We're now settled in Austin, Texas... The transition was as smooth as can be, although I went through World Wide Web withdrawal. I like staying plugged in to what's going on and blogging, in the words of 50 Cent, "like a fat kid loves cake."

We were introduced at the church today, and then, as if on cue, someone secretely replaced my 2-year-old boy with a temper-tantrum throwing meltdown boy. Nothing a little, or long, nap won't solve, of course.

we're here... we're excited... we already feel very supported and encouraged.

I've been thinking a lot about community lately. What it is... what it isn't. What it should be... what it's not supposed to be. How great it could be... how hard it is. A lot of ideas, thoughts, images, metaphors and stories just flying through my mind. But one thing that keeps sticking with me is the simplicity of community. Community is not brain surgery. Community is not rocket science. Community can (and does) happen with all types of folks with all types of backgrounds. It can happen in the blink of an eye or it can take years to cultivate. But it is simple. It is the sharing of life.

I've been reading a lot and thinking through how we build community, or, better yet, how community builds itself. Randy Frazee said something about the simplicity of community that was like an arrow through my heart:

The richest conversations you will ever have in your life you cannot orchestrate. They will just sneak up on you. And you want to be there when they happen. You can't orchestrate them, but you want to be together enough so that when it does emerge you will be there.

I still need to mull over that one.

What's been your experience with community? Do you remember a time of rich, deep relationships in your life? What contributed to that experience?