the vine

more changing and evolving

2007-06-19T23:11:00.000-04:00

We're always growing and changing. At least we should be. No difference here. One change is that I'm actually posting something on this tired old blog. Lordeee. Anyway, Vine & Branches will begin, this month, only meeting once a month for a potluck meal and to pray the Evening Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours. You're welcome to join us. We'll be meeting, as the plan goes for now, on the last Sunday of each month at 6:30pm at the Creech house as per usual. Look forward to seeing you here sometime. Pax vobiscum.

technorati tags > monastic, community,new monasticism, vine & branches

restart

2006-08-15T12:43:00.000-04:00

I wanted to share some parts of a letter I recently wrote to our community. The last post here was about evolutionary steps - that was a while ago - but this should follow nicely I suppose. This blog, as you may have noticed, isn't like a "normal" blog, but acts as a place of posting updates and thoughts about the community of Vine & Branches. This is an update of that sort so I thought I'd post the relevant parts here on the common blog. And so, we move along. God's Grace be with us.

I think it may be time for a reboot. I’m a Mac person. I should really call that a restart I suppose. OK, time to hit restart. Essentially, we may already have done that and perhaps now it’s time to recognize that this is what has happened, what should have happened, and what is.

Vine & Branches has been around for a while now, approximately 6 years if you didn’t know. The concept of what this church is has evolved through those years. To some it may look as if we’re not even the same animal. As the person who started it, in whom it was conceived, I like to look at it as growing up. The evolutionary steps we have gone through haven’t been illogical at all. They have followed one another nicely and, I believe, we have grown into a more mature form of what we were created to be. This is a good thing.

As you go through one stage, you learn and grow and God makes you able, if you allow Him, to see more and move on to another stage of life. That’s what I believe has happened with Vine & Branches. These stages look and feel different, especially if viewed from the outside. If one has been a part of a growing organism, a real growing part, then the transitions are smoother. They are not unnoticeable, but they do make more sense.

Being involved - being a real part of a community like this takes a certain level of agreement and even a higher level of commitment if one is sure this is where they belong. Tight quarters are hard to navigate sometimes - OK, all the time. We are small, on purpose, and small brings with it a very noticeable level of vulnerability. Just looking up that word, seeing the root - from the Latin word vulnerare ‘to wound’ - I think you can see what I mean. Of course there is a sort of relational requirement for each of us to make ourselves vulnerable to one another, but that’s not what I mean here. I mean that simply because we are in a community like this one, which is small and close, there is an inherent and general vulnerability present at all times. When you step into something like this, you step into a proverbial clearing where you simply are more vulnerable than if you had stayed in the trees over there. We must be aware of this.

Why I say it’s time to hit restart is because we have recently gone through, or have been going through what might seem like fairly major changes. This has been happening over the last year and a half or so. It has been most noticeable by the latest well developed Rule of Life that I have written for the community. It states things in a way that are a bit different than what we have been used to. It is definitely more pointed toward Vine & Branches being a monastic faith community - living as one people inside this Rule with these common practices, helping one another grow into who we were all created to be, living the ancient catholic faith. More has been made recently of that as being important in who we are, this ancient catholic faith handed down from the apostles, the core deposit of faith, the sacraments, how we live out our faith together. This is intentional. It will continue and likely become even more pronounced. It will mostly become less apologized for, even implicitly. It is what I see we have always been growing into and now is the time to own it.

There have certainly been stages in the life of this community when things were quite less stated than they are becoming now. It has evolved from something which was fairly amorphous into something now, which has a definite form. A form, I will add, which has purpose and which is not accidental. I fully understand how that could be confusing and how someone might be, as I said before, more comfortable with one stage than with another. That being said, this is where we are and I want to be clear about that, and about where we are headed. Things have changed, yes. My own teaching about what it means to be a community like this has changed (as I said too, probably more evolved than changed 180 degrees). I fully admit that. I also want to say that I fully believe that this evolution in thought and teaching is a good thing, a healthy thing, a maturation process.

technorati tags > monastic, church, emerging church, new monasticism, vine & branches

evolutionary step?

2006-06-01T15:49:00.000-04:00

I wrote this a while back as I was thinking and praying about Vine & Branches, preparing to meet with a couple of the Advisory Council guys to talk about things. It's just a few thoughts I thought might be helpful to put out in the open.

----------------

That old thing... "if you're a 'leader' and you look around behind you and no one is following, you're not a leader, you're just taking a walk."

I think this of myself sometimes. I wonder what I think I'm doing. Am I delusional? Have I thrown away much in exchange for little? I hope not.

Another begged question: What else can I do? If I deeply and firmly believe that what I'm doing and want to do is right and good, and God, then how can I do anything else?
- My implied answer: nothing. I must continue with the work that I have started. I must also continue to be open to possible needed changes in how the work is to be done.

It seems that, along the continuum, this work comes to key evolutionary points. Sometimes we're going along with no apparent changes taking place. They may well be happening but are not noticeable. This is generally true.

There are also, in the evolutionary process of such an "animal." points at which certain of the collective and formerly unfelt changes that have been taking place, come together and make themselves seen. A bud, if you will, pops out of a formerly bare tree branch. It grows, breaks open, and leaves come out. I think this might be one of those times in the life evolution of Vine & Branches. Analogously, it is perhaps like being time to crawl out of the water for the last time, when for a while, we've been going back and forth between water and land. Or again, it is time to jump down out of the trees and walk upright permanently.

These are definitely periods of felt change. Almost always, this is painful. Even though the hidden, imperceptible changes that make these periods of apparent change possible have been happening for a while, ...

----------------

That's as far as I got, but I think the thought is clear enough - times are a' changin'. Things are happening. Pray for us.

technorati tags > monastic, church, emerging church, new monasticism, vine & branches

a letter > reminder and encouragement

2006-04-25T11:12:00.000-04:00

Family & Friends,

Greetings in the Name of our common Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. May His Peace and Grace be with you.

Sometimes you want to say something and there’s nothing like a good old letter to do the trick. Yesterday a student from Asbury College came to interview me for a paper she’s writing in a class. She wanted to talk about Vine & Branches, as an “emerging church” and what we do and why. Liz and I sat down with her over coffee at the house for about an hour. Good conversation. Nothing spectacular, just good.

