The Grey Pages with Brave Cities S2 E21 Communities of Desire
In this episode, the Brave Cities crew explores a different kind of organizing principle: shared desire. Rather than building around outcomes, metrics, or even vision, we ask what happens when a community is rooted in a mutual longing — for Jesus, for justice, for neighbor love, for the poor, for the way of the Kingdom.
Drawing on influences from René Girard to Walter Wink, and from 12-step communities to monastic orders, the conversation shifts the frame from performance to formation, from hierarchy to mutuality, and from strategic goals to embodied longing.
Key Themes
Desire as the organizing principle of spiritual community
From top-down vision to decentralized invitation
Girardian “mimetic desire” reframed through the lens of Jesus
Why formation happens in process, not performance
Creating culture that pulls people up instead of pushing down
The difference between triangle leadership and circle community
Inviting others into a life of desire without over-planning the path
Notable Quotes:
“You don’t need a plan — you just need a desire worth living out.”
“Fall in love with the process, not the outcome.”
“If you stop walking, Babylon pulls you backward.”