The Road To Magnalia
Snapshots of a Homesteader’s LifeSnapshots
The Hunter’s Trail
Apr 11, 2025 | PLACES, REFLECTIONS
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BjA5t57qM/ Leslie Shelton - the artifacts of your son's BEAUTIFUL and FULL life mark this place, on Hunter's Trail...
Eddie’s 12 Sheets of Transcription
Apr 7, 2025 | PEOPLE, REFLECTIONS
Eddie's been talking with us for months about coming to Table for the Lord's Supper. So, we made him a short form catechism to help guide us in...
Neighbors Helping Neighbors
Mar 24, 2025 | PEOPLE, REFLECTIONS
When life gets hard, community matters. A LOT. Just yesterday, our longtime farmer friend Rodney Hardy delivered some special feed to us that Rosie...
Rosie Birthed a Stillborn Calf
Mar 23, 2025 | PLANTS & ANIMALS, REFLECTIONS
Farm life can be HARD. Our beloved Jersey cow named Rosie birthed a stillborn calf late yesterday. Its hooves presented but it moved no further....
Feast of St. Patrick & The Ulster Scots
Mar 18, 2025 | EVENTS, REFLECTIONS
At this year's Feast of St. Patrick & The Ulster Scots last Saturday night, these guys represented, and showed up in family colors! Epic people...
The Engine Room
Mar 17, 2025 | EVENTS, REFLECTIONS
Behind the scenes at every community meal here there are many helpers, sometimes just gathering up and washing dishes, who bring joy to it all....
Narnia House Guests
Mar 16, 2025 | PLACES, REFLECTIONS
Tonight we keep the Feast of St. Patrick and the Ulster Scots at the Homestead! ☘️ As we also prepare to receive our first guests at Narnia House...
USMC at Magnalia Homestead
Mar 1, 2025 | EVENTS, REFLECTIONS
What an HONOR it was to have LtCol USMC (Ret) Mike West, SgMaj USMC (Ret) Mark Byrd, and LtCol USMC (Ret) Tony Mitchell at Magnalia Homestead for...
Lambs Morning Milk Shakes
Feb 17, 2025 | PLANTS & ANIMALS, REFLECTIONS
Lambs looking for their morning milk shakes from their mommas! I love it when they get a taste, and flit their tails with excitement. 😉 Ahhh....
The Sheep Barn Hosts Some Kids
Jan 13, 2025 | PLANTS & ANIMALS, REFLECTIONS
In the cold Homestead Sheep Barn tonight... are three kids birthed by our prolific dwarf Nigerian goat that we named, with admiration, "The Momma."...
The Feast Of St. Nicholas Is A Feast of Gratitude
Jan 6, 2025 | EVENTS, REFLECTIONS
A week ago we marked the waning days of Christmastide with our annual Feast of St. Nicholas, which specially celebrates children who've been...
A New Year Dawning: Further Up and Further In!
Jan 1, 2025 | PLACES, REFLECTIONS
Dear Family and Friends, How grateful we are to step into a New Year knowing that the Lord is good, even in hardship and suffering, and sovereign...
On Creating Community, Together
Jan 8, 2024 | EVENTS, PEOPLE, PLACES, REFLECTIONS
A beacon is regarded by many people as a symbol. But it’s more. If it does its job, it’s also functional in the way it warns and welcomes travelers....
A Guest List Not Ordinary…and, a Christmas Auction!
Dec 21, 2023 | EVENTS, REFLECTIONS
A New Winter Feast We hosted a new Winter Feast In the spirit of the historic feasts of St. Nicholas of Myra (A.D. 270-343) this past week. The...
On the Power of Story
Sep 29, 2023 | EVENTS, PEOPLE, REFLECTIONS
In working to create a community at Magnalia that is a "Beacon of Hope," we’re trying to be intentional in creating spaces that prompt people to...
A Framed Letter from Maj. Gen. Purdy
Jul 19, 2023 | EVENTS, PEOPLE, PLACES, REFLECTIONS
Maj. Curan Clonch and Kristen Nance Clonch just delivered to Semper Fi Hall a framed letter from Maj. Gen. Purdy, US Space Force Commander, and an...
Not an Ordinary Cup of Tea
Jun 15, 2023 | EVENTS, PEOPLE, PLACES, REFLECTIONS
Epic Annie Talton from Alabama leaves the Homestead today for DC after a great run of weeks working in Magnalia's OnePull Community Garden under the...