What makes me want to write to you is this; whenever you are asked particular questions about what you’re doing and the whys behind it, etc., it makes you think. That little interview made me think and have to succinctly answer questions about who we are and why we do what we do. It’s very helpful to have to do that from time to time. It was a positive thing.

We talked about what our purpose is as a church - basically, why do we exist. I wanted to share with you the answer I gave and use it as an encouragement and a reminder. I had to stop and think when she asked me. I said: “To be that which facilitates the formation of people into the Image of Christ.” That’s it. And I said, “whatever we do or don’t do takes that purpose into consideration - whether something helps or hurts our formation into His Image.” So, we don’t have a liturgical structure because it’s cool, we do it because it’s formational. We don’t pray the Office or encourage one another to pray the Office because it’s this new hot thing that emerging churches are doing. We do it because it’s a tried and tested spiritual discipline that helps build us into new Creatures over the long-haul.

That long-haul for us, too, is huge. It’s one of our central principles of spiritual formation. We talk about it constantly. I try to remind us all that this is how it works as much as possible. Basically, change takes a long time. The things that have to happen inside us in order for us to truly be transformed into a new kind of person are involved, to say the least, and we are constantly trying to be honest about that. In my role, as “father” of the community, it would be irresponsible for me to tell you anything different, or to present to you some kind of quick-fix spirituality option. None of us should offer it to each other. It might feel loving but ultimately, it’s not.

We also talked a bit about the pastoral role and how it functions. I mentioned how I am part of the community and not just “over” it. Even though, sure, we have leadership and I lead, spiritual parenthood, etc., we don’t use that as a reason to separate the leader from the community or from real relationships inside the community. Also, I mentioned my philosophy of ministry which involves being a bit more passive than the traditional notion of a pastor - not trying to solve everyone’s problems. And I won’t. I can’t. Sometimes, I’d like to say a lot of things, but I know, taking all things into consideration, it would not be for the real benefit of the person to say them at that time. So I keep my mouth shut. Certainly there are times to say things, and I pray I will do that when needed, that we all will, but simply because you know something or it comes to mind, does not mean it should be said.

So, overall, I just wanted to remind you about who we are and what we do. I wanted to encourage you along the way, that the things we do, how we worship, pray, etc., are purposeful and are not done simply to do something. I hand these things on to you as a legacy, I hope. My desire is to build something into you that is deep and strong and lasting. My ultimate desire is to see us all truly be transformed into the kind of people we were created to be. And so, I am trying to faithfully give you the tools that will make that possible. Please pray that I do it well and that we all live what we talk about.

So, understand that what you’re involved with here is not “just church.” It’s not just something to do on Sunday nights. Of course, “just church” should probably mean more than it does in many circles. Understand that there is real purpose behind who we are and what we do together as a community. Understand that it takes a long time. Understand that it requires your real and willing participation. It’s not automatic. And don’t give up! Sometimes, I know, it seems like nothing. It’s boring and repetitive and not very exciting. I know that. I feel those same things. But I also know that it doesn’t have to feel like anything to be forming me. We have to help each other remember that. Let’s keep marching together. Sometimes there is a haze and you can’t see the destination, but if we stay together and help each other to keep going, we will get there.

Pax vobiscum,
+ Alan Creech, abbot
Vine & Branches Christian Community

bullet points for lent

2006-03-01T13:13:00.000-05:00

It's Ash Wednesday. That begins Lent - church "season" - 40 days until Easter. I talk about these things every year. Maybe I'm going to be a little more pastorally annoying about it this year. In fact, I may start getting a little more pastorally, or abatially annoying about things in general this year. I feel like God has been calling me, in several ways, to be more of an intentional spiritual director in this community for a while. A lot of what I haven't done in that area has been out of fear - not the best reason for anything. Pray for me that I can be more what I'm supposed to be for this community. And I'll do my best to be a better spiritual father to you. And here are your bullet points for Lent, which I already posted on my blog - this one just has this nice customized introduction. Peace.

It's really all about focus - make this an intentional time of focus on how you fit in the Life of God.
Don't get too caught up in the whole beat yourself up over how sinful you are business. Talk about killing your soul.
Do SOMEthing that's different from your normal routine - give up a lunch once a week (are you gonna starve!?), pray the office more regularly, something.
The Church calendar IS helpful, come on, seriously. Just wandering around not being intentional about how God is woven into the fabric of your life is a good alternative?? oh my.
Refer to #1 - it's really not just about "giving something up," like chocolate or beer. If that's all it is, then eat more and forget about it.
If you do fast, and please do (God all mighty, you'll live), pray when you do it, don't pretend it's some sacrifice you're doing that will make God impressed with you in itself. It's about focus inside of self-denial.
And finally, if Fat Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras was, for you last night, about getting trashed and naked and screwing people beFORE you had to give up cigarettes for Lent, in all honesty, don't bother at all.

technorati tags > lent, ash wednesday, christian calendar, liturgy, focus, mardi gras, church, vine & branches, community

turn your hearts

2006-02-28T09:55:00.000-05:00

A little pre Ash Wednesday encouragement - from Reading 1 for tomorrow in the Lectionary.

Even now, says the LORD,
return to me with your whole heart,
with fasting, and weeping, and mourning;
Rend your hearts, not your garments,
and return to the LORD, your God.
For gracious and merciful is he,
slow to anger, rich in kindness,
and relenting in punishment.
Perhaps he will again relent
and leave behind him a blessing,
Offerings and libations
for the LORD, your God.
- Joel 2:12-14

technorati tags > lent, ash wednesday, church, emerging church, new monasticism, vine & branches

podcast

2006-02-19T13:33:00.000-05:00

Part 3 of mine and Kyle's podcast is up now - listen to it here.

vbcc rule of life - part one - revised

2006-02-12T21:16:00.000-05:00

+ + +

Greetings in the Name of our common Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Who always was, Is now and will be forever, Amen. It is through Him and God the Holy Spirit that we have Life eternal. We are grateful. May your life be Eucharistic, full of thankfulness. We are a community in Him and through Him and for Him. He has made us a community together for our transformation into His Image and for the transformation of the whole world. We rely on His real Grace to constantly strengthen us and Teach us and make us whole. As it is written - He says to us, “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.” From this we take our name and our pattern of life. This is the ground of our theology.

