Books / Readings, Community, Missional
Building Friendships
I read the “Getting to Know You” post. I thought that this tag was in reference to how we are getting to know one another in Christ. I was mistaken, but am still going to put my comments here. I just finished McLaren’s book “More Ready Than You Realize†and found it to be inspiring– forming spiritual friendships with the sole purpose of helping the other discover his/her own path. It details his emailing with April (aka Alice) and kind of the flow of that relationship.
One of the most poignant reminders was this on pg 94, “I think a lot of us would be better Christians if we spent less time at church.†That to meet spiritual friends will mean developing friendships outside of the church– attending sporting events, recitals, neighborhood gatherings– without the expectation of getting our spiritual friends _into_ church. Walk the walk _next_ to them.
I love that. Getting to know you is about really getting to know _you_ not about WIFM (what’s in it for me). Duh. =)
He closes that same chapter with this benediction and I leave it here now:
May the Spirit of Christ empower you to love and serve your neighbors, welcoming them into your lives and home and schedules and hearts, so that through belonging they may discover the joys of believing and becoming. You are more ready for this than you realize. Go in God’s grace and peace.
See you “out thereâ€
Angie=), Peoria, AZ
30 Jul 2007 Angie Lahman Yoder
Hi Angie! Welcome to emergentbrethren!! I like your post about how you were inspired by McLaren’s book, More Ready Than You Realize. I’ve seen April play harp a couple times with her band. She is amazing! In case you didn’t know, she and her husband have planted a church in the Baltimore area. Its a church plant from Cedar Ridge Community Church, which Bryan founded.
The comment you shared from p.94 is always challenging. As Christians, we tend to program more and more meetings and gatherings. In my mind, this would be great if they were attracting more of the people we are trying to reach for Christ. But if they are not, then we are limiting the amount of time that we can be engaged with those outside the Body of Christ.
I like to ask people, “What are you passionate about? What do you like to do in your spare time?” After hearing their answers, I then ask, “Who do you hang-out with when you are doing these things? Can you add some people who don’t go to church with you?”
Spiritually, I believe its a discipline for us each to have a personal mission field, doing what we enjoy and being involved with others doing the same thing. In this, we can live-out our faith, with actions and hopefully words as the relationships develop.
Blessings to you!
Jeff
Angie,
We are getting ready to use this book for a sermon series on hospitality and invitation. I think we have made evangelism into something that people are (rightly?) afraid of. Maybe we have also forgotten how to be genuine, joy-filled people, and simply live that each day. And then go and live among people.
As pastors it can be hard to be friends without folks thinking you are trying to convert them. It’s what they are used to seeing/expecting from pastors. It can take a long time of being present with people for them to realize that you care about them, not about getting them into your church. I dropped my daughter off at a birthday party the other night and was invited into a conversation by the father about faith and meaning that lasted an hour. He was glad for someone to listen.
Shalom,
Russ