Beer & Bull. Version 2.72.2005.F

Tonight was awesome. Kelly and I, Benji and Sarah, Dave and Kathy C. and Jeff C. gathered together at Dave and Kathy's home for our version of "Beer and Bull".

On Sunday night we had a family service and there was an awesome spirit there. We actually had an open forum on what a church would look like if it were more communitycentric and less programcentric. This led to a great time of discussion and ended with a laughable, but extremely interactive intergenerational game. These once a month family services have been fun, but this one was special. It was the best yet. The spirit in there was so good, so communal, so family-oriented, so natural that probably 75% of the 100 some folks there stayed for at least 45 minutes afterwards fellowshipping. It was amazing. It was a celebration. It was new for us.

Dave came up and asked me if we were going to get together for Beer & Bull soon, and we said this week. We decided on a day with Benji and Sarah and then asked the Coles to join us. I was really anticipating this gathering and it was all I thought it would be. Dave and Jeff have so much wisdom. Benji, Sarah, Kelly and I have so many questions and opinions. It led to a fun discussion that went everywhere. Ex:

How does the Old Covenant apply to our lives?
If "children are a blessing", then should we use birth control, or is that a sign that we only want so much of a blessing?
Are we open to allowing the Holy Spirit to do anything it says he can do in Scripture, or do we limit Him?
Is gambling ok? (popular question from my teens lately)
Is the modern-day church making the same mistake as the Jews of Jesus' time made, by creating extra-biblical laws and judging other by them?
Should the focus of the church be to reach others or to BE GOD's People, to simply be His Body?
If we are truly His Body, wouldn't that be enough to draw others to Him?
If our churches were smaller (25-50) would it be more natural for the New Testament church to be alive in our midst?
What are the benefits of true community to the believer?
What sacrifices would have to be made in our lives for Real Community?
And so much more...

The radical thing is that we were on all sides of these issues, in and out of Scripture; stating our opinions, citing references, rebutting someone else, but it was so natural, so comfortable, so communal. We were living out the very thing we were discussing a lot of the time. We were entering into each other's personal space, taking of our masks and sharing the beat of our hearts.

I was challenged so much. I was taught so much. I shared too much probably. I learned a bit. I have a lot more to learn. This was one of the most challenging few hours I have had in a long time. The Spirit was so gentle, even when I was dead wrong. New insights were revealed to me with clarity and Scripture.

I hope it was just the beginning. A friend of mine said, so the Guys will call it Beer and Bull, the girls will call in Wine and Wisdom and in public you can call it Coffee and Conversation. For those of you who are wondering... the latter is what it truly was.