Inspired by Sally's post from The War College blog, www.thewarcollege.blogpsot.com, I've decided to elaborate. But still read the War College blog - there is always such good things there.

She quotes "-I'm frustrated with incarnational living...my heart is screaming inside to make more connections with people- it is simply not enough to exist in this community, there's so much death outside but yet theres so much life in my heart that I need to start screaming it out!!"

It's true, it is simply NOT ENOUGH to exist in this community. I think it is good to exist in this community. I think a righteous presence is better then no presence at all. I think walking from class to home, or from home to work, or from the empress to the corner store with beautiful feet (ht: Isaiah) does something. But the fullness of incarnation comes from living and not just existing.

I found this particularly hard when I moved out of a slum hotel to where I live now. Where I live now isn't all that far from The Empress where I lived this time last year. Two blocks to be exact. I am still existing, as Sally put it, in the thick of the fight. I am still walking to and from work, and to and from the command center. Living incarnationally is something I have learned is something we need to be intentional about. I've often thought that intentional means that it is not authentic - but through authenticity found out that's not so, but rather they (the intentional things) bring accountability, availability and coverage.

Living incarnationally might look like bringing your laptop to Carnegie rather then using it at home - better yet, using the computer room. Living incarnationally might look like working out at the Carnegie's gym (which has improved since I remember it - they even have a digital treadmill so I hear) as opposed to and uptown gym. It might look like changing family doctors to one in the area, that your neighbours go to. Whatever it looks like, be intentional about it.

There's really no how to manual on living incarnationally. But it is simple. Just live. Jesus, master of this incarnational thing didn't do anything fancy, or out there, he just lived. Left the comfort of Heaven and put of flesh and dwelt among men. Christ dwelt - that's the prerequisites of incarnation I think. Dwell. Dwell in whatever front you are fighting on.

Dwelling means remaining. (ht: Miriam-Webster)

I think another prerequisite of incarnation might be leaving one place to go to another. Can you be incarnational organically? I suppose, but I think "incarnational organically" is just a 10 syllable way of saying "living fully". My friend Noah White, he's 4, I don't think is living incarnationally as much as he is living. He was born into this community, this is all he knows. I think he has the fullness of this whole thing, because he knows nothing else. But I am just processing that still. Your thoughts are encouraged, as they help me process.