Moving, Shoes, Grass and Faith
This evening we started officially packing our stuff, preparing to make the voyage 1 mile due south. We’re doing this because we are moving in with another family to participate in Christian communal living. What an opportunity! How often are we denied the chance to actually know one another on a deeper level in our culture? We’re looking foward to the switch.
But what will it be like for our marriage? We’ve only been married a year and a half, and still have a lot to learn about each other. Almost daily we’re having those “big conversations” where paradigm shifts are happening, and more light is being shed on our relationship that we have committed to for our entire lives. She and I have already proven faithful in these small steps into community, and now we’re asking for God to protect us as we move deeper into his called-out people.
I guess you could say its taking what we “do at church” down to the everyday life. I’ll tell you one thing, if church is going to last all week, I’m loosening my neck tie. I’m putting my socked feet up. If our families are going to experience life together, it will be done with no masks to hide our true faces. If nothing else, it will teach us daily what it means to be church - an authentic faith community.
A related thought I’ve been recently mulling over. Ever noticed how a gardener’s yard has little to no landscaping or trimmings? Remember the old truism that states that it is the cobbler’s children who go without shoes? Why is it that so many “preacher’s kids” (PK’s as they’re affectionately called here at ACU) have no faith?
Unfortunately, I don’t have a good solution - excpet to say, “spend more time with your family!!!” Not JUST quality time, but quantity time too. They want to see you at home with them, even if that means your home is a bit smaller. And when you’re home, they want to see you making them the same or better shoes (yard/faith/etc) that you made the stranger down the street. What message does it send if we’re willing to be paid to preach the Gospel when we won’t do it for free for our own family?
How do I preach the Gospel to my wife? How does she preach it to me? How are we preserving each other’s faith? Guess I’d better stop writing this blog tonight and get started…
Last 5 posts by Mark
- Chicago Spiritual Map: Rogers Park - August 8th, 2008
- Google is Searching for Jesus - August 7th, 2008