Here's a fun discovery:

There is a community in St. Petersburg called the Bayboro House.

They invited underground peeps who weren't away with Intervarsity this weekend to have a barbecue at their house. This group of 17 men, women and children are part of the pacifist Church Communities International, formerly and variously known as the Bruderhof Communities, the Society of Brothers or the Hutterian Brethren. This network of small and not so small communities was founded by Eberhard Arnold in Germany in 1920. They have fled from Germany to England to Paraguay and to the US, following as closely as they know how to the early christian believers' practice of holding all things in common. No member keeps a personal bank account, and they all work together in various industries like cleaning services, carpentry and contracting, sign making and child care. Their lifestyle is simple, largely free of contemporary distractions of attention, devotion and resources. Yes, that means no TV. The brothers and sisters prefer to fill the void left by the entertainment industry with each other. It's austere to most of us, and it's been good to get a better perspective on how others try to live out their convictions.

It was really refreshing to spend time talking with some of the younger and older members. What the best of us in Tampa has for zeal, they have in ardent commitment. The guys explored together the common thread between our two peoples, which turned out to be football. There is a stand at the front edge of their property with a few books made free to any passerby, so I took one called Be Not Afraid: Overcoming the Fear of Death and sat on a firm mound of seaweed at the waters' edge to read while the rest tossed the pig skin around. Being antisocial is how I engage. By the time the sun tucked into its western bed, the goodbyes were tinged with gratitude for such open hospitality and a little bit of wonder about where our search for a just lifestyle will take each of us.