Some(one) to lean on

Last weekend was homecoming at Taylor. I was not all that excited about homecoming. I mean, honestly, I'm 23 and I haven't even left the place. How can a "homecoming" be all that great? I was excited to see some of my friends but had little idea of the excitement I would soon experience.

Moose, Chacko, Noelsefus, and BFree (my four roommates my Senior year) all came back. And it was weird. To me, it felt like they had returned home. And, lots of others came home and it was so great to see them all. The emotions and thoughts that would pour through my head over the those 48 hours are really kind of indescribable. On Friday night, by about 1 am, all 5 of us (the guys I mentioned earlier) were crammed into my bedroom and were falling asleep while talking about life...real life! It was then that I realized how important these guys (and so many others) are to me. It has been in community that I have really learned and processed so much about life.

And, it is in continued to community, with them and with others, that I continue to grow. In a book I am reading called Fabric of Faithfulness by Steven Garber (I'd really recommend it to anyone who is in college or works with 18-25 year olds), he writes a chapter on community. He tells of one man's (Donald Guthrie's) journey through life who realizes that "the people you choose to have around you have more to do with how you act upon what you believe than what you read or the ideas that influence you. The influence of ideas has to be there, but the application is something it's very hard to work out by yourself" (1996, p. 149).

I believe this whole heartedly. I've heard it said over and over again, but it's true:

We need each other.

It's how we learn about ourselves. The good and the bad.

It's how we get through the toughest of times.

It's how we are inspired to really live the adventure.

It's how we see Jesus Christ.

And, it's ultimately through community that we see our need for the ONE who will never let us down. Jesus. He provides everything we need. But, he also provides people with which we can live life. I'm thankful for that. I realize I've been blessed beyond belief with amazing people in my life. Homecoming was just a reminder of that. Thanks guys. And thanks to all of you who have taught me and are still teaching me how to live.