Family AND Community

Last updated on: May 23, 2017 at 9:57 am by John Mark N. Reynolds

Family AND Community 2017-05-23T09:57:26-04:00 John Mark N. Reynolds

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Family is and always has been a central part of my life. When George Bailey saw a sign that said: “Ask Dad, he knows.” I understood. I still ask Dad, because he knows. There is not a single class where Mom’s loving determination to know does not motivate my life. Daniel, my brother was, is, and always will be, my best man. My extended family has taught me wisdom and have been role models in my life . . . my grandparents were fun and wise and my Uncles and Aunts (and numerous cousins) are blood.

I cannot imagine life without all of them. To give just one example, I have rarely written a play or book where my Uncle Bob did not become a model for a hero. My family is that great.

And yet my family cannot be everything and has not been. Family is one biggest thing, but there are other things. Jesus, after all, had a holy family and yet he also had disciples and friends. He did not just focus on His holy family. The old saying is not wrong just because Clinton misused it: a village is needed to raise a child!

There is a church where a pastor stands outside of the family and can give direction. How blessed I have been: Pastor George, Father Michael (of blessed memory!), Father Richard, and so many others.

There are mothers and fathers in the church who can provide other role models. My youth pastor (shout out to John Toner!) was a model of an academic (PhD) who was a Christian early in my life. Older wise women (Marge!) were New York grandmothers and older men were mentors. I will never forget the wise woman who prayed for me when I was stuck on a logic problem . . . the answer came!

My teachers in elementary, high school, college, and graduate school were a diverse and jolly bunch. Brian Larkin played board games with us and taught us church history. Steve DeMent made me run and Nancy Balentine tried to improve my grammar. David Bassinger suggested philosophy was a good idea and Fount Shults was a mentor when everyone else preferred to look the other way. Deborah Modrak pulled me through grad school and Al Geier is the father of my dialectic. Phil Johnson made my career possible . . . and I have missed many names.

Then there are the friends such as Kate and Randy, Bob and Sherry, Leland and Amy . . . I have to stop . . . because I need all of you. Time fails me to list friends who work with me and who even tonight kept me sane (Kris! Lily!) and are such wise people in my life (Cate! David! Jon! Megan!).

God help me, but there are patrons whom I cannot name that make all I do possible. If there was a brick wall and a need, I would run through it for that family.

All of these folk are so important . . . and make the community of a life. Family is central, but these interlocking webs of relationships keep family sane and solid.

My Mom and Dad prayed to God for a wife that would be awesome . . . and Hope came. My Mom and Dad started a school to provide godly teachers . . . and they came. They focussed on our family by holding Daniel and me with a loose hand, willing to see a community of good people help us. They were never jealous or defensive.

Community is not bigger than family, but becomes family. I only have one Dad and Mom, but in another way I have many dads and moms. I have one brother and life long pal, but in another way I have many brothers and sisters. Healthy, wholesome, family delights to know this is true.

And when I look at Lewis, Mary Kate, Ian, and Jane (our adult kids!), I delight that their teachers, mentors, pastors, friends, and beloved others have done so much we could not. We are thankful.

Community begins in a family that asks anyone who wishes to belong . . .

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