I’ve been thinking as we’ve been unpacking boxes, arranging/rearranging/re-rearranging (gotta love it) the furniture. I’ve been thinking specifically about what it takes to see catalytic innovation.

Katrina and I are in the business of innovation. She’s an artist and I’m some edgy church planter. Whatever, that’s cool I guess. But its deeper than just what we’re doing. It’s our spirit - our strength - the ‘there’s always another way’ spirit - the way we approach life itself.

The entrepreneurial seed that has been planted in our hearts is beginning to take root. It comes out in how we research the city, go about setting up bills, arranging (and rearranging) our house, getting an income…my friends make fun of me for the “get rich quick” schemes I tell them about. One of these days I’ll make good on one of my ideas, then they’ll be sorry!

The point is, it seems that this spirit of innovation comes standard in the Willis family as of late. It’s so cool to see it emerging in Katrina. I never know what she’s going to discover next, and I’m learning to respect her ideas and intuitions, even when it conflicts with my own. She’s a genius and a wonder with concepts, networking, and communication. The world is never going to be the same because of her.

But what drives innovation? How do we aid and enable that spirit already inside of us to grow? Besides good, caring mentors, it seems it takes the following:

Lack of Resources + Increase of Passion = Exponential Innovation

Most great ideas are born out of a resource dearth. Many ideas die because the genius who came up with them was either too busy too scared or to cynical to pull it off. That’s why the innovative seed must sprout in a soil that is desperate for change, but there must be a mind that is willing to cultivate that dream with the same passion and fury that propels the survival of a species, or the determination of a predator. He/she/they must be relentless in their pursuit of their goals, doing whatever it takes (innovation) in order to see them accomplished.

Katrina and I just returned from our survey trip to Chicago. We connected with a bunch of leaders involved in different ministries and job opportunities up there - just about everyone I’d been connecting with for the past two years were on our two week schedule.

As a church planter, there’s only a few ways to make a living (in no particular order):

1. Work for a church planting organization.

2. Work for an established church, either as a “church planter” supported by the congregation, or doing church planting as part of your pastoral duties.

3. Get a job in the workforce.

All of these have pros and cons. All of them are being considered/prayed through right now by yours truly and my beautiful bride. I’m waiting on hearing back from several groups, and I know that now this whole thing is in the Lord’s hands. For three years we’ve worked toward what I’ve described as a “calling” to Chicago. If everything fell through right now, I’d be okay; I’d know I worked hard to check every “open door” we felt drawn to.

I’ve heard that sometimes one spouse hears a specific call, but the other spouse hears the timing for that call. As we’re considering all this, I’m really listening carefully to what Katrina is saying regarding timing.

What makes sense in the midst of all this discernment? I KNOW that the Lord has called me to Katrina. Before Chicago, before jobs, before ministry…she comes first. My calling to her is real, and now. This process of discernment has propelled me to love her more than ever, and to appreciate how the Lord has gifted me with an amazing woman. Everything else could fall through, and as long as I was still with her, it would be enough.

Please be in prayer for us during this important time of waiting and listening.

If you’d like to see photos of our trip, you can check them out here:

These reflections are for those interested in experimenting with Christian communal living. We have just come away from just such a project, and have a few thoughts we would like to offer you as you are preparing for a new season in your life.

Before we start: A little background. My wife and I didn’t HAVE to move in with another couple; we chose to. We had caught a vision for life in the Kingdom of God that looked radically different than just showing up for worship at a church building and occasionally putting some money in a collection plate. We knew that deep down, the Gospel was going to need to be communicated in a fresh way; a way that spoke to the American people. We knew this involved living with sustainability and sanity (not spending more on housing than one could afford, and not working like a slave just to keep an empty house spotless and well-furnished with pricey stuff), and it needed to involve a community (rather than the isolated life most Americans lead).

