The Hilkiahs : Rural Life

 We have been in Washington for about two and a half years now. We are about 10 miles from the town of Washougal, up by the locally famous Mercantile country store. It's a 45 minute drive from where we lived in Portland. 

No farm, no garden; just 6 acres of magnificent towering old Doug Firs and Broad Leaf Maples. We're perched on the top of a steep hill with a view of the Washougal river basin and Silver Star Mountain in the distance. The river is just down the hill from us. We have a zip line and a giant rope swing for the kids. And plans to build a treefort soon. We get lots of fog, but on clear days, the forest and the distant views provide rest for the soul.

 When we left Portland, we were pretty drained from the pace of life and no longer up for the daily urban battles. We had left our beloved community and church Springwater, the year previous. The trajectory of the church had changed, or we had changed, or new things were coming to the surface that were there all along..  or all of the above. But through prayer and discernment, it was clear that it was time to exit the fellowship. We still have much love and admiration for our Springwater friends in our hearts, even from a distance, and despite our differences. Some days we miss them fiercely. The loving bonds we developed with them through adversity and challenge, and kingdom harvesting, went deep, and endure through the years.

Perhaps, I'll blog about the specifics of our disagreements another time. But the point here is that we were weary. Weary of conflict, weary of the urban life, weary of traffic and competing values; missing the forests and the acreage. After spending time with the church, there was consensus that it was time for a change. Time to "get away and rest a while." 

The forest and the fresh, and wood stove have been healing to me. The trees, the green moss, the fresh air, these have been my sanctuary. A place to rest and to pray. A plac
e to build things and "muck about" the property.

We have been living an even more secluded life since March (9 months ago). And this has created it's own challenges and a few benefits. But that's another blog :-) .

Labor

The last month of labor has been unique from the other 8. As we have approached the birth of this little girl and begun the most tangible of preparations, things like assembling the crib, installing the car seat, buying diapers, finding a stroller... this process has gone from an intriguing conversation to very real. Anticipation has increased exponentially.
I can't wait to meet this little girl. What personality has God given her? Will she be happy or cranky, wiggly or sleepy? Will she like soccer? Actually I can tell already that she is a soccer player. either that or Kung Fu. She has been a perpetual kicker.

Now here we are on the eve of the birth. Water broken, contractions at bay. Brainstorming what to do to encourage Alison's body and the little girl to begin the journey to the outside world. It seems a bit surreal; a bit sacred. I am fully aware that I will never experience time again, exactly like this. Eager waiting. Uncertainty. Wonder.

Alison is doing great. She is getting around fine. Fluids occasionally flowing. Dilated to 1cm. Right now she is preparing for sleep. No idea whether the contractions will come during the night. No idea whether we will sleep. Nurse will come around midnight to administer antibiotics. Alison has strep B. It is very common. Many of us have it and don't even know it. It is dangerous to expose a baby to it though. Thus the protocol is to administer antibiotics.

The midwife is great. The Nurse assistant is great. Very experienced. Very aware. She seems to get our values and hopes for birth, but knows when it would be necessary to go to the hospital if that time came. It will be nice to have her here full time though. Just to have the security of her presence. I worry a bit about the time line. Obviously the baby cannot remain healthy in the womb with little or no fluid for long periods of time - a week maybe at the longest. Our midwife will not let this go that long. Action in 12-24 hours they say. In that time frame, they will take more and more aggressive measures to get the baby moving. If natural measures don't work, then it's off to the hospital for pitocin which will most definitely get the contractions going.

Lots of people are praying. Friends, church, family, family friends, even those with no faith paradigm. Praying for contractions.

I am the contraction timer, drink water policeman, and communications officer so far. Utilizing text messaging a lot. What a great tool.

Well... I should go upstairs and see how she is doing.

Signing off.

Life Together

Life together is so challenging, and so worth it.

As we allow each other to experience our strengths and weaknesses we are able to encourage, exhort, and disciple one another on levels that are simply not possible living the typical American life.

Proximity is key. That is why we live in community. It provides a powerful conduit for spiritual growth and transformation.

Jesus was with his disciples almost daily for 3 years. The early church was together "constantly (Acts 1)." They knew each other relationally and intimately, just like a family (or a healthy one anyway). They clung to Christ, and they clung to each other.

Lately we have experienced the impact of a certain amount of disagreement and conflict. We have a wide array of value sets among us. Some believe that we should spend most of our energy on social justice issues, others believe we should focus on spiritual growth for those in our community. Some believe that the gospel should be shared simply through our lives and actions, others believe it should be verbal. And these are just a few examples. Lately these issues seem to be causing quite a bit of... how shall I say... impassioned responses.

