no way to start but by jumping right in.
Pre-amble ramble
I bet you wish you could do what we are doing. even if you come up with 20 reasons why you (we) shouldnt, i think you would love to be able to find yourself in this situation.
Ben & Janell
(This first part is written by ben). So I've started. The Decemberists are rounding the needle and in the room behind me as i write this, my very first blog. It's possible that it will be my final entry as my contemporary seems to be F. Scott--thanks a lot Jay.
Now onto our story: Janell and I met on a warm early summer's day, as teenagers, in the back of a stuffy chapel at camp. Our lives in full swing, we lived for each moment. Making experiences last and amplifying all our senses. The summers seemed hotter then, the food was better (or worse), the nights were longer and each movie was more formative. Along with all of this, our relationships seemed much more meaningful.
As you know, (or not) we married after 5 or so blissful and arduous years of dating. Soon after I worked to provide at many-a-terrible job where the only value was the dollar made and the friends found. As Janell finished her degree at Multnomah Bible College we began to ask the age-old question, "What will we become?" Who will we be when we grow up? (You know...fireman, rocket scientist.) We knew all along that our gracious God has a plan, and the question was really (and it still is), "Are we people who trust?" "Are we willing to live in the time and moments given?"
In 2006 we had a golden opportunity to go to a tropical paradise on someone else' dime!...I mean serve and toil for the Lord in Papua New Guinea. Just as the teen years of the past, we jumped into the plane and once again lived for the moment, relishing time, meeting amazing men and women and eating incredible foods. It is more than a little inspiring when the living God becomes more alive through the stories of missionaries living out the Gospel and loving the people that we often forget about....
Jay & Amy
I bet you wish you could do what we are doing. even if you come up with 20 reasons why you (we) shouldnt, i think you would love to be able to find yourself in this situation.
Now, i understand life has its necessities, doors open and close, and only time and circumstance can give us clear passage, more often than not.
But really, all things being equal, you would do what we are doing, simply because you are curious.
Well, this is your opportunity to live (read) vicariously through our own foolish determination, naive opportunism, and probably absurd optimism.
We are 2 couples, 4 people, who are buying a house together. and living in that house. and turning it into a work zone for the next 2 years.
We are in the process of purchasing the house right now, the house in question being a 1956 Ranch Day light basement house. it has 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and 2600 feet of glorious living space. it sits on a large lot (10,000 sq feet) and is in a quiet neighborhood somewhere in Portland (if you get to know us you will be invited over for dinner, lunch, or work)
So laugh at us. disagree with us. dream with us.
but just dont tell us we cant.
(This first part is written by ben). So I've started. The Decemberists are rounding the needle and in the room behind me as i write this, my very first blog. It's possible that it will be my final entry as my contemporary seems to be F. Scott--thanks a lot Jay.
Now onto our story: Janell and I met on a warm early summer's day, as teenagers, in the back of a stuffy chapel at camp. Our lives in full swing, we lived for each moment. Making experiences last and amplifying all our senses. The summers seemed hotter then, the food was better (or worse), the nights were longer and each movie was more formative. Along with all of this, our relationships seemed much more meaningful.
As you know, (or not) we married after 5 or so blissful and arduous years of dating. Soon after I worked to provide at many-a-terrible job where the only value was the dollar made and the friends found. As Janell finished her degree at Multnomah Bible College we began to ask the age-old question, "What will we become?" Who will we be when we grow up? (You know...fireman, rocket scientist.) We knew all along that our gracious God has a plan, and the question was really (and it still is), "Are we people who trust?" "Are we willing to live in the time and moments given?"
In 2006 we had a golden opportunity to go to a tropical paradise on someone else' dime!...I mean serve and toil for the Lord in Papua New Guinea. Just as the teen years of the past, we jumped into the plane and once again lived for the moment, relishing time, meeting amazing men and women and eating incredible foods. It is more than a little inspiring when the living God becomes more alive through the stories of missionaries living out the Gospel and loving the people that we often forget about....
All this to say that God has used many things to influence our lives but I can say with certainty that the things that have been most noteworthy came at moments when we were most vulnerable. Trips to foreign lands, a summer of camp ministry, a terrible job, or wrestling through things with the struggles of a close friend. In all these moments we went for it and were blessed, challenged and changed. This is our hope: to live in a place of community with a bit of risk, a bit of discomfort, where challenges abound. A place of vulnerability that (through grace) will be a place of tremendous growth and joyous labors.
