Old people think they’ve seen it all.
But if you keep looking, you can keep learning. Through a men’s group I’m a part of, I’ve learned that people, especially men, can avoid having to open up and truly connect with others.
Always having a book to read and discuss or homework to do and share is a surrogate for getting together, listening to each other, and truly “knowing and being known.”
I’ve come to this slowly – like glacier speed. We were once in a small group with John Maxwell and his wife Margaret. Everyone just wanted to be “social” and talk. Guess who was always pushing for a curriculum? Yep, yours truly. A disciple is a “learner and follower” of Jesus Christ, right? So, if I wasn’t learning something, why bother?
What I missed was that life is primarily about relationships. It began with the trinity relationships between God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Through Christ’s death on the cross, we were added to this “circle” . . . kindred spirits on a journey hand in hand with our Heavenly Father and with each other.
I’m not busting on curriculum. We do need to keep learning about God and his Word. But we men need to slow down and engage with other men, sometimes without a curriculum and even without a specific purpose. We just need the connection. We need to “know and be known.” That starts will being vulnerable, with allowing life to slow down just enough to hear the pauses between sentences. To find the value and meaning behind silence like that. To treasure it. To share it with others.
Curriculum is about fixing things and improving.
Community is about feeling people and loving them.
You need a healthy dose of both.
Father, help us to not get lost in curriculum. To not get distracted by theological lines that separate us, but to focus on the humanity that brings us together as followers of your Son, Jesus. Amen.
Question: What’s your take on curriculum vs. community?
