The auditorium was silent at the end of Mako’s speech. Ian Cron took the stage to close the session, and instead of ruining the silence with too many words, Ian asked us to put away distractions, close our eyes, let Mako’s words “find purchase” in our hearts. In that silence, it felt like the whole crowd had unanimously noticed the common bush afire, and collectively taken off their shoes. The room felt heavy with holiness.
It’s been a week since that moment, a week of returning to the everyday, to the online-only relationships, to the reluctant routine. Yet even a week later, my heart still feels that holiness and wholeness, that sense of having tread on sacred ground.
The conference was wonderful, yes. But the deeper thing, the thing that I still am speechlessly in awe of, was the community formed. It was already there, in tweets and emails and links and comments, but sitting together at dinner tables, talking late into the night on my couch with Lore, hugging each other tight before we headed home, those are the moments for which my heart still seeks purchase.
In the spirit of that, a few STORY-themed lovelinks that say it better than I ever could:
The voices, or finding your people.
“After all, my lawyer told me love does.”
“We’ve made our home 45 minutes from the heart of humanity. And there is something utterly tragic about that.” City, Suburb, and the Myth of Christian Art.
Ultimate e-book recap of Story 2012. (Free for everyone, even if you didn’t attend. There’s some serious genius in it, so get on that download.)
“Take all of the time you look at your blog analytics on your phone, and use that time to develop your skill in storytelling. The world doesn’t need another “top blogger” — it does need your story.” Darrell tells it like it is.
“Because desert shrubs were meant to live in the desert and they have all they need to live on there. Their roots spread out to the stream too, and do not fear when the heat comes. It thrives in a year of drought and what if the only fruit it bears is to bear the weight of thirty blackbirds? Is that not still fruit?”
“Ex Nihilo” and “Who Broke Africa?” by Micah Bournes.
Mason Jar Music, featuring Josh Garrels. (I’ve been listening to this on repeat pretty much all week.)
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