It has been a long time between posts. It is a season of transitions & change: personally, communally and beyond. It is a season to reflect on the resurrection, on new life, on new birthing.
Over the weekend I participated in #evdc09 - A Re-visioning of Emergent Village (www.emergentvillage.org). It would be far too much for me to blog over a single post. I am not sure how many posts my processing will take up, but it will take a series for sure...
Two words for now seem to capture well the time spent in DC: intense & relational. I'll unpack in a few words now, but largely I'll let the pictures speak too.
By INTENSE, I mean that schedule was long, the conversation always deep, profound and heavy and that the conversation was by all means "thick." The conversation was filled with fears and tears, hopes and dreams, hesitations and risks, longings and visions, expectations and ambiguities -- to scratch the surface. We spent over 400 hours worth of collective time (people x conversation time).
By RELATIONAL, I mean that the time was filled largely in a process of group spiritual direction. That is to say we dove deeply into each other's soul place. We shared parts of our stories and we let them speak to the collective about what God is up to in the world. From the first session on there was a deep sense of encounter and embrace with "the other."
I'll share just one significant shift forward for now: it is clear to me that once again the vision of Emergent Village will be rooted deeply in generative friendships. This is a rooting in story, diversity, authenticity, vulnerability and co-laboration in an on-going incarnation of the gospel. There is a wonderful simplicity admist the complexity of relationships that is Emergent Village. In some ways this is a shift back to how this all began or perhaps a re-affirmation of what has been there all along. The story of Emergent Village will continue to be authored among soul friendships.
"The story of Emergent Village will continue to be authored among soul friendships. "
brilliant. perfect. exactly.
and thank God for that.
glad to be bound to you in friendship, Tim. Thanks for writing this.
Posted by: Mike Stavlund | April 28, 2009 at 09:01 PM
Great to meet you, Tim! I had fun joking with you, but I want you to know I have mad respect. Thanks for closing our time with the benediction. Beautiful.
Still wish I'd gotten a photo of you with the coffee mug though ... ;-)
Posted by: Steve K. | April 28, 2009 at 10:27 PM