Hi folks, i hope you are doing ok, we are back to our regular gatherings this Sunday night, meeting at the Tavern and Galley, 71 The Links, Whitley Bay NE26 1UE from 7.30 We hope you can join us.
At our recent weekend away we spent time trying to build the Beachcomber story and what that community in different ways means to us. On Friday we talked about where we had physically come from and the various places we had lived in-between in order to be here in the North East, Some of us live a long way from the North East now, but we try to keep connected, we have become a dispersed community.
On Saturday we went into the woods, the trees were our hosts, we stopped, looked, wandered and wondered. We were encouraged to go slowly… to take our time, we talked about how trees connect and feed each other even when they appear to have died.
Later in the day we shared a little about how each of us had come to be part of Beachcomber. We got to share what each person means to the community and remembered those who weren’t with us this. We were thankful for each person that is and has been part of our community over the years.
On Sunday we played with lego and made models that reflected on the various elements of Beachcomber and how we connect with them (Scavenger, Wanderer, Gatherer, Collector) and with other aspects of our lives.
If we go back to the trees again, I was struck by the connectedness of nature, root systems intertwining with and at places connecting with each other to keep another tree alive. Its amazing that trees don’t crowd each other out so to speak. I was struck by the moss as it creeps along providing nutrients and shelter.
Over the years Beachcomber has experienced many times of connectedness, and as I do more work in the community I see this sense of connection in many places.
But what I am seeing more and more is how connection is enhanced the more we are open and honest with each other… In doing some thinking about this I came across these words by Maria Popov, of the Marginalian blog I subscribe to, she says…
“We are each born with a wilderness of possibility within us. Who we become depends on how we tend to our inner garden — what qualities of character and spirit we cultivate to come abloom, what follies we weed out, how much courage we grow to turn away from the root-rot of cynicism and toward the sunshine of life in all its forms: wonder, kindness, openhearted vulnerability”.
She mentions this as she refers to Nick Cave and his two pillars of a meaningful life… which again I think are helpful as we ponder connection. He talks about Humility and says:
Humility amounts to an understanding that the world is not divided into good and bad people, but rather it is made up of all manner of individuals, each broken in their own way, each caught up in the common human struggle and each having the capacity to do both terrible and beautiful things. If we truly comprehend and acknowledge that we are all imperfect creatures, we find that we become more tolerant and accepting of others’ shortcomings and the world appears less dissonant, less isolating, less threatening.
And the other phrase he uses is about curiosity, he says:
If we look with curiosity at people who do not share our values, they become interesting rather than threatening. As I’ve grown older I’ve learnt that the world and the people in it are surprisingly interesting, and that the more you look and listen, the more interesting they become. Cultivating a questioning mind, of which conversation is the chief instrument, enriches our relationship with the world. Having a conversation with someone I may disagree with is, I have come to find, a great, life embracing pleasure.
Now in the midst of all this and I finish with this on purpose is that we are currently in the season of lent, leading up to the celebration of Easter. Lent is a time for us to examine ourselves. I believe Jesus wants each of us to be better human beings, to be more loving, more kind, more peaceful… I think lent asks us to be more connected, connected with ourselves and with those around us and with nature its self.
Some questions.
Where is the strangest place you have lived?
In which places do you find deep connections?
What movie or series comes to mind when you think about connectedness?
What bible stories come to mind when you think about connection?
What does connectedness look like for God/the divine?
How could connectedness make a difference in the world?
What opportunities of connection come to mind that could help you engage with the world around you?
Peace Rob
Photos David
Rob Wylie is the founder of BeachcomberFX and guides its leadership team. He has worked in the North East for over 20 years and has vast experience from various roles he has held. He has a passion for Fresh Expressions of Church and Pioneer Ministry as well as beer, beaches and Miniature Schnauzers.
