Here goes another post on Rose Creek Village. I’ll have to just wait for the negative google-ers to find the article and comment … should be interesting.
I’ve been meaning to write this for some time … just way busy with music and spring break and everything … but here it is.
A couple weekends ago, Becca and I and the kids were going to a wedding in Memphis to see an old friend from Korea get married. Rose Creek Village is about an hour away … maybe more. So we thought we might be able to spend some of the weekend there. They gave us a room and we stayed there Friday night and Saturday night, spending time with villagers on Friday night, Saturday morning, and Sunday morning.
On Friday evening, when we arrived in the village, we were escorted to the house we were staying at, and there were children playing outside. Micah got out of the car and, without a word, walked right up to the kids and started playing. They were sweet to him and they had fun while we went inside and got settled.
Becca and I have been doing the “living with other believers” thing for almost two years now. It has been awesome. But we’ve had our struggles, as well, especially some things recently. So we had an agenda in going to Rose Creek, to ask those experienced in living with other believers some honest questions. And knowing Rose Creek as I do, we got honest answers, some of which encouraged us, many answers challenged us.
Micah fell in love with the kids there. Jaron and Tristan and others. He didn’t want to leave one house … but then loved the next one and didn’t want to leave there, either, as we visited around the village.
One of the main things I appreciate about Rose Creek is their willingness (humility?) to admit their mistakes, both present and past. But they are also courageous and willing to try things most people wouldn’t even consider. That being said, they’ve learned a lot, and they are still learning and experimenting and trying to get out of their own boxes.
This shows a lot of wisdom to me. First that they’ve struggled through things and found much that is good and pure, and second that they are still struggling through things, new things. It is organic. It is life.
I love kids anyway, but I love how the kids are in Rose Creek. Oh, not that they are perfect kids (we were privy to a little child discipline while there …), but that they are conditioned to share, not to take.
When we were leaving on Sunday morning, packing up, Micah said, “I want to take my cars with me.” I looked, and he had a matchbox car carrying case with some play cars in it. This was at the house when we arrived a day or two before and Micah loved playing with it. I told him, “that’s not yours, buddy. You’ve got your own cars.” So he left them at my behest … which I must say was quite impressive. Then as we were driving out of the village, we passed a couple men and their boys on their way in … people whose house we were staying in. One of the boys asked, “Did Micah get the cars I gave him?”
I felt like a heel. Of course, Micah didn’t need any more cars … he has plenty and we need to get rid of the blob of toys accumulating in our house … but the fact that Micah was right. They were his cars. And even more important that the other boy wanted to give Micah something that Micah enjoyed.
As we got home, I got a message from Shammah (one of the leaders there at Rose Creek whom I have met, email and read his blog) that he would be in the ATL for a high school reunion the very next weekend. He and his wife, Hannah, stayed downtown at a hotel but visited with us Saturday lunch and Sunday morning. We had such a good time just getting to know them better … and being their host, as well.
(As a side note: the wedding was awesome, too! It was great to see some of the old crew on Saturday.)
Overall, we really appreciated the encouragement and the wisdom and the challenges shared by those at Rose Creek. To those we spoke with, Ben, Beth, Gideon, David, Ariel, Shammah, Asher, Nathaniel, and a host of others … we thank you. There aren’t many around us trying to do what we are doing, living closer with the Body of Christ, even in the same home. It was good to hear from those who won’t tell us to just move out when we get frustrated or struggle with something.
So often when people think of more community, they either focus on the advantages (with the resulting, “that would be awesome!”) or the challenges (with the resulting, “I could never do that.”) Honestly, it is both. There are amazing times of joy and family with the Body of Christ … and you also experience a dying to yourself to live with other people with different views on dumb things like where to put the paper towel roll or what kind to get or even if we should use paper towels at all because of the environment. But we, as humans, in our flesh, find these things very important and it is how we deal with these issues that show character … and expose things we’d rather just not want exposed.
This isn’t even getting into more weighty matters of how we discipline children or how marriages work (or don’t work) or a host of other very personal, way more important matters. But if we’ll allow the balance of community to have its work, we will become better husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, etc. Someone might actually have some wisdom that helps us.
Rose Creek has been through all of this. At times it was wonderful. At times it was very difficult. And those times still exist for them. Which, in a way, encourages me. Feels real.
And if anyone ever wants to visit Rose Creek, just find them on the internet and contact them and go visit.
Peace.
Thanks for posting this. We’ve been having issues over here as well, so it was definitely an encouragement. I keep coming back to the question of why God allows His people to have such different ideas about what it means to serve Him. For example, which is worse, supporting the fast food industry or supporting Hollywood. Not what we’ve been dealing with, but a true example of the diversity of conviction. I don’t have a complete answer, but I know learning patience and how to be gracious with others is a big chunk of it.
Patience. Man, I hate that word.
Britt, it was great having y’all over! We’re looking forward to visiting with you down at your place soon.
And why in the world would we tell you to move out when it gets hard?
Remember Peter’s response to Jesus when he asked them “Are you going to leave me, too?”
“Where would we go, Lord? Who else has the words of life?” That’s what we’re living for. Nobody ever promised that the Life would be easy.
See you soon!
At first, maybe not, but after a while, of course they will tell you to “Get out” if you don’t agree with them. They will help take your children away and lie to them. After you’ve lived there for a few years, they will give you cold-hearted answers and not listen. They will not believe you when you are sick and call you a liar. They will argue with your doctors. They will tell your family that you are allowed to come back, but tell you that you are not. They will not care when they hurt you beyond what any human should have to bear. They will never apologize and not even feel sorry.
I lived there for at least 7 years and this is what happened to me. If you don’t listen to all the warnings, you will have grave consequences.
I’m sorry, but that hasn’t been my experience. I’m sure they’re not perfect – there is no such thing as a perfect church – but RCV has always been a blessing to me.
Peace.
Thanks for this post. I was looking for an objective opinion about RCV, as we seek God’s will for us…
Are you still with them? If so, I’m a bit jealous. Me and my family went there in ?2006 and I loved them deeply. We weren’t “good enough” for them and I had depression problems. They never did like me much.
So they like you? They won’t ever talk to me again nor my family.
I’m listening to Charles Stanley on forgiveness to make sure I forgive them totally.
What is your belief on forgiveness and how christians should act toward one another? Do you believe in excommunication? If so, for what reasons should people be excommunicated?
Well, to first clarify, we do not live at RCV and have never moved there and had that experience. We have had relationship with them for a few years now, but we have our own church here in Atlanta.
Of course I believe that Christians should be at peace whenever and wherever possible and forgive and receive one another as Christ has forgiven us.
In regards to “excommunication,” I do believe that it is a biblical response, but only in severe and extremely serious circumstances. Unrepentant sin of a serious and chronic nature, as listed in scripture as things like sexual perversion and greed, and someone splitting the church and causing contention over disputable matters or things that should be left to personal conviction. To me it is rare and something of a last resort to something serious and extreme.
Peace.
Hey Brit,
I read your blog and it was nice. The problem I have is that I lived there for 19 years and my father was a leader there for 16 years, and I have to say that even though it paints a nice picture, it is incorrect. If you care at all about finding out the truth about what really goes on, something other than Noah’s opinion- I’d love to tell you because it hurts me to see Atlanta deceived. You can email me if you’re interested at all.
Johnddaniel27@gmail.com