Breakfast in a Parking Spot
Last week I had the privilege of leading a backpacking trip that culminated in a “final” experience for the students. A backpacking final is a time spent without an instructor to test skills learned. At this point I had taught my students what they needed to know, and it was up to them to put their training into practice. The final is usually a huge confidence boost and ends up being a trip highlight. While everyone else went on final, I got off trail and waited. Last year I spent a lot of time in prayer and just waiting. This year looked a bit different.
My good friends, Matt and Mya Tavani, were on a road trip and decided to make a stop in Georgia to spend some time with me. First, we hugged and then I found a place to shower. After that we went into town to do some grocery shopping before sitting by a lake and playing board games until dusk when we returned to town for dinner. It was a lovely evening of reconnecting with good friends. The next morning, we woke up and pulled out our stoves. Matt and Mya had a two-burner Coleman, and I got out my backpacking stove. While Mya prepped potatoes and onions, Matt manned the stove frying bacon and scrambling eggs while I boiled water for coffee. We sat and watched cars drive by as we shared in conversation and devoured breakfast burritos. As we sat and talked, my thoughts turned to the early church.
“32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. 33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold 35 and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.” Acts 4:32-35 (ESV)
I know that what we were doing was a bit different. We weren’t selling everything we had for the collective good, but we were sharing everything and we were giving to each other. Living out of our vans, cooking alongside the road, and talking (a lot), what we had was given freely. When I read about the church in Acts, that is one of the key things that sets them apart, their ability to simply do life together.
For Matt, Mya and me we learned to do this in the context of college, largely through our time on the LOFT team. This was the leadership team we served on together. The LOFT created space for us to build deep roots with other like-minded people. To this day the people that I am closest to were on LOFT teams with me. Much as we did alongside roads in Georgia, at the LOFT we played together, we wrestled with big life questions, we cooked and ate together, and we just existed together. My time sleeping in the back of a van, showering in the woods, and sitting in parking spots chatting late into the night was extremely life giving, in spite of having very few of the comforts of home available to me. In many ways it felt like how life is supposed to be lived.
Why is this the case? Is it that simple living and a slower pace allow for renewal? That could be part of it, but my guess is that more significantly we were experiencing life the way it is intended as followers of Christ. We were sharing our day-to-day and allowing Christ to impact it. As our time together continued, we kept cooking and talking, but we also went climbing and shopping. We worked together and we relied on each other as we navigated a new part of the country. The trust that we put in each other, while not new to us, is a hallmark of what makes us so unique. We know that we can rely on each other for both big and small things, and we know that we are loved and cared for when we are together. When I read Acts, this is what I see described.
As I reflect on our Christian culture right now, one of the many issues that I see is how compartmentalized it is. People go to church and maybe a bible study together, but generally live their life off with their own family. They might go to some youth sporting event or a school program where they likely see others from church, and they might even sit together, but how much do they actually interact in a way that is meaningful? We ought to seek Christian community every day. This will help us to live into who God has created us to be.
Where in your life are you lacking Christian community? Why? What steps can you take to pursue the life God intends for you? Who should you be surrounding yourself with that you aren’t? Where should you be taking relationships deeper that are currently a bit shallow?