We are a community on a journey together for a long time. We are not merely an organization who dispenses religious goods and services. We are not a place to come so that your duty to God is done. We are not about comfort and anonymity. We are a community. We commit ourselves to one another and to those around us, to help one another along this long journey, to Love one another as He has loved us, as He does Love us. As a rule of life we adopt the 12th chapter of St. Paul’s letter to the Romans. Succinctly, this chapter is how we are to live as God’s Children on earth.
Our commitment to certain parts of this rule are contingent on our level of commitment in the community of Vine & Branches itself. We have borrowed from the great tradition of the Monasteries in which there are concentric circles, if you will, of commitment and involvement. The first is actually on what might be called the "outer edge" of the community, that of Friend. There will always be those whom we will call "friends," who are connected to Vine & Branches because all or some of us have a relationship with them in some way. These Friends may visit and worship with us from time to time, and they are welcome to do so as they wish. We want to be hospitable in this way as a community, as when a friend comes to visit you in your home and sits at the kitchen table for coffee. In this analogy, though, they do not live in the house with you as your family does.
So, while we do want to make a point of having levels of commitment inside our community, we do not want to close ourselves off from those who may never intend to enter that community as "family" (as a postulant and eventually as permanently professed). There will always be people whom we love, those who will hang out with us and worship with us, who will never become members, properly speaking, of Vine & Branches Christian Community. Even so, they are welcome, as friends are welcome, to visit our family.

In the life of a Friend there may well come a time when they feel a call to step inside the family. That's wonderful and of course they will be welcome to become a Postulant any time they wish. Until that time, though, there will be no pressure for them to do so. Encouragement in that direction would only be done as we see that it might benefit the Friend in question.
The next of the concentric circles inward, toward the center of the community, is that of the Postulant: literally, one submitting a request, in Latin. In our context, as in most monastic communities, it means investigator - one who is living as a member of the community while discerning, in themselves and with the community, whether they are indeed “called” to be a permanent part of it. When someone comes to be a part of Vine & Branches, they will be a Postulant until they feel, along with the community, that they are ready to take the next step.
The “next step” may be one of two things - the Simple or Solemn Profession. One may, with the community, discern a call to be part of our family, at least for now. They know this is, for now, their spiritual home as the church goes on earth. They may not be ready nor may they have discerned a permanent call as of yet. In that case there is the step of making what is called a Simple Profession (may be called a Temporary Profession). They may, as stated before, come to know, as well as the whole community, that they are indeed "family" but aren't sure what the future holds as far as making a vow of stability (to stay in one place for good). It could well be that these people are analogous to children in a family who grow up and then go off to start a house of their own. We want there to be room for this kind of family member as well.

So, if you have been a Postulant for a year or so and you realize that this is a family for you and you want to take another step of commitment, there is the option of becoming a Simple Professed - professing for perhaps one or two years with prayer and reevaluation after that. This may be a good step for a student who doesn't know what's next after they graduate or someone who's in an in between state in life. Whatever the case, the option is there.
All these steps are designed so that this community will be an intentional one, where thought-out, prayed-out, on-purpose steps of commitment are taken by all. As we get to know each other, these steps should be taken in consultation with the community and it's abbot. The yearly evaluation will be a good time for discussions of this sort. Everyone from the Postulant inward will be in that loop. Of course, any time anyone at any level wants to talk things out, we'll be open to do so.
The inner-most and final step of community membership is that of the Solemn Profession or Permanent Member. In the Monastic tradtion this is the point where the Postulant or Novice makes the decision, with the community, to profess “vows” of commitment to that community; namely, of stability and adherance to our rule of life. Stability, in this context, means that one will be a living part of this community until they die unless God obviously, in the context of the community, leads them elsewhere. Adherance to the Rule is to say that you are a permanent member of this community and it’s rule is your rule - it’s way of life is your way of life without reservation. The only real difference, practically speaking, between these parts of the community is that future appointed members of the pastoral council as well as deacons will be selected only from among the permanently professed. Otherwise, all are a part of the family and will be treated accordingly.

We call on God our Father, on God the Son, Jesus our Lord, and on our Life, God the Holy Spirit, to empower us to live this life in this community. We ask Him for Grace and thank Him for it. We ask Him for Strength and thank Him for it. We ask Him for Wisdom and Light and we thank Him for them. Glory be to His Name both now and forever. Amen.

technorati tags > monastic, monastic rule, church, emerging church, new monasticism, vine & branches

Important Qualities for Community

2006-01-07T18:17:00.000-05:00

I am reading a rather large novel at present, which I have been trying to get to since before school started this summer. One thing or another kept me from it all summer, and then school started, and all thoughts of reading for pleasure went out the window. Now, with a week left before spring semester starts, I am trying to mark it off my list. There's a scene that I just read that I think is worth pondering for deeper meaning than just to move the story line along. To that end, I'll share it with you here.

Picture a monk and a novice, in a 13th century English monastery, conversing while tending the garden. Brother Adam, the monk, asks a question of the novice to begin what he calls his "Truth about Monks" catechism (I am editing out all but the dialogue for space):

"What do you think is the most important quality for a monk to possess?"
"A desire to serve God, I think," the boy said. "A great religious passion."
"Really? Oh, dear. I don't agree at all."
"You don't?" The boy looked confused.
"Let me tell you something," Brother Adam cheerfully explained. "The first day you pass from your novitiate and become a monk, you will take your place as the most junior among us, next to the monk who was the last to arrive before you. After a time there will be another new monk, who will be placed below you. For every meal and every service you will always sit in the same position between those two monks--every day, every night, year in, year out; and unless one of you leaves for another monastery, or becomes abbott or prior, you will stay together, like that, for the rest of your lives."
"Think about it. One of your companions has an irritating habit of scratching himself or sings out of tune, always; the other dribbles when he eats; he also has bad breath. And there they are, one each side of you. For ever." He paused and beamed at the novice. "That's monastic life," he said amiably.
"But monks live for God," the novice protested.
"And they are also ordinary human beings--no more, no less. That," Brother Adam added gently, "is why we need God's grace."...
..."The most important qualities a monk needs," Brother Adam went on, "are tolerance and a sense of humor ... But these are both gifts of God."

