Had you asked me twenty years ago if I saw myself as a writer, I would have recalled a vexing semester in Advanced Composition in college. While I have done some writing over the years, today I would answer that question by saying, we are all writers. Not everyone takes pen to paper, finger to keyboard, but we're all writing. We write in the relationships we live, the experiences we have, the moments we share. When asked about the greatest commandment, Jesus said, “The first of all the commandments is: 'Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:29-31). Strong relationship with Jesus leads us into a healthy love for others. For three and a half years, Jesus’ followers had heard His teachings, observed the nuances of His actions and lived under the day to day movements of His ministry. Then, they watched their hope died on a cross, testing every place of trust. Uncertain of what would remain sure, they scattered. How is it that having witnessed a betrayal eclipsing all others, they dared not only to gather again but to find community with each other? Light had penetrated the darkness. The dead had risen. Relationships are difficult. They take time, sacrifice and they eke into every corner of our world, even when we're alone. But real, relational connection is more than possible--it is the ink to our story. We were made for connection.