A week or so before training camp I had one of the strangest dreams I’ve experienced in a while. It started out with just me and some friends going to a super nice indoor pool to have a couple of beers and chill. As it got later, more people showed up and it turned into a party. There were beach balls, people playing chicken, slapping each other with water noodles, kids running around splashing their friends, and so on. Some of the youngins were trying to bounce a giant yoga ball into a bucket, so instinctively, I retrieved my phone to Snapchat the event.
Amidst the chaos, a small child, maybe two or three years old with light blonde curly hair ran up to me with a bottle of juice in his hand. He looked up at me with a huge smile and piercing bright blue eyes and said, “What do you want?” My answer shocked me even in my dream. I blurted, “community.” The little boy smiled even bigger, did a little jump out of sheer exuberance and expressed, “Let’s go ask my daddy!” He grabbed my hand and ran as fast as his little legs could take him to find his father because he knew that he could provide what I asked for.
Now I know this is a wild story but remember, it was a dream. However strange it was, I feel it is a great representation of both what all of our souls long for, community and companionship, and the child like faith each one of us is supposed to embody. The child was so convinced that his father could provide what I had asked for that he grabbed my hand and RAN to find him.
I’ll save child like faith for another post, right now I have the importance of community on my heart. I thought I knew what community meant before training camp. Apparently I was mistaken. My version of community was some people from church sitting around talking about Jesus and their struggles with no true accountability. What I realized is, true community involved a lot of difficult truth, hard love and spilling gallons of tears as the Holy Spirit speaks through the people you are doing life with.
True community is the most painful love I’ve ever experienced, yet I long for more of it because it purifies my spirit and places my flesh in a chokehold. True community is fully kingdom minded and isn’t ok with your friend struggling with alcoholism, pornography, or pride. True community penetrates deep into a persons secret dark places, turns the spotlight on and says, “Brother, we need to deal with this right now for the kingdom’s sake.” True community will gather around and beat down the gates of hell ‘till a victory is won. True community doesn’t exist without the raw power of the Holy Spirit being woven into the very fibers of it’s being.
We were created to be in community, in fact, if we look all the way back to the creation story in Genisis, being alone is the first thing that God said was NOT Good. It’s part of God’s design that we have others to talk to, to process with, and to spur each other along when times get rough. So, if this is what we were meant for, why is it so hard?
Placing a squad of 7 people in deep community with each other for months at a time seems like an easy thing to do right? They will do everything together, live together, eat together, sleep in the same place, go to the market together, literally do everything together. Now, I think we are all familiar with this scenario right? I mean, MTV has been using the concept of deep community to tear people down and make them the laughing stock of a nation for years. The drama that arises keeps everyone on the edges of their seats and attracts millions of viewers every week for over 30 seasons. So what’s the difference between, “The Real World,” and The World Race? I think the answer is simple, we have a goal that is bigger than ourselves, and the Holy Spirit to guide us every step of the way.
The team of 7 people, with whom I will be doing ministry, is my new immediate family for the next year. Just like my blood family, I did not pick them, and they certainly did not pick me. However, I said yes, which means I have made the choice to carry their burdens, to love them when I don’t like them, to fight for them when I feel like fighting them, to hold them accountable to their walk with the Lord, and to encourage them when we seem to have reached the ends of our ropes. This is true community.
I’d say the most profound lesson I learned at training camp is the kingdom doesn’t have time for people pleasing. If there is a problem, it needs to be addressed immediately, even if it offends someone. This race, this life, this gospel is bigger than me being accepted by people. The people my squad and team are trying to reach are more important than my comfort, my vices, and the sin that so entangles me. As we go through this wild adventure across the planet, it will be the responsibility of our team to remind each other of the goal which has been placed before us and leave the petty disagreements and bad attitudes at home. When we become tired or sick we have to get in each others faces and say “This is just the beginning.” Let’s do this thing, guys.
Please subscribe to the blog to read all about my adventures with these amazing people! I have $10,000 so far and have purchased all of my gear. This means I can get on the plane in October! However, I still have to raise another $7,000 by the end of January. Will you partner with me?
