You Know You Want To...

"Are you tired of seeing others around you suffer?

Are you tired of always being there to support your friends and then when you need them they're nowhere to be found? Do you want to belong to a community that knows you and supports you?

Come live with us!! Everyone belongs with us, there is always a place for you here."

*This is not for those who enjoy constant solitude and being an outsider.

My community is not one that immediately appeals to people. It's one of those things that you think you're not going to like, but then when you get there and you're actually doing it, you don't want to leave. It's one of those things that you might not realize that you are missing until you have it. Helping people to realize their inner most desires and attractions would not be the easiest task, but the end result would not be something that they regretted. Although I admit that the initial attraction might seem small or non-rewarding, their newfound sense of belonging and confidence would soon assure their stay in the community.

I would start with the church communities because I know that they would be (should be) the quickest to respond and want to join in, but I would include a short disclaimer that this is no 10 day trip, it's a way of life and they shouldn't be in it if they are not in it wholeheartedly. Secondly, I would start by advertising to the poor and homeless, they would have an immediate interest in the benefits of the community for them, but I would again include a disclaimer that this would not be a place where they just receive and receive, they would also have some part in giving, that's what a community is. After a first couple of people joined the community, their testimony would be advertisement enough; from those two groups of people I think that the numbers would increase as word got out and people started to hear how belonging to a community makes one feel.

The most difficult part would be the initial convincing and transition into the community. I feel that some would turn away if they didn't stick with it for a couple of days until they really began to understand it and fully embrace it. There are two people that come to mind that had difficulty convincing others of their causes: Jesus and Socrates. Two people completely different, but many people did not take them or their ideas seriously until they were able to experience it and sample it for themselves. They were in their days "weird" and no one had any desire to listen to them, but when they fully understood what they were talking about, they couldn't get enough of it!