Sunday, October 21, 2007

A Coffeehouse Genesis

We publicly launched our church this past Friday. It was really a special time for us, our friends, and some folks who dropped in to see what all the fuss was about and decided to hang out for the rest of the evening. I was not surprised at the crowd that showed up, nor was it a shock that people seemed to enjoy themselves. What blew me away was the incredible diversity of people (age, race, language, economic status, etc.) and the spontaneous interactions and discussion that ensued. We had stretched canvas over two 7'x10' frames where we hung artwork from local artists. The back sides were bare, so we had paints available for anyone to add their mark.
We waited for a while for the first person to step up. Finally, a kid asked if he could paint. I showed him where the paints were and he choose red, yellow, and blue. He then stepped up to the enormous canvas and asked how much he could paint. I told him the whole canvas was open for him. He stepped back, eyes wide with wonder and giggled. He proceeded to paint a swan, the first of many expressions that included all generations.
We all have a story to tell and a gifting to share. Let's see how the Kingdom of God expands when we open up a canvas and invite all to leave their mark.

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