THE OTHER SIDE    Our life is our story. Common to humanity is the story we tell of our lives in relation to the  unexplainable, whether it be a deity, natural occurrences or just simply why we do the things we do. I  recently gathered with a group of like-spirited people to envision what a faith community would look  like “on the other side”. To go “beyond the common ground to the higher ground.” To put aside what  we would normally construct and imagine, and, if only for a moment, what type of a gathering a  “together is better” perspective would produce.     Matters of faith, and how we incorporate beliefs, makes for a great story. Good storytelling is essential  in inspiring as opposed to informing. How to navigate a vision casting endeavor that would produce a   philosophy as well as a program given diverse needs, wants, and perceptions on such mystical concepts,  was a challenge. Unity within diversity is desired, as a common cause will “ignite and unite”.     We started with telling our own stories. Creating a safe, creative environment for this was essential. I  kept the “why?” ever present. Like peeling an onion, after each revelation the deeper why was pursued.  It is remarkable how many ah-has and light bulb moments were experienced as we each interacted with  each other, revealing that we aren’t alone in our thoughts, struggles, needs and wants.     The next step was to expand our vision from the people in the room to those that we purpose to serve.  While we could agree that “they” were, in many ways, just like “us”, our mission was to serve the  greater need. We needed to be sure to not close ranks and tailor something that was comfortable only  for us. Our frustrations over past faith community experiences needed to be put in the proper  perspective. Blending thoughts and feelings with specific programmatic and environmental solutions  made for some whirlwind conversations. But patterns began to emerge.     Once we began to consider that things like the music, the setup, and the preaching were merely the  fruit, and should not be the pursuit, we began to focus on as the main thing. It was so easy for some of  us to go right to the what and not realize that the why comes first. And discovering that why was only  possible because we entertained story as the means to get to the feeling, the mystical and the  ubiquitous. To cultivate spiritual poise became our manta. Everything ran through this grid. It became  much easier to go the other side of conventionality once we were committed to launching a  conversation guided by this mission.    Conversation and not monologue, was one of the first methods we determined was essential. We  wanted to build that poise together, telling stories, entering to each other’s lives, living life as one.  Diverse means of communication, using art, story, drama, and contemplation began to emerge as ways  of practice. Cultivating an atmosphere of mutual respect, and actually learning how to have what we  knew might be difficult conversations, was critical to our success.     Success. We struggled with that word. Just what did that look like? How do you measure a thing like  poise? Here’s what we finally concluded, “You don’t”. You simply trust that lives will be transformed and  that the “evidence” will be evident. People will begin to just be…different. Different in ways that don’t  go in an evaluation but contribute to a transformation.

As I step back and evaluate my approach, I realized that my passion and perspective tended to “lead’,  where I wanted to cultivate diverse thinking. To start, we wanted to decentralize things to the point that  nobody was “the leader”. As much as this seemed to be on the other side, it just didn’t work. To tell  stories and relate them to our mission and vision was still the way to make this happen, but holding the  reins a bit more loosely would have been a more effective approach. Sustainability can only be achieved  if we are more about the “we” than the “me”. Blending the right amount of leadership with a desire to  empower is a delicate thing, but once that story starts to unfold there is nothing like it.


THE OTHER SIDE Our life is our story . Common to humanity is the story we tell of our lives in relation to the unexplainable , whether it be a deity , natural occurrences or just simply why we do the things we do . I recently gathered with a group of like - spirited people to envision what a faith community would look like “ on the other side ” . To go “ beyond the common ground to the higher ground . ” To put aside what we would normally construct and imagine , and , if only for a moment , what type of a gathering a “ together is better ” perspective would produce . Matters of faith , and how we incorporate beliefs , makes for a great story . Good storytelling is essential in inspiring as opposed to informing . How to navigate a vision casting endeavor that would produce a philosophy as well as a program given diverse needs , wants , and perceptions on such mystical concepts , was a challenge . Unity within diversity is desired , as a common cause will “ ignite and unite ” . We started with telling our own stories . Creating a safe , creative environment for this was essential . I kept the “ why ? ” ever present . Like peeling an onion , after each revelation the deeper why was pursued . It is remarkable how many ah - has and light bulb moments were experienced as we each interacted with each other , revealing that we are n’t alone in our thoughts , struggles , needs and wants . The next step was to expand our vision from the people in the room to those that we purpose to serve . While we could agree that “ they ” were , in many ways , just like “ us ” , our mission was to serve the greater need . We needed to be sure to not close ranks and tailor something that was comfortable only for us . Our frustrations over past faith community experiences needed to be put in the proper perspective . Blending thoughts and feelings with specific programmatic and environmental solutions made for some whirlwind conversations . But patterns began to emerge . Once we began to consider that things like the music , the setup , and the preaching were merely the fruit , and should not be the pursuit , we began to focus on as the main thing . It was so easy for some of us to go right to the what and not realize that the why comes first . And discovering that why was only possible because we entertained story as the means to get to the feeling , the mystical and the ubiquitous . To cultivate spiritual poise became our manta . Everything ran through this grid . It became much easier to go the other side of conventionality once we were committed to launching a conversation guided by this mission . Conversation and not monologue , was one of the first methods we determined was essential . We wanted to build that poise together , telling stories , entering to each other ’s lives , living life as one . Diverse means of communication , using art , story , drama , and contemplation began to emerge as ways of practice . Cultivating an atmosphere of mutual respect , and actually learning how to have what we knew might be difficult conversations , was critical to our success . Success . We struggled with that word . Just what did that look like ? How do you measure a thing like poise ? Here ’s what we finally concluded , “ You do n’t ” . You simply trust that lives will be transformed and that the “ evidence ” will be evident . People will begin to just be … different . Different in ways that do n’t go in an evaluation but contribute to a transformation . As I step back and evaluate my approach , I realized that my passion and perspective tended to “ lead ’ , where I wanted to cultivate diverse thinking . To start , we wanted to decentralize things to the point that nobody was “ the leader ” . As much as this seemed to be on the other side , it just did n’t work . To tell stories and relate them to our mission and vision was still the way to make this happen , but holding the reins a bit more loosely would have been a more effective approach . Sustainability can only be achieved if we are more about the “ we ” than the “ me ” . Blending the right amount of leadership with a desire to empower is a delicate thing , but once that story starts to unfold there is nothing like it .