SMALL IS POWERFUL: Jump into Community with the Dwellings Pathway

At Sky Ranch Camp this past summer, a 12 year old kid named Gregory arrived one day in June as a first time camper. He didn’t know any other campers.  My college-aged son, David, was his counselor. As middle school boys are all over the map in terms of size and development, Gregory was on the extreme end of big and strong. But he was a little boy on the inside: hyperactive, insecure, awkward, unsure how to relate, and resistant to authority. David noticed that he would need to find ways to win Gregory over and help him become part of the cabin community.  

On the third day of camp, David’s cabin got to spend free time at the swimming pool. All the campers but one immediately jumped into the water. The one that did not jump in was Gregory. Instead, he walked off and sat some distance from the pool, alone on the grass, arms crossed. David saw him and knew what was going on. Gregory had failed the mandatory swim test the day before. Anyone who didn’t pass the swim test was required to wear a life jacket to get in the water. He was the only boy in the cabin who had not passed. Gregory had decided to sit it out and act like he didn’t care about swimming. That, to a 12 year old, was better than being singled out and made fun of for being the only guy who had to wear a life jacket.

David saw an opportunity. He walked over the life jacket rack and grabbed 5 life jackets. He put one on himself and quickly handed 3 to other 3 counselors, saying, “Here, put these on.” David  took one more life jacket to where Gregory was sitting. He plopped down beside him and dropped the life jacket on the ground in front of Gregory. He said, “I’m not getting in until you do.” And then he just sat there looking at the pool, waiting. About 10 seconds passed before Gregory turned in David’s direction with a huge smile on his face. Without a word, he put on that life jacket and he and David stood up together, ran to the pool, and jumped in the water. Together. 

The 15 other boys had to have noticed that their 4 counselors and one camper were wearing life jackets in the shallow end of the swimming pool. But not one word was made about it. Not one derogatory comment. The boys and the counselors just kept on playing pool basketball. This was a moment - for all the boys - of seeing how to meet a need in the community with kindness, without drawing attention to it. It was a moment of love in action, without words. It was a moment of becoming a Christ-honoring community, together.

It wasn’t just Gregory’s life that was positively impacted that day; all 16 boys’ lives were shaped. The unstated message those boys may have sensed that day was this: “We are all important, no one is going to be left out. It feels good to be kind. Each of us is valued just as we are. Maybe this is what God’s love is all about.” 

After David told me this story, I thought about how powerful -  even transformative - being part of a spiritual community can be.  Even though the life-jacket wearing event could be viewed as just an ordinary moment, I think it was something extraordinary. A Christ-honoring community was cultivated that day, and everyone won. 

The mission of Dwellings is to help ordinary people cultivate a Christ-centered community just like David did for his boys at camp.  Small = powerful in the kingdom of God. 

To help serve this mission, we created the Dwellings Pathway. The Dwellings Pathway is a collection of online resources designed to help people create intentional spiritual communities. It is includes a vision video, discipleship tools, and replicable guides that walk you through how to facilitate a gathering around the presence of Jesus. Maybe you have already been cultivating a spiritual community, but you need fresh ideas to take your group deeper. Maybe you have a home group and you are considering forming a house church. Maybe you don't have a small group of people to gather with yet, but you are praying about what this could look like. If you have questions, check out the FAQ page on the Dwellings Pathway for a collection of answers in video format to some of the most commonly asked questions.

There are 3 underlying values of the Dwellings Pathway. First, everyone in a community is considered a valuable part of the spiritual family; no one is isolated. Everyone in a community is transformed because of Jesus; no one remains only informed. And everyone in a community participates; there are no passive spectators. 

Like David (as the camp counselor) offered a clear way for Gregory to jump in the pool, the Dwellings Pathway offers a clear way to jump into cultivating your own spiritual community. The tools and guides on the Pathway are simple and replicable. They call on the gifts of everyone, not just the gifts of a few. We are all involved in this discipleship journey. The Christian life is not meant to be a solo experience, sitting on the side of the pool alone, watching others. It's made to be participated in, together. 

If you share this vision, we’d love to invite you to journey with us on the Dwellings Pathway linked below.