Humbly receiving spiritual direction... and DOING what we're commanded.

"Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith...
Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account.  Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you."
(Hebrews 13:7, 17)

When I consider what the writer of Hebrews is saying here to the early Church, I am struck with a couple of easily-overlooked insights.  But before I get into those, I have to begin with some ground-level understandings:

• The human tendencies of the church (and human beings at large, for that matter) have not changed, in all of its history.  We want to call our own shots, and when anyone or anything except our own conscience or our own understanding makes any real or perceived attempt to instruct — let alone command — our behavior or correct our thinking, we usually resort to one of two responses:

                1)  aggressive rebellion; or
                2)  apathetic dismissal and distance (often including scoffing condescension)

• Our "Americanism" (whereby the "supreme law" of our land — the U.S. Constitution — begins with the infamous "We the People"), our love of individuality, and our esteem of democracy is far more deeply entrenched in our worldview and our church life than we ever recognize.  In other words: we don't see ourselves through the lens of Scripture... we see Scripture — and church life — through the lens of ourselves.
• No matter how dignified we'd like to think ourselves, the God of the Universe calls us "sheep".

So, having established these cautions, I would assert the following.

Verse 7 does not merely suggest, but commands us to not only consider the importance of solid, biblical leaders, but also to emulate their lives and "imitate their faith".  Make no mistake: this commanded imitation pertains to some very unpopular and personal aspects of life:

• How we attire ourselves, in all situations
• How we approach "birth control"
• How we approach "dating" and marriage
• How we allow ourselves to be entertained
• How we enact our children's education
• What we allow ourselves to find humorous
• What line of work we pursue
• What roles ought to pertain to our gender

...and SO many more.  Ultimately, what's being communicated here, if I may paraphrase it, is this:

"If your pastor and elders are practicing what they preach, from the whole of Scripture, then do what they do.  Period."

For example:

• If your pastor intentionally wears something nicer than jeans-and-a-t-shirt to your worship gatherings, do the same.
• If your pastor's wife would never wear any clothing that would highlight her physicality (ladies), do the same.
• If your elders are content to live on less income, that they may devote more time and attention to their families and to the ministry, do the same.
• If your pastor's family seems to be fruitful and multiplying in spite of the world's demonstrated disdain for multiple children and in spite of their financial inability to make sure every one of their children can be sent to an ivy league university, do the same.

Listen, God's Word commands us, in verse 7, to be imitators of our leaders, insofar as they are genuine imitators of Christ.  So let's stop pretending that it's our mission in life to discover reasons why we shouldn't have to admire, respect and emulate them, all while asserting that "they're only human, after all".  Yes, they are.  But they are doing a pretty darn good job at following Christ with every fiber of their being, faults-and-all.  So let's quit criticizing them and start emulating them.  I think that we'll then be surprised by how wise, in fact and in Christ, they really are.  It'll be a worthy endeavor.

Now, on to verse 17.





As far as our pride is concerned, this verse is where the rubber meets the road.  And, if you consider the account of Jesus and the centurion, submitting to biblical authority is what separates the men from the boys, as far as the Kingdom of GOD is concerned.  Nevermind trying to establish your own kingdom by acting within your own authority and individuality.  King Jesus died to redeem His Church, and it is SHE that He is coming back for.  There is an authority structure He has ordained within His "family", and it is those who are the servant of ALL who will be called greatest.  As for me, I want to endeavor to be a joy to those in spiritual authority over me, and to make their calling — that is, to serve and lead their local body of Christ, on earth — as pleasant and mutually encouraging as possible.  Therefore, unless blatantly and clearly proven otherwise, I'm going to assume the following of my own pastor:

• That he (yes, "he" — not "she") is fully devoted to Christ, and has unreservedly resolved to preach the whole Word of God, whether it is en vogue or not.
• Is a very humble man before God, who spends vast quantities of time and attention combating his own flesh and pride.
• That he is immeasurably vested in the spiritual growth of all within his care.
• That he is rightfully sobered by the gravity of his role in the Church, both locally and Kingdom-wide.
• That to live out what he teaches his flock, from Scripture, is the highest possible goal I could aim for, as a believer in community with the saints.
• That he does not choose so-called "open-mindedness" over Scripture-informed conviction.  Because after all, the latter seems to be in short supply these days.

