a story from the run

Nearly every week, K8 and I try to hang out w/ different people. One week we invited a family to our place for dinner. Having never hung out w/ them before, the dinner gave us a great opportunity to get to know them more. We heard a bit of their story, how they met, their hopes, and their journey in the church and faith. It was great. As they were putting on their coats, they mentioned that we were the first people in a couple years to invite them over. This family is not new to the community, and we (the newcomers) were the first to invite them over. It made K8 and I sad to think about it. This couple, and all of us, long for community. We long to belong. You know, "Making your way in the world today takes everything you got. Taking a break from all your worries sure would help a lot. Wouldn't you like to get away? Sometimes you want to go, where everybody knows your name, and they're always glad you came." We all want that, and yet it's out of our comfort zone to invite someone along w/ what we're doing; so, sometimes we don't. My prayer is that you and I would be challenged to action, moved to include others in our lives, and that we would do it. May He bless our movement and building of community together.