A Lesson in Community – Very Powerful

I know, I know, I normally post about every 6 weeks or so and now you get the third one in a month. I’m not trying to be overwhelming but something happened this morning that was so amazing I just have to talk about it.

First, a little background. For the past 24 years we had lived in a very rural area where everyone had acreage. We never got to know very many of our neighbors and there was no real sense of community. Sure, we knew and enjoyed the people across the street and a few other adjacent neighbors but that was about it. Part of it was circumstantial and part of it was our failure to proactively reach out. None-the-less, we were somewhat isolated and didn’t actually know what we were missing.

Fast forward to last year when we had the opportunity to purchase a lot in the Columbine Country Club area. We have been members of the club since 2020 but had never considered the possibility of pulling up stakes and moving there. Then, little by little, through the club, we started making new friends. Most of them live in the Columbine Valley community. The more we watched life in the community, the stronger our desire to experience the same kind of connections the residents of Columbine obviously enjoy. What was really impressive was the number of people in the community who are Christians. Three years ago I discovered there was a mens Bible study group that meets at the club on Wednesday mornings. Terrie found a similar group of ladies she meets with. They have become some of our closest and most valued friends. In addition, our networks at the club continue to expand. Everyone has been so welcoming and excited for us and the new house we have under construction.

Today though, brought it all into focus for me. There is a resident in the community who has been suffering through cancer. The prognosis is not good and on top of everything else he has contracted sepsis. He is not a believer, I’m not sure about his wife. None-the-less, the strong faith community in Columbine Valley is gathering around the family. Due to the rigors of the disease and necessary stays in the hospital the family had not been able to do things like cleanup the yard or even keep up with simple house cleaning. One of the ladies in the women’s Bible study group arranged for a cleanup company to go in and take care of what needed to be done. Multiple members of the community chipped in to pay for the service. Another group organized to provide meals for the family. But what happened this morning brought everything about this community into focus for me. A suggestion had been made, for anyone who could attend, to gather in the gentleman’s yard to pray for him and his family. So this morning, what appeared to be somewhere between 80 and 100 people showed up at the house, formed a circle in the front yard and began to pray for God’s healing and protection for the man and his family. I have witnessed similar prayer groups before but never quite like this. There were entire families who came together to join in. There were neighbors who know the man and his wife well. There were people who have never met them. It was emotional. It was beautiful. It was intentional. It was an amazing display of faith and community.

So on this day, Christmas Eve 2025, I am more convinced than ever that the move we are making – the community we are being accepted into, the place where we are going to “finish well,” is right where God wants us.

In Galatians 6:2 the Bible says, “bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. In Hebrews 10:24 it says, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

That is what I observed this morning. A community that is committed to bearing one another’s burdens and a community committed to “stirring up” one another to be a living example of God’s love and the promise of the Gospel. How much better could our world be if we would make those commitments every day?

Merry Christmas