Refrigerator Rights...

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At Calvary, we include God-Stories in just about everything we publish.  A God-Story is all about celebrating places we see God at work -- around us, through us, or within us.

Two weekends ago (on Super Bowl Sunday), a God-Story I wrote about our current Life Group was part of our weekly bulletin.  Here it is, with a picture to match...


I call it “Refrigerator Rights 2.0.”

One website defines refrigerator rights as “Relationships with people who can open your refrigerator without having to ask permission. And when you are in their home you can do the same. They are people with whom you feel open, cared for, and relaxed. They know the real you behind the facade.”

We are part of a Life Group that has gone through many different forms over the years. We’ve grown and multiplied and seen people move away and even seen people fall away. It’s been good and hard…and everything in between. But throughout the years we’ve chosen to stick with it. And in the midst of that decision, we’ve seen God do amazing things…both within our hearts and within all of our lives.

The current group of folks we’re “doing life with” have a relational history with us that goes back several years. I am the unofficial emailer for our Life Group, so after a recent meeting I sent out the dates we had decided to meet for the next several months. One of the activities was a Super Bowl party at which our full families could gather, and I decided that the Browns’ basement would be the ideal spot – nice TV, comfortable furniture, plenty of space for the kids to play, a ping-pong table for the dads to play…can’t get much better than that! So I sent out the info. At our next meeting, my friend Nikki said, “I’m so glad you feel comfortable planning a party in our home!”

And the amazing, God-built reality is that…I do. After years of not just gathering weekly for a Life Group meeting, but babysitting each others’ kids, and repairing each others’ homes, and lending each other cars, and praying for each others’ praises and struggles, and shopping for Adopt-a-Family together…there is a depth of relationship there that gives me a place to truly and fully belong and be known. And it’s a beautiful thing.

So friend…I’m looking forward to Sunday night’s Super Bowl with you. And here’s to many more parties that I plan at your house! ;)

--Kate Oberholtzer, reminding us of the “refrigerator fruit” that comes from breaking down the walls between us and each other.

Top Row: Wendy, Emily, Josh, and Ryan Stapleton

Bottom Row: Maddy, Steve, Nikki, and Lincoln Brown

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