An Honest Reaction

So I am a bit unsure what to share about the first two weeks with New Hope.  In many ways it has been a great experience thus far.  For example, I have gotten to know Bruce in great depth, swapping stories about living back west, bee keeping, self sufficient living, you name it.  The guy is a treasure trove of random insight about almost everything pertaining to the rural life!  He even gave me some good tips on how to run my own moonshine still!  Piecing the fragmented stories together is a challenge, as he shifts gears quicker than an 18 wheeler heading up a steep grade, but based on what I did know about the various topics, he seemed to be dead on.

Other folks I have chatted with, learned their names and a few basic details.  Like Yoken (sp?), a young man from the Virgin Islands who came here seeking the American dream and in his words, "things didn't turn out the way I was hoping."  His plan now is to head back when he can afford the ticket, as he would rather be poor with family (and in the Virgin Islands no less!) than in the DC suburbs.

On the service side, things have been less positive.  I have tried really hard to "translate" the words I hear into their intent, to not let the theology mask the heart of the presenter.  To a degree I have probably achieved this, but I can't help but find myself really questioning the exhortations coming from the pulpit.  I mean, I am all for the ways in which this body is helping to address the physical needs of the people, and I do believe that spiritual needs must be addressed as well, but I have a hard time seeing how the message accomplished that, maybe I missed it though, as the layers of resistance in my own thinking are many... 

My one counterpoint to my own critique (ooops) is an amazing one to me.  Kieran was squatting behind or under various chairs for most of the sermon, and I assumed he was indifferent to the words of Pastor Pat.  However, at one point he took a break from making Ella laugh and whispered in my ear:  "Can you tell that woman about a time on Blue's Clues when Steve and Blue had no lights because there was a storm."  I was very impressed that he picked up the main theme of the story she told.  He also told me that he only knows about "God and Amen, and that's all..."

So clearly my toddler was catching a least a tiny bit of the message about light and Jesus.  Perhaps that is a far better litmus test than my own cycnism addled brain...