Having dinner together
In this post, Susan commented that she “really enjoyed the discussion.”
Last night, a lady in our church got this bright idea to invite some of her friends to an inpromptu potluck grill out (aka barbeque, cookout, shindig, etc…). This week Carie is away taking a class for AP Spanish certification (or certificacion, if you please), and so I popped over to the house of the fam having the grill out and we had a great time eating and chatting and enjoying one another’s company. Four or five families took the family up on her offer and community was built – just like that.
Now in the process, Susan shared something that was she was going to be going through on Thursday and it led to this pretty intense, 2008 style discussion where everyone chimed in and gave their opinion (their were a wide variety of opinions by the way) using Scripture, real life circumstances, and stories of what people around us have gone through considering this subject.
In the end, I was able to see about 4 different opinions to a really hard topic and appreciate why several people in my church think and believe certain things about life. And I wonder what would happen if more people decided to give away their nights to a community of friends and acquaintences in an effort to get to know people more, rather than sitting in front of a tv or working on the lawn. (2 things I didn’t say in this statement: 1. Sitting in front of a tv is wrong. 2. Working on the lawn is wrong. Thank you) Would our lives change for the better or worse? Would you feel stifled with too much community or could you use a bit more, even with your friends?
So I’d like to thank my friends (4 different life groups in our church represented) who took a step with me and in the spur of the moment decided they could use a night with friends. I sure could because I miss Carie a lot!
This post was specifically written for Randy Elrod’s Watercooler Wednesday!
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Marty –
Not sure about the Thanksgiving analogy – does that mean you are sleepy and your stomach hurts? But I, for one, find it hard to have a lot of community in this day and age where everyone is busy running around – baseball games, errands, work… nobody has time to hang out anymore. It makes community very difficult to maintain and sustain. It all needs to be scheduled – the days of impromptu anything seem to be dwindling. Perhaps we need to pencil in some spontaneity and time for friends? And I also find that a lot of people are full-up on friends – no thanks – I’ve got enough. What is that? People have their circles of communtiy built and there’s no room for more – maybe it’s my age group specifically, but I find it frustrating. I find my attempts to build out my circle thwarted or disregarded or ignored. Could it be my approach? Maybe. I am not sure – but I will continue to try – because it’s all about the relationships.
I guess I feel a bit chatty this morning. Glad you had fun!!
yard work is wrong
you ask how i know?
well, pretty much all plants make me drip snot down to my knees
and after spending the last two weekends digging holes in the ground so cherie could plant trees and bushes and other miscellaneous crap.. i am completely against it
thank goodness i was able to convince her to contract out the lawn being sodded!
Yeah–I love moments like that, especially when they’re a little unexpected and spur-of-the-moment.
This is a little less heady and in-depth, but I’ve tagged you for a meme at my blog, if you feel like something different.
ANOTHER point of view? … as hostess? it was initially humiliating when the clock kept ticking and the grill was hot and no one showed up. Like, just how boring/weird/desperate am I? And then to see ONLY a handful of people was sort of discomfiting but realizing now that it was the very smallness that allowed for the intimacy and authenticity to be present. God chose which of us needed to be present I guess… Tina? Where were YOU miss impromptu?
I crave these interactions desperately. I thought it was just a Scottsdale thing, everyone too busy, you don’t even think about dropping by someone’s house. I grew up in a small town where if you wanted to visit someone, you just went on over. I think people aren’t so busy doing yardwork but are now busy with social media.
Jane – I missed my invite! No seriously – Had I been in town I would have LOVED to attend – sounds awesome. Wish more of my friends were like you.