The Road To Magnalia
Snapshots of a Homesteader’s LifeSnapshots
Magnalia’s Walden Pond
Jan 11, 2024 | PLACES, REFLECTIONS
Here's the view on a crisp winter day over Magnalia's Walden Pond. One couple visiting had the idea and matched us to bring it to life....
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 Gift of a Guest Journal
Dec 29, 2023 | PEOPLE, REFLECTIONS
Our daughter Elizabeth has blessed us by helping to coordinate guest logistics at Magnalia. What a joy it has been to host people from near and far,...
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...
Setting a Table, For a Better World?
Oct 14, 2023 | PLACES, REFLECTIONS
People are made in the image of a trinitarian God and we are, therefore, designed to be in relationships. We become incomplete when we're in a state...
Holy Cow!
Oct 6, 2023 | PLANTS & ANIMALS, REFLECTIONS
That’s an expression I heard often from generations before me. We’ve been using it around here of late, in jest, because the Homestead now has a...
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...
On Listening to Cato
Sep 15, 2023 | CAT, PLANTS & ANIMALS, REFLECTIONS
Cato, the Roman legend who inspired our founding fathers in the quest toward liberty, wrote a famous treatise on farming and agriculture for his...
A Holy Hush
Aug 30, 2023 | PEOPLE, REFLECTIONS
Sometimes a holy hush is just what we need at the end of a week of bustle, to put us in a Sabbath state of mind. But the Lord is in His holy temple....
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...
A Place in Time
May 15, 2023 | PEOPLE, PLACES, REFLECTIONS
Sometimes when we travel we get to visit a Place that inspires us. A Place that gives us a vision of things Beautiful, Good and True. A Place...
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...
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...
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...
A Toast, and Hanging Up the Boots
Oct 12, 2021 | EVENTS, PEOPLE, REFLECTIONS
Semper Fi Hall was the setting this past weekend for a Gratitude Meal and a “Hanging Up the Boots Toast” to honor the end of active duty service for...
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...
Sehnsucht Sightings
Sep 17, 2021 | EVENTS, PEOPLE, REFLECTIONS
There are places and moments in our lives that we wish we could make last. When C.S. Lewis was an atheist, he spoke about times when that sensation...
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...
Why Events Help
Jul 3, 2021 | EVENTS, REFLECTIONS
Since I've been a boy, my Dad has told me a thousand times: "Nothing is dynamic, until it is specific!" When I would talk about wanting to change...
An Independence Day to Remember!
May 31, 2021 | EVENTS
As we're reminded every Memorial Day, FREEDOM IS NOT FREE. So on this hallowed day, we invite you to mark your calendars to celebrate Independence...
Ratatouille
Family Movie Night Under the Stars, featuring RATATOUILLE! Join other families with your picnic blankets and lawn chairs under the summer evening...
A Homestead Fourth of July
Come one, come all: shed some sweat and join us in a merry protest in support of our great nation at the Homestead, from 6-10PM tonight. Don't be on...
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...
A Toast, and Hanging Up the Boots
Oct 12, 2021 | EVENTS, PEOPLE, REFLECTIONS
Semper Fi Hall was the setting this past weekend for a Gratitude Meal and a “Hanging Up the Boots Toast” to honor the end of active duty service for...
Sehnsucht Sightings
Sep 17, 2021 | EVENTS, PEOPLE, REFLECTIONS
There are places and moments in our lives that we wish we could make last. When C.S. Lewis was an atheist, he spoke about times when that sensation...
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...
Our DIY Barber Shop
Jul 15, 2021 | PEOPLE, REFLECTIONS
Last night I gave a pre-wedding haircut to our fifth of seven sons. It was at times a bit emotional for both of us. We figured that I had given him...
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...
Edison the Builder
May 5, 2021 | PEOPLE, REFLECTIONS
He can be very patient, and very impatient. It depends on the day. Lol But when things "click" together, whether it's puzzle pieces or a model...
Start ’em Young!
Oct 24, 2020 | PEOPLE, REFLECTIONS
Equal opportunity farming lessons on our WW2 (steel rations era) tractor at the Homestead this morning, with the precious grandkids of our USMC...
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...
The American Crisis
Dec 2, 2020 | PLACES, REFLECTIONS
We're hosting an Adler Roundtable at the Homestead tonight, with high schoolers coming to discuss the U.S. Constitution. In reading the document...
Sun and Moon Praise Him!
Oct 30, 2020 | PLACES, REFLECTIONS
The October full moon is our favorite of them all! So glad we returned to the Homestead tonight, as the drive down Hilton Hill reminded us -- even...
Jefferson’s Monticello
We're still caught up in the afterglow of an amazing day yesterday at Jefferson's #Monticello, which captures so much of the character, brilliance...
A Homestead Fourth of July
Come one, come all: shed some sweat and join us in a merry protest in support of our great nation at the Homestead, from 6-10PM tonight. Don't be on...
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,...
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,...
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 Gift of a Guest Journal
Dec 29, 2023 | PEOPLE, REFLECTIONS
Our daughter Elizabeth has blessed us by helping to coordinate guest logistics at Magnalia. What a joy it has been to host people from near and far,...
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...
Setting a Table, For a Better World?
Oct 14, 2023 | PLACES, REFLECTIONS
People are made in the image of a trinitarian God and we are, therefore, designed to be in relationships. We become incomplete when we're in a state...
Holy Cow!
Oct 6, 2023 | PLANTS & ANIMALS, REFLECTIONS
That’s an expression I heard often from generations before me. We’ve been using it around here of late, in jest, because the Homestead now has a...
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...
On Listening to Cato
Sep 15, 2023 | CAT, PLANTS & ANIMALS, REFLECTIONS
Cato, the Roman legend who inspired our founding fathers in the quest toward liberty, wrote a famous treatise on farming and agriculture for his...
A Holy Hush
Aug 30, 2023 | PEOPLE, REFLECTIONS
Sometimes a holy hush is just what we need at the end of a week of bustle, to put us in a Sabbath state of mind. But the Lord is in His holy temple....
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...
A Place in Time
May 15, 2023 | PEOPLE, PLACES, REFLECTIONS
Sometimes when we travel we get to visit a Place that inspires us. A Place that gives us a vision of things Beautiful, Good and True. A Place...
Easter Sign Glory
Apr 4, 2023 | PLACES, PLANTS & ANIMALS, REFLECTIONS
Signs of Easter are everywhere! Resurrection glory: things dying to bring new life. The Dutch tulips were my favorite sight here, until we realized...
