So, we've got our routine sermons and gatherings of worship.
We've got our charitable deeds and obedience to the faith.
We have a heart that loves the Lord, and perceptions of his glory that don't fade away.
We are commanded to love one another, and in Christ we do that well enough.
But tonight, as I was playing with my imaginary wife in my mind, throwing her around and doing other (innocent) fun things with her, I got to thinking...
Why doesn't everybody do this with each other? We know the commandments, we know to love the Lord, to be at peace with all men and aid those who are weak;
But why don't we playfully beat our chests and ook & eek like moneys at each other? Why doesn't the church have a ball pit, and an adult-sized playground? You know when we were little we did all kinds of crazy stuff.. some of it we might now find offesive, but when we were little we didn't mean wrong. How about playing a game of tag or hide-and-seek during the next mass, or a game of candy land or sorry? How about behaving like we did during school lunch hour with each other?
Jesus is love, and in love, there is no law. We're not dangerous or malicious people in any way. Our ideas of having fun involve no evil, yet are clean and powerful. I think the world would be a better place if Gods church reflected the rawness and pureness of what our freedom in Christ can be.
One of the blessings I've had during my time on CC is making a few friends who are also wishing that there was more fun within the Christian life. (Speaking for just that group and myself,) we all have plenty of Bible study, lessons, and teaching in our lives, but it's hard to find good old-fashioned fun and recreation. Unfortunately, we're all scattered across the USA -- but if we were in range of each other, I'm sure there would be many potlucks, movie nights, outings, and plenty of shenanigans that would occur.
We've puzzled for many years how to have a more general CC Meetup (many years ago, an official one was in the works, but unfortunately, didn't work out.) We've even put up threads asking people for ideas on how to have a real-life meetup. I've been to a few small, private group meetups with people from CC and have met somewhere around 20-25 people here in person (most are no longer on this site,) but there are always complications.
For instance:
* What if a joint deposit is made for a location -- and people back out, leaving the one who paid holding the bag. I've seen this happen a lot, and in the Christian community, people will say, "Oh, help a brother/sister out -- I'm in a tough spot right now -- surely you understand and would want to be a blessing to someone like me!" Of course it can be true, but it's also inexcusably unfair to the one who was willing to step up in the first place.
How would we make sure everyone pays their share and that others wouldn't feel obligated (in the name of the Lord) to take on extra costs?
* What if there are problems with unwanted attachments/stalkers? Christian or not, there are going to be some people who form an attraction to someone -- and won't take no for an answer. I've seen this problem firsthand, as one of the meetups I went to was very hush-hush, because there was concern that a person on the forum might be looking for a way to meet/stalk one of the participants. Some people will even say, "But this person is the one the Lord has for me!!" -- when that other person doesn't even really know them and has absolutely NO feelings for them in return.
How do we keep people safe?
* And then of course you have all the other issues such as costs and travel, and the people who will feel left out if they can't attend.
I know one of my callings is to try to bring people together for friendship and possibly even dating/marriage, and I'm always asking God how to help people meet each other -- and have fun.
So far, the only thing I've been able to do (here on CC) is to put up various threads about different topics, and make some of them purely for fun. There are times when I've wanted to write about more serious topics, but I've actually felt God was telling me, "People are already divided enough right now -- I want you to try to write something that will bring people together, not cause a further divide."
And so, that's how ideas for things like the "Let's Have a Controversial Conversation About... (Various Topics") series was born. I also felt led to put them in the Family Forum so that it would reach a wider audience rather than just Singles. (Though we so have some awesome married friends who hang out with us there.)
When working through ideas for such threads, I'm thinking of the tired, exhausted people who are looking for something a little more light-hearted to participate in -- the mom or dad who's trying to take care of their kids, with some of them having special needs; the man who's working 3 jobs trying to support his family; the singles who are taking care of others but have no one and nothing to come home to themselves; the wife who feels she gives everything, but has nothing for herself; the people who have been preached at 24/7 most of their lives, and wonder if the Christian life ever even allows them to laugh.
My hope with the lighter, humorous threads, is to give people a place to rest for a minute, participate in something fun, and even have a chuckle or two that gives them the strength to carry out the rest of their day. Years ago I was going through a serious burnout, taking on more than I could handle, and God told me, "You don't have to try to save people (make their entire life better by yourself.) Just work at being an oasis -- a place where people can stop and refresh. Give them something to help energize them enough to get through the rest of their day."
Of course, I don't always succeed -- sometimes I fail miserably -- but I try to have fun while I keep trying. And sometimes the threads attract people who are only interested in preaching at others 24/7 -- never sharing much about themselves or their own walk, never really coming across as fully human -- which I do understand. If that's their calling, who am I to stand in the way. But there are plenty of other threads and places in the forum for them to carry on that kind of calling. Mine are for people who are looking for something different.
The lighter threads are written with a specific group of people in mind -- the ones who are already preached to and study the Bible continuously as it is -- but are looking for an online version of the Coffee & Donut Hour after church, where they can hopefully laugh and have fun and just be themselves.
I'm always thankful for the opportunities we have here on CC.
It's been an invaluable reminder to me that even the little things -- like a seemingly silly thread from a very simple mind like mine -- can still make a big difference in people's lives.
Thanks for the awesome thread
@Ceph.
I'm so glad to know I'm not the only one who also has an inner child that still likes to have fun!
Talk about inspiring!