Beer & Bull

I was writing on Kevin P's blog last night and shared some stuff I should have put on here, so I thought I would:

I have been meeting with a mentor/friend in my church lately on Tuesday mornings. It has been an enourmous blessing on my life. I look up to Him so much, he challenges me so much, but it feels like I am sitting down with one of the guys from our apartment in college. It is relaxed, amusing, sometimes hilarious, often really challenging, but in a shared way.

I told him about Beer and Bull a couple of weeks ago. He came back last week and said, "I talked to my wife about it and we think you need to start it!" He mentioned it three times before we left. I think he is serious. It struck a cord in him and his wife. The cool thing is that Kelly and I pretty much do that every night as it is, but his response showed me that we need to share the depths of it more, and not just the food. Folks are hungering for that interaction. I am hungering for that interaction.

Our dinner group is still meeting every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. We still invite other over and have actually had more guest in the past few week than we had in a while, but something is missing. I feel the need to share more, to lay more on the table, to share more Scripture, lessons learned and struggles experienced. I feel we have been a little unintentionally guarded lately, because we don't want to be negative or whiney and some of our community is hurting a little bit. I feel that when others join us they would want in on that... the soul bearing. I met with a good brother today and he shared those very sentiments with me, the longing for intimacy and brotherhood.

Beer and Bull is something my apartment did every week for a while in college. On Tuesday night, I think between 10 or 11 we would meet and do whatever together. Sometimes we met earlier and went to Columbus for Skyline Chili and a Movie. Sometimes we talked about deep, hard to share stuff, sometimes we talked about what the Lord was doing, sometimes we talked about whoever didn't make it that night. The constants were two things: 1) IBC Cream Soda 2) Great conversations. We covered every topic imaginable during those times, from silly to sad to sadistic (not too much of that). It was an awesome time of brotherhood and bonding that I have always cherished and often longed for since. The idea is from a bunch of Bostonians I think from the 1800's who used to do it... only at a pub with the real brew. I think the likes of Benjamin Franklin, George Whitfield and some other names some/most of your would know. I will research that little and post it on here sometimes.

Everyone needs a little Beer and Bull in their life. Time to relax. Time to listen. Time to share. Time to hear. Time to Be.

Our church is actually moving in that direction full steam ahead with our small groups... although I think that they will avoid the name :-)
One group has already made the switch. Others have been encouraged to do so. We want to focus more of our teaching during the Sunday School hour and leave the small group time for fellowship, sharing, hearing and living life together, with our neighbors, family and friends. We want it to be open to anyone and comfortable for everyone. We will see how it goes, but the release has happened and the small groups are free to transition from lesson based to community based at will. Sounds like a great movement for our church, especially for me. We will see. Wow! The Lord is doing some cool things.