My position at Living Hope has been enigmatic to say the least. I am a Young Adult Pastor, but my task is not to create or run young adult programs per se. Instead, I have spent my time relationally connecting with young adults and seeking ways to help them connect to the broader church community as we try and let what it means to be the church flow from that.
Young adults fall into 3 general categories: singles, young married couples, and young married couples with kids. I have been fortunate enough to be embraced by communities of all three types and yesterday was a microcosm of those worlds for me.
Yesterday morning I socialized mainly with my house group, which is comprised exclusively of pre-kid, married couples. We collaborated to help one of those couples move and then I spent the afternoon with one of the married guys, Zach, checking out various neighborhoods and properties as we think towards the possibility of intentional community (post on that forthcoming!).
Then, I had dinner with a slew of my friends who are married w/ small kids. We were celebrating Clay’s graduation as a Doctor of Physical Therapy. This is a great time for me - getting to see how parents deal with kid stuff, trying to love on them myself, and embracing the mess that simply must be embraced if sanity is to remain.
Finally, last night I spent with a bunch of my single friends. People were really just hanging out and talking. We played a game my friends from Ohio lay claim to, “… and a bottle of wine,” and it was a great time.
Each of these groups is of course incredibly unique and I treasure my time with all of these folks in accordance with that uniqueness. I am thinking more and more about how to help others discover the joy of sharing life with those in various stages of it, but in the meantime, boy am I thrilled that it’s something God has orchestrated for me. It’s just good for my soul.







1 response so far ↓
1 Elizabeth // Jun 10, 2008 at 2:53 pm
Sneaky! How do you always manage to take pictures with no one looking?
We’re blessed to have so many diverse relationships. Thanks for the reminder. I’ll be interested in reading more about your thoughts on intentional community.
See you tonight.
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