mesh: a new, inclusive, faith discussion community

April Showers and Margaritas....

2008-03-14T12:07:00.002-04:00

Next MESH get-together...

Thursday, April 3, 7:30 pm
Tequila Grande

We're having this one NO MATTER WHAT!!!! We promise.

February 21, MESH "meeting"

2008-02-19T21:58:00.004-05:00

The next MESH gathering for deep and superficial chatter about life in general, margaritas, and Mexican food will be ....

We don't know yet when it will be.

Watch the blog, watch the facebook group.

Same location as before - Tequila Grande in Vienna.

MESH meeting tonight CANCELED (more or less)

2008-01-17T15:45:00.000-05:00

Hi gang,

OK, so, as you might have noticed, there's a little white fluffy stuff going on outside. As we all know, in Northern Virginia, a little rain means traffic nightmares, and any kind of winter weather is TANTAMOUNT TO APOCALYPSE! So, it is with some regret that I, a central New York native born and bred in the frozen north, must admit that probably nobody wants to go to Tequila Grande tonight. If you were planning on toughing it out, let me know ASAP and I'll be there, but I'm assuming we're off for this evening. We're suggesting that we try again on 21 February.

Peace,
Mike

Next MESH: 17 January

2007-12-02T00:47:00.000-05:00

Hey gang,

Mark your calendars for the next MESH gathering: Thursday, 17 January, twenty-aught-ocho, at 7pm. Unless anybody has any better ideas, we seem to be pretty happy at Tequila Grande, (444 Maple Avenue West, Vienna VA 22180). What's not to love? Tasty Mexican food, friendly staff, and tequila, with fruit juice and ice, in glasses, with optional salty rims. Muy grande!

(But if you'd like to suggest a different venue, by all means do so. We're flexible. We flex.)

To review the rulez: for MESH purposes, you're considered a 'young adult' if you're old enough to drink a margarita and young enough not to disapprove. And, for the record, if you're under 21, come on out anyway - we'll just have to get you something else to drink.

See you in the new year, and peace!

Reminder: MESH-a-Ritas Tres this Thursday at 7!

2007-11-12T18:15:00.000-05:00

We'll be slurpin' 'ritas, wolfin' burritos and chattin' about life, the universe, and whatnot at Tequila Grande, (444 Maple Avenue West, Vienna VA 22180). Thursday, 15 November, 7pm SHARP(ish). Join us!

Marcus Borg in Richmond Friday Nov. 7th

2007-10-14T22:08:00.000-04:00

Hi gang,

Here's info on an event that might be of interest to MESH folks, from long-distance MESHer Meghan Vesel:

Marcus Borg, a prophetic voice in the paradigmatic shift in Christianity, will speak on the Two Visions of Christianity Today at St. James Episcopal Church in Richmond on Friday, November 2nd at 7:30 p.m. Sign up for the lecture at www.doers.org. The lecture is free - there is a @ $20 suggested donation, but I just called St. James and they said that is only suggested, especially if someone just attended the one hour lecture on Friday night. People can pay what they can or cannot.
Join other 20/30 somethings at a post-lecture free thinking discussion over coffee/wine/desert at wine bar Betsy’s at Bin 22- at 3200 West Cary Street – Richmond, VA 23221. All theological orientations on the spectrum are welcome – from theist to atheist and anywhere in between.

Please RSVP by Thursday, November 1^st to meghanvesel@global.t-bird.edu or call (404) 583-1682 for the wine/coffee/desert discussion beforehand if you can just so we know what size table we need to reserve.”
In the interest of hospitality, I could try to put people up at my house. I’m a mile from St. James and about ½ mile from Carytown. Not sure how people would feel about staying with someone they don’t know.

If you're near Richmond, or you can make the trip down that evening, check it out!

