I hope this discussion will become a safe space for all of us, like retreating to an monastery or abbey right in the middle of everything.
There is something deeply soul satisfying in having a conversation with a friend. In this age of technology, do you feel like you need more instant information gratification, or do you find yourself craving deeper relationships with real people?
For me, the best part of participating in a faith community is being deeply relational with other people. We laugh. We cry. We are there for each other. And hopefully, we can drop a lot of the pretense and be honest with each other. I found that I never really started to grow until I stopped pretending.
So I have started our Patton Abbey discussion with a picture of a door. A door that makes me think of this promise of Jesus:
"Look! I am standing at the door and knocking. If you hear my voice and will open the door, I will come in and share a meal with you as a friend."
Sounds to me like a great place for us to start. A place that takes the pressure off us needing to "being good," and instead, allows us to realize that we can center our lives around this promise of God's willingness to meet with us in honest, loving space. For laughter. For tears. Just to be there for us.
This interactive discussion won't replace our face to face gatherings and meals, but maybe we can get to know each other better as we take a few moments to enter into a sacred space and be honest with each other.
Will you join a community discussion where all voices are valued and every person has worth? I look forward to our growth in loving and knowing each other.
May this Abbey be a place of peace.
Dianne
Question: What do you think are the things necessary for honest relationship?