theology on tap

This evening I went out to a local pub for an hour to support my pastor. I know, it does sound a little suspect, but there you have it. She was hosting a get-together for anyone who wanted to come out and talk about pretty much anything God-ish. There were some interesting folk there and the topics were varied. I was initially a little panicked, as the conversation turned quickly toward funerals and cremation. Someone was eliciting ideas for scripture to read at a funeral. It was important to him, but I have had my fill on that topic and it still carries a lot of charge for me. Fortunately for me, the subject didn't linger too terribly long. I was quite intrigued and felt empathic toward a couple who talked about the art of forgiveness. We all chatted around a bit and then on the way out, I discovered that a young woman, who was too far away to talk to during the course of the evening, went to Whitworth College--my alma mater. We had a nice talk on the way out about professors, dorms, and people (though being eight years younger, we didn't know many people in common). She shares my first name and is working in community mental health, too. So, we had a lot in common--quite wild. The world just shrinks right down to a tiny little place sometimes and it is rather nice when it does so.