Doors Open at Magnalia’s Smithy!
Dec 28, 2022 | EVENTS, PLACES, REFLECTIONS
On a crisp winter evening, with the stars near enough to grab, The Village Blacksmith Shoppe at Magnalia opened its doors for a gathering for the...
Making Merriment
Dec 9, 2022 | EVENTS, PLACES, REFLECTIONS
As a change of pace, we thought we would offer you a peak into community life here at Magnalia homestead, leading with our first public event at the newly constructed…
USMC Birthday #247!
Nov 11, 2022 | EVENTS, PEOPLE, PLACES, REFLECTIONS
Semper Fi Hall was a fitting site for a gathering of Marines, their spouses, and special invited guests to commemorate the 247th Birthday of the...
On Floating Lanterns and a Hot Dog Truck
Jul 8, 2022 | EVENTS, REFLECTIONS
July 4 of 2022 at the Homestead was an Independence Day to Remember for many reasons. We can eat and watch fireworks at a myriad of places. But to...
An Independence Day to Remember
May 27, 2022 | EVENTS, PEOPLE, REFLECTIONS
This Memorial Day Weekend, Make Plans for Independence Day! As every patriot knows, and as Memorial Day reminds us, FREEDOM IS NOT FREE. So mark...
Babette’s Feast
Mar 11, 2022 | EVENTS, PEOPLE, REFLECTIONS
From a fictional fjord community in Norway in 1871 to present-day North Carolina (and the world over), Isak Denison’s classic short story called...
Forged In Fire: Our Local Village Blacksmith Wins the Prize
On episode 200 of History Channel's #ForgedInFire this week our friend, Chris Moss (fellow churchman at Christ Covenant Church Greensboro, NC...
Gramps Said “A Little Dirt Ain’t Hurt Nobody”
Jun 20, 2022 | PEOPLE, REFLECTIONS
Growing up as a boy, some of my favorite memories came from times with my Grandpa. Gramps VE was a hard-working, kind man. A proud Dutchman and a...
Holding on to Ancient Stones and Walking Ancient Paths
Jun 2, 2022 | PEOPLE, REFLECTIONS
One of our crazy sons Johnny Van Eerden was playing daredevil recently as the sun set at a local park. His mother did not like the photos. But it...
An Independence Day to Remember
May 27, 2022 | EVENTS, PEOPLE, REFLECTIONS
This Memorial Day Weekend, Make Plans for Independence Day! As every patriot knows, and as Memorial Day reminds us, FREEDOM IS NOT FREE. So mark...
Babette’s Feast
Mar 11, 2022 | EVENTS, PEOPLE, REFLECTIONS
From a fictional fjord community in Norway in 1871 to present-day North Carolina (and the world over), Isak Denison’s classic short story called...
No Table Is Set Without a Team
Feb 5, 2022 | PEOPLE, REFLECTIONS
After another special community dinner last week, celebrating the work of Mount Jubilee Ministries with guests from nearby and from as far away as...
Forged In Fire: Our Local Village Blacksmith Wins the Prize
On episode 200 of History Channel's #ForgedInFire this week our friend, Chris Moss (fellow churchman at Christ Covenant Church Greensboro, NC...
A New Year’s Toast to Creating Community, Together
Dec 31, 2021 | EVENTS, PEOPLE, PLACES, REFLECTIONS
A beacon is regarded by many people as a symbol. But it’s more. If it does its job, it’s also functional in the way it warns and welcomes travelers....
Christmas Auction Raises $8,200 for Jubilee Barn Art Studio
Dec 23, 2021 | PEOPLE, REFLECTIONS
Thanks to encouragement from many of you, our Magnalia Elves and generous donors worked together to help create community and make some gift-giving...
After a Weekend with Babette
Dec 16, 2021 | EVENTS, PEOPLE, REFLECTIONS
This past weekend we had the joy of hosting a Babette’s Feast at the Homestead. From a fictional fjord community in Norway in 1871 to present-day...
On Reconnecting with Time, and Giving Thanks
Nov 24, 2021 | PEOPLE, REFLECTIONS
A dear family friend, the “elder stateman” in our church, recently passed on to us the treasure of an heirloom grandfather clock. Made by the people...
More Priceless than a van Gogh
Nov 9, 2021 | EVENTS, PEOPLE, REFLECTIONS
We recently went to the van Gogh Immersion in Charlotte. For us, it was a wonderful encounter with The Beautiful. Of all the photography I tried to...