Obviously, living in community today is not quite the same as the setup in those days, at least not in the sense of having to sit in the same chair and in the same order for the rest of our lives. But the underlying theme here, of learning the shortcomings of each other and learning to live around and, in some cases, in spite of them, still holds true. Commitment, whether in a marriage or in a community of believers who are committed to walking out their salvation together, requires that we sometimes set aside our view of the proper order of the universe in order to make accommodations for one another. In this journey that we are on together, we should take the journey seriously. But we must be on the lookout that, in doing so, we don't take ourselves too seriously. Remember that, if those on either side of us are sometimes irritating, so too are we irritating to them at times, too. Having a good sense of humor will serve us all well as we travel together.

technorati tags > vine & branches, christian community, church, emerging church, community

from the abbot

2005-12-30T23:46:00.000-05:00

I sit here praying for all of you - all of you with us and not with us. I'm not sure if I've been this "overwhelmed" in a while by felt emotion in prayer and intercession. Maybe there's need for more prayer for some reason. I don't pretend to know. Maybe I'm just feeling things more deeply tonight. I know that's true. I do pray for you though. I do often pray for you. Tonight I weep a little too. I let the Spirit pray through me.

We are family you know. Families have weirdness. We are a family. Families are painful sometimes. We are a family. I pray - I hope we are a healthy family - at least on the road to health and not another road. I can't pray that into being myself. Please pray with me. We can't pray that into being even together. Please "be" with me the healthy family we need to be.

You know this - we are more than a place to "go to church." My heart breaks in half to be more than that. I cannot be that by myself. Neither can you. That's why we do this together, the way we do. Let's keep doing it please. Let's not give up. I need help across this stream.

Father, fill us with your Grace, Your Presence, Your Life. Forgive us and heal us and make us whole. Love us and make us know that Your Love is real. I don't know what else to ask. Amen.

On Being a Diaspora Christian

2005-11-18T05:03:00.001-05:00

In the ancient church, communities called one another "resident aliens" as they wrote to encourage, correct, and share stories. As in, "the Colony of Resident Aliens, God's people sojourning at Corinth, to the Colony at Philippi," that sort of thing. Diogenetes wrote about how even while Christians do obey local laws and follow local customs, they have a different citizenship -- they find their self-identity not in their political circumstances, but in their allegiance to Jesus. Colonies in the Roman world existed as outposts of imperial power and civilization in "barbarious" lands. The appearance of a colony (just as in the Americas) meant that the imperial power was moving in to take ownership, and soon enough would remake the place according to its own will.

There is a certain irony, then, that Christians considered themselves to be colonists for the Kingdom of God in the Roman Empire. These communities understood that Jesus was Lord and Caesar was not. The emperor would find this out soon enough, but in the meantime, converts to Jesus would no longer treat the State or any earthly citizenship as being a meaningful catagory. They would of course pay dearly for this refusal to participate in the imperial cult.

(I could go on, but many of you know where this would go. If you'd like to see me chase this one, see the articles under Patriotism: Before the Altar of Caesar at Vindicated: The Amazing Blog of Kyle Potter)

I try to keep these ideas before me, and it helps that in Britain I am a stranger twice over, and I remember this every time I misunderstand an accent or eat a funny meal. Make no mistake, I enjoy the hospitality and friendship of many people, and consider myself to participate fully in the life of the college, but I am a stranger.

I'm not British. But then, in terms of the things that make me me, I'm not really American, either. In the Church of Jesus Christ, and in light of the coming Kingdom, it's simply not a meaningful ontological catagory.

I belong, therefore, in the context of the Church, and the world that God is colonizing. But this affirmation also runs counter to the gospel of modern religion, which has told me that I am an individual, autonomous self, who makes decisions with myself as a primary reference point. That's just not true.

I am baptized into Christ, and a member of the Church catholic. I share this life with the Vine and Branches in the Eucharist, common prayer and hospitality. We do not live together as a community because we have the same hobbies, or because we agree in our theologies down to the last detail. Hell, I'm not even on the same continent! We are a community because God has called us together as such, to bear the life of the Risen Christ together in the world around us. Our choice to love one another - to struggle with that and to learn what it means - is our response to God's gracious call.

Even on the other side of the world, I am supported by the love and care of God's new community, both within and outside of that particular fellowship. I am bound to my friends, my brothers and sisters in Christ, by our baptism, shared allegiance to Jesus, and in prayer. This is not mystical and abstract, but mystical and concrete. This reality has lots of faces and voices. They speak in unity a promise from God that I do not stand or fall on my own, and I never will.

mystical union in God

2005-11-05T18:57:00.000-05:00

I wanted to share with you a quote from an old book I have. It was actually the first book I ever bought about Thomas Merton - while I was in college, about 1985 probably. It's called Thomas Merton on Prayer by John J. Higgins, S.J. (he's a Jesuit Priest). Very helpful book actually published in 1971. Here's a great quote about our union with Christ - the heart and core of what our Christianity is about. Read it at least twice.

...every Christian is capable of perfect assimilation to Christ in a union of loving faith. Every man, then, must become spiritually identified with Christ Who is the principle of his union with God. However, this very identification implies a responsibility to develop and to grow in one's new life. Hence, the union with God, which is at the basis of Merton's spirituality, is of necessity something dynamic. It implies growth and development in the individual Christian in that such a person must continuously learn to live more fully, more perfectly, and more completely in Christ in order that the Spirit of Christ might carry out in his life actions worthy of Christ. This, Merton notes in an article about his own conversion:

If they [Christians living in the world] are to live as true members of Christ and radiate the divine influence among the men with whom they are in contact, they will be obliged to develop rich interior lives of union with God, and this union will have to be deep enough to weather the demands of hard work and constant contact with things that would defile a weaker spirit.

In view of this, one can say that man's purpose in life is to grow continuously, through a participation in the life of the divine Spirit, in union with the risen Christ, toward the complete maturity and perfection that is the full manifestation of Christ in one's life, namely, Christ living in man and uniting men to one another in His own life and unity.

