Intentional Community

When I was placed in Atlanta to do mission work, the whole thing was set up for me, where I would live, what I would do, everything. And honestly in where I was in my life it was the perfect fit, I would have had no idea how to figure all that out on my own. I was assigned to live in a house called the Community of Hospitality. It was a house that was set up by people in the neighborhood for mission workers and volunteers to live in. All resources were pooled, we were given a monthly allowance of $80 and a weekly stipend for groceries of $25 a person that we pooled so we could buy food. It was an intentional community. As we read from Acts this week it made me think more and more about my experience there. I really had no idea what I was getting myself into. I moved in sight unseen and my mother often says that she about didn't leave me there. I was the only girl in a house of four guys, my room was dark and dingy and the house was infested with the largest cockroaches I had ever seen. But I was 22 and thought this was going to be a grand adventure, which in many ways it was.
I had read Acts before I moved there and really have read the Book of Acts many times since then but it really wasn't until this week that I truly saw what was going on there. The goal was for us to live and work in the neighborhood, to pool everything we had and share, as a community to meet each others needs. It might have been successful at one time and in some ways it was successful when I lived there but at the same time it was 5 young adults in their early 20s that were assigned to live there, the goal was not really explained to us, and if it was I have no recollection of it. Part of the deal was eating at least one meal a week together and doing one activity a week together, it was an interesting experience. Things were by no means perfect, conflict arose because of course we all had our own personalities but at the same time, it was amazing.
8 years later here I am again, listening to a story in the Book of Acts, about intentional community and how people flocked to this idea to live together and share the good news. We didn't know then in Atlanta what we were doing, our work was with the homeless and in many ways I think we did spread the good news but I imagine it was different then how the disciples were doing it in the Book of Acts.
Community of Hospitality no longer exists in the same form as it did when I lived there. I believe they are now a home for the mentally disabled. But for me it is an experience that I will never forget and if given the opportunity I suppose I would be willing to do it again, and hopefully I would be wiser and be able to help it be more successful.
The New Visions Community is trying to be intentional in our interactions as a community. I don't ever see us living in a commune but we can still be willing to be generous with our gifts and willing to help those around us with what we have in abundance, whatever that may be. The door is wide open, we just have to be ready to walk down the road that is in front of us. We have to be ready to be intentional about our interactions with each other and others in our community. Are you ready?
Until next time,
~Michelle

God sighting

Last week as country group, Lady Antebellum was traveling to Dallas, Hillary Scott's bus started on fire. Luckily she and her family were able to get off the bus but she lost all of her stuff. All but one item. Her Bible. She posted this on Facebook:

I just got this picture from the scene of the fire and HAD to share this. Today, when our bus caught on fire we had quite a few personal belongings in the back (where I was asleep before evacuating the bus) one of them being my Bible. I kid you not, EVERYTHING in the back lounge was destroyed from the flames, except my Bible. The outside cover was burned and messed up but NOT ONE PAGE was missing. Yall, God's Word will always stand. He is FOR YOU, WILL PROTECT YOU, AND HIS LOVE FOR YOU WILL NEVER FADE. My faith is forever deepened because of today. I hope this story deepens yours. - hills

This just struck me as something so amazing! I was overcome with the awesomeness. I then started reading the comments and heard story after story of firefighters and people that have experienced a house fire and they said everything was gone but the family Bible.
Now I know the skeptics will say that all books that are made of similar things as the Bible will also burn slowly or not at all but I don't think that is true. To me it is sign of how strong the Word of the Lord truly is and all that it can overcome. If we rely on it think what we could overcome! A book that is living and breathing, a book that has been around as long as the written word has been, and really even before then. It is a book that continues to be relevant, a book that continues to guide us down the path of a better life. A book that can be protected from fire, is a book that I want to get behind.
This was my God sighting this week, it was something that renewed my faith and vision. Something that reaffirmed that I made the right decision all those years ago to give my life to God and follow the path that he has set before me.
What was your God sighting this week? I look forward to hearing from you. Have a great week.
Until next time.
~Michelle

Step it up

The challenge for this Easter season is to step it up for God. But what does that mean? How do we step up? How do we change what we are doing and do it better than before?
God is not expecting giant steps. He wants to see something, some change, some deviation from our old ways.
Roman Catholics believe that when they sin they must go to confession but one should only confess for a sin that you never plan to do again. To see a change, to work towards not making that mistake again.
Big ideas change the world but so do small ideas. We often get overwhelmed with the big ideas that we aren't able to do anything. We freeze, not able to move forward, not able to change so we stay in the same pattern. Doing the same things and no change happens. But God doesn't expect the big steps, at least not right away. You start with something small, a small idea, a small change and if you continue to take one small step at a time you soon have traveled a distance and that small idea has turned into something big.
Watching Emerson develop and grow has been a great example of this for me. He didn't learn to just walk. First he rolled everywhere,  then he scooted, crawled, stood up and slowly walked around the furniture.  It took him a long time to gain the confidence to walk on his own but now he is a walking fool. He is walking farther everyday and with more confidence.  We are that infant, I mean literally and figuratively. In our Christian journey we must learn how to roll, scoot, crawl and then walk. Each move gets us closer to our goal of living the ultimate Christian life but we must first be brave enough to make the move.
How are you going to step up for God? I would love to hear your thoughts.
Until next time,
~Michelle

#Holyweekhangover

Holy Week is over. The tomb is empty and after such an intense week of activity. I am feeling hungover. I didn't want to get out of bed this morning, I felt that it was too much. I mean Jesus died on the cross, he was laid in the tomb and on Sunday morning the tomb was empty. It is amazing, a miracle. A fulfillment of the scripture. It was everything that Jesus had been telling us about. Jesus died on the cross for us. But now what? How could things get any better?
The crazy part is that it does get better. The book of Acts shows us that. The more the disciples spread the Good News the more people were saved, the bigger the Christian community became. The same is still true today. Churches that are growing are ones that aren't afraid to share the Good News. Those that aren't afraid to share what they believe and that Jesus allows us to make mistakes and He still loves us. We as Christians can't move forward or grow in our faith if we don't share what we are learning and who we are. You don't not tell your friends what you do in your everyday life right? So why are we keeping our prayer life a secret. Why are we so afraid to share what should be the most important part of our lives? If someone doesn't accept your life as a Christian do you really feel that they are worth being around? I am not saying that you need to only talk about God, and your relationship with Him but are you talking about Him at all?
We need to move past our fears and speak out. In the end of the Gospel of Mark the ladies that found the tomb empty ran away in fear and didn't tell anyone what they had seen. If they had really kept it a secret, we probably wouldn't be sitting here now talking about our need to continue spreading the word.
I think that a little let down after Holy Week is normal but we can't let it stop us from moving forward, spreading the word and letting others know the Good News that the tomb is empty, Jesus is alive and we have been forgiven! To not tremble in fear but shot the Good News from the mountain tops for all to hear. HE IS RISEN!
Until next time,
~Michelle