The fullness of life - Jesus Army Life, Day 421

The last few days have been hectic but I'd be lying if I said I haven't enjoyed them too. The stresses have far been outweighed by the successes, which, looking back now, helps you realise that it's all worth it.

A major concern has been some friends who have found themselves with no place to stay. We've been able to help them out with a bed for a few nights and there's movement towards a solution for each of them. But sleeping arrangements at White Stone haven't been easy. We've had an influx of people stopping over at weekends (two sisters moved beds three times in two nights in order to host everyone!) so I've been told I've got to put on my domestic deacon hat and regulate sleep-overs. It's a good thing though because it means we've also got a few new people living in community: they're all sisters at the moment, one moving in permanently, one doing a Training Year, and one trying us out, but there are some brothers hoping to live here as well which means there's a battle over the spare room to become a brother's room or a sister's room!

The fullness of bed spaces is somewhat indicative of the fullness of life. I've been up the M6 twice this past week, once to support a church meeting in Stockport and once for an overnight trip to Liverpool (just because I've never been there before). The evening meetings in community have been excellent lately: rather than seeming like programmed events, they've just felt like it's the natural thing to do because we love Jesus and we want to be together.

There have been lots of late night chats sitting round and enjoying each other's company and lots of varied activity too. The last Agape is a good example, it was particularly pokey with questions about how we talk to each other (for good and for bad). The brother leading it has really grown in his ministry of pokiness. But other events have carried their fun: from "I had a dream" speeches to get people doing the washing up, to playing man-hunt in the dark. I've been personally convicted over some teaching we've had about self righteousness and seperate teaching about friendships and I've been trying to put both into practice (yes, I'm really learning the art of self righteousness now.)

And if you're wiped out by just reading the above, imagine how I feel living it! But it's all good. You see, I've just celebrated my 7th year in community - with my sanity still intact... only just.