Office, Streamwood, IL

I'm in meetings a lot.  And I mean a lot.  Sometimes it seems that I spend my days just sitting across a table from people talking and talking and talking about various things that need to get done.  They're not all bad, but occasionally meetings can just be a drain.

Then every once in awhile you end up having one that's really quite good.  Yesterday was one of those days.  You see, we've got four interns working here now and part of their time is designed to be learning.  So yesterday we spent an hour talking through a variety of things from leadership principles to self confidence to characteristics of the Bible character Daniel. 

I didn't do much talking (which for many is hard to believe), but rather a good chunk of listening...listening to these students interact with one another, engage eachother in conversation, share their thoughts, and wrestle with their opinions.  In this meeting, we were forming a bit of community. 

A 15-year old kid by the name of Zach Hunter recently wrote a book called Be the Change.  In it he writes,

I think community means a group of people with whom you can be honest about what really matters to you. It's a place where you can be accountable, where you can explore new ideas, and where everyone is accepted. It's a safe place where you trust people and know they have your back.

We were forming a bit of that the other day in our meeting - and it just happened by cracking open a couple books, spending a little time in dialogue, and being honest with one another.  We didn't always agree with eachother, but we did respect their thoughts.

Where's your community?  Do you have a group of peole with whom you can be honest about what really matters to you?  Do you have a place where you can be accountable, explore new ideas, and be accepted?  Do you have a safe place where you trust people?  Do you have some friends who you know have your back?

Even though we were creating a bit of community with our interns yesterday, I know I've got another true community once I leave the office.  We started with a meeting several months ago - digging through a book, throwing out our thoughts, and sharing our lives.  Today we meet regularly and get more open and more honest about our lives.  And what fun it was Monday night to enjoy a beautiful summer evening sitting around a table at Starbucks sharing with these friends.  Between sips of my Iced Tea-Lemonade, we talked about fellowship, community, and what that looks like for each of us.  We know that we've "got each others' back" if the need ever arises.  You see, we've discovered that true community is more than just a meeting -- it's a way of life.

I hope you've got that community, too.