Community

During the summer preaching series at our church we are reviewing Galatians, specifically Chapter 1 last week. Because of the discussion of unity, the liturgy included Psalm 133.

Pslam 133

When Brothers Dwell in Unit

A Song of Ascents. Of David.

133:1 Behold, how good and pleasant it is
when brothers dwell in unity!
2 It is like the precious oil on the head,
running down on the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running down on the collar of his robes!
3 It is like the dew of Hermon,
which falls on the mountains of Zion!
For there the Lord has commanded the blessing,
life forevermore.

Our family is so BLESSED by the house group out of our church that I was overwhelmed with emotion when this Psalm was read. Good. Pleasant. Precious oil.  Our church's house groups are referred to as Missional Orders and are set up based on location of members. There's a nice number of us here in Highwood. Instead of following a Bible study, we meet to help each other mature in Christ and discern how we can bring God's kingdom into our community. I know that can sound lofty, but God is at work in tangible ways in these people, this group, and the community. It's humbling to witness to say the least.

We of course have made a lot of friends through Trinity, as expected, but it's taken me by surprise how close I've become to our church community. My Trinity friends are so similar to me- mostly families with young children, husbands studying all the time, our futures seem so similar (in regards to our husbands careers). It's not surprising I expected to find support through this group. And I do.
By contrast, our Missional Order contains a mix of single and married people, some students, some not, secular jobs, church jobs, Eden is the only kid. When joining the group I wondered how our family would fit into this group that meets for a later dinner on a week night in houses that aren't child proofed. Wow- God really had a lot to show me about the unity found in his people.

Thomas left for Israel yesterday. He has arrived safely in Jerusalem, and as I am preparing to go to sleep, he is just getting up to start his first full day of exploration. While he is across the world and our family is 1000 miles south of Chicago, I can completely rest in the knowledge that I have the support of a group of people that love our family, know our needs, love as Christ loved, and serve sacrificially.

Oh, and of course we have a lot of fun.

 

Last week I brought dessert to house group. It was a good excuse to get a new toy (which if you're curious works wonderfully and tastes even better).

For Affogato Ice Cream Cake.

Basically a chocolate and vanilla ice cream cake with a chocolate wafer and chocolate chip crust and chocolate top layer served with espresso poured on top.

It was awesome. The recipe is found here: Chocolate Cakes.

Now I just need a good excuse to get this and then I can enjoy homemade lattes :).