As I was reviewing the blogs that have been written since 2008, I became aware that one of the non-fiction pieces of writing I had penned was not, unfortunately, part of the A Deacon’s Musing collection. I first mused about Intentional Community in 2008, when I was blogging with the Emerging Spirit Programme of The United Church of Canada (UCC).
Okay, I admit it; I’m often coming back to community as a theme. In fact, were I to be completely honest, I would say that it is central to my own longing that lies at the centre of my faith. And, if I continue on this trajectory, I guess it is also why I am so invested in the necessity for healthy and effective leadership. The promise of a healthy community depends on the leadership that models it.
It’s true – this is the place in which we live, breathe, love, cry and die … or so the Shadowed World purports. A world where it’s me against you, us against them, where he who yells loudest wins the precedent, where she who wields the largest weapon gains the right to become sovereign – for a day, a week, forever …
So the interesting thing about being able to offer words to the blog environment for Emerging Spirit is the opportunity to let the mind sort of go and find space to share. Of course, that means that there is a certain amount of tension: 1) Am I writing for the sake of writing (likely a neurotic/boundary issue)? 2) Is what am I writing of any use? Is there anybody out there (perhaps a self-doubt opportunity to explore humility)? Regardless of the inner monologue, I thought I would offer a musing that occurred recently during a lovely meal at the Toad in the Hole Pub and Eatery in Winnipeg, which included Chicken Curry, Fish and Chips, Bangers and Mash, Chicken Portfolio, and various mixes of ales, stout and such.