Judging by how the bible describes two of Christ's disciples as "sons of thunder", I would assume that the disciples also experienced these things. But it did not divide them. The challenging words of Christ divided some of the wider circle , but there is no reference I can find in the gospels that describes a division among the disciples based on values. They were united by the values embedded in them from Christ. Christ and his words were at the center. Christ was their core doctrine and value system, therefore, they were able to "love through."

The words of Christ may divide us. If it must be... then let it be. But I pray that our differences in the areas that are beyond the essentials, will not divide us.


The bride of Christ is indeed a treasure. Each of us bring our own beauty to the church. Rich and colorful with a spectrum of gifts and perspectives that serve to mature us as we get to know one another on a heart level.

Last week I witnessed a sister telling a brother that they had noticed their character lately, and how they had responded to a difficult situation. After describing the observation they said, "I see Christ in you." Wow. How radically encouraging! I mean en-couraging! That brother was emboldened to step out and serve Christ more fully because he could see more fully the work of the Lord in his life. Let it be.

Community is tough... but it's worth it.

What's up with the 12 Marks of New Monasticism

The 12 marks are a description of some of the common attributes of the new Christian communities that are forming all over the country in the last decade or so.

Our community definitely characterizes many of these marks. There is an affinity to the life of the ancient churches that got together and distinguished themselves when the world was falling apart. Like during the time previous to Constantine when Christians had to take measures to separate themselves from the world. They formed communities where they could live out the Christian life outside the influences of the world. They formed practices to assist them in their pursuit of holiness.
"New Monasticism" seems to adopt this value of becoming distinct from the world, but it differs in one key way. Those involved do not want to form their communities in the woods or in caves, but right in the midst of the most neglected places of society. In the world but not of the world.

Another model community formed during the crusades. St. Francis broke away from the values of the majority, and began a life that rejected war and economic privilege.

The 12 marks seem to embrace many of the values of these communities. Not all, but many.
Spiritual practices, rejection of the world and the corruption of society, pacifism, study of the first churches and the examples of Christ, sharing and giving, care for the earth, hospitality... these are some of the values of the "new monastic" communities.

So my question is this... Is this the Lord's work or just another vaporous trend?
There have been loads of attempts to develop Godly communities in the past. Many with radical ways of living. Is this a blip in the screen of history, or will it make a difference in the world?

So far I am encouraged by what I see. Many of these attributes and values line up with the churches forming in the book of Acts. There is a zeal to get active and make a physical difference in the world among the poor and the neglected. There is a common understanding that the traditional church has a poor record lately of fulfilling the 2nd half of the greatest commandment, "love your neighbor as yourself. " Too much in-growth, too much mechanism, too much of the world inside the church, too comfortable.

New Monastic communities are forming all over the place. Springwater the community I am apart of (formerly known as Old Growth) is one of them. We are learning how to connect with the neighbors who do not have a relationship with Christ. We have intentionally sought out, and moved into a neighborhood that has been neglected in the city in order to rub shoulders with the "widows and the orphans"/underprivileged/neglected of the city. To follow Christ and, to the best of our ability, be a light among them as we share our lives with them.

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. -James

Divine irony. We have been encouraged to be blessed by those that we came here to bless as well. Just the other day, a homeless guy (who occasionally comes to our church) gave us a packet of salmon that his father caught.
I have never received food from a homeless man before. It's pretty cool.
The Lord also uses them to teach us things about himself, and ourselves as well.

New Monasticism certainly cannot survive for long as a force of influence on the world if it falls into the trap of secular idealism. There are many secular alternatives to society. Many communities attempting to make a difference in the world. It must stay anchored in Christ and his revelation. If the anchor breaks free, it will bear no spiritual fruit. If we remain in Him and He in us we will bear fruit. Lasting fruit. And the devil, who has been winning the battle for the souls of humanity for far too long, will shutter as his gates are driven back.

These are my prayers.

Let it be.

Battle

Some days you get a close up view of the damage inflicted by the Father of Lies. He seems to be hell bent on destroying the unity provided to brothers and sisters in Christ. I'm starting to think this is his primary task. Division. If our bonds have not been made strong, he has less to gain by his destruction than when he succeeds with those who have not been made strong. And for those weak bonds, his task is easy.

He steals glory for himself every time he shows the world that togetherness is a joke. If the world gets a glimpse of Christ's life when Christians love one another (how they know we are Christians), then conversely, perhaps, what they are getting a glimpse of when Christians are in conflict with one another, is the devil.

What greater pain is there than when the one we love is torn away from us? Physical pain is bearable but the pain of division is horrific. The antithisis of heaven. The opposite of the abundant life. The converse of the kingdom. It is the land where the devil is king. His kingdom.
We have to cling desperately to the kingdom of Christ. To cry out to him and rebuke the devil. The Father of lies has no authority in the kingdom of Christ. Jesus told him so, we must tell him so. To not do so is to give him power over our lives, and his mission is clear. To kill, steal and destroy.

