Simple Summer Sundays – The Book Of Joy
Hey folks – as those of you familiar with The Table will know, we change things up in the summer. We don’t gather on the long weekends (if you are able, get outside!), and what we do from week-to-week can vary considerably. We will still endeavor to livestream and podcast, making the Talky Bit part of our gatherings as accessible as possible, even if summer = cottage life, travel, or just chilling on a patio or lawn somewhere. This summer, the weekends with no gatherings are June 29th (next Sunday), August 3rd and August 31st.
In my imagination, I’ve been calling these gatherings “Simple Summer Sundays”. However we might think of them, summer gatherings consistently deliver an intriguing variety of presenters, topics, approaches, and engagement with exploring what we believe. This week, James Neufeld is going to get us started. Here’s his introduction to what he will be offering this Sunday.
This Sunday, I will introduce “The Book of Joy.” It is a collaboration by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and (now deceased) Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who were close friends despite vast differences in religion and culture. Both of these spiritual leaders have endured oppression, adversity, and have struggled for justice for their people, and yet both live life with remarkable joy (and, as we will see, humour and mischief!). In our time together, I would like to tell you more about this unique book and why I recommend it. I won’t presume to distil the entirety of the book in our short time together, but I would like to share a few pearls of wisdom on the topic of joy that come out of the book. Hopefully we will also have time for some guided reflection on some of these things and some time to share from our own experiences in our personal and collective pursuits of joy. -James-
We will gather at VA Cafe at the usual time (10:45 am – 171 McDermot Avenue). We will livestream here and podcast here. That said, there’s nothing quite like being “in the room”, if that’s possible, so show up for what sounds like a very interesting conversation, and to cheer on whoever did the work of putting a Talky Bit together. 🙂
And just a reminder that, as noted above, there is no gathering next weekend (June 29th).
Peace,