(Switching writers now...Arcade Fire is now playing. Neon Bible to be precise). When Ben & I came home from Papua New Guinea, we came home convicted. We felt suddenly unsettled in our comfy little apartment. As part of the community of believers who follow Jesus (the Church), our eyes were opened to the incredible need of caring for our leaders in the Church. We started praying that God would show us how to love people. (And if you ever want your life to change or grow, just start praying). Over the next 3 years, our lives became full with relationships. We lived in a tiny 1 bedroom basement apartment, we called it the Downing Stadium. Our white concrete floors became witnesses to many new and formative friendships, a place for friends and family to lay their heads (on a pillow of course), many conversations with some people who don't know the saving grace of the Lord and many who do. And rest assured, they always left well fed. We were surprised that despite our tiny living conditions, people were always coming to stay!
We again started praying that God would give us a bigger place to live, so there would be more space for people to stay and rest. And if you have read Jay & Amy's story, you will have read how we came to be in our current house.
There's an old Irish proverb that says, "In the shelter of each other the people live." It's hard to do that here in America. And as followers of a Triune God, a God who is consistently dwelling in community, we wanted to make community a more literal part of our lives. Yes, this house will be undergoing a lot of changes, for the better. But the people who make this house a home will also be undergoing changes; changes full of learning how to communicate better, living humbly & selflessly, loving each other & our neighbor, and sharing in each others joys and griefs. But this house will also be a place for anyone to come and be loved. In the shelter of each other we are strengthened in all ways. Freeing ourselves from living individually. So here's to living a better story.
(Switching writers now...Arcade Fire is now playing. Neon Bible to be precise). When Ben & I came home from Papua New Guinea, we came home convicted. We felt suddenly unsettled in our comfy little apartment. As part of the community of believers who follow Jesus (the Church), our eyes were opened to the incredible need of caring for our leaders in the Church. We started praying that God would show us how to love people. (And if you ever want your life to change or grow, just start praying). Over the next 3 years, our lives became full with relationships. We lived in a tiny 1 bedroom basement apartment, we called it the Downing Stadium. Our white concrete floors became witnesses to many new and formative friendships, a place for friends and family to lay their heads (on a pillow of course), many conversations with some people who don't know the saving grace of the Lord and many who do. And rest assured, they always left well fed. We were surprised that despite our tiny living conditions, people were always coming to stay!
We again started praying that God would give us a bigger place to live, so there would be more space for people to stay and rest. And if you have read Jay & Amy's story, you will have read how we came to be in our current house.
There's an old Irish proverb that says, "In the shelter of each other the people live." It's hard to do that here in America. And as followers of a Triune God, a God who is consistently dwelling in community, we wanted to make community a more literal part of our lives. Yes, this house will be undergoing a lot of changes, for the better. But the people who make this house a home will also be undergoing changes; changes full of learning how to communicate better, living humbly & selflessly, loving each other & our neighbor, and sharing in each others joys and griefs. But this house will also be a place for anyone to come and be loved. In the shelter of each other we are strengthened in all ways. Freeing ourselves from living individually. So here's to living a better story.
Jay & Amy
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German theologian, wrote a great book entitled, "life together". Essentially, Bonhoffer entreated his readers that life in God means a life together with Gods people, and the relationship and community therein is pivotal to the whole hot mess.
I went to college in Caronport, Saskatchewan, upon the golden and hellishly frozen prairies of Canada. Whilst in the passionate throes of coming of age and the youthful zeal of omniscient ideology, I became enamored of the concept of community. Indeed, many close friends of mine and myself promised to travel the country together, having everything common, like shoeless hippies or silver stealing gypsies, infinitely more spiritual and eternally more righteous than those poor trapped souls who chose a more normal life. Many a late night studying was scorned in lieu of plans for this future "life together."
Maybe maturity, maybe callousness, maybe greater things still kept us from that life.
