changes III: church for real?

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I've recently realized that I've been experiencing church on a whole new level. It hasn't been the show up sit down and leave of my childhood. Nor has it been the work-horse base of operations model of my missionally indoctrinated teens. Much of my church community has been taking place outside the formal structure now- something I might have advocated for in my idealistic teens when I thought the early church model aught to be copied in all its rootsy informality, but which is now, rather, happening more organically than an ideal. I like it. Here's the thing; this organic and informal community has helped me become and want to become a more decent person, and, I think, for a different impulse than the former paradigms offered. As I've been healed by the giving of those around me I have slowly found the ability and desire to give, again, as well. These, no-strings-attached relationships have felt completely fresh, new, and liberating. Like beauty for beauty's sake: a tree for standing. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ In church we have been surfing through the book of Ephesians, which I take to be very much about God's enormous love for us, and our response in bearing with each others' weaknesses with an eye to our own. This begins to make sense to me. This also is very beautiful. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here is a sidenote: I used to try to get to know people by digging straight into their lives, skipping past where they work and where they're from to who they are and what kind of experiences defined them. It was an approach that didn't get me far. Maybe I wanted people know those kinds of things about me, but, to be honest, if I were asked by the same person I was asking I probably wouldn't answer either. Instead, the community I've come to know rests on a slow and steady and safe sharing of “how was your week?”, and “do you have plans for the summer?”, and “what did you get up to today?” These things mean more when asked with consistency and concern than I knew they could. And maybe, one day, as the fire burns down and we've finished off the marshmallows, “how did you get here?” But no hurry.