Living in 3D - Just Walk Across the Room

This morning, we had an awesome life group exploring what it means to live in 3D. I thought I would share some of the 'gold' from the meeting.

Cacooning or Connecting

While many of us said that we tended to cacoon ourselves in our Christian circles, Kristy Karhula and her mum shared that they had moved into being 'connectors'. When asked how they moved from being cacooners to connectors, Kristy said words to the effect, "I go out of my way to catch up with people I haven't seen in a while. I don't just say 'we should catch up', but I set a time and date then and there"

She also said that it takes time, it takes effort and she has to be deliberate about it.. whether she feels like it or not.

It reminded me of a verse I read this week: 1Corinthians 9:19 "Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. "

I've been asking myself the hard questions this week - do I live like a slave to Christ and others? or do I live like a concerned bystander - concerned...but never really getting involved

To use a Staggsanism, Kristy had 'cracked the code' on moving from being a cacooner to being a connector. She had given up her free time, her free resources to serve others to win as many as possible.

Discovering the Story First

We learned this morning to place emphasis on building a friendship instead of saving a soul. The question was then asked.. Why? Why build the friendship before engaging in spiritual discussion?

Without missing a beat, Bevan said, "People don't care how much you know--until they know how much you care." (John Maxwell)

Right then it made me realise - another key difference between me sharing my faith and a pyramid scheme salesman is the 'Care' factor. Bill Hybels calls it a platform of Love.

The challenge with this is - we have to care! I genuinely have to care!

My struggle (and perhaps that of others) is that care is often an emotion behind an action. We don't always 'FEEL' the need, which makes it harder to care and connect.. My emotions are often dry, or disconnected from the needs in my 'neighbourhood'.

The consequence of not feeling the need is that we often are less inclined to move towards action, or act with genuine care or love.

To help with this dilemma, I heard a brilliant message on Jesus' ministry. To put it simply, the speaker said that Jesus' ministry was in this order.. 1. Jesus went; 2. Jesus saw; 3. Jesus felt.. and acted.

The point of the message is that if you wait to feel the need, you will never do anything. However if, like Kristy, we deliberately GO, only then can we see the need, feel the compassion and take the right steps. None of this can be done within the safe walls of convenience.

We can show we care through our discerned next steps which may be helping an immediate need, carving out time from our busy schedules to just listen, or using recreational interests to develop deeper friendships.

The take home for me is this:

1. Connector and Comfort don't really go together.. neither does Slave and Convenience. I have to move from one to the other. I have to move from cacooned to connected. It won't happen accidentally. I have to deliberately plan this into my schedule to be able to 'live in 3D'

2. Going through the motions without genuine love and care is nothing more than a clanging symbol. I can't show genuine love and care without step 1 - Deliberately going out (connecting) and seeing the need first. Then I can show I care through my actions This is why I must 'Discover the story'.

3. Once I've connected and shown I care, then I can share what I know - the greatest gift of all.