MESH-a-ritas Tres: Thursday, 15 November

2007-09-26T21:03:00.000-04:00

Well, it may not be a great venue for discussing books, but we sure do seem to have a good time slurpin' 'ritas, wolfin' burritos and chattin' about life, the universe, and whatnot at Tequila Grande, (444 Maple Avenue West, Vienna VA 22180). So, let's do it again, why don't we? We're planning for Thursday, 15 November, at 7pm. Which, granted, is a ways off in the future, so if anybody would like to organize something before then (A game night / retreat in Front Royal? A Leesburg Halloween-a-palooza?) - well, let's do it! Start a discussion in the Yahoo group or the Facebook group, and we'll figger it out. (And if you're not a member of one of those groups, you're welcome to join.)

See you soon!

we had fun

2007-09-21T10:07:00.001-04:00

hooray for us! and hooray for Tequila Grande, which was (for the second time) a great place to have a group meeting. the waiter even took this photo for us. how nice is that?
news of the next meeting coming soon...

the theology of HP7, and more 'ritas

2007-07-31T14:42:00.001-04:00

Folks, it was decided by consensus at our last (and superfun) meeting that the next time we gather,
we will:

1. eat mexican food and drink margaritas, again.

AND

2. discuss the theological implications of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Mike and I circled in on the following date: Thursday, September 20th.
7-9pm.
Tequila Grande (again, see below)
Bring your friends and loved ones.

And to reiterate the classic line, you're considered a 'young adult' if you're old enough to drink a margarita and young enough not to disapprove. And, for the record, if you're under 21, come on out anyway--we'll just have to get you something else to drink.
See you there.

Margaritas in Vienna, July 19th!

2007-06-26T12:02:00.000-04:00

Next MESH event: Mexican food and margs at Tequila Grande, 444 Maple Avenue West, Vienna VA 22180. We'll shoot for 7pm on Thursday, July 19th. As always, friends are welcome! First round of margs are on us.

See you there!

jesus camp

2007-05-30T13:56:00.000-04:00

Friends, it's movie time.

Jesus Camp is a 2006 documentary by Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing about a Pentecostal summer camp for children who spend their summers learning and practicing their "prophetic gifts" and being taught that they can "take back America for Christ.” According to the distributor, it "doesn't come with any prepackaged point of view" and tries to be "an honest and impartial depiction of one faction of the evangelical Christian community”. Jesus Camp was nominated for the 2007 Academy Award for Best Documentary.

Join other 20- and 30-somethings, married and single, on Thursday June 14 to watch it. We'll gather at 7pm and toast to Mike's new house in Herndon, and start the movie at 7:30. Feel free to bring some sort of edible/drinkable contribution, and friends, and all of your past experiences with religious camps--good and bad.

We will send out directions in an email to the meshcommunity@yahoogroups.com list--so make sure you join!

Next Meeting: April 19th

2007-03-06T14:13:00.000-05:00

It's about time for Mesh to meet again, except for one thing: our brains are tired. Or, more accurately, our capacity to read any more books at this point is totally maxed out. So we're going to meet with no intellectual aspirations at all--just socializing and evening prayer. Oh, and food, of course. Come and celebrate Easter with no brainwork required.
Hence:

Join us on Thursday, April 19th
at 7:30pm
in Sterling, VA
(location given upon email request)

FOOD. DRINK. TALK. COMPLINE.

Bring a friend, food, or drink to share if you feel so inclined. And let us know if you have serious dog allergies. Mesh is geared toward people in their 20's and 30's who are interested in discussions about faith, but all are absolutely welcome.

this thursday: (not) talking about God

2007-01-15T17:07:00.000-05:00

Friends,
7:30 pm, this Thursday, January 17, we gather in Sterling to discuss How (Not) to Speak of God by Peter Rollins. (Directions follow in an email to the meshcommunity yahoogroup--click here to join).

If you've managed to pick up the book, and you're slogging through the first half of it, thinking to yourself, "What is this a/theism thing, again?!?" well, fear not. For the less academically-inclined among us, just go to the second half of the book, the part that describes the services at Ikon. Read a couple--they're short and interesting. That'll do you just fine.

And as always:

having read the book is not a prerequisite to joining us!
bringing friends is highly encouraged
bringing a beverage or snack to share gets you extra points. :)

See you Thursday!

