Sunset or sunrise?
Both actually, as a chapter is here ending, and the next chapter is starting…
It was “decided” this past week that our fellowship would stop trying to function as a local church group. The reasons are too involved to discuss in this blog post, but I wanted to mention it for a few reasons:
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First, I still believe in the main reason why Sue & I moved here: to separate more from the world and its influence, to live more directly on God’s providential hand by growing and raising our own food, and then doing all these things and living out our Christianity in every aspect of our life (Christianity being our lives instead of just a part of our lives) amongst, with, and in support of like-minded believers, to learn to serve and love them. For me personally, over the years the Lord has granted to some degree what I believe are good effects from all these things, in Him granting things in my heart required to actually do these things — more trust in Him, more charity (godly love) to others with some less emphasis on myself, etc., and I am very thankful, and pray He continues as I desperately need and desire more of those things, and more of Him.
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Secondly, practically speaking from the group’s standpoint, the main change will be that we won’t be gathering together on Lord’s day for Bible study, singing and holy reading, as we shift to looking for other established local fellowships with whom to fellowship. And so, we won’t be streaming meetings from our Lord’s day times on our YouTube page, which we’ve been doing for quite some time. I’ve been personally reading from Christian writings that I have found beneficial, making them available in an audio format, and maybe Sue and I will come up with other things to do on our YouTube page in that medium. We plan to continue this blog too.
The folks here do hope to maintain the close relationships we all have with each other, and continue some of the Christian-focused things we have done in the past, like gathering to do projects for each other on a “community” — now probably more “neighborhood” — work day, etc. And continuing to focus on opportunities to help others in local towns, as we have been doing recently.
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Lastly, I believe some good has been done here over all the years, and again, I’ve certainly seen spiritual blessings in my own life. However, I believe some harm to others has been done here for, again, reasons too involved to discuss here. All Sue and I ever wanted to do was help people — that’s why we bought a large parcel of land, much larger than she and I would ever want to use for ourselves. But, sadly things aren’t always right or done the right way, I would presume mostly from sin in ourselves and our carnal man, and to those who have been hurt by the things that were not right, I wanted to apologize sincerely for my part in those things that hurt you, and hope that someday you will be able to forgive me.
From here on, we don’t know where the Lord will lead, but it continues to be our prayer God would glorify Himself through us in whatever way He might, and with His help that we seek Him diligently as we continue our “sojourn” of life.
Heb. 11:8-10 – “By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.“
— David
