commune what?!

As mentioned before, Savannah and I dream of living on a commune one day. Most people hear the word "commune" and freak. They think of the movie Wanderlust and assume that a commune is a bunch of people sleeping together and smoking pot. Our friends at Merriam-Webster define a commune as, "a group of people who live together and share responsibilities, possessions, etc." The idea is very simple and dates way back when. Really the idea of having your own house (and car) and land is relatively modern.

Look at Acts 2:44-47:

"And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people."

Acts 4:32-35

"Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul and no one said that any of things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus and great grace as upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them, and it was distributed to each as any had need."

These verses make my heart soar!! What a beautiful picture. The first church shared everything. No one felt that anything was their own and they helped those that had a need. No egos were involved. They were united in Christ and they understood that God had given them everything they had. We have it so messed up in America.

So yes, we want to live like the first church. We want to share what God has given us. We want to lay our egos aside and love the community around us. If I have a lawn mower that I use once a week, why does my next door neighbor also need a lawn mower when he also only uses his once a week?! Our modern society has become so greedy.

This lifestyle can be achieved in many ways and can start small. Being able to buy a piece of land and have several families move there to commune together is not practical for everyone. However, we can start buy doing things like crop swaps (you grow vegetables and your friends grow different ones and you swap) or trading favors. Obviously the first step is finding people who think this way. Savannah and I have been blessed to have friends who are on board with the idea of communal living. Maybe this is a conversation you start with your friends or church community. They might be more receptive than you think!