Community Groups- Doing Life (and death) Together

You know, it never occured to me when we began community groups almost 5 years ago that I would have the experience that I have had in the group that I had this year. As I reflect back on what has happened in this group this year, I think back to two things that we say about Community Groups as we "pitch" them to our congregation. These two mantra's are Community Groups-"Do Life Together" and Community Groups-"Where Friends are Family." These two ideas and concepts are now no longer just concepts to me, but have taken root down deep within me because I have experienced them in their ultimate capacity. First of I am in the middle of my life and so are my friends that have been in my groups. I always thought, yes, we'll go through the things that you go through in life together like job, children, relationship, etc. issues. And all of these issues are very real and they are sometimes very difficult to deal with. But in my wildest imagination did I every think that at this time in my life that I would be dealing with the subject of the death of one of my beloved group members. This is the ultimate in "Doing Life Together." It was at the beginning of our community group session this year that our precious friend, John Norsworthy, was diagnosed with mesothelioma. A type of cancer that none of us in our group knew anything about but soon learned all too well of it's devastating effects upon a body. The members of our community group "did life together" with John and Sandy as they received their diagnosis. We "did life together" at the hospital together as John went through surgery to find out the extent of the cancer. We "did life together"each week as John shared with us at our Community Group meetings what happend each week as he and Sandy went to UAB for trial treatments. One thing that I will never forget is that whether the news each week was good or bad, John always found something encouraging to say to us that kept our spirits up. John and Sandy truly led our group to be encouraged and to continue to place our hope in God. It was them uplifting us when you think it would have been the other way around. We "did life together" when it appeared that God's plan was not to heal John on this earth but to take him where he would be healed. We "did life together" as we called and went to see John in the hospital off and on for the last few months. And finally we have been "doing life and death together" as this Godly Saint passed from this life into his eternal life on Saturday morning. This week has been full with helping Sandy plan a funeral and trying to make sure that all of their families needs are met. These experiences have truly been the ultimate in the experiences of a community group. While I will miss John so greatly, I would not take anything for the experience that being a part of his life for the last two years has meant to me. I am currently reading a book on how to make disciples and the basic premise is that dicipleship is learned by living and observing. This is how Jesus discipled. This is how my friends John and Sandy have discipled me. I have watched and observed how they how lived through what has been the roughest time in their lives. They have lived with a grateful heart every week, no matter what the report. They have lived with a constant faith of the love of God for them. They never stopped saying...God is good all the time. "Where friends are family" certainly has been experienced. I was thinking yesterday at the funeral, I feel like I should be sitting with the family. John and Sandy have come to mean that much to me. I feel as if they are my brother and sister. Now if anyone asks me why they should get in a Community Group, I look at it at a whole different perspective than I ever have before. I can say without reservation, community groups allow for the greatest personal relationships with God and with others. It has been through this experience with this small group of friends that I have learned more about the love of Jesus and the love for one another than any other. While the void is great here on this earth without John, I would not change a thing about my experience. John & Sandy have been two of the greatest teachers in my life!