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Seth
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The leadership team met last night to talk about 2 things. Should we fully transition to Heart, Soul, Mind & Strength teams, and who will we task with shepherding the covenant group formation and orientation. The leadership decided to keep our existing leadership team, but meet 4 times a year to check in about the overall vision of thirdway. We decided we wanted to move forward with the heart team (pastoral leadership team) and talked about who might serve on that team. We felt that we needed a bit more time to form that group, but did not want that to slow the forming of new groups. Sooooo.. we decided to put a group of 8 folks we thought were either future heart team members, or people who have shown a desire to help small groups form. That task group to help form covenant groups is Brian / Daleen, Eddie, Danny, Amanda, Jessica, Alisha / Tim. They will meet the next three tuesday evenings to get covenant groups started. That’s it for now. Seth
Hey Thirdway Folk – we were thinking since this next weekend is Memorial Day Weekend that we would skip doing our own service (since a handful of people may be out of town or doing family stuff) and join in with the House of Mercy’s service! This is a good opportunity for us to visit the House of Mercy community and check out what is going on there – they will even be serving treats to welcome us! Please join if you can – they are located at 104 Snelling Avenue South, Saint Paul, MN 55105 (Feel free to let me know if you have any questions)! Peace
Hey All,
We are back from the SMC Camp Meeting this past week!
We had a group of 12 head out to Plow Creek farm to set ourselves up in tent villages on the small meadow there. It was a great turn out for our community, and for the event as a whole. With 100 people representing 7 different communities, there was no shortage of conversation to be had. There were young folks to connect with, as well as lots of older folks to learn from. I sat in on several workshops, to learn about a life-transforming creative writing project going on in San Quentin prison, how to sustain community for the long haul, and the differing needs of folks in community who are at different life stages.
Nearly every member of our Third Way representative group remarked how welcomed they felt, how much the event felt like a family reunion, and how much fun they were having! And it did feel like family, too. There were many faces, all friendly, all willing to sit down to conversation with any one of us.
The highlight of the weekend (for me, anyway!) was a “lack-of-talent” show (variety show) that took place on Saturday night. It was long, but amazing. Watching folks make fools of themselves, folks express their hearts through poetry or song, and having fun all together as a big group was a unifying experience. I certainly know what I’m looking forward to at the next camp meeting.
Seth shared with the group on Friday morning, sharing his own story and the story of God, encouraging us as we write our own stories. Some points that stood out to me from the teaching were the ideas Seth shared about how to be a good protagonist. He mentioned that a good protagonist has to want something! A good story includes the protagonist pursuing something meaningful, something worthwhile in his or her own life. Seth also encouraged us to fall in love with Jesus as a person. To love Jesus, not his ethics or the things he believed.
We heard about SMC’s relationship to Valle Nuevo, a village in El Salvador. We saw a slideshow with photos from this year’s delegation group to Valle Nuevo. This relationship is one of the primary reasons that SMC pools resources together. It was encouraging for me to see a very large group of communities sharing resources for more that its own sake!
There was lots of free time to connect with folks–swimming, meals, hikes, campfires, sitting around, shooting the breeze!
At the end of weekend there was an “open mic” time for anybody to share things they had learned, ways they had been encouraged by the gathering. Folks’ observations were very meaningful! In all honesty, I half-expected that time to be lame. But it wasn’t! It wasn’t sappy or boring or drawn out. It was moving, humorous, unifying. Praise God. That “affirmations” time was followed by a chance for each community to offer 2 prayer requests, and to be prayed for by someone in the crowd. We wrapped up the weekend by taking communion together and then sharing the noontime meal.
Hopefully I can get some photos up here! Let me work on that. For now, i hope you enjoyed the update!
Peace,
Natalie
Since so many folks headed to Plow Creek for the SMC Camp Meeting we are taking a Sabbath from the Sunday Meeting. We will meet again next Sunday. Hamline Church 6PM no potluck!
OK, Here is the first draft of a new way of approaching our community leadership. Thirdway org Chart
I said I would have it out last week, but this was a difficult process. Let me know what you think!
Seth
This Sunday we will be joining Hamline Church (1514 Englewood 55104) for worship at 10am followed by a BBQ on the North Lawn. I will be preaching and the youth group is fundraising for their mission trip to the Lacoda Tribe of South Dakota. $5 per person/ $20 per family. So we will have no Sunday Meeting this week.
I’m sure you noticed that I polished off that title with a question mark…
and I’m sure you’re wondering why.