I pray you find the joy that is available from humbly receiving "the word implanted, which is able to save your souls."  (James 1:21)

From a Reader: "Why Columbia Falls?"

Aerial view of Columbia Falls in Summer

On my last post I received a comment from a reader, whose question may reflect many of your own: 

"Great post Ric! My heart has been leaning towards the life you describe for many years now; however, my wife is a bit more attached to the conveniences and created comforts of the big city suburb lifestyle. I am curious, what influenced your decision to select Columbia Falls, MT? There are so many different places in the US that offer what you have found in Columbia Falls and it would be interesting, and educational for me, to learn how you selected it. Thanks."   -- D. from California.

Our landing in "C-Falls" (as they call it around here) was a mixed bag of decision and God's providence.  Here's the short story:

After deciding that we wanted to leave California (early 2011), we compared states that were friendly to the 2nd Amendment (as a litmus test for freedom in each state's culture) with states that were friendly to Home Education (another passion of ours).  Of these overlapping states, Idaho and Montana most appealed to us: lots of precipitaion, definitive seasons, fertile land, plenty of varieties of wildlife, etc).  Concurrently, we had heard of both the concept of the American Redoubt and pastor Chuck Baldwin's move to the Flathead Valley, and were interested in how our "story" overlapped with theirs in many ways.  So my Bride and I took a "recon" trip to the Flathead, and really liked it.  A little while later, some friends of ours who had decided to move there too, found a house to rent, while we had not, yet.  We ended up living in a tent in their backyard for 3 months (July - October), while I looked for work (and found my current employer) and we looked for a place to buy or build.  Nothing turned up on the real estate front.  Finally, as it was beginning to get too cold to sleep outside, we knew we had to knuckle down and rent.  Some folks we had begun attending a home church with had a rental duplex unit open up in Columbia Falls (providential!).  It was a 25 minute drive to my work, and the price was right, so we jumped in and unpacked (most of) our stuff from storage.  Here's more of the Providencial part: Public Transportation in the Flathead could bring me pretty much from our new home to my work for about $2/day.  I started using that option, in order to free up our only vehicle for my wife and children to use.  Also, I was able to (necessarily) find a 2nd job in Martin City, 12 minutes from C-Falls.  Furthermore, we bought a 1.5 acre piece of land from my Uncle, who'd just moved to Whitefish (20 minutes NW of C-Falls), whereupon we would eventually build our own home.  Finally, we have landed into a wonderfully encouraging church family, who loves the Word of God and the fellowship of the believers as much as we do: Berean Bible Church, Kalispell.

So, we came up here by faith, with some planning, but the Lord has certainly ordered our steps!  I hope this answers your question, my friend.  Remember Joshua 1:9 --

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

SQUARE ONE

August 12, 2014:

Written over 3 years ago, a month before we moved to NW Montna, I had originally intended to make this my very first post on this blog.  It's a little late being published, but... Well, maybe someone will find it encouraging.

_________________________________

June 20, 2011:

"You're going Where??  You're doing WHATT?!?!?"

This is the response I'm expecting to receive when I tell my friends and co-laborers in ministry that our little family is actually relocating to the Northwestern Montana region to build a homestead in the woods.

A home-what?  You mean like Little House on the Prairie?  Why in the world would anyone want to do that?

Well, most of you know us fairly well, and have already gathered that we are of a slightly different mindset than just "anyone".  For many years — even since the beginning of our marriage, 18 years ago — Jenna and I have longed for wide-open spaces.  Yet, since we were both raised in Southern California, it was hard to imagine actually pulling up stakes and doing life much differently.  So we stayed in the Golden State and proceeded to make some very counter-cultural decisions about how we were going to spend our time and energy:

• We've been a 1-car family since 1994
• We've been a 1-income family since 1996
• We passed the national birth rate 3 children ago
• We have been Home-Educating our children since 2002
• We don't have cable TV (but yes, we do own every season of LHotP  :-)

 However, after all of those "roads less-traveled", that calling toward even greater simplicity would not leave us alone.  Providentially, and as part of our home education — which has unbelievably strengthened and prioritized our family unity — we began consuming a bunch of material that began to fan into flame the possibility that we Calvi's might not be best suited for life in a large population.  In addition to taking the Scriptures to heart (Old and New Testaments), we started really digging into things like our government's history, leadership and economy, our rampant consumerism and globalism, how the public education system has "dumbed-down" the nation's children, etc.  The conclusion that we are coming to is this: we are being called to leave what we considered a "broad road" in favor of a "narrow one".

