Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. – John 12:1-2

This week I’ve been mining the same raw material to produce articles for a variety of outlets. The general topic has been “mealtime conversation” and it first saw the light of day as conversation-starters for the family dinner hour – my latest column for All-Pro-Dad. Then, yesterday, it took on a little more substance for Wake Forest Today, finding a new incarnation as Koinonia at the Table. Today I’m taking another tack in this blog.

My Wake Forest Today column includes the following thought:

Great conversation is still, to my mind, one of the signal pleasures of living in community. People have such powerful stories to tell, so many important questions to ask, such rich experiences to share, and such deep convictions to contribute to mutual understanding (read more…).

It’s not just the family dinner that I’m campaigning for, it’s the art of great conversation. I’m all for social media, but real communication can so easily fall victim to its limitations: the anonymity; the clinical repartee of even keystrokes; the time between responses; the absence of physical contact – especially eye-contact; the lack of inflection in text; the reactive quality of the Internet; the lack of any kind of a buffer between expression (writing) and delivery (“send”)….

An evening of rich conversation is one of my great joys. I love to connect with people’s stories, with their ideas, with their passions, and with what touches them deeply. I value points of view that challenge me, questions that cause me to think – or rethink, and the sharing of experiences that expand my horizons.

I think it’s because I see everyone – and their personal story – as a critical part of the Great Narrative that is the ongoing tale of history. I believe that we are all living an important story, and taking a significant path. If we share our journey, our narrative, our tale, then we are all richer…

… And besides, if we never articulate our story, or plot our journey, then how can we respond to the invitation to try a new path, or to expand our narrative to include the Greatest Story Ever Told? And if we never listen to the stories we live amongst, then how can we truly love?

Read Koinonia at the Table – and then plan to experience some for yourself – DEREK