Needless to say, I have been scheming up ways in my head of how to implement this type of community in my life. After several feeble attempts, it became clear that my friends were not willing to move to Madison, and I was hesitant to move away. Due to a series of events and a few courses of Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University, Brad and I packed up our things and our pride and moved in with my parents (who we affectionately refer to as "roommates"). There was an overwhelming sense of defeat with this move - like we were somehow failing at the basics of life. But we adjusted to our new reality and decided to make the best of it.
A few months later (ok more like 6...time is flying!!) two beautiful little girls and their mother entered our lives. We could feel the shift in our hearts almost immediately. We wanted to help their situation in any way that we could. Little did I know at the time, our help would also be the answer to my prayer for community. On Super Bowl Sunday, our house of four became a house of seven and we have been learning what it means for our lives to collide. We know there will be trials, but we also know that there will be beauty and redemption and fresh starts. We are establishing a new Kingdom.
The purpose of Christianity is not to live perfect lives in order to spend eternity in Heaven. It is to do what we can to bring Heaven to earth, even if that means we must co-exist with hell on earth. During my time in South Africa, I had the incredible opportunity to learn from the Xhosa tribe. In their language there is a word - Ubuntu. It means "I am because we are." This one word sums up why it is essential for us to share life in community.
