One thing I have kept in mind through this whole planning process is that I had to be flexible and ready for any change in plans. The latest change in plans is that Jonathan will unfortunately not be joining me on the trip. Instead, it will just be me, myself and I. As I write this blog post, the rental car sits packed up in the driveway ready for my journey. I'll be heading out bright and early to my first stop which will be Common Ground in Shreveport Louisiana.
I keep my life pretty busy but I choose to take it one day at a time. For this reason, I haven't really gotten too excited about the trip until now. When I would plan each stop and get in contact with the people at the communities I would get some excitement but it seemed so far away. Once I finished the itinerary (which actually wont be finished until the trip is finished) it began to feel real but there is a new since of reality that is setting in now that I am only about 9hrs from leaving.
It is my hope and prayer that this trip will be an informative and growing experience for all parties. This trip obviously has some selfish aspects to it on my parts but I truly hope that others will learn as well from this blog, any pictures or videos I take along the way, and from presentations I'll be making when I get back. I'm also going to sit down with Elaine, Larry and the rest of those involved with the Epworth Project to share my experiences. This trip never was intended for just me and so I look forward to sharing with others.
I will continue to be in prayer for all of those who have supported me through the planning process and I ask that you please continue to support me through prayer for safe travels and an open mind. Also, I would greatly appreciate it if you share this blog with others so that I can be certain this trip will not just be something for myself but that others can learn and grow with me in this journey. Please feel free to comment on the blog and I will do my best to respond to each comment.
Shalom,
Brandon
Showing posts with label New Gyrovagues. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Gyrovagues. Show all posts
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Monday, May 16, 2011
Vision for this Summer
For the first time in a long time I have a summer entirely free. I began thinking of different things I could do and various places I could visit when I thought about visiting a New Monastic Community or two. I live in the Bonhoeffer House here in Dallas TX and so I am curious to see what other models of New Monasticism look like. The first two places that came to mind were the Rutba House and Simple Way. These communities are best known for their residents Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove and Shane Claiborne respectively. I thought about making a road trip up to Philly where Simple Way is and stopping in Durham to visit the Rutba House on the way. As I began to look at how long the trip was I also realized that there are numerous New Monastic Houses on the way to and from Philly and so I should try to stop at some of them as well. I called to share my idea with Dr. Elaine Heath, a professor of evangelism at Perkins and the driving force behind the Epworth Project. After talking with her I sat down with the other guys at Bonhoeffer to see if they would want to join me in this journey. Jonathan quickly hopped on board and George and Adam may be joining us for at least part of the trip.
We have played around with the dates and the locations numerous times but as of now we plan to leave July 10th and return on July 23rd. The places we hope to visit are Common Ground in Shreveport, LA, Alterna in LaGrange, GA, Koinonia Farms in Americus, GA, Area 15 in Charlotte, NC, Rutba House in Durham, NC, Mission Year in Atlanta, GA, and the Perkins Center in Jackson MS. We chose a rather diverse group of New Monastic Houses and communities in hopes to find new models but hopefully find a central theme of living intentionally with a foundation of Christ's love.
The next aspect of this trip that came to us was to document it. We are really excited about all that we will be learning and so we want to share the knowledge with others. This blog will serve as part of the documenting process but we also hope to make a documentary. This is where you can come in. None of us have any skills nor equipment in order to make this documentary a reality. If you or anyone you know makes films and can do so on a low budget then we would love you to have them contact us, or give us their contact info. We would also appreciate any other form of support such as: gas cards, recording equipment, editing equipment/skills, cash money, prayers, or just passing on the info by sharing this blog.
Peace,
Brandon
We have played around with the dates and the locations numerous times but as of now we plan to leave July 10th and return on July 23rd. The places we hope to visit are Common Ground in Shreveport, LA, Alterna in LaGrange, GA, Koinonia Farms in Americus, GA, Area 15 in Charlotte, NC, Rutba House in Durham, NC, Mission Year in Atlanta, GA, and the Perkins Center in Jackson MS. We chose a rather diverse group of New Monastic Houses and communities in hopes to find new models but hopefully find a central theme of living intentionally with a foundation of Christ's love.
The next aspect of this trip that came to us was to document it. We are really excited about all that we will be learning and so we want to share the knowledge with others. This blog will serve as part of the documenting process but we also hope to make a documentary. This is where you can come in. None of us have any skills nor equipment in order to make this documentary a reality. If you or anyone you know makes films and can do so on a low budget then we would love you to have them contact us, or give us their contact info. We would also appreciate any other form of support such as: gas cards, recording equipment, editing equipment/skills, cash money, prayers, or just passing on the info by sharing this blog.
Peace,
Brandon
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