Community = Cross Pollenation

Some day, when we begin having community gatherings, we want them to be communal meals and worship collaboratives where everyone present can bring something to share, so that everyone's lives are enriched.

This past weekend we went to the lavender festival at Daffodil Hill. It was a beautifully sunny (hot!) weekend and we had a very nice time. We looked at some nice art pieces and smelled wonderfully fresh fragrances. We spent a long time clipping fresh lavender. We got really hot and sweaty and a nice woman working there came and spritzed us with fresh lavender water -- very refreshing! (once home, Cathy fashioned all the lavender into little bouquets for a few of our neighbors, which they loved!). In a small shed made into a small store, there were lavender products for sale. Around the top of the walls was painted a quote by Judy Phipps, the owner of Daffodil Hill. It does a good job of capturing what I would like to see in the life of our commmunity:

"Experiences are the elements from which our fondest memories spring -- the doing, the being, the sharing -- the coming together of friends all contributing their strengths of humor, intellect, creativity and compassion, to leave us more than we began with -- more laughter, more friendships, more smiles from the recollections we will forever cherish"
~ J Phipps

Summertime

Today is the Summer Solstice. More than just a day of the year, it's an actual moment in time -- this year it is at 2359 UTC. I think that's cool: a moment in time when the "sun stands still". On the negative side: with time zone differences, that means for me the sun will stand still just 1 minute before 5:00 pm on a Friday!

Most people think of today as the first day of Summer. For others, it marks the mid-point. Like life for the poor characters in Shakespeare's famous play, midsummer is sometimes tumultuous. Think about summer rainstorms.When they're building up, and the sky begins to darken, everything seems ominous. The wind sometimes begins to blow -- other times it stops completely and everything gets eery.

Summer storms
come and go, but
in the midst of them
it seems
they'll last forever.

I suppose "sun stands still" is an apt description with regard to how long the daylight lasts, but this whole "stopping" idea fits very little else. Sometimes life gets untethered and I feel adrift, longing for some constancy.

Right now our front and back yard are both torn up; in the middle of a reconstruction project. The finished result will be peaceful and green and inviting. Right now it is just a bunch of dirt that keeps getting moved from one place to the next. The front walkway and the back patio are now almost complete. Or I should say were almost complete. The front walkway has to be completely redone. The workers somehow misunderstood our directions. They got the right kind of pavers, and installed them in the right pattern -- but the pattern itself is oriented at the wrong angle. So the whole thing has to be picked up, the already-cut stones discarded, the uncut stones re-placed (after re-preparing the pathway's foundation of sand and gravel) and then the borders re-formed from newly cut stones. There's about a 0% chance of being able to re-use any of the already cut stones.

Two steps forward
One step back

As another example: where we live in Salem, Oregon, the weather has been pretty goofy this year. The other day I was driving around and it was sunny. Then it became overcast, then it started to rain. Then, while still raining, the sun came out again. Then the rain stopped and it was just sunny again. OK, OK, I know what you're thinking: "Duh -- it is Oregon!" but what made it weird was -- it kept cycling like that...every 10 minutes or so for about an hour:

1. Sunny.
2. Overcast.
3. Rainy.
4. Rain with Sun.
5. Repeat over and over.

At first I wished God would make up His mind and just pick one. Then I thought it was kind of cool how it kept repeating.

As I've thought back on that experience and shared the story with a few people, I finally realized God was speaking to me through that hour of weird weather:

Keith, I never change, but life all around you is always in a constant (often cyclical) state of change and growth.

He is Creator and Life-Giver -- and He never changes. So He is always creating and always giving life.

I don't know if He designed it for the sun to stay out really late so we could get more done since there is so much going on -- or if we overly-busy humans just naturally try to do more since it is light later. I've never been one to feel guilty for sitting on the couch reading a good book on a bright sunny day, but at this time in my life I'm trying to listen as He teaches me about real rest for my soul. Apparently it has little or nothing to do with inactivity.

It is Summer here in The Orchard. Many things are in the midst of change, but I'm learning that is an OK thing.

Spring Stillness

Yesterday was the vernal equinox.

Now it is Spring.

The world around us is alive with color and sound as buds open and small birds move in for the season. Amidst this activity it is easy to get caught up in the busyness of the world around us, and bow to the tyranny of the urgent.

This morning I was reminded of a better way:

The world gives itself
up to incessant activity
merely because
it knows of nothing
better.
The inspired man
works among
its whirring wheels
also; but he knows
whither the wheels
are going,
for he has found
the centre
where all is
stillness...

~ Paul Brunton

Friends with Ordinary People

A poem I read recently helped me get words on the type of people we want to be:

The House by the Side of the Road

There are hermit souls that live withdrawn
In the peace of their self-content;
There are souls, like stars, that dwell apart,
In a fellowless firmament;
There are pioneer souls that blaze their paths
Where highways never ran;-
But let me live by the side of the road
And be a friend to man.

Let me live in a house by the side of the road,
Where the race of men go by-
The men who are good and the men who are bad,
As good and as bad as I.
I would not sit in the scorner's seat,
Or hurl the cynic's ban;-
Let me live in a house by the side of the road
And be a friend to man.

I see from my house by the side of the road,
By the side of the highway of life,
The men who press with the ardor of hope,
The men who are faint with the strife.
But I turn not away from their smiles nor their tears-
Both parts of an infinite plan;-
Let me live in my house by the side of the road
And be a friend to man.

