Stay tuned for more info! Charity Poker will be on Friday May 16th and will be a fun time with proceeds going to fund the Journey Benevolence fund so we can better serve local people in need.

(Pub)lic Theology - Tuesday 7:30pm

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Theology should be done in public, by the public, for the public, and in the tradition of the great theologians who have gone before us. Join us as we look at Muhammad Yunus' new book: Creating a World Without Poverty. We are trying a new location! Join us at BlackFriar Pub at 2621 Mckinney ave, Dallas TX. (you must be 21+ to drink beer). Contact John Venuto at gmech42@yahoo.com for more details.

The Tin Star at Preston and NW Highway will be donating a portion of their profits to Journey on the evening of March 11. So come eat with us and tell all your friends! This is an EASY way to make a little cash for Journey, so please plan to attend.

Journey co-ed softball returns in March. If you're still interested, contact Eric (eric@tractorbeam.com or Rhealyn (rheamc@gmail.com) ASAP!

When Ends Don’t Meet: A Conversation in Three Parts

We’re busy planning an exciting event series around the idea of poverty in the city. We’ll screen a documentary, host a national speaker, and participate in a social justice project. We’ll need lots of brains and hands to pull this off, so please contact Michelle Randall (meeshrandall@gmail.com ) if you want to help.

Part One: Documentary "Waging a Living"

March 8th, 7:00 pm, Journey room,

As part of this three-part series, we’ll be hosting a documentary screening and discussion on March 8th. Mark your calendars and invite your friends. Contact Rhealyn (rheamc@gmail.com) for more info.

Part Two: Q&A with Doug Pagitt

March 27th, 7:00 pm, Journey Room

We’ll be hosting author, Doug Pagitt, pastor of Solomon’s Porch, a holistic, missional, Christian community in Minneapolis, MN. Doug is also a part of the leadership of Emergent and serves on the board. He will join us and be a part of our conversation about the working poor. Please mark your calendars for this special evening, March 27th.

Part Three: Hands On

Come along on Saturday, April 5th at 1 pm to participate with our community in a hands-on approach to bringing social justice to the working poor. Journey is partnering with the Wilkinson Center of Dallas to do some painting and food pantry work. We’ll meet at Journey at 12:30 pm and carpool together. Be sure to wear comfy clothes and bring your paintbrush! Please contact any of the Journey leaders if you have questions or visit www.wilkinsoncenter.org for more information.

Be sure to stop by and read some our community members thoughts on Lent:

http://www.journeydallas.com/blog

In years past, devotion to God and taking care of myself meant hour-long quiet times at Starbucks with the latest Bible study or listening to the latest praise and worship CD for hours on end. As I've stretched my idea of spirituality a bit in the last few years – I feel sure that devotion and spirituality can be found in the most unexpected of places and in the most surprising ways. I'm thankful for a place like Journey that values the many facets of worship and spiritual practice – a community that sees God in art, music, serving humanity – and sometimes even serving ourselves.

For me personally, reading books, good music, journaling and spending quiet time – are all great resources to sense God's presence in my life. These same things are also crucial for me to remain grounded and calm in a chaotic world. However, recently, I've found something that helps me see myself and see God in a new way. Yoga has given me an inner peace lately, and a lot of physical strength. Yoga originates in India and most of the "yogic" terms have their roots in Hinduism. As a group of ancient spiritual practices that encourage connection with the Divine and your own personal existence, yoga is something that stretches the body and mind. However, most churches discourage the practice – because it is not a Christian one. Because yoga finds its roots in another religious practice, I can remember worrying that I should steer clear of such "teachings." However, something about yoga has always been a draw for me – and this year I've made it a regular part of my week.

