The past month I’ve been wrestling with how to proceed after the OCL Postulancy. We’re coming to the end of the content and will have a few weeks of reflection before it’s over for the summer.
I had some clarity yesterday about my conflicted feelings. I realized that I do feel at home with my fellow OCL postulants and value every one of the twelve OCL commitments in their Rule of Life. I am grateful to orient my life in a continual cycle around the common commitments alongside others in the Order and would be very happy to continue that practice. However, when I think about the form of community that I want to foster among leaders in Rapid City, I have more specific commitments than OCL expects. In my current rendition of a Fall commitment, I would ask that each invitee commit to:
Two hours per week of shared life (group meetings count)
Attendance at a leader’s bi-weekly DBS group and regular obedience as we meditate on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount
A once-per-month shared meal where we support one another, offer praises and needs, and share our memorization progress
Attendance at a once-per-quarter three-hour prayer and worship afternoon/evening
For those familiar with TOAG, I have found that OCL is a well-formed framework for one’s Curriculum for Christlikeness, but elements of TOAG, such as half-time meals, teamwork in obedience/memorization, and Epaphra-nights (extended prayer) are non-negotiable.
Graham’s birthday occurred in two steps. First, the day-of celebration. Then the hiking party on Saturday.
Grandma took Graham to Old MacDonald’s Farm in Rapid City. He got to feed the animals and especially liked holding the chicks. There were goats who walked along a catwalk high in the air - he enjoyed using the pulley system to send them food, though he was more interested in the pully than the animals.
Royal had his moment in the spotlight when he went to the last day of his ninja class. We’re so proud of him for finishing - he was one of the littlest in the class and didn’t want to go pretty much every time. Way to persevere buddy!
To our surprise, when we arrived back from ninja class there were fire trucks outside our house! Turns out that the neighbor’s house caught fire in the hour we were gone. The fire chief brought Graham and Royal little wooden trucks - Graham was flaberghasted that the fire department knew it was his birthday.
The night before Graham’s hiking birthday I hiked up part of the Flume trail and buried some treasure I’d marked with a treasure map. I thought we’d go up the trail together and look for it, but Graham and his posse ran straight up the hill before anyone could stop them. They were so excited!
We tried a little scavenger hunt, but they were too good at it. On the way back, Graham and posse discovered the treasure. The shouts (screams?) reverberated from the hills. They flew down the trail as fast as they’d climbed it, and we parents finally caught up to them at the bottom.
Since Royal’s birthday we’ve gotten much more interested in dressing up.
Graham’s teachers call he and his two best buddies, Heather and Kyle, the three musketeers. Kyle is the ninja turtle to Graham’s left, and Heather is the teal dragon next to her sister Rosemary the yellow pikachu.