I know there are brook-gladdened meadows ahead
And mountains of wearisome height;
That the road passes on through the long afternoon
And stretches away to the night.
But still I rejoice when the travelers rejoice,
And weep with the strangers that moan,
Nor live in my house by the side of the road
Like a man who dwells alone.

Let me live in my house by the side of the road
Where the race of men go by-
They are good, they are bad, they are weak, they are strong,
Wise, foolish- so am I.
Then why should I sit in the scorner's seat
Or hurl the cynic's ban?-
Let me live in my house by the side of the road
And be a friend to man.

~ Sam Walter Foss (1858-1911)

When others are happy, be happy with them,
and when they are sad, be sad.
Be friendly with everyone.
Don't be proud and feel that you
are smarter than others.
Make friends with ordinary people.
~Romans 12:15-16

Why Are We Doing It This Way?

I say I love Jesus and I want to honor Him. I say He is my treasure -- the most valuable person in my life -- but does my day-to-day life reflect this? Is becoming more like Him in love and kindness and wisdom and graciousness and closeness to The Eternal my #1 goal at the forefront and in the background of all I think and say and do?

This has nothing to do with "Simple Church" or "House Church".

Many who leave traditional expressions of church life claim it is to seek a more day-to-day following; one that is not about a once-a-week meeting or a ticket-to-heaven (read: "cheap grace") gospel. These well-intentioned Jesus followers often point back to the structure they left behind as the reason they could not achieve the kind of following-life they wanted. They point to a house church meeting as the only way to really become a true follower of Jesus...but I say this is not true. Millions of people worldwide still attend formal, traditional, even liturgical (gasp!) churches and...are becoming more like Jesus every day! It is also possible to be in a house church setting and not be formed into Christ's image. Arguably it is harder to stay anonymous in a house church setting. I agree house church can be more conducive to responsibility and accountability and community. Structure does matter some, but it's just not central.

If the central goal of one's life
is becoming more like Jesus, then
the type of room in which one meets
with other followers is immaterial.

House Church is not better than other forms of church at forming followers into Jesus' image. The Bible refers to the church as "The Bride of Christ" and I believe Jesus loves the whole bride, not just parts of it.

Worship (honoring God) can happen anywhere.

A large cathedral can inspire awe.A contemporary building can evoke camaraderie.A living room can invite one to intimate community.If structure does not matter, then why would we embark on this journey of seeking to form a community that, when it meets, does so in homes over meals with friends and new acquaintances?

Any time a new Church is started, a question asked of the new pastors (by a coach, or by a neighbor, or by whoever!) goes something like this: "There's already a ton of churches in this town with plenty of room, why do we need another church here?". The best answer is "Because those churches still have plenty of room!"

There are people in Salem who are not following Jesus but are interested in finding out more about who He is and what it really means to follow Him. These people have preconceptions and past histories which keep them from ever darkening the door of the churches already here. Maybe this new opportunity to follow Jesus will be the salt that makes them thirsty for Jesus' offer of Living Water. Maybe this new expression of church life will be the light that frees them from some sort of darkness which has been holding them captive.

So why a community like this one? Simple: we feel God asked us to, and built us and brought us together for, in part, this current purpose. In this season of our lives, in this place we now live, in this era of our culture, we just feel called by God to offer this particular version / ethos / vibe / brand / style of an opportunity to learn to live like Jesus and be His hands and feet to all around us.

That is why we are seeking to form a community in this manner. That is the only reason we're doing it.

We don't look down on other structures and we don't exalt this one.

We exalt Jesus.

Winter Peace

The word Solstice comes from Latin and literally means "sun stands still". It seems little else stands still at winter anymore: calendars are filled but checkbook balances dwindle along with patience, and peace.

As I looked out our window this morning I saw some trees bending and swaying; dancing in the rhythms of the wind. Five months ago when we moved here these trees were lush with heavy foliage. Had those leaves still been there today the tree would surely have broken under the wetness and stresses. When leaves give up their color and fall, it sometimes seems like a mournful time, but there is a Wisdom and Protection behind these rolling seasonal changes.

Yesterday our house purchase became official and, as a sort of Christmas present, we are now able to begin settling in and feeling planted here. Our leaves are bare but amidst the pressures of the holiday season this is a good thing. Had we been encumbered with other responsibilities and duties our branches would surely have broken by now.

There is a natural quiet and peace in our hearts as our dreams lie dormant and yet so very alive, resting and abiding; listening to the Wind and the Water.

Storm Damage

I was driving around today, enjoying the cold and rain and gray. Then in the midst of enjoying this brisk autumn weather, I suddenly realized it is already a cold winter.

What tipped me off? I saw this bumper sticker on the truck in front of me, and it broke my heart:

Dear Lord, please save me
from Your followers

There is a stigma in American culture today, sadly (albeit well) represented by this picture. Look at that man's face. It almost looks like he is about to giggle, but he is not: that is instead a grimace of pain. He's encountered yet another 'bible thumper'.

I wonder how many people have had hurtful experiences with closed-minded, argumentative, dogmatic Christians with really poor social skills? I wonder how many times that closed-minded, argumentative, dogmatic person has been me?

My guess at the answer to both questions is: way too many.

The kind of person who has been hurt in this way, and chooses to respond by putting that bumper sticker on their truck is like a broken tree, isolated and pushed away from an orchard, and that makes me very sad -- especially when the damage was done by someone who says they are following Jesus.The kind of person who would put a bumper sticker on their truck like the one I saw is the exact kind of person I want to know and relate to and just be normal around, because Jesus loves these people and they've been ripped off -- many times by yours truly.

~ Keith