Amy and I moved to Salem, Oregon in 2006, after i finally graduated from Briercrest College (only took me 7 years. should have focused on studying more and on joining the gypsy-hippie circus less), where i recieved B.A. in Christian ministry (which i use every day. i am a contractors assistant and have a photography business. hmmm). We spent 2 years in Salem, 6 months of which was living with our good pals Jed and Kim and their brilliant kiddos. At the time, Amy was in pursuit of her own education, possibly to become a doctor of naturalpathic medicine (again, hippie). Jed and Kim wanted to give us a chance to save money to pay for that crazy career path, so they offered a great deal for living in their house.
That experience had challenges all its own, not the least of which was the question of sex. When? Where? Do we have to burn this couch now? And the rug too?
But the joy of the 4 of us making breakfast and juicing together in the morning, doing projects and building garden beds together in the evenings, and avoiding all responsibilities together by playing Madden '05, that made the difficulties bearable. Who doesn't love staying up until 3 watching back to back to back to back episodes of prison break when you have to work in eugene the next morning? Bottom line, it was really cool to share those things with people who were like minded in so many ways.
Amy and I are ever grateful for Jed and Kim, and the room we were given in their home. That though, is the rub. As much as we participated in home activities, it was their home, and we invited guests. The dynamic is insurmountable, and once we were in our own place and considering life together again, we realized we needed to find more common housing were we to try it again.
We then moved to Corvallis, so Amy could finish her degree in Dietetics, and we started to seriously consider finding a worthy couple to jointly buy a house. The right people, the right house, the right time never appeared.
The list of folks we would be willing to try this with is shorter than the 'English only' line at an East L.A. DMV. For us, we wanted to find a married couple, no kids yet, and whom we had known for a few years, at least. They needed to be industrious and creative, and willing to do lots of their own work, or be independently wealthy, which would have trumped everything.
Amy Graduated with her B.S. (the only thing B.S. about it is the cost) and we moved back to salem for her internship to an apartment that could double as a train station. seriously, i have to roll over in bed to let the train pass at night.
Halfway through her internship, Amy was staying with our good friends Ben and Janell for a week or two. In the course of Amy and Janell's chirping about this and that, the idea of renting a house in Portland together got life.
Slowly, like over the course of 6 minutes, the life together idea grew feet, and we decided to see how far it could walk.
We all really enjoy the same things; like food, making stuff, and hygiene, so that works well. We are also similarly yoked in terms of the fruit of our loins (no kiddos). none of us is independently wealthy (though Ben might be holding out, he could be some crazy mad scientist who invented an LED that runs on laughter and we just wouldnt know...) but we are all do-it-yourself kind of people. Ben worked in maintenance and construction for a few years, and i have worked in construction for 5, so we have a decent amount of hands on basic carpentry. Most of all, we all have similar goals in terms of how we as people who think that Jesus and God and all that matters in this world, and that we should do something about it (something besides sing songs and tell other people in a passive aggressive way that they suck and we rule).*
So we looked at renting a house, as with our forces combined we could afford to rent a place with a yard and garage. After many nights and lunch breaks scouring craigslist, nothing really brought us to our knees, though we had a few leads, and one potential place to rent.
One day we all were driving around portland, using zillow to find rentals, considering doing a drive-by shooting, and looking at cool houses, and we started looking at houses for sale.
"wouldnt it be cool to buy and flip a house?"
"yes, yes it would be"
"can we afford it?"
"nope."
The entire concept came together when my folks said they were interested in doing some real-estate investment, and asked if we would be interested in flipping a house if they put money down and payed for materials.
Um, yes please.
So began the quest to find the perfect house. 3+ bedrooms, 2+ baths, at least some charm, no Meth laboratories in the direct vicinity, and moderate to major updating needed. exactly what every other homebuyer in portland was looking for.
more on that later.
So long as we eat our bread together, we shall have sufficient even for the least. Not until one person desires to keep his own bread for himself does hunger ensue. -Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together
*this is a roundabout way of me saying we are all 4 confessing Christians. you can take that to mean whatever you think it means, but to us it simply means love God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself. and some other important stuff, but that's the basics.
I went to college in Caronport, Saskatchewan, upon the golden and hellishly frozen prairies of Canada. Whilst in the passionate throes of coming of age and the youthful zeal of omniscient ideology, I became enamored of the concept of community. Indeed, many close friends of mine and myself promised to travel the country together, having everything common, like shoeless hippies or silver stealing gypsies, infinitely more spiritual and eternally more righteous than those poor trapped souls who chose a more normal life. Many a late night studying was scorned in lieu of plans for this future "life together."
