February's Bare Soul on Love was definitely different. I felt very under prepared especially music-wise. At the start there were just a group of Christians there and I thought why am I doing this, especially as I had been talking to quite a few people who said they would come and then didn't show? Later the Landlady and Landlord joined as did a couple more non christians. The contributions were varied from a piece on the science of hugging to a Christian poem (that wasn't particularly good and quite jargony) to a fantastic poem written by one of the non-christians on Desire, Attraction and Love. There was some great art work displayed, and I sang a song that I had written ages ago.

There were also candles set up in a heart shape and people were invited to light a candle for some-one they loved and spend a minute thinking about them.
Towards the end a local musician came and joined us - after chatting with the landlady he went up and lit a candle. He then got up to sing a couple of songs explaining that it was the 4 year anneversary of his sons suicide. The songs he sang were special to him. It was a really touching moment.

After we had finished another couple came and joined us and again the Landlady encouraged them to light a candle for someone they loved. By this time both the landlady and landlord were totally hammered. Trevor the landlord was telling us how he had just resigned from 5 masonic lodges (although was still a member of his mother lodge) and Catherine his wife explained that it was because it was lent, they had talked about what they should give up and, as it was taking so much time, they decided the lodges had to go!!!

Though not many of the people I had talked to about the evening turned up, it had stimulated some really interesting conversations, culminating in one guy coming to 'regular' church last Sunday and another revealing that he had been abused by his priest! There is definitely something going on here.

I am trying to think through how to develop the community side of Bare Soul. It is great having a once a month gathering but it feels like there should be something else. I would love to see it become a community for those in the arts.

Well it is nearing that time of month again. Bare Soul has a lurrrvve theme this month. I've had a few interesting conversations over this last week. One was in the bar where it is held where the landlady was persuading another guy to come along next wednesday. She is not churched though holds some christian beliefs but she is a great evangelist.

Another conversation was with a friend who said she had been in the bar and heard one of the guys who works behind the bar telling people who were interested in coming that it was religious and we were trying to trick people into a 'God thing'. He is an ardent atheist but at the same time something is going on with him. It got me thinking about opposition and how we deal with it. It is so easy for us to have a really defensive attitude and get annoyed when we're trying to build something up and others are trying to pull it down. But actually God is bigger than that. It is him who builds the house (ps 127:1). It is our job to bless and God's job to build.

Another conversation was today, I was chatting through with a friend about what we could do for the next one. I was suggesting a quiz and her reply was 'do nothing'. She rightly reminded me that the whole idea was for the evening to be led by all those there and pointed out that the more I did now that was from the front, the harder it would be when I've left (I'm finishing here at the end of September) for anyone else to take over. Why do I/we have such a need to control from the front? Are we scared of what might happen? Do we doubt that the Holy Spirit can work to lead people ( even those that aren't fully signed up christians)?

Well I will let you know how it goes on Wednesday.