Living on a compound in the middle of rural Ethiopia brings a whole new meaning to the phrase “living in community.” In the states, we often times struggle to find real community. Our natural tendencies are to avoid vulnerability and to stay out of other people’s lives. Out here there is virtually no privacy. If you are fighting with your spouse, everyone knows about it. If you snap after being asked for another ride, everyone knows about it. If you have the runs, before lunchtime the entire compound knows about. The current state and function of our bowels is a daily topic of conversation. And last week was no different. By mid-week some sort of amoeba/stomach virus had infected the entire team, which meant that nearly every conversation touched on the current status of our stomachs and bowels. During our team’s Bible study this week, we were discussing living in community and what Biblical community looks like. Near the end of the discussion Bryan posed a challenge to all of us. He said “What if we talked about our spiritual health and life as much as we talked about our physical health?!? Everyone fell silent as conviction ran through the room.
Maybe bowel movement is not a typical topic of conversation in your life, but what is it that dominates your conversations and thoughts? What would it look like to have Christ take the center stage?
Maybe bowel movement is not a typical topic of conversation in your life, but what is it that dominates your conversations and thoughts? What would it look like to have Christ take the center stage?
