On your mark, get set....

Hey everyone!

It’s time for our last meeting before the official inauguration of our community!

The date is Monday, December 27^th. Let’s meet at the Gunther house a bit earlier than last time, say 6:00. If that’s too early, please let us know. I just don’t want to finish as late as we did the last time. We’ll have refreshments and snacks. If you need directions, please email me at AirUnderMe@gmail.com. I can give you my phone number as well.

Things to talk about:

1. Do we need a name and if so, what should it be? Some suggestions are “The Upper Room”, Challenge, The Community, Radical. A suggestion was made to wait until our group formed a personality before naming it.

2. When, and how often should we meet?

3. What sort of business should we discuss at the meetings? Should we rotate sites for the meetings? Do we want to have:

1. group prayer?
2. Worship?
3. Individual prayer?
4. Prophetic prayer?
5. Meditation/contemplation?
6. Communion?

There is another group that is meeting every Wednesday night for prayer and prophecy only. Should we align with this group and make Wednesday nights our big prayer night? At this point, I’m going to both meetings.

Other things to think about and discuss:

4. How can we best serve each other?
5. How can we serve our community?
6. How can we serve the world?
7. How can we have accountability?
8. How can we avoid being just another group that talks a lot?

I have several thought trails concerning our community. One concern is the need to outline the process of resolving conflict. I have an excellent guideline from a Mennonite community in Phoenix that I would like to propose. Make no mistake, there will be conflict. This community has gifted people in it. But not everyone has the same gifts. Or vision. Or traditions. Or sensitivities. With so many talented people in the community we need to exercise GREAT humility, patience and grace, just as our Lord exercises with us. And LOVE. Please pray for this.

The other desire I have is, in the beginning, to simply stick to the 5 tasks on the Radical Experiment list. As we get our rhythm going, we will add our own radical challenges during the year. But at first, I think it is important that we simply follow the Radical Experiment. This will not be an easy task. I do have several materials to help us with the Radical Experiment throughout the year.

We’re also going to talk about commitment. How far, how deep, how much is needed. Pray for agreement in whatever we all decide.

If possible, I would love it if we were all finished with the book Radical before this Monday. Remember, reading the book is the only real requirement for joining this community. The door is open for everyone. But we need to be on the same page and we need to understand the depth of Radical that God calls us to. This community isn’t really a book study, it’s more of a group that is inclined towards pursuing God through 5 spiritual disciplines lived out in constant, honest and deep interaction with other people. As the year progresses, we expect to feel our walk with God deepen and deepen and our interaction with the world to become more like Christ. It is my prayer that we would learn to loosen our hold on our fears and our inner wounds and scars and learn to walk boldly in deep faith with our Lord and in doing so, change ourselves and our world.

“May Your kingdom come, on earth, as it is in Heaven”

See you Monday. Have a blessed, peaceful Christmas.

dan