Well now…of all the blurb subject lines I’ve ever written, this one may be among the strangest. It’s a gesture toward the fertile imagination of Tim Penner, who is helming the Talky Bit this Sunday. As always, Tim is going to take us somewhere we would probably never think of going on our own – just one of the reasons I’m excited about what he has to share. Here’s his expansion of the subject line:

This week we’re going to take some time to consider the eel.

Wait, just hear me out…

We may not think about eels very often, unless we happen to be ordering sushi, but that slippery little fish, specifically the European River Eel, has been at the centre of an (at least) 2500 year old mystery that involves Aristotle, Julius Caesar, Leonardo DaVinci, Sigmund Freud, the unification efforts of Early Modern Italy, Carlsberg Beer, and the Bermuda Triangle.

Intrigued yet?

Like any good mystery, the story of the eel tends to expand outward, becoming increasingly odd and complex the deeper one digs. It reminds me a lot of what happens when we begin to consider this thing we call God. Despite millennia of confident and bold proclamations about who and what God is by very loud voices, there continues to be a great deal of mystery, and within that mystery, a beautiful, and comforting, unknowingness.  (Tim Penner)

Now come on…doesn’t that make you want to climb out of the sheets on Sunday morning just to be in the room when Tim unpacks this?! Eels and God…I can hardly wait.

Other matters of importance:

Kids Table – is ON! I love the way this community welcomes and enjoys our littles, and I’m so grateful to the team of folks that provide thoughtful and creative input for them week after week. Kids Table leaders – you are awesome!  (By the way, we could use one more person on that team to help us be able to provide this program every week in an ongoing way. If that person might be you, please let me know.)

Finances – a reminder that the next two months are a critical part of our operating year and that your contributions keep this community alive. If finances are part of how you participate in our shared explorations, know that your gift of money is a gift to everyone that calls The Table “home”. Donations are tax receiptable.

Location – we’ll gather at Creative Manitoba (245 McDermot Ave, fourth floor) around 10:30 a.m. (I keep writing that for the benefit of anyone that is unfamiliar with the community. What it really means is that the coffee will be ready around then, but you can come whenever.)

I’ll see you on Sunday.

Peace

Tim Plett (one of the other Tim’s)