More reflections on community

You know what no one talks about? The dark side of community. The fact that when you're in it, you get hurt by the people who are in it with you. Oh, I know it's inevitable. People are fallible, no one's perfect, we all make mistakes - all of these things mean the same thing, which is that when we're vulnerable we're going to get hurt sometimes. But it sucks, you know?

If you're doing community right, then you're completely immersing yourself in the lives of everyone who's doing the community thing along with you. The more you know someone, the more you care for them...the more effect they have on your emotions. If someone on the street called me a bitch (this has happened before), I wouldn't even care. They don't know me. But if a dear friend tells me I'm a bitch, I'm more likely to believe it. They know me deeply and have reasons for believing that. (I may wonder why I'm close friends with someone who would call me a bitch, but whatever).

No one in my community has called me a bitch (that I know of), so this isn't directed at anyone. These are just the risks we take when we immerse ourselves in the lives of others. Jesus knew all about betrayal. He knew it was coming from Judas, but he still loved him before, during, and after that kiss. Is the pain and vulnerability inevitable? Of course. Is it worth it? Absolutely.

On a lighter note, I'm heading over to The Parsonage on Saturday to do some good ol' manual labor on the house. I'm not one for this type of stuff--I hate sweating, I hate getting dirty, I know nothing about fixing up a house...basically, I'm useless. But I'm going to try. If you live in the area, you should come out and help. (Bonus--you'll get to see me make a fool out of myself with a hammer!)

Behind the times

Faithful readers (all approx. three of you), I'm sorry I've been neglecting this blog. I had high hopes for it and then I just completely dropped the ball. I'm going to try harder, I promise.

Lately I've been thinking a lot about community, probably because I am moving into a house that is self-proclaimedly an "intentional community." My friend Rob bought a 7-bedroom parsonage and is fixing it up and having people who are serious about community rent out the rooms. We are aptly calling it "The Parsonage." I've always kind of taken for granted what "intentional community" means, but this is pretty much how conversations with people outside of Circle of Hope (or just outside progressive Christian circles in general) go:

Person who I probably haven't talked to in awhile: So what are you doing? Are you working?

Moi: Yeah, I'm living with my parents and working at a halfway house in Mount Holly right now. But I just got a full-time job as a counselor for homeless people at a drop in center in Camden and I'm moving in with a bunch of people from my church into intentional community.

Person: Wow, that sounds interesting. What's intentional community?

Moi: Ummm....well....we're going to have a sliding scale of rent and, like....eat dinners together once a week and stuff.

To me, explaining to someone what intentional community is is like trying to define the word "creative." Everyone just kind of has a general idea of what it means and is never in a position where they have to define it to someone else.

Really, what makes this community that I'm moving into "intentional?" The fact that we set aside time to be with each other? My dear roommate in college and I did that, but I don't think we'd call each other "intentional roommates." Is it because there are a lot of us who are choosing to live together? A family does that (though admittedly, it's expected of a family). Is it because we throw around the word "love" a lot? Because that's what anyone who's moving into the house will say. "We're trying to love each other." But how is that different than a church, or a cell, or a family, or a commune?

I don't have an answer. I do know what makes our house different than what people would think of a typical group of twenty-somethings living together. For one thing, we're not all going to be paying the same rent. Those who make less money will pay less every month and just pick up extra chores to compensate. We like this idea because then if someone really wants to live in community but can't afford the base rent, they're not automatically shut out. Secondly, we're going to have one person cook for everyone else once a week and share a meal together while talking about house business. Also, we're big on accountability and confrontation...no passive-agressiveness allowed.

But mostly, when we talk about what we want this house to be, we talk about loving each other. Love is a term that gets thrown around a lot, and "loving each other" and "doing something in love" aren't used sparingly, either. All I know, and maybe all I need to know, is that we have Jesus as our example. If anyone was intentional about loving people, it's him. He did it through words and actions alike, and not only did he personify love with his life, but he also gave us instructions on how to live a life of love.

My uber-wise cell leader and dear friend Bryce said something to this effect last Thursday at cell: if we're just meeting together and doing these things but not doing them with a spirit of sacrifice and love, then what the hell are we doing them for? He said he'd rather see us disband then to meet together for one more minute if we're not doing this "life together" thing out of a love for God and each other, and I agree with him.

If, in our house, we're just a bunch of people going through life selfishly and never thinking of each other or taking the time to love each other, then what's the point? Why not live somewhere nicer, safer, less crowded, etc.? But life isn't meant to be lived alone; we're not meant to go through our days without getting our hands dirty in the lives of others. So that's what we're doing--getting our hands dirty. And I'm excited about it.