On Naming Things, like Jabe’s Grove
Nov 4, 2021 | EVENTS, PEOPLE, REFLECTIONS
We had the privilege this past week of welcoming to Magnalia the family of Jabe Isaac Wilhoit. Jabe has been a counselor at Camp Jubilee, the summer...
First Things, First…
Jul 22, 2022 | PLACES, REFLECTIONS
We had visions of building a barn, first. But, in the months since, we’ve learned more about the principle we’ve had preached to us,…
Walking a Tangled Wood, Into a Painting Worth a Thousand Words
Mar 2, 2022 | PLACES, REFLECTIONS
We know the days are waning when we still can walk my way through the densest sections of our forest – with the trees and bushes nearly leafless and...
A New Year’s Toast to Creating Community, Together
Dec 31, 2021 | EVENTS, PEOPLE, PLACES, REFLECTIONS
A beacon is regarded by many people as a symbol. But it’s more. If it does its job, it’s also functional in the way it warns and welcomes travelers....
The Magnalia Homestead Christmas Auction is Now Live!
Thanks to the encouragement of many of you, our Magnalia Elves (all of whom sport big, warm smiles and give lots of hugs) are happy to announce that...
In the Company of Friends
Oct 2, 2021 | EVENTS, PLACES, REFLECTIONS
In college, I heard an old Swiss-born professor (the inimitable Roger Nicole) once say that when you’re in your library – no matter how big or how...
On Kaizen, and the Momentum of the Next Little Thing
Sep 27, 2021 | PLACES, REFLECTIONS
I saw a now famous American speak at a youth entrepreneurship summit years ago. I won’t soon forget it. A student stood up and told the speaker he...
I Went To The Woods….
Jul 25, 2021 | EVENTS, PLACES, REFLECTIONS
“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to...
On Dreaming and Doing
Jun 17, 2021 | PLACES, REFLECTIONS
One of my favorite quotes from Henry David Thoreau is about the connection between dreaming and doing. “If you have built castles in the air, your...
When You Have to Say Goodbye
Jun 5, 2021 | PEOPLE, PLACES, REFLECTIONS
For almost 20 years, our Kubota 2250 and the bushhog that came with it has served us well. That was to be expected. We bought it from one of our...
Blessings Circling ‘Round
May 14, 2021 | PLACES, REFLECTIONS
In 2004, we traveled to Ecuador with our two oldest children to participate in a gospel-based humanitarian relief project – serving warm Christmas...
The Mascot Greeter
May 9, 2021 | PLACES, PLANTS & ANIMALS
Every Homestead must have its official greeter and mascot. Here she is: Bella June, our black lab who inspired the Magnalia logo with her sense of...
The Right Tools Help
May 6, 2021 | PLACES, REFLECTIONS
So grateful for friends who have the right tools for the right jobs. Also makes us appreciate those who did this work in generations past, without...
Resilient Cosmos
Sep 28, 2022 | PLACES, PLANTS & ANIMALS, REFLECTIONS
A friend of ours had the idea of planting a large bed of the Cosmos Bipinnatus flower seed (commonly called the garden cosmos or Mexican Aster) in...
A Waystation for Majestic Monarchs
Sep 28, 2022 | PLANTS & ANIMALS, REFLECTIONS
Monarch butterflies have been a family favorite for years. When they were listed as endangered earlier this year, friends Tim and Cindy Wall helped...
Learning to Like Okra (and Why It Matters)
Sep 4, 2021 | PLANTS & ANIMALS, REFLECTIONS
There’s a lot happening in the news these days, and much of it has most thoughtful people feeling quite unsettled. It’s a time in history when we...
To Make a Better Pesto (or Cobbler)…
Aug 16, 2021 | PEOPLE, PLANTS & ANIMALS
We sometimes read leading lines like, "To Make a Better Pesto (or Cobbler)…" If you're like me, we often read on because we're looking for a...
A Swarm of Golden Wonder
Jun 26, 2021 | PLANTS & ANIMALS, REFLECTIONS
[A Blog Post from John Mark Van Eerden] This is a special report about a call for help from a friend. (And what happened afterwards.) My friend...
On Seedpods, Pine Cones and Trees
Jun 19, 2021 | PLANTS & ANIMALS, REFLECTIONS
Years ago (when I would actually run for recreation!), I remember jogging to the end of our country road with whichever kids were up for joining me....