I think communities like Journey and my yoga class are on to something. If God is within us and we are the present-day manifestation of His presence in our world – then doesn't it make sense to participate in something that allows us to look inward? Doesn't it make sense to know ourselves mentally and physically? I imagine people experience more of a "Divine" presence about me when I'm relaxed, feeling cared for, and whole – rather than when I'm frazzled, spread too thin and overwhelmed. Maybe this is the one holy truth within yoga – and something I have decided is worth my time. I don't think God is as interested in what specifically we are doing to find Him and know ourselves – I don't think there is a one-way ticket to becoming a "spiritual person". For me, yoga contains a thread of truth – that in being quiet and strong, we are being spiritual. At the end of a busy workday, there is nothing more substantial to me than stopping, being quiet, taking care of myself, honoring my body and soul, and in that – I often remember that God cares about these things too.

I read in my new favorite book, Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert that "If humanity never evolved in its exploration of the divine, a lot of us would still be worshipping golden Egyptian statues of cats….and this evolution of religious thinking does involve a fair bit of cherry-picking. You take whatever works from wherever you find it, and you keeping moving toward the light." For me, I'll keep moving toward that, and maybe along the way – I'll finally be able to touch my toes.
-Michelle Randall

Pub Theology has turned 1 year old! As I look back over the year, I've seen how it has been an integral part of my spiritual life at Journey.

Last week, Ed brought up that the word "conversation" (or "convo") has been used more frequently these days in our public lexicon. It could be a new trend where the mutual sharing of ideas and viewpoints has become more valued than the regular way of heated debate or dry lecture where a particular position is argued. But I think that Pub Theology has been a true conversation of friends who want to gain useful perspectives and viewpoints of God in our everyday lives.

For me, I enjoy the fact that this weekly gathering of people joins together to discuss without an agenda. Pub Theology is not a book study per se, but we do use a book and have chapter readings for the week to serve as a launchpad for our conversation. But more times than not, we end up talking about anything and everything to do with faith and God. People will sometimes bring up an issue where faith has intersected with something they've faced that week. Or sometimes people will bring up an article or world event that totally gets the wheels turning (and occasionally shoots the wheels off).

I'm an armchair theologian. At pub theology, I don't feel pressured to deliver a sunday-school answer or come to the table with all of my thoughts and opinions about faith fully prepared and mapped out. For as long as I have had a faith of God in the way of Jesus, my theology has been in a constant state of flux. I don't have any desire to go to seminary and I'm quite comfortable to leave the heavy lifting to the professionals. However, I do appreciate the good company, the tasty beverages, and the engaging, accessible conversations at Pub Theology.

-John

Most of my favorite memories involve two things: good food and good company. Growing up in the south, Sunday dinners (which actually means lunch in that region) were a golden fried tradition. We shared recipes, news from the community, and stories from before my time. The locale for this was always my Grandmother's house, and for her hospitality equaled one thing: as much food as she could possibly cook. Even though she usually wore herself to a frizzle in the preparations, she was never happier than when her house was filled with folks she loved enjoying the feast of her labor.

As I've gotten older, I've begun to realize that I am just like her, only I've left the family fried tradition behind and embraced pasta and soup as my specialties. My favorite memories from my time at Journey involve hanging out over dinner with friends. I'm normally my very happiest when I can share hospitality with others and help them connect over food. I love that Jesus shares his love for his friends over a meal. I really think it's a sacred practice for all involved.


All that being said, we are starting a new event at Journey, and we are calling it "Soul Food" because we believe this kind of communion is truly good for our souls. As a way to connect newcomers to our community, different Journey members will be hosting a potluck dinners in their homes. The host/ess will prepare the main course, and we will let you know what that will be. If you would like to come, simply RSVP by email to the host/ess, and they will let you know what you need to bring. We will have one dinner every other week. The nights may rotate, so that people with weekly commitments can make it to a few dinners. Here's the schedule for the rest of this month:

Thursday October 18: Janalee's place in The Village (Central Dallas)

Tuesday October 30: Jen Wilson's place in Richardson

Check Journey emails and handouts for details and addresses. If you have any questions, please email Janalee at: jleeshad (at) gmail (dot) com

This is a great way to learn more about Journey and to meet the folks that make this community so important to us. We hope to see you there!
-Janalee