So here are some of our thoughts on all that, no need to rehash more than we have to:

All of my posts on Communal Living

Deciding to give the experiment a try (Moving In)

Abbey Rhythms

Leaving the Experiment
Some Reflections:

1. This is not the same as having room mates.

As if this even needs to be stated. You are partnering with others on a mission. Plain and simple. You, your spouse (if you have one), and those that choose this lifestyle must see each other as a fully-fledged CHURCH. Nothing less will do. If you don’t have a mission, you will just be super-renters or nice-house mates.

2. No one living on the property should own the property.

Speaking of renting; NO ONE involved in the communal living experiment should own the property. This is a big deal. Find someone else to finance the thing, and let all the inhabitants live as renters, or, better yet, do a co-op where everyone’s name is on the deed, so everyone is the owner. Or even better still, form a simple non-profit organization, and let the organization buy the house, that way individuals aren’t tied up in the house payments (the NPO is), and specific people of the organization can change over time.

3. Follow the ASAP Model (As SLOW as possible)

When it comes to forming spiritual rhythms, go as SLOW as possible. It is awkward at first, and I would recommend not trying anything without a good brainstorming session to get things started. Discuss expectations and desires (like in what specific ways do we want this community to be formed in Christ’s image after 6 months? a year?) for communal spiritual formation. Remember that if there is not complete consensus on what discipline to practice among everyone, eventually resentment will rear its ugly head. We never developed a “rule” (Like the Rule of Benedict, par example), and another Abbey we were in connection with waited almost 2 years before writing one. These sorts of things are very sensitive, and people’s hearts always come before “rules”.

4. Only join with people you already love hanging around.

Thankfully we had really come to care for the couple we lived with, and spending time with them alone was not difficult. If a neo-monastic, communal living arrangement is really what you are seeking, then you will be spending A LOT of time with these people, and you need to feel confident that these are people you are going to love, through thick and thin. I liken it to marriage multiplied exponentially. While you are not in a lifetime covenant relationship (like marriage) with these bros and sistas, (although if its a neo-monastic community you may very well be), you are committing yourself to each other in a deep way. In marriage you learn to die to yourself for your spouse. In communal living, you learn to die to yourself first to your spouse, as well as everyone else you’re living with. This ain’t easy.

5. Create an easy “exit” for yourself and others.

I recommend writing a simple, yet agreed upon document before ever moving in together that gives all participants a graceful exit strategy in case things get hairy or they realize this sort of lifestyle is not for them. We NEED TO REMEMBER that this is a lifestyle that is so absolutely counter to anything middle-class Christian Americans have ever encountered, and that sometimes dreams can be brighter than the realities. This sort of life is not for everyone, and we need to have an agreed upon time-limit to “test the waters”. I have heard 6 months is a good time, but you and your community must decide on this together. EVERYONE should be clear about exactly how long they are committing to live in the shared space, so there are no surprises that someone is moving out unexpectedly.

6. Married couples NEED their own private sharing space.

If you are married or are considering moving in with married couples, I recommend having a special space for you and your mate (that is NOT your bedroom) that you can call your own. A place to hang your pictures, etc. Have doors that shut tight, and that also open wide, establishing clear boundaries that will allow for healthy relationships between the occupants. A lot of communities in England (for example, Christ’s Church) and the Celtic Christians use an architecture design called “Cloisters” which give inhabitants common space, and yet their own private dwellings. See a picture of one here.

7. Involve a bigger community.

One of our healthiest and most enjoyable rhythms that we participated in was hosting larger gatherings. Our abbey happened to have a beautiful front and back yard, and we had regular parties and gatherings there. Once Saturday morning each month we opened our doors to letting friends come over to use our space for quiet reflection with the LORD, and then we served the breakfast. We also held 4th of July and Christmas parties…these events allowed other people into our relational matrix and cross pollinated ideas, not to mention gave other people a picture of how this crazy communal living thing could be done.