Maybe maturity, maybe callousness, maybe greater things still kept us from that life.
Amy and I moved to Salem, Oregon in 2006, after i finally graduated from Briercrest College (only took me 7 years. should have focused on studying more and on joining the gypsy-hippie circus less), where i recieved B.A. in Christian ministry (which i use every day. i am a contractors assistant and have a photography business. hmmm). We spent 2 years in Salem, 6 months of which was living with our good pals Jed and Kim and their brilliant kiddos. At the time, Amy was in pursuit of her own education, possibly to become a doctor of naturalpathic medicine (again, hippie). Jed and Kim wanted to give us a chance to save money to pay for that crazy career path, so they offered a great deal for living in their house.
That experience had challenges all its own, not the least of which was the question of sex. When? Where? Do we have to burn this couch now? And the rug too?
But the joy of the 4 of us making breakfast and juicing together in the morning, doing projects and building garden beds together in the evenings, and avoiding all responsibilities together by playing Madden '05, that made the difficulties bearable. Who doesn't love staying up until 3 watching back to back to back to back episodes of prison break when you have to work in eugene the next morning? Bottom line, it was really cool to share those things with people who were like minded in so many ways.
Amy and I are ever grateful for Jed and Kim, and the room we were given in their home. That though, is the rub. As much as we participated in home activities, it was their home, and we invited guests. The dynamic is insurmountable, and once we were in our own place and considering life together again, we realized we needed to find more common housing were we to try it again.
We then moved to Corvallis, so Amy could finish her degree in Dietetics, and we started to seriously consider finding a worthy couple to jointly buy a house. The right people, the right house, the right time never appeared.
The list of folks we would be willing to try this with is shorter than the 'English only' line at an East L.A. DMV. For us, we wanted to find a married couple, no kids yet, and whom we had known for a few years, at least. They needed to be industrious and creative, and willing to do lots of their own work, or be independently wealthy, which would have trumped everything.
Amy Graduated with her B.S. (the only thing B.S. about it is the cost) and we moved back to salem for her internship to an apartment that could double as a train station. seriously, i have to roll over in bed to let the train pass at night.
Halfway through her internship, Amy was staying with our good friends Ben and Janell for a week or two. In the course of Amy and Janell's chirping about this and that, the idea of renting a house in Portland together got life.
Slowly, like over the course of 6 minutes, the life together idea grew feet, and we decided to see how far it could walk.
We all really enjoy the same things; like food, making stuff, and hygiene, so that works well. We are also similarly yoked in terms of the fruit of our loins (no kiddos). none of us is independently wealthy (though Ben might be holding out, he could be some crazy mad scientist who invented an LED that runs on laughter and we just wouldnt know...) but we are all do-it-yourself kind of people. Ben worked in maintenance and construction for a few years, and i have worked in construction for 5, so we have a decent amount of hands on basic carpentry. Most of all, we all have similar goals in terms of how we as people who think that Jesus and God and all that matters in this world, and that we should do something about it (something besides sing songs and tell other people in a passive aggressive way that they suck and we rule).*
So we looked at renting a house, as with our forces combined we could afford to rent a place with a yard and garage. After many nights and lunch breaks scouring craigslist, nothing really brought us to our knees, though we had a few leads, and one potential place to rent.
One day we all were driving around portland, using zillow to find rentals, considering doing a drive-by shooting, and looking at cool houses, and we started looking at houses for sale.
"wouldnt it be cool to buy and flip a house?"
"yes, yes it would be"
"can we afford it?"
"nope."
The entire concept came together when my folks said they were interested in doing some real-estate investment, and asked if we would be interested in flipping a house if they put money down and payed for materials.
Um, yes please.
So began the quest to find the perfect house. 3+ bedrooms, 2+ baths, at least some charm, no Meth laboratories in the direct vicinity, and moderate to major updating needed. exactly what every other homebuyer in portland was looking for.
more on that later.
So long as we eat our bread together, we shall have sufficient even for the least. Not until one person desires to keep his own bread for himself does hunger ensue. -Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together
*this is a roundabout way of me saying we are all 4 confessing Christians. you can take that to mean whatever you think it means, but to us it simply means love God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself. and some other important stuff, but that's the basics.
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