Tag Archives: ephrata cloister

Christians are to “live…with each other” – 1 Thessalonians 5:13–15, 26, Part 2

Have you ever heard of the Ephrata Cloister? The Cloister was a group of Christians who practiced communal living from 1732–1934. They viewed themselves as a kind of monastic (celibate) community, with noncelibate “householders.” Because I live about 20 minutes from the Cloister, I have toured it, and I find it an eerie experience, cult-like.Continue reading “Christians are to “live…with each other” – 1 Thessalonians 5:13–15, 26, Part 2″

How not to be holy – Ezekiel 45-48, Part 1

There’s a spot on the Conestoga River near my home where a tree leans way out over the river.  Someone attached wooden steps on the tree, so you can climb out on the trunk, over the river.  They also attached a rope to the tree.  One end of the rope is tied to the tree,Continue reading “How not to be holy – Ezekiel 45-48, Part 1”

When you start to change and your friends don’t like it

Have you ever gone through a life change, and that change affected your friendships? You know who your real friends are when you start changing. Perhaps you believe new things, or maybe you have shed a long-held belief, and your friends are pushing back.  It could be that you have stopped doing something that youContinue reading “When you start to change and your friends don’t like it”