Do we want the abundant life as it is intended? I do. So it's time to do battle. We have been properly equipped. Perhaps we need training. Maybe we just need to use the weapons that have been provided; you know, the ones we store in the garage for a moment that we haven't identified yet.

Lord Jesus be my guide. Turn my rage into holy passion and bring it effectively down on the head of the devil. Lord Jesus, as we pray, please respond with power.
Send the devil straight to hell.

Name Change Part 1 : Why we changed our name

Overall our friends have been very supportive of our name change. Many have expressed that they were encouraged when they heard the story of "why." Some have been concerned. A few have asked how my family responded to the idea, especially my father. I was pleasantly surprised when I asked him about it. I explained the reasoning behind the idea and his response was "Well... lots of people in the bible had their name changed." Since that day, we have discussed it a few times, but they have been quite supportive overall. Okay... there are a few primary reasons we chose to change our name. Because I'm half German, I'll organize my thoughts into a little outline:

1. Alison was quite attached to her last name. It is Irish, and she loves her Irish heritage. I'll admit, the Irish are pretty cool. Their culture is rich with amazing music, folklore and history. They are also feisty, kinda like my wife : - ) She is also beautiful and humble and my favorite person in the whole world.
2. I was not really attached to my name, though was expecting to keep it when I was married.
3. We kicked around the idea of taking a new name, and the ramifications of it, and it spawned a series of questions. What is a last name. Are our last names sacred? Why the paternal line for last names in this country? How did the cultures of our ancestors pass on names in families? Would it be an unnecessary stumbling block to our Christian brothers and sisters?
4. This is probably the biggest one. Having an ancient biblical name which had profound meaning to us, and represented who we aspire to be, got us really excited about the prospect.
5. The chance to explain our name to other people, especially the unchurched, and possibly proclaim the good news of the kingdom in the process, was also exciting to us.
6. Upon some research, I discovered the the Norwegian culture (Larsen is Norwegian), did not have a static system of passing on the family name at all. The last names in that culture were associated with the family farm, rather than the father. This made me wonder if we should really cling to the system paternal system, just because it is the American way.
7. We live in Portland, and therefore, we can get away with it. (it is more common here)

It's been 6 years so far with this name. Do I ever regret it? Pretty rarely. Overall, it has been a choice that has only added to our lives. You know... now that I think about it, maybe I shouldn't post this. It reduces the possibility that I will get to share the story with you face to face. Hmm... I'll keep it here for now.

Name Change Part 2 : Why we chose Hilkiah

Hilkiah means "Yahweh is my portion."

There are two stories that Alison and I really love in the Old Testament in reference to this name. The first is the story of the discovery of the Law in the temple. The high priest Hilkiah discovered the scrolls while cleaning the temple. It had been tragically neglected and totally forgotten by Israel for a very long time. Idolatry and infant sacrifice were rampant.
The scrolls were read to the good King Josiah, who was instantly convicted and called the nation back to repentance. Then the Lord averted his anger and said to Josiah through a prophet

"Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I have spoken against this place and its people, that they would become accursed and laid waste, and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you, declares the LORD. 20 Therefore I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be buried in peace." 2 Kings 22

It's an amazing interaction between a king and God. The Lord offers mercy and redemption when Josiah responds with humility and contrition. Israel was not the same after that. Josiah read the law to the people and then made a pledge to follow a law from then on with "all his heart and soul." The people also repented, removed all the idols from Israel and renounced infant sacrifice.

Hilkiah acted as a messenger in the story. Though he was high priest, he functioned as a prophet, literally delivering God's truth to the people. Alison and I were very attracted to this kind of relationship with God. We pray that God would use us in this way; through our words and our lives, delivering God's message to the world, and when necissary, the church.

Also the name has a relationship with the tribe of Levi. When Israel finally made if into the promised land under Aaron, the 12 tribes were allotted portions of the land. Each tribe was given a different section of the land to populate and to settle... except for the Levites. They were given no land. To the Levites, God's chosen priestly tribe, Yahweh told them instead "I will be your portion."

We love this idea. We aspire to be a family that fully puts our value on God. There are many things that we are tempted to overvalue in this culture. Material things, financial things, mechanical things, certain people, but the realilty is, none of these have what we really need while we journey in this world. It is clear throughout the bible, and by the example of Christ, that the Lord is zealous for us to depend fully on him. The world we live in is quick to provide forfeits. So many places to look for "security." So many places to look for pleasure or comfort. But only one place can deliver. The Kingdom of Yahweh. He is our inheritance and our portion.