Here’s why:
This week has brought more of the same. The same work: boiling bagels, making hundreds of crackers, pulling weeds, picking berries, harvesting for the CSA, setting up tables at farmer’s markets, manning the tables at farmer’s markets, tearing down the tables at farmer’s markets…
But I am changing. The slow pace of life here is changing me. I realized the other day that I feel like I have time to be creative, to daydream, to come up with ideas I am proud of, and to execute them. I think I have yet to recognize the extremity of the harried life I lead in the Twin Cities. I keep thinking–how will I bring this slower way of living back home with me? How can I keep a schedule that is consistently life-giving? Is it possible for me to go to bed at the same time every night??!! That would be a start. I don’t much think of myself as a creature of habit, but I am coming to recognize how refreshing it is to set up for myself a routine that is life-giving, that nourishes my spirit, that provides patches of peace I will walk into each day. Examples of this have included “sacred mornings” (a term used by my housemate Emily to describe morning prayer and study time), afternoon naptimes, and dinnertime reflections on poetry or other inspired writing.
The biggest change I have noticed has been learning to listen to both my body and my heart, and giving them what they need. I remember countless times over the past year where I would get into a negative way of seeing myself, or a negative way of thinking about a situation, and my heart would be restless and uneasy for days, sometimes weeks, and I wouldn’t know the cause. I didn’t allow myself time to look inside, to figure out what was going on in my heart and mind to invite those restless, negative thought patterns. I have some more time for that here. I think I’m learning that time spent in meditation, quietly listening to thoughts as they pass by in my mind, needs to be a near-daily priority for me. Who said–the unexamined life is not worth living?? I’d like to say the unexamined heart is not worth living with! For me, at least. I hear the voice of God drawing me into those times of peace.
There have been a few new things, however. My housemate Leah and I have embarked upon a daily goat milking project. Leah is wild about fermented foods and beverages–things like kimchee (pickled vegetables, i think), and kombucha (fermented tea??). She wants to start making kefir (a fermented yogurt-milk beverage) from goat’s milk. A couple on the farm has a goat who has just recently weaned her kids, and she’s ours to milk if we want her. It’s a really neat experience!! We have talked a lot about how we want to be towards the animals, what attitudes we want to have towards them, and that it is a gift to us that this goat (Claire) allows us to take her milk. I’m sure any mom who has given away, or received, breastmilk might relate to that.
I guess I should also update you guys that I met somebody I’m interested in dating. His name is Alex. I invited him to come visit us in the Twin Cities in August. For more details about all that, you can hit me up.
Also, a huge surprise this weekend! Terrie hopped a bus Thursday night and came to spend the weekend with me! To simply be with someone who knows me, who is close to me, has been a delight. To hear news from home and to see a face I know and love! Shout out to Terrie! Thanks girl, I love ya!
She arrived just in time for Good Neighbor Day–and affectionate term for the 4th of July that I have heard thrown out around here. There haven’t been any festivities yet, but the worship service this morning was full of talk about being the trans-national people of God, and about the role of the church as a prophetic voice to nations and rulers. I also felt moved during the prayer time in worship this morning. One gentleman asked for a prayer of unity within this community, and it struck me that perhaps that, more than anything, is what makes the church a prophetic voice to the American nation. A community that does relationships so healthy, that others are coming, asking, “teach us. we wanna know. we wanna live in life-giving ways of peace like you guys.” That’s a prophetic community. That was on my mind today, I was thinking that’s something we can pray for Third Way as well as for Plow Creek.
Well here’s a few pictures for you guys. I love you all! I’m planning to be home on either the 20th or the 22nd. It just depends on getting the bus ticket and all that. I pray you all are well. Keep on loving each other, showing kindness and forgiving one another. Henri Nouwen writes that forgiveness is the cement of community. I really think it is!
Here’s a few pics for you guys:
This is the Valley Garden, where the farm grows a lot of veggies for the CSA boxes. A lot of lettuce, herbs, peas and beans, squash, cucumbers, beets, turnips, radishes. A lot!Here's another view of the Valley Garden.
Cinnamon-Raisin loaves
This is my housemate and bakery intern Leah. She's weighing bread to be made into loaves. She's great! I love her a lot.
In this photo you can see the abundance of berries. Many branches look like this. They are nearly all ripe by this point, so the farm has started picking several times a week
Here are some pre-ripe blueberries. I found them stunning! Some were green, some light blue, some purple, some bright pink or magenta.
This is the blueberry patch. It's more than a patch! It's called Blueberry hill. All those bushes, they stretch further back than you can see. There are hundreds.
Is up in the links bar on the left-hand side of the page!
…blog update time.
This marks the end of my second full week here at Plow Creek Farm.
Today was definitely my favorite day here yet. It started with a morning in the bakery, forming bread dough into loaves and baking them. Mid-morning I moved out to the Valley Garden and got to dig in the dirt, helping plant some squash. The Valley Garden primarily grows veggies for the farm’s CSA boxes (more on that later), and is a beautiful place to work. I experienced a lot of contentment, working in the dirt like that. I am doing my best to be present to the tasks concretely in front of me, and slow, careful work is a good way to practice that.
Some other tasks I’ve had this week:
Picking strawberries! So many berries! They sure are tasty. However, your body gets sore from picking several hours in a row. But the pressure is on when the farm has orders to fill, or needs to pick enough berries to sell at market. It has been eye-opening for me to see the ins-and-outs of a market farm. From an outsider’s view, I can see how the work comes to feel overwhelming. Especially if there are not enough hands to help. (Imagine picking berries for 5 or so hours 6 mornings a week, for a month straight–I would begin to express some berry hostility) I’ve heard that blueberry season is coming, and that there is some relief because those can be picked standing up, not squatting or bending!
