The Value of Community

"The monastic perspective can assist us specifically with regard to understanding the value of community. Imagine for a moment that the people you encounter at home, work, or school are the very people God has given you to pray with, eat with, and play with for the rest of your life. And you are supposed to thank God for this, every day, several times a day. This is what monastic people take on. And what they've learned from this particular asceticism, in attempting to live in peace with themselves and with others, may constitute their greatest gift to us. How radical to think that we can best know ourselves by embracing commitment, not rejecting it; by relating to others, not callously relegating them to the devilishly convenient category of 'other.'"

From Kathleen Norris, Acedia & Me: A Marriage, Monks, and a Writer's Life.

Comments

[Erik Willits]

Tim, i love this quote and the perspective it articulates. I posted a link to it on my www.communityplanting.com blog. Just wondering how would this perspective change how we plant churches / communities of people seeking to follow Jesus and share life with others. Doesn't seem like many, if any church planters really have this kind of thing on their radar when they go to plant.

Just thinking.

thanks
erik