It has been recently brought to my attention that choosing this path will have a cathartic effect on our relationships with others, particularly other Christians.  By the time you read this, we will have begun the conversation with you, and we hope to be able to share more and more with you as the days turn into months turn into years.  As we have said before, we have more questions than answers, but we are ready to trust the leading of God's Spirit into the unknown, as Abram and Sarai did.  We have the promise from Jesus that our Heavenly Father will take good care of us.  He is, after all, already on the "other side" of this trial, and the outcome is firmly in His grasp.

Stay tuned for pictures, ponderings and prayers.  Also, please send your (encouraging) comments and support... it strengthens us for the journey.

The Price Tag

"We get what we want, but there's always a price."

Our move to the wide-open spaces of Montana, from the populous (and expensive) confines of Southern California has been one of the best life-decisions my dear wife and I have made (by God's grace) in our 21 years of marriage.  (I feel fairly confident to speak on her behalf in this matter :-)  Here are some of the other choices that have benefited us greatly, or allowed us to simplify our lifestyle in an effort to pursue contentment with godliness (1 Timothy 6:6-11):

• Owning one car, and using public transportation when necessary.
• Becoming a one-income-earner family, allowing us to consistently supervise our children's growth and development in accordance with our faith, without relying on (i.e. paying) someone else to do so.
• Home-educating our children, using readily available and straightforward materials, drawing out our children's God-given aptitudes and interests, in accordance with the Scriptures.
• Avoiding involvement in "organized team sports", in order to minimize unnecessary drains on our family's time, attention and finances.
• Preparing most of our food at home, in order to facilitate nightly dinners together, be more healthy and save a lot of money.

Like Abraham in the Scriptures, we left all that was familiar to us and, by faith, moved to a land that was "foreign" to us.  Now, we live in one of the most beautiful places on Earth, and while our means are still humble, God has blessed us with so many incredible relationships and opportunities, including the ongoing effort to purchase and build a house on our own acre-and-a-half of fertile, wooded land.  We are so very grateful to Him for His provision.

Still, this undertaking has come with a price or two.  We are now much further (2-days' drive) from some dear family members, whom we miss very much.  I had to leave the comfortable and familiar venue of "full-time paid church staff work" (notice how I avoided the term "ministry" -- that's a blog post for another day).  Instead, I had to practically change careers, spending at least 2 years before I began to feel confident and adept at this new line of work (2-way radio and internet installation, and radio tower groundwork).  And ultimately, having my earnings reduced by at least 50%.

All that notwithstanding, I wouldn't change a thing.  And now, we have a beautiful new "Made in Montana" addition to our family, firmly "anchoring" us to our residence here, as it were:

Meet "Elliana Mercy Calvi"

So, for those of you contemplating leaving the bustling metropolises of SoCal (or any other densely populated area) for the rural life in wide-open spaces, I would first caution you to be aware that there is a price to pay.  You'll have to trade one lifestyle for another.  It may cost you your "nest egg".  (As the joke goes, "How do you make a million dollars in Montana?  Bring 2 million." :-)  You may have to leave the comfort of your extended family... but who knows?  Some of them may follow you there.  In any case, any major life choice is inevitably followed by a lengthy period of adjustment, as you know.  But for those of us who live by faith in our Creator and Redeemer - King Jesus - our hope and trust in Him is never misplaced.  He provides everything we need!

"As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life."

1 Timothy 6:17-19

So go ahead and grab hold of the rural dream.  With Christ, all things are possible.  Desire Him above all else, and He will work all things together for your good (Romans 8:28).

As always, I welcome your comments.  Have a fruitful day.