8. Come up with a list of individual expectations BEFORE deciding to live together.

If you are starting an abbey out of scratch, I suggest that EACH PERSON involved in the monastery plant write out the specifics on what they expect this to look like, etc BEFORE making a commitment to be a part of it. You will feel pressured to “hurry up and move in”, but don’t forget this very crucial step! It is like getting married without pre-martial counseling, or even worse, getting married without ever talking about it together! Ask each other questions to stimulate dormant expectations you may not realize you have: “Why do you want to do this?” “How will we live in this house?” “When will it start/stop?” “What are some ideas of what we could do together as a spiritual family?” “What will you NOT participate in?” “What are your pet-peeves, and what are mine?”

9. Give each other a break.

Finally, and most importantly, lay off each other! The idea of living simply, sanely, and sustainably is something very foreign to our Western minds, and just like with everything else in life, our mind’s ideal is much further ahead than our life habits or our “weaker brothers and sisters”. Hold regular times of formal confession and forgiveness. Find times for informal confession and forgiveness. People aren’t perfect, and neither will your experiment in communal living.

For those of you interested in Christian communal living, GREAT! This is a chance to take a step forward in Christ - to do something that wakes the world up and says, “Church is changing; pay attention! This is Good News!” But take it from a couple who have been through the “honeymoon stages” of it all, there are some obvious and not-so-obvious pitfalls that Satan has set up. I hope and pray God’s best for you.

Well, the big news this week is that we are moving!  Yes, after seven months of cohabitation with another family Katrina and I are moving on.  There is a lot to debrief on this topic, and I plan on doing that soon…probably once I get the server switched over to our new home.  Suffice it to say that the four of us have been in prayer with our friends, family and each other, and God has blessed us, and called us to start a new season in our lives.  There will be more in the way of reflection soon, but in the meantime, some things we’re excited about:

Our new apartment will be located in the “urban” downtown of Abilene, TX close to a half way house and even closer to a homeless kitchen named “BOBS” (Breakfast on Beech St.).  This is ideal for me because I have been visiting BOBS for over a year and a half once a week and have made many friends there.  Now it looks like Father is giving me an opportunity to increase intentionality with that community and begin meeting with them in more regular ways!  And everyone I’ve talked to about this half way house says that God is up to mighty things there as well.  Trina and I couldn’t be more excited.

We have learned a lot from our time in the Green Valley Abbey, and we’ll not be long before we post our reflections on that.  But that will have to wait for another day…

Wow! What a world wind tour we’ve just returned from! That’s probably going down as record for the all-time longest Christmas travels this family has ever made! We went up to Chicago, down to Indy, up to St. Paul and back to Chicago all in a week and a half! Below is a report on the God-sightings on our trip:

Thursday 12/21 - We leave Texas! The biggest step is always the hardest, and most important! It was fun trying to pack as much as we could into one tiny little suitcase. Good memories with Katrina there. Once we got on the road however, we got to talking about the strange relationship America has with the words “authenticity” and “efficiency”. It’s almost as if these two words are the oaths we swear by, and yet to have one you must inevitably sacrifice the other. I’ll probably write more on this topic in the posts to come.

Thursday evening we flew out of DFW airport and made it safely into Chicago around 12:30am. We were completely exhausted (we had made it out of travel easier that the folks in Denver to be sure!) and stumbled towards a cab. We were staying at the Super 8 near O’Hare (never again) and basically zonked out the moment we hit the pillows.

Friday 12/22 - was a full day of TRAVELING THE CTA (Chicago Transit Authority), we hopped on the El (Elevated Train) and made it to Hyde Park, our first destination in the city. Hyde Park is an interesting neighborhood just south of the Loop, in that it holds an orb of luxury and intellectualism (the University of Chicago) amidst extreme poverty and crime. I was surprised to find out that the drug dealers and the police have a sort of “agreement” in that the police will not arrest people for doing or dealing drugs as long as it is within certain sectors in a neighborhood. So we spent a little time at U of Chicago and then hitched a ride up Lake Shore Drive (my favorite street in Chicago, for the view!) up to Evanston, one of the more northern neighborhoods and oldest “suburb” in Chicago. It holds Northwestern University, Katrina’s other graduate school interest. We had fun exploring all the shops and cafes Evanston had to offer, all the while keeping each other close on a cold and blustery day!

