I first “met” Andi Cumbo through a Twitter chat for writers that she led once a week. I then met her face to face last fall at the Quitter conference. We had some time to chat over dinner, and she shared a bit about her dream of building a farm; a respite for artists, musicians, and writers. I had been following her on Twitter and knew that she had bought the farm and was in the process of cleaning it up and making it ready for visitors.
Since meeting her face to face, I’ve followed her blog more closely. I had already fallen in love with her dream of a farm and was secretly envious. As I read more of her writing, I also fell in love with her passionate style of writing. She has true affection for the written word, and it shines through with each word she puts to page.
I was excited when she released an ebook about her farm and her vision for it. I didn’t realize how much it would touch me.
God’s Whisper Manifesto is a call to a beautiful life that I want to be a part of. She shares how the farmhouse will be a place of community, where everyone loves and respects each other. Everyone is valuable. At God’s Whisper, everyone will make good use of the resources available. People will be intentional,but not pretentious. Art, play, and the dinner table are valued and precious. There are blankets everywhere because sometimes you just need to snuggle under something. Coats and scarves are welcome to be used by all. There are walking trails everywhere, cozy spots all over, and no one pressuring you to be part of the group if you don’t want to. Stories are told and treasured, and people are helped in any way possible.
It sounds like a little bit of heaven.
As I read through this manifesto for the second time, it brought tears to my eyes. I want to drop everything and go live there. Then it dawned on me that this is what the church is called to be. Loving, accepting, fun, intentional.
As much as I want to drop everything in my life and go live on this magical farm with Andi, I realized that I need to bring a little bit of this manifesto into my own life, cozy blankets included. I think we all do.
I urge you to check out this book. It’s a quick read, but it has a big impact.
“As much as I want to drop everything in my life and go live on this magical farm with Andi, I realized that I need to bring a little bit of this manifesto into my own life, cozy blankets included. I think we all do.”
Love that, Jamie! I feel the same way.
I think we do need to make our lives this inviting. Making an impact where we are planted.