--Ric

Sure Footing at Uncle Dave's

Uncle Dave is, of course, far ahead of us in the building process.  His crawlspace has been excavated and levelled:

 His footing form boards are up:

Now some of you may be thinking:  His footing forms look a little scant, don't they?  Let me sum up.

Both my Uncle and I have been convinced of the benefits of using Fast-Foot form fabric to lay our footings.  Now, after installing all his form boards by himself, it seemed his back was running out of steam.  So, we jumped at the chance to help him lay the concrete fabric, since at some point in time, we'll be doing the same process on our own home.  This presented a great opportunity for our family to learn how to participate in laying the foundation of a home.

Emily and Sophia are tacking down the plastic

Everyone pitched in, and we made some significant progress.

He's got a nice view, doesn't he?  :-)

This weekend, we hope to do some more excavating on our own house plot, to see if we can manage a walkout basement.

Individuality is Over-rated

Disclaimer:  I know (from my parents -- twice) how painful divorce can be.  I'm not here to condescend or unfairly judge anyone who's been through it.  What I am here to do is to figuratively smack idiotic men upside the head with a 2x4.

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

Over the last 21 years, I have been in contact with many friends (guys) who say how glad they are that their wives are not the "needy" type (so-called), and oh, how they brag that they can go and do their own thing, without having to include their wives in most of their activities.  They say these things as if to say "Look, MY marriage is healthy, because neither of us has lost our individuality by being married."

You know what?  Most of those guys (if not ALL of them) are no longer married.  They got what they wanted: their individuality.  And yet, here I am, ecstatically married to the very happy wife of my youth; I'm blessed to be the happy father of 6 beautiful, happy, secure children. (That's a lot of "Happy", isn't it?)  Make no mistake, I certainly do not get the credit for my present status -- all credit goes to my Heavenly Father, Whose Word gives clear instructions about how to "do" marriage.

If you want a thing to work, and last, you follow the Designer's instructions... not your own, nor the culture's.

So, if you are one of the aforementioned "individualistic" husbands, BEWARE...

You might just get what you want.

 

"In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself."  (Ephesians 5:28)

"You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered."  (1 Peter 3:7)

"Sweet Dreams are made of this..."

The gear arrives on site, brought by "The Bee Man"

More than three years ago, before we moved to Montana, the dream was planted in our oldest daughter's heart to pursue beekeeping as a hobby.  If I remember correctly, she mentioned it casually in a conversation one day.  That week, I grabbed a book from the library for her — "Beekeeping for Dummies", I think (though she's certainly no dummy).  From that point on, she began a voracious appetite for knowledge about bees... an "independent study program", if you will.  So naturally, upon arriving in these wide open spaces, she wanted to take the plunge and acquire a colony of her own, ASAP.  Being big fans of local honey, the Dear Bride and I agreed we would help her pursue the matter, in God's timing.

As it turned out, we have become acquainted with a wonderful family with much experience in the the Bee-o-sphere (among many other skills like canning/preserving, gardening, etc).  The Dad is someone I also happen to work with at my job with the Martin City Water District, near Glacier National Park.  Anyway, to make a long story short, this "Bee Man" (not his real name, of course :-) has hooked us up with his supplier, and our adventurous daughter now has her own colony!

The two boxes with the removable frames inside, will make up Emily's hives.  The other box — the screened one with the can of sugar syrup in the middle — will be discarded once the colony is transferred to the hives.

The queen was lucky enough to get her own little "travel suite" for the journey, which the workers are quick to cluster around

Look closely... the queen inside the box has a green dot on her back, indicating that she's young, and ready to do her job.

Getting ready to shake them in

The stragglers need a little more persuasion

Mama and the girls look on...

Emily is fearless!  :-O

Looks like the girls want to join F.B.K.A....

"Future Bee Keepers of America"  :-)

"If you build it, they will come."

 The next day, we went to check on "the ladies" to see if their queen had situated herself... She had!  The weather was cold and breezy, which helped calm the hive, it seemed.

Congratulations, dear daughter.

Clearing the Land

A few weekends ago, we found ourselves trudging through the light mud and melting snow to fell a few trees that were either too close to our "house-pad" or causing too much shade over our future garden location.  Most of the larger trees (12"-16" diameter), we merely felled, de-limbed and cut into 14' sections, which will be laid together and "seasoned" until we decide how to use the timber.  More than likely, we will "mill" them (if we can find an economical way to do so -- maybe this), and then "sticker" them for drying and later use.

