Adding to our home....
so yeah...
you may have thought we were having a baby or something crazy like that.
i mean, anytime we say something like "i have something exciting to tell you"
people freak out. and I mean, freak!
if it's up to me, and I know it isn't cause God's a lot bigger and cooler than I,
we'd pop out a little one in about 3 years!
{wow, I almost wrote poop out a little one. awkward}
anyway....
I HAVE SOMETHING EXCITING to tell you....
we are getting a roommate!
or a roomNATE as I like to say...
Kevin's brother Nate is moving in with us.
well actually he moved in last night, so he's in!
we really are super excited about this.
you may be asking yourself "you're newly married, why would you want to have someone live with you?"
and to that I say "why NOT?".
just kidding...I think I know why a newly married couple might not want a roommate.
But here's the thing.
We've been journeying with a bunch of people in our lives and the concept we've all been wrestling with is the idea of living in community and what that really and truly looks like. Many of you know our desire from day 1 is that people would feel absolutely loved and welcome upon entering our home.
and in a sense, in marriage you get to be a team that welcomes people into a place where they belong, and get to feel a sense of community.
this,
this roommate thing,
it's just an extension of building community.
Now, Kev, Nate and I all get to partner together to invite others into our home.
into a community.
How you ever noticed how often times at churches,
you gotta believe in order to belong.
like once you're baptized or something, you seem to move up on the churchy people hierarchy?
we want to scratch that.
our prayer is that people feel a sense of belonging.
of knowing they are accepted and welcome for being who.they.are.
and often times, we've seen,
that once in community,
they taste Jesus.
they see Jesus in the love that the community has for one another.
and they can't get over what the heck is going on.
we want people to belong.
because often times community is where the real Jesus emerges.
when they're going through a hard time and people show up, they meet Jesus.
when they're rent is due and well's run dry, and it's the community that pitches in,
jesus.
john 15:35 says "Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.”
that's it people.
when we love one another, people see Jesus.
and if we're not hugging it out in community, how are people going to see him?
loving yourself doesn't count...in fact, that's kinda counterproductive. sorry buddy.
who says we kick the american dream with the picket fence and individualistic tendencies,
and open the gates wide on communal living?
are you with me?
{i picture myself a revolutionary in les miserables! seriously, i have the little suit and creepy pony tail}
so hurrah for adding to this little household another sojourner who is wanting to see Christ glorified.
in the laughs,
in the helps,
in the hard places,
and in the joy.
welcome to the hood Nate-dawg.
we love you.
love Katie and Kevin