While it’s fresh… new… I’ll write about how our kick-off of The Shepherd and the Knucklehead went. This may sound a bit obscure, mysterious, and rather disjointed. Maybe because it is difficult to describe something that is so rich and so deep as what happened at the Bend Brewing Company last night. As I said in an email,
“To have this space in a pub, over a few beers, with the freedom to ask questions that really matter. Questions that we wonder about, but we’re not really sure of the answers… well, there is just not really any other place to be able to do this. there’s not anything like it.”
It’s like ripples, echoes, rustling… as I look back on it. To hear Kristy pouring her heart out in song lifted us to another level, or maybe brought us down to a deeper, more root level, of feeling. We were ready, hungry, eager to share, listen, and really live in these questions… together. The stories, the sharing, the openness together was another world, one where it didn’t matter if we knew a bunch about Jesus, if we were men, women, from church, not from church, rich, poor, atheist, or just not sure about anything. Yet… at the same time it mattered more than we could imagine… because it was our voice we were sharing. It was our selves we shared… at the very root of it. Our stories mattered and changed the way the conversations happened.
Magical. That’s the best way I can think of it. The Wild Goose.Spirit settling on us taking us up and taking us together.
Then again, maybe things just feel more at home and relaxed over a few good beers. Could be both, I suppose.
Nate,
Sorry I couldn’t stay for the entire Night, I will be back next month. I’m still hearing Kristy’s voice. Thanks for putting it together.
Matt
People from age 16 to 60; people who are protestant, catholic, agnostic, evangelistic, emerging, etc.; people who are financially secure and people who are jobless; men and women; leaders and followers; families, couples and singles; all were present, engaged and in dialog with each other. This gathering has been initiated to give Bend an opportunity to engage in an open and deeply connectional dialog that creates community.
I do hope that each person who attended will invite another to attend next month, March 12th, at 7:00 pm.
i’m so, so sad i missed it. please remind me next time because i am an overly-busy jack-ass and forget things sometimes. even really cool things that i’m really excited about. i’m glad it was wonderful.
Chrissi, It’s alright… there will be more, many more. I’ll make sure to keep you posted. It would have been wonderful to have you there. Soon.