Here are some pics...

Starting the Log Pile

"Working Smart"

The much-needed arrival of a necessity.

The Pile gets bigger...

This is where the house will sit.

I installed a tree swing for the kids.

We'll be doing lots of this, I'll bet.

Where the pavement ends, our bliss begins -- 1.7 miles down the dirt road.

Everyone's working together (except my dear and very pregnant Bride.  She's supervising.  :-)

Pulling up roots...

...So we can "put down roots."

 Have a great weekend!

What do YOU call it?

Dear friends:

I greatly desire us to be educated and committed in a certain manner of thinking, speaking and doing. Here it is...

This Sunday must be called RESURRECTION DAY, not "easter". The latter word has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with WHY the day is commemorated. The day is set apart from every other day of the year, ONLY because it is a celebration of the physical and bodily resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, the Word Made Flesh.

Not because of bunnies. Not because of eggs. Not because of buffet brunches... although I like those things as much as the next guy. :-)

Rom 12:2 (ESV) "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

Those of you who are Christ-followers, stand up and be counted. REFUSE to call this Sunday "easter", and refer to it boldly as "Resurrection Day" instead.  Well-meaning people -- even church-attenders and pastors (!) -- will inevitably dismiss you, give you trouble or ridicule you for taking this stand. Let them. Remember that *words have meaning*, and continue to call it Resurrection Day, knowng that the very phrase points everyone DIRECTLY to the Gospel of the Only Savior, Jesus Christ -- WITHOUT taking a confusing and conformist detour through paganism.

Mat 12:36-37 (ESV) "I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Thank you for your consideration. Have a blessed week.

--Ric

Little Hobby

I have a little hobby, a little game I play in my head... which surely my musician friends will understand.  Heck, they might even try it, too.

It's called: "What Chord, O Conductor?"

It is best played in a generally quiet, rural area, either early in the morning or late at night.  The Conductor mentioned isn't that of an orchestra, but that of a locomotive.  Yes, the game is thus:

Can I identify the exact chord played by a train whistle? (Extra credit is earned if no piano or other point of reference is used :-)

This morning, I heard the lonely wail of an A-minor-seventh (Am7) chord, in second inversion (E-G-A-C)*.  Each train's whistle evokes a different mood -- sometimes whimsical, sometimes weird.  But usually, they consist of 3 or 4 tones in a tight cluster.  I often wonder whose job it is to tune those whistles to play those chords, and does each "train-whistle-tuner-person" have their own personal favorite tone grouping?

If you know anything about that the train-whistle-tuning process, please post a comment.  In the meantime, there's music all around us... Happy listening!

* (Yes, I suppose this could be a C6 chord in first inversion, but I digress.)

No, not the one in Scotland.

Heading out to Eastern Montana, in a 4-seater Mooney, like this one.

Today's post finds me at the end of a two-day out-of-town tower-work gig in Glasgow, MT.  (Excuse my gratuitous use of hyphens.)  The daytime temp is in the 50's, the sky is clear and blue, and the wind is tolerable.  However, being on the eastern part of the treasure state, the topography is not quite as eventful as it is in lovely Flathead County.  Here's a picture I took... now imagine a 360° view of this:

...Yes, that's Valley County in a nutshell.  The upside of this terrain is that there's nothing — and I mean nothing — to obstruct the view of Montana's "big sky".  Taking in landscape like this makes one feel... well, in a word:  small.

Sunset

Here's another something that made me feel small today:

...Watching my boss climb halfway up a 200' tower.  Not for the faint of heart.  The highest I've been on an edifice was about 160'... but that one had stair steps.  And handrails.  Today, the boss-man had neither of those.  It was an impressive sight to behold.


Tomorrow, we head back home.  No one wants to stay in a faraway hotel any longer than one absolutely has to.  We'll have to come back here again soon, for there's more work to be done.  But since the Dear Bride is due to give birth in late April, these trips will have to wait, when that time comes.

Thank God it's been a safe trip.