Saturday 12/23 - Friday night we spent in a home out in Plainfield, IL and the next morning had breakfast there with some leaders from a local simple church network called the Blessing Place. We had some great conversations about everything from life in the “organic” Kingdom of God, to how to raise leaders in this new (old) kind of church? We prayed over these new friends of ours and headed out for Indianapolis.

Sunday 12/24 - Sunday morning bright and early we headed to Southeastern Church of Christ in what would be our first time to “go to church” in several months. I had placed membership there as a senior in High School and my mom still attends there regularly. There are many people there that I love very dearly, and enjoyed seeing and talking with many of them that morning. Katrina and I held a presentation together on our dreams of mission in Chicago starting in 2008, and I think things went over fairly well. It was tough to give them all the details they wanted, simply because we are still figuring them all out. However, many came up afterwards with fire in their eyes and a smile on their lips as they said, “I share your dream.” It was so cool…

Monday…CHRISTMAS! - WOOHOO! Tons of time with the family! Tons of time to relax! Tons of FOOD! and unfortunately, NOT TONS of snow!

Tuesday, 12/26 and Wed 12/27 - After spending the morning with my family in Indy, we hopped in a car and drove up to St. Paul, MN to meet Katrina’s best friend Pam and her husband Billy. We spent most of the day on Wednesday hanging out at the Mall of America, which I was at first amazed at how huge it was, and then was quickly repulsed at the surge of materialism that ran through my veins (and through the veins of many others who were there). The consumerism was simply was too much for me - may the shock value of greed never wear off!
In any case, we had a wonderful time hanging out with two very wonderful people, and as we told them about our dreams for living in line with God’s story, their eyes lit up. We are praying for further conversation with them, and if God allows, them to join us someday!

Thursday, 12/28 - meant driving back to Chicago and dropping our stuff off at a hotel before heading out to town to celebrate our TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY! We chowed down to some delicious sushi, and walked the (now slightly warmer) streets, enjoying each other’s company. A great day to bond as a team (who also happen to be maddeningly in love).

Friday, 12/29 - We headed out to the Art Institute of Chicago and spent a good portion of the day there, enjoying the locals and some good art. Afterward we headed back to Hyde Park where we met up with Trevor, a minister at a local church who is working on a degree at U of Chicago. All throughout the trip Trina and I had been amazed at the incredible hospitality of those we had stayed with, or even met on the streets or buses (an Indian man tried to give us all his money to help us afford the train trip into town!), and Trevor and his wife Alana were no exception. They got us Chicago-style pizza *drool* and just let us shoot the breeze with them for an entire evening. We also bumped into Brandon and Amanda, who are former classmates of Trina’s, which was a bonus surprise! The whole night we talked about the obstacles of urban ministry in Chicago with some of brightest and most involved urban ministers I know.

Saturday 12/30 - Our last day in the City of Big Shoulders. We hung out awhile more with Trevor and Alana before hopping on the El up near Uptown, where we learned a couple hundred schizophrenics were let loose after Geraldo Rivera did an expose on some of the conditions of the asylums in the city and had them all shut down. Now they run loose! Thank Geraldo! We met up with a couple who moved to Chicago from Searcy, Arkansas (what a switch!). Dillon is from the Caribbean Islands and his wife Irene is from Russia. What a combo! They were a delight to talk to and what an interesting story they have to tell! They are working with a church planting resource organization called CDEA. I’d like to get in touch with them to learn more.

Before we knew it, we were flying out of O’Hare and back in Abilene. The trip went by too quickly, and of course even with such a long post there was SO much I had to leave out. We were fully “blessed by the best” (as a Chicago bus driver hollered back to us one afternoon), and are anxiously awaiting next steps with some of the new friends we met last week. It’s the beginning of a new journey!

Look at the Flickr bar near this post to see some of the pictures we took on our trip!