On being counter culture

When we are here, on our slightly secluded 3 acres, just us, I tend to forget how strange we are. I think going to Maine reminded me.

When people ask us why we moved here, it's easy to say: the weather or family integrated church or that Maine is just too cold. But the bottom line is that being who we are, being 'counter culture' was too hard where we were. It is difficult to stand alone for something as an adult and we didn't like asking it of our children. Here, they can be and know that we are not the only odd ones and even sometimes feel that we are actually normal. Here, there are times we feel like a 'small' family! Here, we can talk of courtship and believe it is possible. Here, there is no pressure to excel at this or that temporal thing--we are able to strive to excel at what matters eternally.

I do not say much usually about these things because I do not want anyone to feel they must do as we do. We are the family God has led us to be. We are not perfect and likely we sin at least hourly. We repent and ask God to help us continue. And that's all. But there are a few things we believe in strongly that makes us very odd and we know it.

We believe a family can do well on one income and that wives are called by God to be in the home. (Titus 2) We believe that our children are our responsibility to bring up, teach, love, train, etc. (Deut. 6:6-9) We believe in worshiping weekly as a family and weekly Lord's Supper. (Acts 2:42) Because of the former, we do not do clubs, Sunday Schools, etc. We teach our children God's Word ourselves daily. Well, even mostly twice daily we meet for prayer and reading and memorization.

You see all this has led to so much more. Our children have not been pressured to have dating relationships. Our children have not been pressured to do or be much of anything other than what they want to be. It's very odd. It's very interesting. I remember, as a child, saying "I can't wait until ____." Now, I'm not saying my children never say this. They often look forward to really special things like going to Maine, but mostly they can find something special in every day. Even when mom makes them do math....

Since we are always doing things as a family or as a family with other families, there is no pressure to date. We know personally at least 5 couples who have courted and married. And they are happy. At present, my sons look up to the young men who have done this and plan to do so themselves.

That said, if my sons decide one day courtship isn't for them--we will love them anyway! I guess I just want to point out that while all the world around us seems to believe that being chaste, pure is no longer possible---with God, all things ARE possible.