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Community is not entirely physical. Everyone knows that, but there is still a lot of protest from traditional Chuyrch circles about how "Virtual Faith" cannot replace the physical gathering. And I say, over and over, its not about REPLACEMENT, it's about AUGMENTATION. It's about providign another channel into encouraging of story. It's about "hearing the voices" of the People of God, and even as I write this on this "Pentecost morning", I have the feleing that very few of the people I know are even reading it, even though I know I keep this weblog, and update it often, and often write about things I care deeply about.
I also know there are people "out there" whom I've nver met face-to-face, who DO read and who DO write me with encouragement, and who DO understand some of my frustrations with the very things about the Church that keep me from having a paying job in the Church this very minute. If the Church cared enough to explore every avenue into people's hearts, and into their souls, there are fewer avenues than that of Weblogs, where thousands are using the avenue of writing to express their deepest angusih, and their deepest hopes, and articulate enduring dreams that won't go away.
So maybe that's another thing that "compelled me" to SIT and put on a cup of coffee and stay home today. A sense that I want to celebrate with the people (many of whom are probably at a physical Church meeting right now -- which is great--- I don't discourage that at all) who can understand how I could even think that there could be any portion of that Pentecost Spirit that traverses the ether. I would say that it can and does exist in direct reverse proportion to the amount of opportunities given in the ftf world to "tell our stories" (meaning, the fewer and more rare the ftf opportunities, the more fervent and powerful the online exodus and celebration will be).
But I proclaim today that this is not a "Solution", but a resource. The "Solution" is a community that thrives in every way, who meet together because the people are complelled to come and be with those with whom they are on a journey. The online resources avaliable to us toward that end numerous and the possibilities for our community to appropriate them in new and valuable ways are endless.
11:12:42 AM 
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