May 4, 2008

This evening finds me in Austin, Texas. Jill and I came here for a concert a little south of here in Driftwood. Driftwood was full of surprises for me and was a tangible testament to the fact that God is doing things among us and the DAB family is genuine and vibrant.

This little photo you see here is of Jill and I and Debby and her husband Doug. Debby is one of the moderators here who so graciously gives of her life to serve the community. I had never met Debby in person until this afternoon but I knew her at once and we honestly picked up where we left off on the boards. She is as delightful as you would expect and the sense that God is deeply rooted in her life is apparent.

I want to take a moment to shine the light on the moderator community here. Tara, Jason and Debby serve constantly and bring life to a community of people all over the world that defies definition. Rob and Chet give of their lives to protect the site and keep it building community. They reach into areas that I cannot both because I am not as good at it as they are and because I am assigned to other things. This community could not function as it does without them and I am so deeply grateful.

In 2006 as this all started I was told that virtual community could not effectively exist and that it would be dangerous to try to replace "real" community. In 2007 I was able to say that although virtual community may not be able to replace "real" community it did, in fact, exist and was better than no community at all. In 2008 I am begining to see the lines between virtual and "real" community blur. The Bible is the common denominator here and God is the glue that binds us all together. I still agree that virtual community has it's limitations. So far we haven't figured out a way to meet for lunch once a week but someday maybe we will. It would be so interesting to jump on Skype and share a meal with someone on another continent and the reality of that happening is more likely than not. Technology continues to advance and to watch Jesus show up in the middle of it all is not surprising. What is surprising is that we find ourselves in the middle of it. What we are as the DAB family has never been done before. In a world that needs leaders we find ourselved being the model. That is no pat on my back. The DAB grew up around me and because of you. I'm just glad to be here. But it's more than that.

Tonight Jill sang and we met a lot of new friends then Jill, Debby, Doug and I went down the road to a beautiful winery and had and enchanted evening telling our stories and sharing life. I would have never met Debby EVER were it not for this community. My life is richer because of each person who emails me or calls or drives out to somewhere I am to say hello. This is happening more and more now. We are starting to blend virtual and "real." I have never seen anything like this before but I suppose we shouldn't be surprised. Every story we read in the scriptures shows a group of people stepping up to take something back or repair something or consecrate something or return to something. We are no different. This is our time and our watch. It's important that we do not sleep through it. We have to be aware of what God is doing around here. Do you realize what you are a part of? Contemplate that this week. It might be surprising.

Onward Comrades,

Brian