We’ve been dealing with some unexpected developments that have kept us offline for a while, but we plan to be back on regularly from here on out…

We’re going to wade back into things with “Mill Pond Monday.” We don’t just hang out here on the porch with our thinking caps on: We have been long cultivating the sense that we belong here… not because of who we are or where we’ve been, as much as where we’re going. For the next four Mondays we’re going to share some of the vision we have for this little corner of the world. If you haven’t made the connection, you might want to check out our Facebook page to better visualize things. Thereafter, we’ll use Mondays as a time to share some thoughts that are more rooted in the central Virginia soil than the global ramblings that we more typically post.

By the way, we keep referring to “The Mill” – but that’s just because we don’t have a catchy, evocative or impressive “name” for that which faith tells us God wants to bring into being here. So if you have any suggestions, please share them!

“The Mill” exists to glorify God through bringing people together around shared experience, interaction and discovery to foster a community whose living out and application of Kingdom values results in multiplying vision and motivation to creatively impact our world with the transformative power of the Gospel.

We see our presence at The Mill as providing a place of rest and retreat, nourishment to the soul and spirit: a time and place for reflection, feeding the spirit, communing with God and his creatures through a variety of avenues: music, the arts, informal and structured dialogue and interaction, connection to community and the world.

The unique setting of The Mill makes it a superb place to visit… or stay. Our prayer is that God will use this place, ourselves, and our partners to bring people together… around food, ideas, work, humanities, conversation, understanding and addressing of basic human needs. Our current vision is to be able to facilitate event-based interactions as well as provide for 6-10 persons to be ongoing (or rotating) residents of The Mill Community.

==============

There are many things that go on here… and many more that could! However, from the first moment one begins to settle in on the porch or to walk through the woods, one realizes that being here is an experience of serenity. Different people are different, but we have found the tranquility to be inspiring. We began this blog because we found the setting just compelled us to sit and reflect… and we want to share that.

It seems there are fewer and fewer places in the world where one can just relax, unplug and recharge naturally. There is an entire industry catering to the every whim of the vacationer, the resort customer, the thrill seeker. But we’ve found something special here that simply and elegantly seems to connect the inner being with the environment… Hours can pass on the porch, listening to the hiss of the water over the dam, being drawn into the constant but ever-changing contours of the waterfall, catching the kingfisher zooming upstream or the herons heading out fishing, watching the full moon illuminate the little hollow with ghostly radiance or the setting sun infuse even the air around you with a orange-pink glow.

And, like the best of porches, it’s a place where a casual conversation can drift effortlessly into deep interaction or profound silence… or both simultaneously.

Whatever shape our presence here takes over time, we know that providing a place of restful sanctuary is something much needed in today’s world.

If developing the potential of a place tailor made for bringing people together in such a rich and restful environment appeals to you, we would love to hear from you.