There's some meat for you. Chew on it for a while. Peace.

test

2005-11-03T18:55:00.000-05:00

testing post ability.

the rule > sections 4-5

2005-10-18T19:01:00.000-04:00

4. For as in one body we have many parts, and all the parts do not have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ and individually parts of one another. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us exercise them: if prophecy, in proportion to the faith; if ministry, in ministering; if one is a teacher, in teaching; if one exhorts, in exhortation; if one contributes, in generosity; if one is over others, with diligence; if one does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

a. We are parts of one another. That should say it all. Know at all times that you were not created to be alone, to act alone or to exist only for yourself. Recognize the Body. Always consciously see yourself as a part of that whole. This community is the every-day tangible expression of that Body for us. It is where we live out our union with Christ. Be intentional in giving your gifts to the Body of whom you are a part. Whatever it may be, be that, give that.

b. As you give your gifts, though, don't show off. Once again, don't think of yourself as more than you are. Don't put yourself onpedestaltle to be viewed as important and special. Simply be who you are, honestly and genuinely and that gift of you will enrich the community without it being made something that it is not. I say it again. Don't push your agenda. Don't push yourself.

c. As a footnote to the statement above, "Simply be who you are, honestly and genuinely and that gift of you will enrich the community..." - I want to add this: Do not take "be who you are" to be a full blessing of who you might be at the present time. I mean to say that who you are or who I am, in some serious ways, may need to change. The simple statement "be who you are" can be taken to mean we are fine just the way we are and we have no need for transformation or the life that gives way to it. None of us, remember this, are fine the way we are. We are all in need of deep transformative work in order to become who and what we were created to be. The intention of that statement is to call for humility, sober estimation, a proper understanding of who we are and what we have to give, and of course, a call to recognize who you are in Christ and to allow yourself to be that person in the community.

5. Let love be sincere; hate what is evil, hold on to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in showing honor.

a. Do not play at love. Be genuine in your love for one another. Be honest. If, in loving, we do that which is evil in order to avoid real, honest love, we become a fracture in the life of the community. We make the vessel leaky. So make sure that your love is real, genuine, and honest.

b. To hate what is evil is not merely to become a moralist - to become one who goes about stating as much as possible what is evil and what is not. It is not to become one who is afraid of darkness. To hate evil is to recognize Love. When we see Love, the Love that is in God, we will recognize, by default, that which is not Love - that which is evil. To hate evil is to embrace Love. Hold on to what is good, it says. Grab hold of Love, of good, of God and your hands will be too full for evil. Hate evil because it harms Love, not because there is some law that forbids some thing or action.

c. Don't simply receive love from others, always being the one to take and never to give. This is not to see that you are a vessel of God like the rest. In the same way, don't be the one who always only gives love and never receives. Maybe we should use the word "help." Don't help everyone and always say no when it comes to anyone helping you. This is to see yourself as the only vessel and the others as less than you. It is pride. Bend yourself and accept help. Mutual affection, it said, not simply, "show affection." Again, we are a Body, all of us together. Let us live that way.

d. Practically, do this by showing honor to one another - it is also translated "respect." Be intentional about it, but do not do this in order to get respect in return. Love loves because it is love, not in order to get payback. In your hearts and minds as well as in your words and actions, do not show yourself to be waiting for a harvest of honor for having sewn honor. Honor and respect because you love, not for gain. Listen to what I'm saying. You know what I mean.

community life > october 2005

2005-10-11T09:26:00.000-04:00

We have a little one page newsletter we put together each month as a touch-base kind of thing. I'm not going to post it here, but I did want to post my little piece of it just as an update.

The jokes have already been made. Vine & Branches has a “new sanctuary” - ha! The Creeches have moved into their new house. Most of you have been there already. Thanks for helping out. Please continue to pray with us for the sale of our old house. We now meet at 4501 Gillmoss Lane. Just holler if you have trouble finding it. We’ve got a little more room so it’s pretty cool. Please come hang out too. We want our home to be one of hospitality as much as possible.

It seems we’ve been whittled a bit since the last Chapter. Amber is now in Russia studying, well, Russian. Remember to pray for her. Also Kyle is now at Oxford, yes in England, for a bit of study as well. Pray for our children in diaspora. We’re locally a little slimmer too. Grace and Peace to those aren’t with us any more. Dwindling down a bit can be discouraging. It’s always been like this though. The community ebbs and flows. Three, 10, 5, 8 - we move on, praying that we continue to be more and more what God has made us to be.

I want to encourage you in the simple act of praying the daily office. It really isn’t that hard. Don’t let the myriad of excuses keep you from trying to pray in this simple way each day. It may not be exciting, but it’s something consistent.

The Rule is off and running. If you need another copy, let me know. Also, if you want to talk about that, or anything, always let me know. Pax vobiscum.

the rule > sections 1-3

2005-09-12T15:42:00.000-04:00

The following will be known as the Rule of Life for Vine & Branches Christian Community, or "the Rule" as we speak about it in our own context. In this the Word of God guides us - how to live. The abbatial commentary on the parts of Romans 12 will be considered a part of the Rule as well as the Scripture of which it speaks. The following version of Romans 12 is taken from The New American Bible.

1. I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship.

a. First of all we must understand it is an everyday life and not something we set aside for special days and times. It is everything we are and everything we do. This is your spiritual life's work. It is normal and, as we like to say, regular. We must also have the attitude that it is all lived by and in God's constant help - Grace. So we lift it all up to Him. Don't let this merely be a religious platitude that you quote and do not live.

b. Always remember, in every circumstance, that you are not your own. Offer your bodies, your selves. Always find intentional ways to tangibly remind yourself of these things. Take advantage of the ancient wisdom of the Church by using the liturgy, by doing its work.

2. Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.

a. In this process of sacrifice, be aware of the present culture around you wherever you may be, and make the choices necessary not to mold yourself after it. This does not mean "don't be a member in good standing of the society" or "don't live as a basically 'normal' person in the culture." Please do these things. Be with and among those who are mindlessly molded by the surrounding culture, but do not be so molded yourself. There IS a difference. Always remember, you are inhabited by the eternal Life of God. Always intentionally let that be your source of identity and not the culture around you.

b. Do not get the words "conformed" and "transformed" confused in your life of sacrifice. As we said, do not conform (outwardly mold) yourself to the ways of the worldly culture which takes no account of the Life of God. Also, do not fall into the trap of attempting to CONform (outwardly mold) yourself even to the ways of God. That would be to do His job for Him - to take out of His hands what only He can do through TRANSformation. Transformation is that change and renewal which takes place on the inside, where God's Holy Spirit lives and is at work. He brings our minds back to life - back to Life, rather - His Life, by His own power and ability. We must not forget the first things: "...all through His Mercy and great Grace." If we forget this, we pull our foundation from beneath us. Our job, you remember, our spiritual life's work, is to offer ourselves to Him constantly. Constantly do that which offers yourself to Him so that He can then do the inward work of transformation in you.

c. Put yourself in the place of transformation, wherever you may be. In the context of this community, this means, among other things: praying the daily office whenever possible, being with and in the community actively whenever possible and as much as possible, partake with a serious spirit of the sacraments available to us, that give us Grace to live - mainly the Eucharist and the common life itself, and other spiritual disciplines such as meditation, spiritual reading, journaling and contemplative prayer.

3. For by the grace given to me I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than one ought to think, but to think soberly, each according to the measure of faith that God has apportioned.

a. Humility is not merely self-deprecation. It is not thinking more lowly of yourself than you ought either. So don't do that. This is not so much a temptation for us, though, as is thinking that we know more than we do or that we are more mature than we are. To think one is farther down the path than one is can be disastrous both to our own life as well as to the lives of those around us. We must always give our thoughts to God that they might be ordered by Him. Always living in the realization of His Grace and the life disciplines we mentioned earlier are ways this can be done. Realize also that the measure of faith that God has apportioned you is not only for yourself, but also for the whole community and for the world. This is simply the nature of Love in you, giving and not just keeping.

b. Practically speaking, to practice this kind of humility, learn not to speak too much when it is not needed. If you think you have something useful to say, wait first and let someone else speak. Then consider if you still need to say what it is you want to say. We know it is written, if we cannot control our tongues, our religion is pointless. Let the others in a group make the decision about which movie to see or which restaurant to go to. Do not push your own agenda. And don't whine when you don't get your way. Don't whine vocally or silently. Don't sigh and make your displeasure obvious. Die to yourself. Consider how others who drive on the road with you are legitimate human beings just like you. They have jobs and families and places to go as well. Practice letting people pass you without frustration and grumbling. Let someone out in front of you. These are some practical ways to practice humility and put our old selves to death in light of the glorious Resurrection of Christ within us.

the rule > introduction

2005-09-11T12:36:00.000-04:00

For the last few months I've been working on the "rule" of life for Vine & Branches Christian Community. I know, it makes some nervous to think of a "rule" because they hear "rules" - that's really not what it is. As Debi put it, it's more like a guideline for the life of our community. Now, that certainly doesn't mean it shouldn't be taken seriously or that we aren't commiting to something when we agree to live in the rule. We are, but we're not signing up to be monitored all the time as to jot and tiddle. This is why the rule is fairly general. It is based in Scripture, that portion of Scripture (the 12th chapter of Romans) which describes the general life of the Christian community in the world. This first part is sort of a letter of introduction to the rule. The rule itself, Romans 12 with abatial commentary on its parts, will follow as I complete it. May the Holy Spirit guide and protect us from error. Amen.

vine + branches christian community > a rule of life

Greetings in the Name of our common Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Who always was, Is now and will be forever, Amen. It is through Him and God the Holy Spirit that we have Life eternal. We are grateful. May your life be Eucharistic, full of thankfulness. We are a community in Him and through Him and for Him. He has made us a community together for our transformation into His Image and for the transformation of the whole world. We rely on His real Grace to constantly strengthen us and Teach us and make us whole. As it is written - He says to us, “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) From this we take our name and our pattern of life. This is the ground of our theology.

We are a community on a journey together for a long time. We are not merely an organization who dispenses religious goods and services. We are not a place to come so that your duty to God is done. We are not about comfort and anonymity. We are a community. We commit ourselves to one another and to those around us, to help one another along this long journey, to Love one another as He has loved us, as He does Love us. As a rule of life we adopt the 12th chapter of St. Paul’s letter to the Romans. Succinctly, this chapter is how we are to live as God’s Children on earth.

Our commitment to certain parts of this rule are contingent on our level of commitment in the community of Vine & Branches itself. We have borrowed from the great tradition of the Monasteries in which there are concentric circles, if you will, of commitment and involvement. The first is that of the Postulant: literally, one submitting a request, in Latin. In our context, as in most monastic communities, it means investigator - one who is living as a member of the community while discerning, in themselves and with the community, whether they are indeed “called” to be a permanent part of it. When someone comes to be a part of Vine & Branches, they will automatically be a Postulant until they feel, along with the community, that they are ready to take the next step.

The “next step” is that of a Professed Member or Permanent Member. In the Monastic tradtion this is the point where the Postulant or Novice makes the decision, with the community, to profess “vows” of commitment to that community; namely, of stability and adherance to our rule of life. Stability, in this context, means that one will be a living part of this community until they die unless God obviously, in the context of the community, leads them elsewhere. Adherance to the Rule is to say that you are a permanent member of this community and it’s rule is your rule - it’s way of life is your way of life without reservation. The only real difference, practically speaking, between these two parts of the community is that future appointed members of the pastoral council as well as deacons will be selected only from among the permanently professed. Otherwise, all are a part of the family and will be treated accordingly.

We call on God our Father, on God the Son, Jesus our Lord, and on our Life, God the Holy Spirit, to empower us to live this life in this community. We ask Him for Grace and thank Him for it. We ask Him for Strength and thank Him for it. We ask Him for Wisdom and Light and we thank Him for them. Glory be to His Name both now and forever. Amen.

our life in common

2005-08-28T10:41:00.000-04:00

It might be helpful to ready my recent post on my blog called kononia as an introduction to this post. I'll repeat myself a little here as well. First of all, that word, kononia, translated often, "fellowship," comes from the work koinos, meaning "common." So, to escape the baggage attached to the "F-word" we'll say "life in common" or "common life" - maybe that will be helpful.

In the context of Vine & Branches - that's why I'm writing it on this blog - I am often frustrated by our common life or lack thereof. As the overseer of this community I have a somewhat cherished and idealistic notion of what this life should look like. I think this is both good and bad. Good, in that as the "leader" or "father" I should have an overarching and hopeful view of what the life of this community needs to be and live and act in a way that helps to move us in that direction. Bad, in that sometimes it gets in the way of the reality of how long it takes to build something like that and how hard it is for us as a whole and for individuals in their particular places. Please pray for me that I lean on the good side.

