Picture Show

Well folks, winter is most definitely on its way out (let us all praise the Lord together), but up here in PA it has not left the building yet. It is 50 or so outside right now, but last Monday Mother Nature dumped about a foot of snow on us. This was a good thing--it meant I got the day off from school and the chance to take a lovely winter's walk. Along the way I snapped some shots, which I will now share with all of you.

Actually, this is something I've been wanting to do for a long time. Our neighborhood is just so cool looking--so many of the houses have been around for decades, many longer than that. I love, love, love the fact that you can walk up the sidewalk to Frick Park with its miles and miles of uninterrupted forest and hiking trails, or perhaps to your favorite local coffee shop, all while

passing these sights along the way. Plus, everything looks quainter (just made up that word) with snow dumped on it, so I figure that now is just as good a time as any to show you where we live.

(I apologize in advance for the poor quality of these pics. Some I took out of my car window and ALL I took on my state of the art, 5.1 pixel Nikon Coolpix, which I've had since sophomore year of college--they just don't make 'em like this anymore, folks. . . because technology has come a long way in the last six years. Ah, well--enjoy!)

There you have it. Tiny favor to ask: if anyone has any wisdom on how to load pictures on blogspot, pleeeeeeaaase leave a comment and H.A.S.U. (hook a sista up).

You *Must* Read This

Allow me to take a break from talking about intentional community to discuss, in the spirit of an NPR series, a book you simply must read: Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck.

If you're a fan of memoirs and travel writing, as I am, or simply a fan of durn good writing, you should read this book. It's the story of Steinbeck's roadtrip across the country in search of the "True America" with his trusty French poodle, Charley. In the course of three months, Steinbeck makes his way up from New York to the northernmost part of Maine, then traces the entire perimeter of the U.S. in his camper truck. Here are some of his ruminations along the way:

(On Texas): "Once you are in Texas it takes forever to get out, and some people never make it." . . . . "Texas is the obsession, the proper study, and the passionate posession of all Texans." [Speaking of his wife, a Texan] "A Texan outside of Texas is a foreigner. My wife refers to herself as the Texan that got away." [On the huge, military scale of all Texan endeavors] "Nowhere are there larger bands or more marching organizations, with corps of costumed girls whirling glittering batons. Sectional football games have the glory and despair of war, and when a Texas team takes the field against a foreign state, it is an army with banners."

Oh, John! I cracked up as I read this entire section. I've never met the man and now never will, but reading this I wanted to draw up a chair in his camper and swap stories on the quirks of these peculiar people we both love dearly. (Much love to every Texan reading this post).

Here's more, on Wisconsin:

. . . "When I saw it for the first and only time in early October, the air was rich with butter-colored sunlight, not fuzzy but crisp and clear, so that every frost-gay tree was set off, the hills were not compounded, but alone and separate. . . . I remembered now that I had been told Wisconsin is a lovely state, but the telling had not prepared me. It was a magic day. The land dripped with richness, the fat cows and pigs gleaming against green, and, in the smaller holdings, corn standing in little tents as corn should, and pumpkins all about."

Hmmm. . . .*ahhhh.* I've never considered Wisconsin before, but on your suggestion, John, I'm booking my flight now--though don't tell the Pittsburghers as they're still Superbowl-sore and won't let me back in the city.

There's much, much more in this book, on the nature of journeys and why it is that Americans everywhere, for some mysterious reason, have the urge to "go" ingrained in our biology. It is a wise, sad, funny book. Most importantly, it met my most crucial criteria for choosing a book: I would like to have the author as my friend.

So now I am looking for a new book and I'm wondering. . . which one of your favorites *must* I read?

Bowhunting skills, computer-hacking skills, COMMUNICATION skills. Communities need people with great SKILLS.

   Hello all!  I am at home sick today, but feeling better after my morning cup of coffee.   Sorry for the terrible Napoleon Dynamite quote... couldn't help myself.  I had a conversation the other day that inspired me to write a little bit more about the curriculum of Formation House that we have worked on so far.

    The purpose of the Formation House year (or maybe ONE of the purposes) is to create leaders that can start intentional communities of their own and gain tools to aid communities in which they find themselves ( i.e. churches, neighborhoods, schools, jobs, etc.).  The year is divided into three sections with an intentional focus in each-

   1. Communication and listening skills.

   2. Leadership.

   3. Visiting other communities, Preparing for the next step.

     We are just now beginning the second period on Leadership, but I wanted to share some reflections on our time on Communication.