This week I also spend time sorting bakery items for market (putting them into piles based on which town’s market they are going to), and selling bakery and produce items at Tuesday and Saturday farmer’s markets. I think those tasks will be part of my regular responsibilities.
I have been doing my best to be helpful to my housemate Emily, who is responsible for care of the farm’s goslings (those weed-eating geese I wrote about earlier). I have gone several times to bring them water, and help move their fence to a different location in the strawberry field. Emily told me that the goslings pick up on how we are when we’re around them. If we’re in a hurry (and trying to rush them) they will be stressed out and a little bit confused. That has been an opportunity to practice being present, peaceful, and attentive to the animals’ needs. My default is to try to get the job done as quickly as possible, just get the geese to where they need to go! Doesn’t work so well. They are not machines 
Maybe this is a little bit of what all you parents out there learn when you start having children?
Last weekend, Plow Creek helped host Tiskilwa’s annual strawberry festival. I worked at a market stand there, selling baked goods and lots of berries. Folks from the town came to a park that is centrally-located and ate strawberry shortcake, got face-painted, bought barbecue picnic lunch, and purchased berries for their home use. I got to to chat it up with some Tiskilwa towns-folk! As well as enjoy some scrumptious strawberry shortcake, courtesy of Plow Creek Farm and Bakery.
Yesterday I got to help with the harvest of veggies for CSA box deliveries to Chicago. The CSA (Community-Supported Agriculture) is sort of a farming co-op. Families from Chicago (many from the Reba Place community) and from a few other towns in Illinois pay $400-something up front at the beginning of the harvest season, and one day each week they get a box (one box per family) delivered to a pick-up site in their town with veggies that were harvested that morning. This week the farm sent things like lettuce, spinach, arugula (a salad green i haven’t had before), cilantro, snap peas, radishes, strawberries, and garlic scapes (among some other things, I think). There was somewhat of a race to finish, because the CSA truck has to leave at a certain time from the farm in order to deliver the boxes on time. The time-pressure made it fun!
I am getting to know my two housemates better. They love to talk about ideas… the benefits of subsistence farming (google that!) vs. large-scale farming, whether Jesus meant to create a religion or not, what healthy conflict resolution is, how the United States education system should operate, whether veganism is a reasonable lifestyle or not. It makes dinner time conversation a very stimulating experience! I am learning a lot from both of them. And sometimes not even learning, but starting to ask questions about things I’ve never thought about before.
Most mornings I have time to spend in self-reflection, prayer, and study. Before I left, I was reading a book about developing yourself as a leader (book that Seth lent to me), and the author there writes about how important it is to know yourself. Even if you are not planning on developing yourself as a leader, time spent in self-reflection is healthy and vital to a life fully lived. The author writes about self-deployment (setting yourself to the task of living fully who you are, and doing what you were made for), and that you have to reflect on and understand yourself and your past before you can fully deploy yourself! I have been grateful for so much time (an hour or more, nearly every day) to practice this. Asking myself journaling questions that intentionally draw out themes from the past few days, and allowing God to show me significance behind those themes (like the anxiety thing I wrote about last time) has been really fruitful. I’m starting to see how this time is a gift, as a spiritual retreat, as well as daily opportunities to learn about hard work. I have had a greater sense of energy in my relating to God than I’ve had for some time. I think due to so many questions I’ve had recently about God, scripture, faith, religion (brought about by the American educational system!!! maybe you guys watched that video in seth’s last post??). But I have continued to read and learn about those things I don’t understand, and I have confidence that I will come to a greater sense of peace about it all. My questions, at this point, are energizing and motivating rather than despairing.
I hope all is well in the Third Way community. I definitely miss all you guys. It has surprised me how much I’ve come to feel a part of our particular body of Christ. I hadn’t fully recognized that, until I’ve been away for this short amount of time and noticed my heart hurting a little bit. As glad as I am to be here, I’ll be glad to be home. How could I have thought that any time away from you guys would be utopian? Even if it is time engaged in passionate earth-love, soil-unity, and eco-harmony?? Silly me.
Love,
Nat
boxing and sorting cookies for the farmer's markets this weekend
Here's a mess of bagels and little pita bread loaves that we made and bagged to sell at market.
Each Wednesday we have an intern dinner. This past week we hosted it in our little apartment this past week, eating on the floor.
This is a baby mouse that was found by some neighbor boys. My housemate Leah offered to house and feed it until it would become big enough to send back into the forest. She's so compassionate! Unfortunately it didn't last through the first night we had it.
The farm team has dinner together every other Monday. Last time the main dish was some bluegill caught in a nearby creek. Jim (one of the farm managers) cut off the heads and fried them up. I've never eaten a whole fish before! It's the real thing, man.
