Anne and I attended Off-The-Map this weekend. (With Natalie Johnson....my co-blog conspirator...who was visiting from Colorado Springs.)
The main speakers were Brian McLaren, Diana Butler Bass, Todd Hunter, Richard Twiss and Jim Henderson. I will be talking about all of these sessions over the next couple of days. As well as some of the breakout workshops. I just need to get my head wrapped around it all.
First thoughts:
- Dobson called Diana Butler Bass the "whore of Babylon". Any respect I had for James Dobson has been significantly lessened. I had an opportunity to spend some time with her, and hear her speak. I haven't actually MET the whore of Babylon, but it's NOT Diana Butler Bass.
- Brian McLaren made a comparison between the current struggles in the church and music theory. It was brilliant.
- Ken and Deborah Loyd of "The Bridge" in Portland really understand what it means to get your hands dirty and live in community.
- Jim Henderson managed to draw insight from the audience when Colorado Springs was mentioned as the headquarters of....and someone shouted "Jesus". We laughed hard about that with Natalie all weekend.
- Byword....great band.....way too loud for the auditorium they were in....but these guys have a future. Suggestion...GET OUT OF NORTHERN IDAHO....not too many music moguls are looking in Sandpoint or similar areas for new talent.
- Richard Twiss, one of our First Nations brothers, was witty and eloquent. I loved what he had to say about how "Stricter immigration laws" would have saved his peoples much pain and agony over the last 3 centuries.
I met so many fantastic people. Karlene and Josh from Oregon...even if they did follow us around. Ken and Deborah Loyd from "The Bridge". Phil Wyman (the witch guy) from Salem Massachussets. Jay Ackermann from Northwest Nazarene Online. Diana Butler Bass. Brian McLaren. Libby, the pastor who needed a ride to Seattle, and we never found out if she got one. Helen Mildenhall, who had to leave early on Saturday to see her daughter play violin in a concert in Chicago.
Everyone of us have lives. Everyone of us is struggling, but excited. What did I get most out of the weekend. After so much time of struggling with not being surrounded by a crowd of people with similar beliefs or even similar questions, it was refreshing to be in a crowd of "instant friends".
If you were there at OTM, please contact me. I'm all about networking, and there was such a feeling of love, community, fun, and intelligence, I want to get to know ALL OF YOU!!!
Keep watching, I'll write more. Unfortunately, I have a real job that gets in the way of my blogging. HA HA HA.
4 comments:
considered yourself contacted! i'll add you to my google reader and get you linked on my blog just as soon as i get my 10 year old son to bed. it is school night, but dangit, so many blogs to read and bloggers to schmooze with! wasn't the conf a dizzying array of people? like you, and everyone else, i'm still recovering from the social and mental overload.
I'm glad to hear you made it to the Loyd's workshop. I go to The Bridge, a church that I like to tell people resembles a tavern more than a church! If you are ever in Portland you must come by and see us.
I will see ya around the blogs...
WELCOME, PAM!!!! As an aspiring writer, myself, it was neat to see you on stage getting praise from Diana. It actually makes me feel like, maybe, I could write something.
I'm originally from Eugene, and our folks still live there, so we pass through Portland several times a year. I'd love to swing by The Bridge, just for the experience.
See ya around the blogs!
Brad
Hi Brad - Saw your comment on my friend Pam's blog and thought I'd pop in and say Hi.
I completely track with your "brain full" comment about OTM. Wowzers. Oh, I have pink hair (but not dreadlocks, that's Mary) so you might have seen me there.
So if you're originally from Eugene, where are you now? I probably could find out if I poked around your blog long enough, but I'm being direct instead.
I'm in Portland.
Anyhow. Hi.
Hey Erin,
My wife and our two kids live in Snohomish, WA. Just about 15 minutes from where OTM was.
Brad
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