Communities Practice Vulnerability By Pastor Scott Roberts A community that loves and serves one another, practices times of fellowship, and incorporates others will also be a community that practices vulnerability. To understand why vulnerability is necessary, one must first understand what vulnerability is. Vulnerability means that one is exposed to the possibility of being harmed…

What is forgiveness and why is it necessary for community building and sustaining? I really like this definition of forgiveness: …a conscious, deliberate decision to release feelings of resentment or vengeance toward a person or group who has harmed you,   regardless of whether they actually deserve your forgiveness.1 Such a definition places the burden of…

As we continue to reflect upon Biblical Community this year, we consider another aspect of vibrant community – its ability to incorporate others into the fabric and life of the existing community. Any group of people that is unable to incorporate others will eventually flounder and die out as the members do the same. But…

The first week we attended church in Bozeman, MT as newlyweds, we were invited to supper with 3 different families. Those invitations continued to be extended and accepted for months as Jen and I were settling into a new community, starting a new life together, and trying to figure out what it meant to leave…

A Thought experiment Imagine a group of people where no one ever talked to each other, or hung out together, or was aware of the happenings in each other’s lives.  Now imagine the same group but instead of never talking, these folks never stopped talking; instead of never hanging out, these people are always together;…

Imagine a group of people where no one ever talked to each other, or hung out together, or was aware of the happenings in each other’s lives. Now imagine the same group but instead of never talking, these folks never stopped talking; instead of never hanging out, these people are always together; and instead of…

Imagine a group of people who knew of the needs of others, but then never acted to meet those needs. Would such a group be deserving of the noun community?  Now imagine a group of people who learned of the needs of others, either because those needs were shared or because someone noticed that a…

What are the marks of a true community?  This question has been swirling around in my mind the past few days. As we reflected upon the coming of a new associate pastor, the flood relief work we have engaged in, the growing number of teens and young adults, and the struggle with some people not…

Last month we explored how to forgive when issues just seem to keep popping up.  A related topic is how to apologize.  Many people think they know how to apologize, but they do not in fact recognize that merely stating the words, “I apologize,” or “I am sorry,” is an incomplete apology.  These words begin…