news and part of the Good News.
At the Mustard Seed I have found 40 friends who love me unconditionally and are overjoyed about our friendship. The residents of the Mustard Seed, whom we lovingly call the Seedsters, live in a condition and situation requiring total trust in others. They cannot produce and compete at a level that is needed to make it in this world, so they have to live by faith: a faith which trusts the promises of God for provision and companionship; a faith which motivates them to reach out to each other and work together for their common needs and desires; a faith that invites all who may come to participate with them in community; a faith that creates expectations for generosity, forgiveness, and accountability; a faith that says thank you!
Have you ever thought about what it takes to have a single egg for breakfast? Have you considered all the people that you have to trust in order to eat such a simple meal? Someone has to build a coop for the hens. Someone else needs to prepare the feed. Yet another has to shovel out the coops. Someone needs to inspect the hens for health. Someone else has to process the hens for egg making ability. Yet another is required to move the hens from the coops to the egg processing facility. Someone has to grade and evaluate the eggs. Someone else needs to prepare packaging for the eggs. Yet another has to load the eggs and carry them to market. Someone has to unload the egg cartons and place them on the store shelves. Someone else keeps track of the inventory to make sure that only fresh eggs are sold. Yet another has to scan the eggs and bag them so they are not crushed. Finally, someone is required to crack the egg and cook it to our satisfaction. All this work for just a single egg breakfast! We have yet to consider what it takes to make the skillet, provide the power, build the stove, and create the plate and fork! By the way, would you like toast, coffee, orange juice, and fresh fruit with your egg? The power of one person is an amazing force, but unless we cast away our selfish individualism and begin to celebrate our interconnectedness, we will never know community. We will remain lost and alone in a busy and uncaring world.
I have come to understand through the Seedsters that we are all incapable of making it alone. We really need each other and that is truly part of God's plan for us. In the kingdom of God we learn that having faith means the last shall be first, the least are the most important, and our care of the poor, sick, hungry, and disabled is non-negotiable. By ministering to and with the mentally handicapped I have found faith and faith has found me. I have found hope and hope has found me. I have found love and love has found me. I have found the Lord and the Lord has found me. Real community is rough around the edges, often difficult, and usually quite messy…but it is the only way for us to survive or, more importantly, for us to truly thrive. What are you doing to create community? If you need some guidance then visit the Mustard Seed and rediscover what community really is!
May the grace and peace of Christ be with you all...
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