meditatio at the water's edge

I had coffee with Travis this morning. We talked about what we're doing at Water's Edge. One of the things I said was that we aren't about putting a 'show' together for people.

Sometimes I get anxious about how we are going to 'fill the time' at our meetings. We need to realize that perhaps the most important thing we can 'do' for people is to teach them to be still and silent and listen for the voice of God. People need to learn how to think deeply--and that requires time (in the immediate and long-term).

We need to remind one another that what we are 'doing'--and 'not doing'--is necessary and intentional. If we just put together another 'show' for people to come to, we will not have helped people. People don't need another 'show'. People need to learn the skills necessary for the life of following Jesus in this world. What we need is not just more information, but the means to employ the information we already have in the practice of folloing Jesus.

Dallas Willard said that the redemptive community (the church) is not your life. It fits and maintains you for life. First, it is to make you a student of Jesus. Second, it is to surround you in the Trinitarian reality of God. Third, it is to teach you how to do everything that Jesus commanded.

Our gatherings cannot become just one more distraction in people's lives. They will need to be a place to collect and integrate life; places of healing from the damage of noise, busy-ness, and the alternate stories of our society.

Gone will be our anxiety about impressing people or entertaining them. We can be honest: "We're not a show. If you want a good show, there are some great ones around--great teaching, great music, great drama, etc. So if that's what you want, there are more than enough opportunities around. We just think that people need some things that a 'show' can't provide."