How (Not) to Speak of God

2006-12-19T14:44:00.000-05:00

Mesh is back, baby. Well, we will be after Christmas, anyway... We'll meet in Sterling on January 18th at7:30pm to discuss How (Not) to Speak of God--and all are welcome whether they've read the book or not. I was at a conference in Richmond last month where the author Peter Rollins was a featured speaker, and it was incredibly cool to see this scruffy Irish guy stand up in the middle of the rather staid Episcopal parish where I grew up and talk about the future of the church. And tell jokes. So I bought the book, and am halfway through it, and am highly impressed.

Rollins' book has its own Wikipedia page (!) which says, somewhat dryly:

How (Not) To Speak Of God is a non-fiction work by Peter Rollins, the co-ordinator of an emerging church group called Ikon. Influenced by Ikon services, the book aims to re-envisage faith in the postmodern world, moving away from dogmatic certainties and towards an appreciation of provisionality, fragility and fragmentation.

I'm pretty sure it's a little more interesting than that paragraph sounds. The second half of the book is about various services that the Ikon community has put together--sort of a handbook for emerging-church liturgy. It'll be an interesting discussion!

Get the book here. And if you're coming, make sure to sign up on our yahoogroups page so that we can send you directions. See you there--and bring a friend.

rehash: Lamb

2006-09-14T09:43:00.000-04:00

Just a note to say that it was a great pleasure to have you guys over last week. What a great spread of food--what a great group of people--thanks for making the drive all the way to the 'burbs! (Smokey says hello, too.) Next time we should take a picture or two to put up here. Anyway, looking forward to seeing you all at the October meeting. New folks are always welcome! Peace, Susan

mesh October 5

2006-09-08T10:20:00.000-04:00

On October 5 mesh will be discussing is The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical by Shane Claiborne. This is a deep, funny, and sincere spiritual autobiography that is profoundly loving and challenging at the same time. Shane takes you through his “born again” moment(s) in his native Tennessee, to the ghettos of Philadelphia and Calcutta, India into contemporary suburban mega-churches and out to Iraq --- all in pursuit of the way of Jesus.

If you are looking to be inspired --- this book invites you to consider one person’s journey and the committed communities he is helping to nurture. You will laugh, cry and ask important, even holy questions about being a Christian in our time. To learn more about Shane, please visit his community’s website here. Join us on October 5 for an engaging conversation about this "revolutionary" book. Mesh will be meeting in Arlington, walking distance from metro. To get detailed directions or ask questions email meshcoordinators@yahoogroups.com

Lamb: the book you should read.

2006-08-01T10:39:00.000-04:00

Right, so, Lamb: has the potential to be highly offensive to some (sex, language, some more language, and --oh no!-- Jesus learning to meditate, levitate, and multiply grains of rice with some yogis in the east somewhere). Plus, Jesus comes across as a human being trying to do the best he can through the narration of Biff, who is a class-A jerk who happens to have invented judo (jew-do, get it?). This is not a book for the faint of heart. Anyway, it's funny. Christopher Moore fills in those early years of Jesus' life with travels throughout the world and encounters with other religions. Then in the last section of the book, he recaps the Gospels. Moore tries to keep the light touch throughout, but he does a really interesting job of telling the story of Jesus' ministry and his death from a slightly more coherent narrative style than, say, Matthew, Mark, and John. The whole book raises some interesting questions about what we're willing to tolerate in a savior, how human we want him to be, and how much imagination we're willing to use to understand the story. Anyway, it's fabulous. Come discuss with us! You can read the author's note about it here.

mesh: a new, inclusive, faith discussion community

2006-07-30T21:38:00.000-04:00

We are Christians in our 20s and 30s scattered around Northern Virginia eager for discussions on matters of faith. The word "mesh" means to mix, entangle, share, harmonize --- we hope to do all those things in conversation with peers from in and outside the church, across faith traditions, with different views, insights, beliefs and practices. Join us for the first "mesh" discussion on September 7. We will be discussing Christopher Moore's novel Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal a funny and inspiring imaginative look at the life of Jesus. On October 5 we will discuss Shane Claiborne's provocative spiritual autobiography Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical.

To get directions or ask questions please join our "meshcommunity" Yahoo! Group.