Network vs Community

Cognition has ceased to bring me benefit and relief on this topic. It has very much become the person behind the glass door...I've found I'm still highly defensive when it comes those probes...especially since it's even easier to hide here then when I was in Calgary...I could keep on telling myself I'm just anti-social, but wouldn't that make me hypocritic? Funny. I haven’t questioned that fact for the last four years. I’ve forgotten the challenges from the people close to me, yet yours is the only one that is still stinging and shook me..

Support Network theory. There is no way I can proceed with that unless I introduce a double standard. My justification is that people’s roles are different. Paul, in Romans 12, slapped a few down on the table. I’ve heard a decent interpretation of the Gifts of the Spirit passage just the other day.

Prophets: Guide people to behave in ways that is already in line with our existing confession, conviction and values.
Servants: Too much talk, not enough action. Attentive to the needs around us.
Teachers: If people could understand, they would know and live in the Truth...
Encouragement: Boost morale through words and environmental enhancements.
“Needs of others”: Financial stuff and generosity
Leadership: This is a trippy one. The author refers to administrative leadership, but I don’t quite agree with that…leadership isn’t that narrow, but everyone has their own opinion I guess.
Mercy: Stands with the people who needs to be stood with, empathetic identification as a tool.

So with this, each person’s place in a support network is different depending on which attributes (sounds almost like one of those personality tests. lol) they have from this list I guess. But my defense seems to falter before your argument…

In order to encourage sharing and break the silence, someone has to be willing to stand against the river first. Once someone triggers it all, others feel more comfortable to share. The whole atmospheric trust factor is still in play, but this is a pretty big thing.

“Concerning [Paul’s thorn] I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” – 2 Corinthians12.8-10 (NKJV)

When Paul talked about his struggles, it is so that when he overcomes it, he knows for sure it is not his own abilities that he overcame it. So that when people look at him, they will also know it was not Paul that overcame it. But if people don’t know about the struggles…you meant this to be a community thing, didn’t you? To encourage sharing, to build group trust, to pray together and to praise, all in one motion. We're targetting different things, intending different things, with different kinds of people. But whereas when I cheer, it is only myself, and at best my network. But when you cheer, it is with your group and your community.


“I have seen that kind converted, when those would think less deeply damned have gone back. Those that hate goodness are sometimes nearer than those that know nothing at all about it and think they have it already.” – The Teacher Spirit, in reference to the Lost that mocked Heaven (Great Divorce, by CS Lewis) ... Luke 7.40-43