True Community

“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”            Galatians 6:2

Community has always been a struggle for me. While growing up, my introverted nature drove me away from seeking out meaningful relationships, because it seemed so much easier to be alone. It was less complicated and I was able to focus on my favorite subject, which undeniably, was myself.

But by the time I was in high school, the beginnings of my saving grace had arrived. Without even trying, a small group of us had assembled, and without knowing it had created a friendship that would eventually become my core community. Strangely enough, I still see three of these guys almost every day because they make up the rest of Grey Holiday. Early on, we were basically friends solely because we had similar interests. But near the end of high school, our friendship transformed into something more serious. We began meeting for breakfast before school to pray for one another and to fellowship. We started to be more honest with each other about our struggles and victories – we celebrated together, and we mourned together. I don’t think any of us understood how blessed we were.

Life has moved frighteningly fast since then. The boys that I knew and loved in high school have become men with even bigger responsibilities. And what I’ve come to realize is that I need my community now more than ever.

Something that many people outside of the music business don’t really understand is that being in a band is a bit like being in a family. There are certain roles that each member takes on – the parents, the kids, even the pets. There are times when being together is easy and fun, and there are times when you wish you could just be alone.

But despite its downfalls, being in a band gives me the opportunity to be a part of a collective of men that care desperately for Jesus, and for each other – although sometimes we don’t do either of those things well. But as we formed Grey Holiday, I think all four of us saw that there was something special we could have together. And so we purposely strive for a Biblically-based community, with God as our leader. And through that we have been extremely blessed.

We try very hard to do a few specific things on a consistent basis that our mentor from high school helped map out for us: