Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Are you apart of the Tribe?

Some strange things happen in this city. If you drive slow down main street just east of Downtown you'll see a mess of old warehouses behind a silver fence. It is the former beer brewery converted in hundreds of work/live lofts. Twice a year they open to the public for an art walk that is a spectacle to behold, including the best silver work, creative painting, chefs, and any other art form you can imagine. So, when I get a call this weekend about dinner and a worship circle in the heart of the Brewery District I know it is a must experience event. Inside the giant gutted warehouse long tables are set up with an eclectic mix of people eating and chatting. I saw some familiar faces and bowls of delectable treats. I take a seat, meet some new peeps, and enjoy homemade ribs, some sort of savory barley stew, and chocolate cake. We are summoned up a set of stairs in the corner that lead to a loft filled with comfy couches, open windows, music, and drums, a lot drums. God centered song lyrics are projected on the wall as we sing and drum, while a couple sits at a table painting behind us. During what was called a prayer concert an iron bowl is presented with the possibility of writing a sin or issue down and then using a candle to light it and through it in the bowl, as a visual to the actual that happens within us daily.

Some strange things do happen in this city however this was not one of them, no this Tribe as it is called, is as unpretentious and real as it gets. An experience that reminds me of our simple connections to each other and to God.