Hey, I just met you. And this is CRAZY.

Here is my first blog post on what I hope is many concerning the NEWEST crazy idea to hit our family (you can see my other blog about curveballs The Holy Spirit has thrown at us in the past few years!). We must be standing in the middle of the highway to crazytown, because these ideas hit us A LOT. 

Living in community. 

Let me just show my ignorance here and say that, when God first hinted at this idea to me, I thought it was original. Ok, maybe not "original," because I knew that what the Holy Spirit was speaking to my heart was to live in the way the Acts church lived. But original in the way that I thought "Hey, no one is doing this now-a-days." 

(If you've seen Scrubs, you know that is a blatant and proud Perry Cox reference and I appreciate you for understanding it). 

Anyway--- what happened is that Nik and I were driving the "long" (INW long, not California long) trek to a Foo Fighters Concert (Sinners!) at the Gorge and talking about all kinds of deep theological things that we can't talk about with 5 screaming children in the car. And as we were fluctuating between deep conversation and enjoying the HEAVENLY silence, the thought hits me--- what if God wants us to actually DO these things? What if he actually wants us to LIVE in community and *try* to model the Acts church in our daily lives?

Nutso, I know. 

I mentioned to Nik that maybe God was leading us toward living with another family, and, to my surprise, he basically said "Let's do it." 

So there's THAT. 

We started praying about it ("it," at the time, being basically doing life with one other family--- basically house-sharing), and when I casually mentioned living together to my friend Nik and I thought would be a good "fit", she said she and her husband had been thinking about EXACTLY THE SAME THING- that living "in community" was the way God was leading them as well. 

~~Lightbulb!~

Through various boring circumstances, I started researching HOW one would do this and--- 

OH MY GLORY

--- people actually LIVE like this. All across the country. Some are called Neo-Monastic, some are called Intentional Christian Communities, some probably don't have a label. 

If you know me (or if you don't)- I tend to get interested obsessive about things. So I started (am) obsessing over this idea. It doesn't just have to be about sharing a home. It can be about sharing a LIFE with many people, creating a community of believers who are totally exposed and totally accountable and totally REAL with each other, who live together and share together for the purpose of loving each other and other people. It can be about pooling resources and cutting expenses IN ORDER TO GIVE MORE TO JESUS- More time to serve that isn't spent in 40 hour/week jobs, more money to bless that isn't spent on space we don't occupy and things we don't use, more of life being transparent and honest instead of behind locked doors, more effort spent bearing each others burdens instead of keeping up with the Jones'. 

"And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together andbreaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved."

-Acts 2:42-47 (ESV, if you care about that type of thing)

Welcome to our adventure. 

I'm glad to have you along for the ride.