It is definitely true that we NEED to get away from folks and the area we grew up around, at least for a week every now and again, to be exposed to different ways of life, language, and cultures. We so easily assume that our way of life is the ONLY way of life, or at least THE TRUTH by which every other way is measured, and that is certainly not necessarily true. I do deeply appreciate our area and how it has formed me in some really important ways, and I hope that shows in my thoughts from time to time.

Angie,

We will. And very soon after we come. I told Kevin on Common Root that we stopped by the VC worship center when we came, but it was locked. We just put in an offer on a house on Maplewood Ave.

Phil,

Thanks for your thoughts. I enjoyed reading your article as well. I really respect the Mennonite tradition more and more the deeper I come to know it (I attended Eastern Mennonite Seminary). And my favorite teacher there, Mark Thiessen Nation, spent a good chunk of time at the London Mennonite Centre. I’ll look forward to following your journey from afar with the link to your thoughts.

As far as my comments on conservatism, I wasn’t critiquing conservatism as such, but trying to step back and observe the reactions of folks in this more conservative area. I would make some critical comments in a more traditionally “liberal” area in a different way.

Nate

I appreciated the thoughts. There’s plenty of conservatism this side of the pond too. I wish you both well. Community is hard but addictive, in the best sense! It wasn’t so long ago that we were heading over the Pennine hills in a battered old van to start a new life with an Anabaptist community in Yorkshire. I told the story a while ago in ‘The Mennonite’: http://www.themennonite.org/pdf/magazine_pdf_87.pdf

Shalom, Phil

Yeah, I saw that the other week. “Wow” was all I could say. As far as conservatism in the Valley goes, I think a whole lot of folks who were just secular conservatives are joining churches that rant and rave about the same issues they do but sprinkle Jesus in every now and again.. Those churches are appealing to them because they can gather with other like-minded people and not have to change much. Just my opinion.

And by the way, I met Seth Hankee last week and we talked about you. I guess with the amount of time it’s been since we got together (a travesty), I have to settle for talking you up with folks I meet.

Nate

Check out Steve Whitmer’s photo blog for a pict (scroll down about 1/4 of the way).
http://sandynsteev.blogspot.com/