The Safest Place on Earth – Chapter Three

Larry Crabb’s book ‘The Safest Place on Earth’ seems to be a welcome relief from the self-centred gospel prevalent in so many of today’s current literary releases. In fact, I’ve read nothing else that comes so close to my experience and current thoughts. There are things that Crabb touches on here that stand and defy everything taught about the Church.

This book is not about having your best life. It’s about having the best life that God plans for you. It’s not about being driven by a purpose. It’s about the struggles and the wrestling that goes with the ordained divine destiny on your life. You won’t feel warm and fuzzy after reading this book – in fact you may even feel more confused and disappointed. Where so much emphasis on leadership, managerial and advertising skills are placed on pastors it’s refreshing to see a text that deals with the formation of true spiritual communities amongst people whom Christ calls the Church.

Chapter Three – Spiritual Community: What It Is

This third chapter focuses on the recognition of spiritual community. The need for brokenness and the necessity of openness as the boundaries bring us to a point where, when we are surrounded bylike people there becomes a movement towards Christ as directed by the Spirit.

The chapter also has a story in it of a man whose wife wants a divorce.  Through this illustration Crabb introduces (albeit briefly) the concept of the upper and lower rooms of our hearts.  The upper room is the one where we want to operate from because that is where we glorify God from.

Quotes of Note From Chapter Two

- I love the church.  I do not want to write about the church as a problem, a source of conflict, a place of controversy, but as the Body of Christ for us here and now. – Henri Nouwen

- The church is a community of people on a journey to God.  Wherever there is a supernatural togetherness and Spirit directed movement, there is the church – a spiritual community.

- The church is a spiritual community journeying together towards God.

- In spiritual community, people reach deep places in each others hearts that are not often or easily reached.  They discover places beneath their awkwardness of wanting to embrace and cry and share opinions.  They openly express love and reveal fear, even though they feel so unaccustomed to that level of intimacy.

- Spiritual togetherness, what I call connecting, creates movement: Togetherness in Christ encourages movement toward Christ.

- Put first things first and second things are thrown in.  Put second things first and you lose both first and second – CS Lewis.

- You were put here to reflect the character of God, in the way you live, to pour out His life through yours toward whomever you’re with, however the treat you.  That’s the first thing, to glorify God by worship and trust in every circumstances and by revealing what He’s like.

- Yesterday’s food will not nourish us today.  We need another meal.

- [God] is continually calling His children to become what God saved them to be, solid people, indestructibly alive, hurting perhaps, but consumed with pleasing the Father.

- Why is spiritual community so rare?  Because only broken people share spiritual community.  We’d much rather be impressively intact than broken.