Bluest Skies in Texas
4/11/08 - 6th Day - Mid-Afternoon. Preparation of the Sabbath. Robert and I have been working on the office, preparing for Ranchfest which starts officially in 1 week. I have been working on the floor and trying to get it pretty well finished before Ranchfest starts, so when I have the help I need, I'll be working on the parts of the project that require help. For now, Robert is doing very well as my helper... plus he has a bicycle, so he is good at riding back to the cabin to get things I need.
Today has been gorgeous. Breathtakingly gorgeous. 72 degrees, and the bluest skies in Texas. It is so peaceful back there by the creek where we are building the office. A hammock and I can guarantee you no work would have been done. Maybe that is why I don't have a hammock.
Today is preparation of the Sabbath, so we are doing or best around here to get ready for the Sabbath tomorrow. I just went down and checked the pigs to make sure they will have food and water enough to make it until the Lord's Day. It is funny seeing only 3 pigs down there. The three at the butcher are likely dead by now. So I found out we are supposed to have a cold spell tomorrow night, so it is likely that Chris Woods and I will be butchering a goat or two on Sunday morning before fellowship. If that project is successful, we will have a goat bar-b-q during Ranchfest.
Anyway, everything is good here... what about where you are?
Michael
Today has been gorgeous. Breathtakingly gorgeous. 72 degrees, and the bluest skies in Texas. It is so peaceful back there by the creek where we are building the office. A hammock and I can guarantee you no work would have been done. Maybe that is why I don't have a hammock.
Today is preparation of the Sabbath, so we are doing or best around here to get ready for the Sabbath tomorrow. I just went down and checked the pigs to make sure they will have food and water enough to make it until the Lord's Day. It is funny seeing only 3 pigs down there. The three at the butcher are likely dead by now. So I found out we are supposed to have a cold spell tomorrow night, so it is likely that Chris Woods and I will be butchering a goat or two on Sunday morning before fellowship. If that project is successful, we will have a goat bar-b-q during Ranchfest.
Anyway, everything is good here... what about where you are?
Michael
posted by Michael Bunker at 4/11/2008 01:55:00 PM
4 Comments:
Michael...I am intrigued by your blog and have noticed that you are on blog roles of others that I enjoy reading. I started reading your blog about when you wen to a woodworking seminar. I have not figured out what you and your people are about yet. Besides the obvious. Agrarian, Christian, and Family oriented. Are you a commune of believers? Is your group similar to Amish where everyone depends on everyone and the community own the property. Are you an individual church or are you a part of a larger organization?
garth
Garth, Thanks for your questions. The obvious is really what we are all about. We are not a commune. There is a difference between "communalism" and "community". In communalism the individuals do not own property. We all own our own property. We are just neighbors who chose to live close together because we are like-minded and we believe in community living. We are similar to the Amish in many things, but we have a different salvation doctrine (we believe in the Doctrines of Grace and are not works based. We all do depend on one another and we all help one another out. We are all submitted to one another in faith and practice, and we live by rules ("ordnung") that help us keep our minds on the right things and that help us remain separated from the world as the Bible commands. We are members of the Body of Christ, and we meet in local fellowship with one another as "the Church" of Jesus Christ meeting in Santa Anna, Texas. We are "minimalists" and believe in simplicity, off-grid living, and separation from the world, but we currently own vehicles, we use cell-phones and we obviously have access to the internet. Those things could change in the future though. We are open to the Lord's leading.
Our doctrines and Statement of Faith can be found here:
Click Here
Let me know if this answers all your questions, or if you have any more.
Phew! No questions on IV. :)
V. & VI So when Christ died for all (all being all I suppose) does your group believe that He died for only those He (God) elected?
VII. When God imputes (applies)righteousness to believers because of the work of Christ, does that mean that they are righteous?
And a couple of livable questions...
How about children? Does everyone let God decide how many children they have?
Circumcision? If sons are born, is circumcision done?
Would you let a married couple who had previously been divorced join the community.
How do you determine the "level" of being part of the world with the other members? For example...using technology, or being on grid?
thanks,
garth
Garth, Your questions are good ones, and I am glad to answer them here, though this venue is really not conducive to a full and complete answer, especially since I am well known for making certain I define terms and question all presuppositions. Anyway, if you would like a more in depth answer to any of the questions, feel free to email me, or I can point you to some areas where I have written on the subjects at greater length. All of our doctrinal sermons can be found here:
Click Here
Particularly your question about for whom Christ died can be found here:
Click Here
I would also recommend the Doctrine of Faith, and the three part Doctrine of Responsibility which can be found here:
Click Here
Most of those have audio versions, which are much better in my opinion.
Ok, so yes, we believe Christ died for all of those He loved from eternity, and of all of those for whom He died He will not lose one.
VII This is a very serious question, so I would need a more detailed understanding of what you mean by "righteous". I believe that The Father is propitiated by the sacrifice of Christ, and is satisfied by that great work, and that He accepts the perfect sacrifice and the imputed righteousness as a complete and finished work, and in this manner accepts the beloved in Christ as righteous in Him.
As to children, yes - I believe we are all satisfied here to let God determine how many children we are to have. Not that all here have been perfect in this respect all of their married lives, but we have all come to the understanding that this is God's will, and we have submitted to it.
I believe that circumcision is done on the males born, but I could not tell you for certain. We certainly do advise it.
As to a married couple who had previously been divorced joining the community - this answer would take a very long time, and many terms would need to be defined. First, as to "joining" the community, this in itself is a very complicated subject. We are a group of people living in close proximity who choose to serve, fellowship, and worship together and to live according to rules and a statement of faith upon which we all agree. Anyone is welcome to move into the area, and we have many neighbors who are not participants in our fellowship. Outsiders are welcome to attend several of our meetings, all except our Lord's Day closed fellowship. Brethren in our fellowship are received through a process of getting to know one another (mutually), and sometimes this can take a long time. Only those who are accepted via baptism (acceptable baptism) and by profession of faith (made via a conversion narrative) and by agreeing to our statement of faith are included in our closed fellowship. So a person (or family) really cannot just "join" us like they would join a modernist "church". As to our acceptance of people into the fellowship, we look at every individual case differently and in context. We don't have a set rule of what former sins we will or will not accept. Of course we demand repentance and renovation of life - conversion and fruit. We have individuals in the fellowship who were formerly married and/or divorced. Some have remarried, and some have not.
We have an "ordnung" or set of rules (like a family has rules) which are unwritten, but which are understood and accepted by all. Examples of our ordnung is a prohibition on outside or "grid" electricity or any grid utilities or services. We also have rules on modesty in dress, headcoverings for women, modesty rules for men, rules restricting men and women who are not married from being alone, etc. Most of our rules are pretty common sense, really. Our ordnung (like the rules in a family) are constantly adapting to realities and challenges. Some of the ordnung rules are hard and fast laws, and some are merely guidelines, recommendations, or preferences. We believe in the three forms of government: Family first, then the Church, then the Civil Magistrate. We believe that the Family is the primary form of government, and that the male head of household is the Prophet, Priest, and King for his family - second only to Christ. The Church only has authority where the areas of authority overlap, or in those areas that are clearly delineated in scripture as under the authority of the Body of Christ, or in managing or serving the peace between households and families.
We have all submitted ourselves one to another, and to the authority of duly elected Elders who exercise only that authority granted them in scripture and by those willfully uniting in fellowship as a part of the Body of Christ.
I hope this helps,
Michael
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