My first quote is, I think, both true and I hope it acts as an encouragement for us as a community.

If we're supposed to have a life that is "in common," what is it that we have in common? It's as much as we give I suppose. Nothing is had in common unless it is given to have.

This koinos life does not happen by accident. We cannot just mentally agree to the philosophy of it and expect it to happen on its own. We must will to live it, each one of us. We do not have one another unless we give ourselves to one another. This is the love of siblings. This is what we are called to do.

...we need to open ourselves to be loved, by God and others, and set our will (at least that at a base level) toward loving God and others. And love gives. Love is honest and says what it means. Love does not make people walk on eggshells.

So, fellowship or life in common, community, is simply the life of love between siblings. It is love, living and moving in us and among us.

I am not asking, nor am I expecting, us all to be perfected in this tonight, or tomorrow for that matter. What I'm calling us to do, because I believe it to be what God is calling us to do, is to will to do this, to be this. Our will is the least we can give, it really is. "Will" is base. We will it, that begets desire, and then it's real to us, and realization begets actualization. I'm calling us, as one, to commit to this. Then we can all encourage one another, inside that commitment, that it will take a long time and not to give up. Grace and Peace be with you.

how does it work?

2005-07-28T09:27:00.000-04:00

I had a really good conversation the other day with good friends (and vbcc advisory council members) Aaron Klinefelter and Pete Matthews. We had some free time during the day when Aaron was in town and ended up talking about all manner of very helpful things concerning our communities and how they function. As these things go, we ended up helping each other hone how we think of how things work.

One of the questions thrown out and discussed heavily was, "how does it work?" Sounds general. I guess it is. It's an overarching question, the answer to which is extremely important. I think part of the discussion was surrounding "mission" - a church "being on mission in the world" and what that means, and more importantly, how that works itself out in our respective communities. If anyone saw my model of the church quiz results, that will give you a big clue as to how I answer these questions. You'll also perhaps have noticed that this is how I have tried to lead this community. Short answer - being on mission is not about activism necessarily, but primarily about presence and being.

Now, we can flesh that out forever. We will I guess, forever, but not all right now. I do want to put maybe a little more face on these concepts for us though if you'll indulge me. What is our modus operandi as a faith community? What IS the "job" as a faith community? To answer the second question first, our "job" is to be a vehicle of transformation for those who are a part of it - the workshop, if you will, in which we are rebuilt into new beings. That's what God wants. He wants us all to be new beings. That's the whole point - the WHOLE and entire point! OK, I'll calm down. And then, and then, and then everything else flows out of that transformational reality, out of us as new beings in Christ, for real. I say "for real" because it's often stated in a way that we are only in Christ or new persons as a matter of faith in some mental way or some other way that has no teeth. This is NOT what's happening in us. Real change is taking place, as we allow it to take place, in us.

Some would say it like this: we are here to make disciples. OK, that's fine, just know what that means when you say it. There is a deep meaning to that and that's what we talk about all the time. And I'll keep talking about it and trying to live it. Some say that we are primarily here for the world. I'm fine with wanting to serve people out of love and want others to have the life of God in them. Of course. But here's our M.O. in these matters: GOD is here for the world. GOD's deal is, He created something in union with Himself - it was just here - we were just here, being in union with GOD. All was well. Now, we're operating in a broken tank.

Wow, this is getting far too long. What am I trying to say? How does it work with us - with Vine & Branches? It basically works like this. We are. We are a small group of people who are walking this thing out together. We have stepped into the ancient liturgy of the Church. We meet together and pray and build each other up and receive Grace through the Word and through the Eucharist and through one another. We are encouraged to pray together when we're apart. We maintain a posture of being here for one another. We build relationships, not through programs but organically. We open ourselves to spiritual direction from one another and from the pastoral role. We have jobs and lives that we live in the world (where else are we going to live them?). So we have the life of God in us and are being transformed into His Image. As this happens in our context, we are more and more the Presence of God, of Christ, in the world. We are a Sacrament among those who don't see it yet. We are an avenue of God's Grace - BECAUSE we are being made in His Image - NOT because we decided to do an outreach project. Presence and Being.

Our mode of operation as far as "discipleship" goes (some people's language) is simple - being a part of the community, doing what the community does, and continuing to be a part of it and do those things - continue to be in relationship, open yourself. That's the model. That's where it happens. As we are a part of this thing and participate in it, and as much as we put ourselves in it, we change, we're transformed. That IS intentional. It is certainly not programmatic and may, at times, not look like anything. Well, that's how it goes I guess. We keep on going. Please keep on going. That's all for today. That's enough I guess. Grace and Peace to you.

eucharist

2005-07-25T15:57:00.000-04:00

Eucharist - Greek for Thanksgiving. For us it is a Sacrament, which can be called an "avenue of grace." It's a tangible (touchable) way through which we receive real and active Grace from God in this life. There are many Christian traditions who have either done away with this all-together or who have watered it down to such a degree that it has little meaning or purpose in the life of the believer. We talked last night a bit about the real, mystical stuff of which our life in Christ is made - that we are a part of that in a way we cannot fully understand. Well, this sacramental avenue of touching that Life is also something we can't fully understand, but we have been implicitly asked to have faith that it is real - that His Presence to us in and through it is indeed Real and gives us real help on our journey to union with Him.

I looked at this picture I took yesterday and felt like encouraging you about the Eucharist. Here are a few things to keep in mind as we receive Christ in the sacrament: He Loves us - that's what it's all about. He has given Himself to us and asks us to receive Him continually. It has real mystical meaning and substance. I encourage us as a community to receive it as real and give thanks for what He has and is giving us as we do. It's not about you being "worthy" to receive it. If you have some faith in Jesus, realize your brokenness and His ability to put you back together - if you are coming to Jesus in receiving the sacrament, then do it. We're all unworthy. Worthiness is not an issue. The passage in Scripture speaking of such things is speaking more, as I see it, about whether or not we recognize the Body of Christ that we are a part of and Him being the Center of it. Come to Christ and receive healing and forgiveness and strength and courage and Life. Peace be with you.