     In our time in Pittsburgh so far, we have met a good number of people that are interested or have lived in intentional communities before.  Some are excited about it but some share stories about how living in community was hard or hurtful.  I think a wider number of people could relate to this if they have ever been apart of a church or group of friends that has split over struggles with group dynamics.   Just given human nature, community can be messy.  When you share space and life with people, it is easy to come to places of conflict.  All this is the backdrop for our first section of study.  To create a community of any kind, there must be room for communication and healthy ways to go about it.  Considering we did not know each other when we all moved here, we have spent a good deal of time getting to know each other and learning to communicate well!  We have had the routine of meeting on Monday nights (or whenever we can) to discuss the following material:

    We first focused on the book The Seven Principles of Making Marriage Work by John Gottman.  While this year's group is all married, Formation House has a vision for married and single people studying this book.  The book is written to married couples but can apply to a wide variety of relationships.   For example, one principle is "Create shared meaning."  For a community to continue to function, there must be a shared purpose and meaning between it's members as they look at their goals in the present and future.  This book was very informative- I gave it to my brother and sister-in-law who just got married.

   We then discussed Marshal Rosenberg's Non-violent Communication, and talked about ways to listen and share needs in a way that invites other's to respond in a compassionate way.  The podcasts are very informative, and he shares many experiences where this style of communication has created deeper connection and even kept people out of harm.

   The last study we did was of Collaborative Communication.  This study gave some ways to map out conflicts or important issues in a way that leads to a collaborative resolution.  The awareness wheel was especially helpful.  It is a mat you can set out on the floor and talk through an issue as you stand on different parts of the mat (Communication Twister!).  We have used it in our discussions of chores and how to keep things clean.  Not the easiest subject, but the wheel allows everyone to voice their needs and share in the conversation.  It has lead us to some great routines with the use of our space!

   I have tried to keep this short but the truth is I could talk at length about each of these resources.  It has been great to study these as a group, and I look forward to our next unit on Leadership!  I also feel the need to let everyone know that Formation House is accepting applications for next year.  They will be doing the same curriculum with a group from August 2011 to August 2012.  It has been incredibly meaningful for us, and I my hope is that the 2011 group will learn as much as we have been.  So! There's the plug!

Formation House Article

    I posted a while back about our community being in a magazine.  Thanks Kati for sharing that the link to the article didn't work!  Here is a link to the article on Jay and Amber's blog since they posted about it as well.   Formation House Article

    If you haven't gotten a chance to read the article, I recommend it!  It has a great picture of Jenn "leading a discussion" (she was actually just reading a book, haha).

The Church is not a building, folks.

  The Church is not a building.  We are the church.

  

   I remember when my little brother, Eric, came home one day from church and shared this idea with everyone when we were kids.  It was what he had learned in bible school and he was repeating it proudly to show everyone how much he knew.  But I remember being very confused by this as a kid, because the church I knew met in the church building.  We "go to" or "attend church" on Sunday mornings, then we leave the "church" (building) afterwards and go home.  

   I have long understood the meaning of "being the church," but living in intentional community has really made this truth come alive for me.   One reason is that this lifestyle ensures that church doesn't only happen on Sunday but is something you are apart of daily.  When you share space regularly with Christians and have meals often, it begins to change how you see your faith.  It becomes less about punching in on Sunday, and more about being a part of something bigger than yourself.   So, I guess that I am most excited to share is what all we have been doing lately that I see as being apart of our little church.

   We have focused on hospitality lately and have had people over for dinner several times a week for the past several weeks.  They have been staying for and participating in our nightly prayer time afterwards.  I love having a full house!

   We have been reading the Rule of St. Benedict before dinner as a group.

   We have been learning new prayer styles such as Taize, Lectio Divina,  Examine, Praying in Color, and have been reading from Shane Claiborne's new book of Common Prayer.  I have also been excited to be the song leader for our groups- teaching and learning new songs for prayer.

  We are about to start reading the book Creating a Healthier Church together.  The curriculum for the year is shifting from healthy communication to focus on leadership, emotional awareness and group dynamics in church.

  I will leave you with some pictures of us snow tubing and enjoying winter. They are about a month old, and I can't say that I am still enjoying winter this much!  

Tube-Train with Scott and Kari!

Jenn  about to go down.

We got the train thing down.

Jay and Amber.

Remember when we loved winter!? Now we can't wait for Spring!