Saturday evening we gave Elliot and Vincent major new looks...what do you think? We couldn't stop looking at them, they both seemed kind of like new boys in our house, especially Vincent!
In other news, for about a year Martin and I have been wrestling with making a decision of whether or not to move to the north end of Harrisonburg to be more involved with the everyday life of Early Church and Our Community Place. One option we have is to move into a house in that area that would be set up as an intentional community.
We have been reading some books about New Monasticism, and this makes sense to us and has in part influenced our desire to live in community with other believers. The following is a link that provides some information on New Monasticism - specifically the "12 Marks of a New Monasticism".
http://www.newmonasticism.org/
Basically, the premise on which we would move into an intentional community is (and I quote Martin, who is much better at articulating these kinds of things than me!) our desire to transcend the worst impulses of our individualistic culture and construct a really meaningful shared life with fellow believers who share a vision of the embodied life of Christ.
We would appreciate any feedback and advice you have to give us as well as prayers for direction.
4 comments:
:) I know just what you mean about how boys with haircuts look like different boys. Tim just gave Israel a haircut the other night and I kept looking at him too - they just look different!! :)
I have always thought that I would like living in community like that. There are strengths to it that have always been attractive.
In terms of New Monasticism, I just skimmed over the website, but just recently I watched an Oprah show that was really interesting about some nuns somewhere :) (sorry if you wanted details :)) and they were talking about their vows of poverty and celibacy, and it struck me that those things in a way were freeing - you have made a decision to live your life for another purpose than get and gain and there was something really attractive about that. (Not the vow of celibacy, personally, but I still understand the commitment behind it) It was more the vow of poverty that got me thinking. Huh. I'm not a nun, but I can still order my life after a specific end. My wealth is not found in this earthly world - it is found in my service of the Lord and my investment into his kingdom. I can find that same freedom from the trappings of this world by basing my decisions to that end. I suppose that is what is meant by the fact that scripture tells me that I have died with Christ and the life
Anyways. I will be interested to hear what you decide!
Sorry, Israel published my comment when I was away from the computer. Anywho, I was just talking about the verse in Galatians that talks about me no longer living, but Christ living in me, and relating that to living for HIS purposes in every area of my life.
They are so incredibly cute! Last night I couldn't stop looking at them either. On Thursday I guess I'll find out just how different they are. :)
-Philip
110% boyish looks! Makes them look so perky and rambunctious and whippersnapperish and codgerish (in the sense of "buster"). Dad R
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