On the Liturgy of the Hours

2005-07-22T16:20:00.000-04:00

In praying the Office, I'm being trained to quit trying to "get something out of" my reading of Scripture. It is a regular, daily practice, to be engaged in whether I feel like it or not. The Scripture reads me, and I sit with it, whether I'm in the mood for it or not. When it's done, I can trust that this is indeed part of being transformed by the renewing of my mind, whether I "feel" transformed or not.

Several friends responded to my post on the Office with thoughts of their own that are worth reading.

Bryan: testimony and resources

Peter: "...prayer and God's Word are bigger than me and what I'm feeling today."

A.: "Let it wash over me"

committed to smallness

2005-05-24T11:44:00.000-04:00

I was inspired to post this extended quote again (I did a couple of years ago I think, or a year) by our friend Arlen in Minnesota. He is on a very similar journey. He quoted Gordon Cosby of the Church of The Savior in D.C. on his blog today. I found the source and here is the extended version in the section about that church's "committment to smallness."

I want to say that Vine & Branches will remain committed to smallness as well, perhaps a bit smaller still than Church of The Savior. I have come to the point, and I've been there for some time, that this is essential in order for us to be what we want to be. Here's the quote...

Despite the church’s considerable impact on the city and beyond, however, it has always remained small. And that is by intention. Nine other faith communities have been planted directly out of Church of the Saviour (while scores of other churches around the country refer to themselves as “in the tradition of Church of the Saviour.”) Many who have heard about the church or seen the breadth of its impact are surprised that even at its largest Church of the Saviour never had more than 150 members (though hundreds more attended or were deeply involved). That is due, in large part, to the high commitment required for membership. From the earliest days of the church, after Gordon Cosby returned from World War II, a core assumption has been that the greatest impact on the world comes about by small, highly committed and disciplined communities of people focused on outward mission, inward transformation, and loving, accountable community. Church history, church members point out, shows this to almost always have been true. Gordon is convinced that size actually inhibits effectiveness, that it works against a community of people being truly counter-cultural, to having depth, to breaking addictions to the culture. “Large numbers,” he says, “tend almost inevitably toward depersonalization and institutionalism, toward a lessening of commitment. So we resist the temptation to power that comes through numbers.”

I don't post this to say that we need to imitate or try to recreate what they have done in Washington, D.C. I honestly don't know tons about Cosby or that church. I know people who do, but I haven't read or studied about them. We are doing what we have been given to do. Of course we have been influenced. Everybody has. I trust that we take our influences as those guided by the Holy Spirit. We don't exist in a vacuum. We are a part of the holy catholic church, that has existed throughout the ages and will exist after we are long gone. So, I'm pointing this out as an encouragement that we are not alone - that we aren't the only ones seeing this, and perhaps to help you further understand why we do what we do. Peace and Grace to you.

monastic future post

2005-05-09T22:08:00.000-04:00

I posted on my blog about some details concerning vbcc's monastic future. We've talked about these things before to some degree. I thought it might be good for you to read this though.

> monastic future

the face of the advisory council

2005-05-03T21:48:00.000-04:00

Yes, Vine & Branches (as well as myself) has an advisory council, aka, "board." It's not a voting body that "runs" anything. It's a relational body of guys whom I know, love and respect highly. They know me well and what we're doing and have agreed to be available with advice, wisdom and prayer. You may have met some or all of them. Anyway, here they are...

Aaron Klinefelter - Cincinnati, Ohio. Aaron is one of the pastoral council of Vineyard Central in Norwood, Ohio. We've known each other whether by e-mail or face to face for a few years now and have developed a great friendship and help each other think through a good many things. I only asked Aaron recently to be on the council and am thankful that he has agreed.

Dave Nixon - Cincinnati, Ohio. Ahh, the wise old monk. Dave and his wife Jody started Vineyard Central and he is the Abbot of a common monastic household in Norwood. He also now serves as the pastor of spiritual formation at the Northern Kentucky Vineyard. Dave is full of wisdom and we love he and Jody very much. They have been good friends for several years. They actually led a vbcc retreat last year which was great. I'm sure we'll be calling on them again. Look out guys!

Kevin Rains - Cincinnati, Ohio. Kevin also leads a common household (urban monastery) in Norwood and is a pastor on the council of Vineyard Central. Kevin and I have been great friends almost since the moment we met and thought we were secret sons of the same father (some say we look like brothers). He is an amazing friend and a wise man and we have shared a common heart for the church and what it is becoming for quite a few years now. We love and value he and his wife Tracy very much and have been encouraged by their example.

Peter Matthews - Lexington, Kentucky. Pete is an Anglican priest, planter and pastor of a local church here called St. Patrick's (fine name). Pete and I hit it off amazingly a few years ago and our friendship and camaraderie has grown ever since. We often hash our theological and practical thinking out with one another until something good comes out of it. I value his maturity and thoughts highly and an honored that he is a part of this council, as well as my friend. He and his wife Trudi have 4 children too and you should pray for all of us! ha!

That's all for now. I think it's good you know who these folks are every now and then. We are not lone rangers. We have relationships with others who are doing similar things in the region and value them highly. Peace be with you.

prayer and stuff

2005-04-24T15:36:00.000-04:00

I prayed one of the shorter daily prayers today and happened to notice where we are in the Psalm cycle. I thought I put it up here in case anyone was "lost." One of the helpful things about us all at least intending to pray these prayers/read these Scriptures together is that we are all on the "same page" so to speak. Anyway, we are now starting back at Week 1 in the Liturgy. I know it's a little harder with the small books but at least the general Morning and Evening Prayer is there.

If you want to get a little more, go to that new site I posted about on my blog a few days ago - the Liturgy of the Hours Apostolate - what we've been using to print out our little meeting "booklets" recently - pretty handy. Every prayer for all 7 prayers of the day is on there in viewing and booklet form as PDF files. Here is the personal prayer section of the site. Then open the viewing PDF for the day you're in and all the prayers for that day will be there. Of course you can delete the file when you're done.

This is one of the ways we're trying to be formed together as a community. Hopefully we can all try to do our best to get some of these in during the week. Maybe we should incorporate a time in our weekly meetings where we share what God has shown us in our weekly prayers and readings. We'll see. I know it's slow going around here, but I think that's the healthiest thing. That's it for now. Peace.