So apparently there’s this thing in our brain somewhere called the “reticular activating system”. Basically, it’s a bundle of nerves around our brain stem that act like a filter system, turning away the billions of bits of data that come at us all the time so the really important stuff gets through. It’s why when we hear our name in a crowded, noisy room, we respond. It’s why, when we need to buy a coat, coats are suddenly for sale everywhere. And this week, mine has been hyper-tuned to the presence of information and conversations about anxiety.

I know it’s largely because we’ve been exploring this topic as a community. Yet having acknowledged that, I would add that this seems to front-and-center for other communities as well, and in the lives of so many people. So maybe we’re not done exploring it yet. This week we’ll be making a kind of lateral move in our exploration, from Jesus on anxiety to Jesus on worry. Yep…it seems those two things are buddies but not clones, a nuance that will be part of what we dig into together. Worry is also one of those things that about which Jesus offers what seems the nonsensical directive of “don’t do it”, which can seem a bit like saying “don’t breathe”. Worth probing, I think.

Hold the Date: Our Annual Open Meeting will take place following our morning gathering on March 3rd. It’ll be short because we’re a pretty uncomplicated organization with a less-than-enormous budget. It’ll be fun because talking about money is always fun…right? It’ll be graphically compelling because Judi turned the numbers into pictures. It’ll be called the AGM in the minutes because that’s the law…but we’re calling it an “Open Meeting” because that’s what it is – open to all.

I’ll see you at Creative Manitoba on Sunday.

Peace

Tim Plett