Richard Hollerman

Those of you who know me, realize that I do find great delight in the wilderness. In fact, I wrote a couple articles for our website (www.Truediscipleship.com) which you may find worth reading. I included a selection of photos. I also wrote another article what shows the impossibility of a Christian—a true Christian—living like this. Years earlier I had discussions with people about the possibility of living “off the land” and “off the grid” and away from people in the wilderness. I contemplated the forests and woods of America.

At that time, I thought of various plusses and various negatives to such an arrangement. The most important negative was that Jesus had said that we are to have contact with people and proclaim the gospel to them (see Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; etc.). One can’t very easily do this when he or she would be isolated from others, including the lost but also with the saved.

Schooling for children would be somewhat easier, with home schooling an option. Working would be a difficult situation, unless there would be some means of earning a livelihood in the wild. But contact with others would be one of the chief obstacles—with sinners and reaching them for Christ and with saints and finding mutuality in this situation. Thus, does God really want us to have contact with 10 or 20 or 30 people—or many more, as many as we are able in this situation?

And, of course, there would be the financial end. It may take much money to finance a house, to buy land, and such things in the country and the wilderness. We are not merely talking about $50,000 but $1,000,000 or probably much more, perhaps $2 million or more. How is the Christian to do this? We refer to this, along with the issues of a location, a house, utilities, a job, fellowship with other Christians, and reaching the lost with the gospel.

With a Christian’s limited means, very limited in many ways, we just thought then and think now that it would be nearly impossible to accomplish all of this. And if one were to say that we could possibly do all of this at retirement (say, at age 65 or 70 or even 70), we would still have huge obstacles. And this would be true from a Christian stewardship standpoint.

How would a Christian pay for all of this? How would he build such an edifice? How would he make provisions for health-care, such as hospitals, and doctors, and medical treatment, etc.? If he were only 20 or 70 or 170 miles from civilization and health care and so forth, it again would seem to be nearly impossible to carry this out!

And we might also include age. If somehow we were able to handle the matter of finances, if we were able to find somewhere to live that would be congenial, if it were not too cold (such as in Vermont, Wisconsin, or Maine, or too hot such as Arizona or such areas, we might still have problems. If one were to “retire” (which is greatly problematic in itself) at age 65 or 67 and one’s health were to continue until age 75 or 78, this would only give ten or so years go “enjoy” such a place. And if the health care could be solved, we still would have a problem.

I just was reading some magazines and books regarding all of this. These illustrations were of beautiful “cabins” or “cottages” or little houses. And they were surrounded by forests and woods. Often or even usually there was a lake or stream before it all and a porch to sit and see. Actually this was an ideal in many ways. But there was no indication of God in all of this. Mostly the people wanted to find a resort to live out their days. But then they would die!

We wonder about this. Yes, we could find contentment and peace in such surroundings (especially if one had a million, two million, or five million dollars), but we wonder. Surely, such a place, surrounded by forests, wood, and beside water of some kind, would be nice—in some respects. But the prospect of going to a place of torment, would not be nice at all. And failing to arrive at a place of blessedness, would be nice but if we missed this because of our selfishness, this would not be nice at all.

And so we commit this all to God who made the wilderness and who also gave us the “Great Commission” to reach others. But how? This is the question!