Madeleine L’Engle wrote, “Stories make us more alive, more human, more courageous, more loving.” The power of the story is not one to be underestimated.
For those of us in the church, we engage in the power of story every time we open the Bible. It’s the story of God’s love for humankind, the story of how Jesus lived his human life, and the story of how humankind received it all.
Tea Time Stories
Recently, I’ve found myself spending more time at the tea shop, listening to the stories of others. There is something about a pot of tea that slows us down and invites deep listening.
Lauretta Hyde and I have been doing some deep listening together. One of the things we keep hearing is the need to honor stories and the need to name and celebrate goodness.
We will be working on a podcast about the power of goodness in the world this summer but in the meantime, we have realized how important it is to create space for stories.
VPC’s First Storytelling Event (Over Tea)
On Thursday, May 23 at 6:30 pm in the Social Hall, we would like you to come and tell your stories.
There will be a prompt to get you started and some guidelines for gracious listening. There will also be a pot of warm tea on every table.
It is our hope this will be the first of several storytelling events. (I suspect that the community around us will also appreciate this type of event.)
Togetherness Through Stories
As always, if you would like someone to stand witness to your story or something about your life, I welcome the conversation. Just reach out. And if you want to share in a pot of tea, I welcome that as well.
My prayer is that we continue to widen the margins of grace for each one of us and all those around us and do the good and holy work of God’s beloved community.
Grace and Peace,
Leigh
