May 21st, 2021

A beautiful day to slip away to the farmlands for an impromptu field trip… I left the teenagers home floating on the lake with their paddle boards - while the college graduate and I toured Lancaster’s first Mennonite settlement.

The wealth of information and the depth of the tour was amazing… It was interesting to dive a little more deeply into Mennonite history beginning way back in Europe. More interesting, though, was learning the impetus behind the religious persecution they endured early on in their homeland.

It involved the timing of children being baptized, and the subsequent rule of paying taxes on baptized children who were then considered citizens of the country.

I walked away considering how conflicts in history might sound different over time - but over time, they really aren’t as different as they sound. Taxes, religion, rules… A different time period from today - with different specific points of contention - yet we battle.

We still run for freedom, run to freedom, stand for freedom… And I wonder, “When are we truly free?”

Hand-outstretched…

Earlier this month on Mother’s Day, I wrote, “The very posture of hands-outstretched in utter surrender is the safest posture in which to live… to live freely and to be fully alive.  It positions us to both receive and return in one fluid motion.” 

Today’s field trip stirred within me a fresh desire to never be afraid to live freely… To live with radical humility of heart - paired with firm convictions, matched by a willingness to learn, and rounded off by a quiet submission to a Holy God. Freedom.

We closed the day with friends - eating ice cream and perusing a small animal auction nearby. Three baby goats begged to come home and live with us. Two newly born calves, a million chickens, three pigeons, and a host of rabbits and guinea pigs pleaded as well. I only briefly considered the three baby goats because they begged most pitifully… the rest were on their own. Luckily for everyone, we had neither the room to transport them, nor the time to wait for the auction block to open…

It’s not everyday that we can escape into the farmlands for a day of rest and refreshment with friends. It’s not even that often anymore… but when the opportunity for adventure arises - we always take the trip!