When Lumber Gets Expensive
May 22, 2021 | PLANTS & ANIMALS, REFLECTIONS
What happens when the cost of building an important building runs out of control? Well. Sometimes, you have to cancel your building project, no...
The Mascot Greeter
May 9, 2021 | PLACES, PLANTS & ANIMALS
Every Homestead must have its official greeter and mascot. Here she is: Bella June, our black lab who inspired the Magnalia logo with her sense of...
The Blueberries are Bearing!
May 8, 2021 | PLANTS & ANIMALS, REFLECTIONS
Thanks to help from our friends at Mount Jubilee Ministries, we have planted 50 assorted blueberries near our bee hives, and a small grove of Brown...
First It Gets Ugly
May 6, 2021 | PLANTS & ANIMALS, REFLECTIONS
My grandpa used to say that "sometimes things need to get ugly before they can be made beautiful." So, it is with clearing a pasture. Dirt, and root...
Magnalia Farm
Apr 25, 2021 | PLANTS & ANIMALS, REFLECTIONS
Our newly seeded pasture, called Golders Green, was not many months ago a field of clay. It has explosed into a salad bowl of Beauty. Through eyes...
Captain of the Guard
May 6, 2020 | PLACES, PLANTS & ANIMALS
Every Homestead needs a Captain of the Guard, who knows it -- even when he's resting. Meet Jackson. a/k/a Capt. Jack. 114 pounds of linebacker,...
The Hunter’s Trail
Apr 11, 2025 | PLACES, REFLECTIONS
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BjA5t57qM/ Leslie Shelton - the artifacts of your son's BEAUTIFUL and FULL life mark this place, on Hunter's Trail...
Eddie’s 12 Sheets of Transcription
Apr 7, 2025 | PEOPLE, REFLECTIONS
Eddie's been talking with us for months about coming to Table for the Lord's Supper. So, we made him a short form catechism to help guide us in...
Neighbors Helping Neighbors
Mar 24, 2025 | PEOPLE, REFLECTIONS
When life gets hard, community matters. A LOT. Just yesterday, our longtime farmer friend Rodney Hardy delivered some special feed to us that Rosie...
Rosie Birthed a Stillborn Calf
Mar 23, 2025 | PLANTS & ANIMALS, REFLECTIONS
Farm life can be HARD. Our beloved Jersey cow named Rosie birthed a stillborn calf late yesterday. Its hooves presented but it moved no further....
Feast of St. Patrick & The Ulster Scots
Mar 18, 2025 | EVENTS, REFLECTIONS
At this year's Feast of St. Patrick & The Ulster Scots last Saturday night, these guys represented, and showed up in family colors! Epic people...
The Engine Room
Mar 17, 2025 | EVENTS, REFLECTIONS
Behind the scenes at every community meal here there are many helpers, sometimes just gathering up and washing dishes, who bring joy to it all....
Narnia House Guests
Mar 16, 2025 | PLACES, REFLECTIONS
Tonight we keep the Feast of St. Patrick and the Ulster Scots at the Homestead! ☘️ As we also prepare to receive our first guests at Narnia House...
USMC at Magnalia Homestead
Mar 1, 2025 | EVENTS, REFLECTIONS
What an HONOR it was to have LtCol USMC (Ret) Mike West, SgMaj USMC (Ret) Mark Byrd, and LtCol USMC (Ret) Tony Mitchell at Magnalia Homestead for...
Lambs Morning Milk Shakes
Feb 17, 2025 | PLANTS & ANIMALS, REFLECTIONS
Lambs looking for their morning milk shakes from their mommas! I love it when they get a taste, and flit their tails with excitement. 😉 Ahhh....
The Sheep Barn Hosts Some Kids
Jan 13, 2025 | PLANTS & ANIMALS, REFLECTIONS
In the cold Homestead Sheep Barn tonight... are three kids birthed by our prolific dwarf Nigerian goat that we named, with admiration, "The Momma."...
The Feast Of St. Nicholas Is A Feast of Gratitude
Jan 6, 2025 | EVENTS, REFLECTIONS
A week ago we marked the waning days of Christmastide with our annual Feast of St. Nicholas, which specially celebrates children who've been...
A New Year Dawning: Further Up and Further In!
Jan 1, 2025 | PLACES, REFLECTIONS
Dear Family and Friends, How grateful we are to step into a New Year knowing that the Lord is good, even in hardship and suffering, and sovereign...
