early monday morning

I got back to Atlanta shortly after 8am this morning. I woke up this morning at exactly 3:30am so I could make it to the 24/5 Deli thats owned by the Community that I spent the weekend with. I wanted to get there so I could eat breakfast and talk with some of the 3rd shifters before I left. I ended up spending time with them til about 7am, helping out in the kitchen; and just over all fellowship.

This past weekend's visit gave me so many confirmations on a lot of things, and I'm not even sure that I will be able to convey all of them at this time; I'm still a little tired...but off the top of my head I will say that this community is genuine in every regard...they give up a life of living for themselves in order to live for one another, they own no possessions to share all with each other, and these people are willing to bear each others short comings and frustrations of being human. They work out their differences constantly.....they have to.....they live and work together. Its very inspiring; and again, the highest example of an expression of faith in the Messiah that I have witnessed in my short life time.

Thats what it all boils down to........faith; thats what struck me, because it is faith that established this way of life that is totally contrary to mainstream society....a way of life that is literally "set apart" in almost every regard. They take concepts from the scriptures and build upon them in their own perception and reality. For example....Israel being set apart from the nations...yet being a light to the nations...they believe themselves to be spiritual Israel being a light to the nations, (to the world) and at the same time being the agent of jealousy to the true descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

They see their life as the only way one can possibly submit (in truth, and wholeheartedness) to the Son of God that was sent to the earth long ago. They see their communities as the final witness of the Gospel in the earth before Christ's return; the bride making herself ready for her groom.


All this being said, if you live this life, and your waking thought in the morning is to die to yourself daily in order to live and work for your brother....the revelations, the spiritual strengthening, and growing faith is exponential for them....and every now in then they are reminded by the less comely things of the outside world that their way of life is all the more justified....they live solely for the Heavenly Father...not some "leader" who started it all.

This way of life can either make someone or break them. One particularly thought provoking conversation I had with one brother comes to mind; he shared with me that nothing is certain, and that they are all walking by faith each day, and trying their best to stay in the guidance of their Heavenly Father's spirit in all things, and how it blows his mind that he can even trust another human being with his life because he had never been able to do so before joining this community. This was a grown man; and the strength in his resolve, and sincerity of his personal faith was transparent. Conversation after conversation I had with people who said they wanted to know God's will for their lives and how they searched throughout churches, congregations etc, and still felt empty, or unfulfilled...and how their life in the community granted them to genuinely live out their faith, and lay down their lives for others than themselves, all for the sake of the One shed laid down his life for them some two thousand years ago.

The Inspiration is so paramount. I remember before leaving to visit them I read a message from an older gentleman that I know who had read one of my previous blogs about a previous visit and he admonished me to "becareful, keep my wits, and to remember my freedom in Yeshua (Jesus)"

I remember being grateful for reading it that message just before I was about to hit the road. And this weekend I had that thought in mind. Again, all I wanted to do was spend time with them, because since my first visit there had been this longing in my heart to return.

I wish I could write a book about the unique relationships I developed and the myriad of people from all walks of life who lived in this well established down to earth simple culture.

Each person had a story to tell. Some were born and raised in the community, others, like what I mentioned above were in the world searching for more; crying out to God for guidance and purpose only to run into someone from the community who invited them as a guest to stay with them for awhile. One woman, (elderly) had children who had been in the community for over thirty years, and she personally had twenty one great grandchildren all living in the community. (There is more more than one home, establishment and location.) She spoke about how she hasn't been put in a "retirement home" and how in ancient times people didn't place their parents their either; you could tell she was happy, healthy, and content with life. It was encouraging.

One statement I would like to correct is a statement I made in my last blog; I stated that this community believed themselves to be the sole embodiment of Christ's body on earth; and to a degree they do; however, different talks have revealed that they do believe God works in the lives of those outside of their community, (something that I was trying to understand during my first visit), yet they believe themselves to be living out what the Gospel demands;one brother even told me, "if you find some place better tell me and I'll go there; we are not just stuck on us" he went on to say that what he saw in the world in greater Christianity was not a life worthy of what the Messiah had given His life for, "most just add Jesus to their own selfish lives" he had said. Needless to say, living and working amongst these people.........(oh yeah, let me state again, these people are real, they did not put on a front just because I was there, they bore it ALL, I saw the good and the uncomfortable and for that I am grateful, it left no room for my doubt of their sincerity)...but yeah, needless to say living and working amongst these people has made me question where the Father want me in this life, what I can do for Him, and overall wanting to step my life of faith up....way up. I want to die to myself more, be like that obedient child more...I want the selflessness and servitude of Christ. I want total inhibition in mind and body.....I want to be His.....

I'm tired, I may jot down some more thoughts at another time.......

shalom to whomever reads this..