This week, we’ve been asking people about their experience with The Practice so far: “What has been helpful? Not helpful? What do you sense God is doing and where do you think God may be leading us?” (These have been FASCINATING conversations, and we’d be thrilled to hear your response also! Feel free to email me any thoughts.)
One of the biggest questions so far: What do you mean by “tribes?”
sharing a cup
Great question! It’s become clear that I’ve done a poor job of explaining what we mean by this, so thanks so much for the chance to clarify…
Basically, all we’re saying is Don’t try to live the Christian life alone. You can’t do it alone. I can’t do it alone. We need to live and walk and practice with at least one other person. And this is why we’ve been encouraging everyone to “find your tribe”.
Does it have to be an official Practice community sanctioned tribe? Certainly not. Many of us have been in small groups for years…which is great. Or some may want to be a part of another kind of tribe during the week, but just attend the Practice gathering on Sunday night. That works too. There is no one-size-fits-all for community. But isolation is not an option. We need to find a tribe that works for us.
One more thing. Talking about community often unearths deep emotions. We ALL long to be known and loved deeply, and we’ve ALL been know and loved imperfectly. Whether it’s our family of origin, broken past relationships, or current loneliness, we ache for the kind of connection that is possible through Christ. And it IS possible! But it’s certainly not easy…or common…or quick.
Personally, I’ve only experienced this kind of deep, transforming community a couple times in my life. It took a long time to build, was gloriously messy, and only lasted for a season. I am profoundly thankful for those seasons, and have begun to see glimmers of this kind of connection again recently.
So let us take this very seriously, but not be discouraged. And may we never give up. God is community, God designed community, God desires that we be in community, and God will lead us into community.
Even in our search for connection, we are not alone.
many blessings to you,
Aaron and The Practice Team