Post moot wanderings

Have you ever had an experience that after it was over you wondered, did I really do that?

Did I really just sit in a room with Sally Lloyd-Jones and listen to her say that children deserve the truth from us always. That if we dumb down our stories, how will children learn? And if children aren't asking questions, that's when we should worry.

Did I actually just sit in a conversation about shaping stories that included a discussion on CS Lewis, Dorothy Sayers, Plato, LOST and Harry Potter? Just a few of my favorite things all in one place.

Did I really just learn that Larry the Cucumber from Veggie Tales can never accept Jesus into his heart because he's a vegetable? And vegetables can't do that. But when Larry is portraying David or Daniel, he can exhibit to children how to talk with God and love Jesus.


I think I have now allowed everything to process through my heart and my head so that I can tell you how I am so thankful to have found a community of thoughtfulness. This phrase came to me because I was trying to describe it over and over to myself. This weekend I found a community that encourages each other; where humility and grace abound; and where the love of God is always at the center of each conversation.

There were no egos that needed taming. No talking at each other but with each other. You know what I'm talking about right? We've all been at those conferences, meetings, retreats where everybody wants to talk about how amazing they are. What they have accomplished. How much better they are than you.

Not so with Hutchmoot. Egos and grandstanding were not allowed. And it was refreshing.

I am so thankful for the leaders that built an atmosphere that encouraged growth and creativity.

And excitingly, I left with an idea. A small germ of an idea that I hope to love, to cultivate and to mold into a story of my own.