On Being Heard in Greenbelt
This picture continues to haunt me...
It was a great day to be at the Greenbelt Festival. Families and couples and kids milling about, open to experiencing the day.
Our church, New Leaf, had a table and it was great to see how people are open to a church, even if they don’t go. Or if they had a church of their own. Or if they were searching…
I spent most of my time pouring paint for kids to paint pots and chatting it up with the kids and their moms. But I overheard many conversations of people just seeking, asking, daring to let down their guard and ask…do you really believe that? Or, is this church really different than any other? Should it be?
I realized, as I watched many of my fellow church friends, that what mattered was the listening. Each person was hearing the other out–not trying to get a word in edgewise.
Afterward, I went to see the Julie & Julia film. Julie was at the end of her rope and she found meaning in sharing her life with others (even if it was mostly on a blog!).
Yes, it’s good to be heard.