Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Virtual Staff Becomes Real Staff


For the retreat at Laity Lodge with the High Calling Blogs (HCB) staff, we drove from San Antonio west to Kerrville, and then another 20 or so miles west. Then south for quite a ways, turning off on a road of crushed rock (I’d guess limestone but I’m no rock expert; I sort them into ugly, pretty and common).

We drove for a few miles in the darkness, and then descended to the river. We went straight in and followed the river road (or road in the river) for what seemed like the equivalent of three or four blocks. And then a steep turn upward back on to the road. Eventually, four of us were dropped off at Song Bluff House – Gordon Atkinson, David Rupert, Sam Van Eman and myself. It was actually quite a nice residence – three bedrooms, two baths, large living and dining area, and perched on a bluff about the lodge’s youth camp. It was well after midnight, and we all crashed.

Breakfast the next morning was at 8, and then a devotion time followed by the staff meeting. Gordon led the devotion on Matthew 7:21-24, and I should have known something was up when I wrote the following in the journal I carry everywhere now:

Change Psalm

My heart is the Lord’s
My hands are the Lord’s.
My ears are the Lord’s.
My feet are the Lord’s.
My will is the Lord’s.
My hope is the Lord’s.
My desire in the Lord’s.
My desire…
    My…
        Lord…
            The Lord…
The Lord is my desire.
The Lord is my hope.
The Lord is my will.
The Lord is my feet.
The Lord is my ears.
The Lord is my hands.
The Lord is my heart.

The meeting started with a short presentation on the history of the Foundation for Laity Renewal and the Howard E. Butt family, and the lodge property itself. HCB editor Marcus Goodyear discussed the upcoming merger of the High Calling site with the High Calling Blogs site. Then Laura Barkat, HCB managing editor, talked about the importance of trust. We had lunch and then a telephone conference with the site design firm on the new process for entering content.

One of the best parts of the meeting was to talk with people I’d been working with online for more than a year in some cases. I had just worked with Sam on a Random Act of Poetry post for HCB. I’d worked with Marcus on several projects, and had been communicating and then working with Laura Barkat since the summer of 2009. And I work closely with Bradley Moore, aka Shrinking Camel, who’s my editor at HCB for posts on work.

But then there were all the others, people I had followed on Twitter and Facebook, left comments on their blogs, traded emails with from time to time: Gordon and Sam, Ann Kroeker, Laura Boggess, Claire Burge, Dan Roloff, David Rupert, Cheryl Smith, Dena Dyer, Deidra Riggs, Dan King (the Bible Dude himself!), Ann Voskamp and Jennifer Dukes-Lee.

When you read people’s writing for a sustained period and work with them online, you gradually form a picture of what they must be like in person. And for me there were no surprises. Well, not exactly. Sam Van Eman is a lot more serious on his New Breed of Advertisers blog than he is in person. Not that he’s wild and crazy. Well, not hugely wild and crazy. Okay, he’s kind of a crazy guy in a reserved sort of way.

That evening, we joined 50 or so other writers for the opening reception of the regular writer’s retreat. As I looked across the Great Hall, I noticed a tall man who looked a lot like someone I had seen before at my church in St. Louis. When he sat at my table at dinner, I realized he was the guy from my church. He was as surprised to see me as I was to see him – neither of us knew the other was a writer. (It’s a big church.)

I ended the evening by walking back to Song Bluff House, about a half a mile from the main lodge. The next day, Friday, we’d begin the workshops. I would be participating in the poetry workshop with Scott Cairns, a poet and professor at the University of Missouri in Columbia (who lives about 90 minutes from my house). All these Missouri connections…

Photograph: Laity Lodge, Great Hall building from across the Frio River, courtesy of my cell phone.

18 comments:

katdish said...

Thanks for the recap. I've met a few online friends in person, and I have to say, they were exactly how I imagined they would be.

Also, thanks for sharing your words from your journal. Wonderful.

Unknown said...

Yes, that about sums me up, Glynn. I don't mind the crazy part. It makes it awfully tough to find my writing voice, but I don't mind it.

Kathleen Overby said...

Your journal entry...chiastic structure. iLike intersections such as this.

Anonymous said...

Glynn- that's such a great photo of the lodge from across the river. I think that captures the beauty of the setting better than what they have on their website!

I didn't know you met someone from your church there- small world!

I posted today on the same subject -meeting online people in person. It was great, wasn't it?

Jerry said...

Scott Cairns I have heard at Calvin College's Festival of Faith and Writing. So much depth...I have to have my "spirit" on when reading or listening to Cairns. Sounds like a beautiful place for a beautiful time. I am a little jealous.

Red Letter Believers said...

Hey Roomie. It was really an great time to get to know you. And my surprise? You were more organized than I even imagined. I'm inspired to 'get my act together'....

I appreciate your friendship
david

L.L. Barkat said...

Coooooool. :)

Louise Gallagher said...

Wow! Just Wow!

Real Live Preacher said...

I wish I had started walking from our house to the lodge earlier. That walk was wonderful.

Doug Spurling said...

Thanks Glynn, good job transporting us there with the details of the road trip in, I could almost feel the bumps in the road. You're a good writer,thank-you for sharing.

Marcus Goodyear said...

Glynn, the line "My desire my Lord the Lord" reminds me of Carrion Comfort by Hopkins-- "I wretch lay wrestling with (my God!) my God."

It was so good to meet you in person. Good doesn't really give the experience enough credit.

Thanks for all that you have done and continue to do and be.

Marcus Goodyear said...

Here's a link to Carrion Comfort:
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poem.html?id=173657

Robert Treskillard said...

Glad to finally meet you, Glynn! And what an amazing way ... we had to travel 800 miles to find out how much we had in common.

-Robert

Maureen said...

I enjoyed reading of your impressions of those you met. I think it's great another writer from your church was there.

Rebecca Ramsey said...

Very cool. What a great opportunity to grow friendships as well as the writing.

Anonymous said...

This is great. Makes me really want to meet my online friends in the same way. Thanks Glynn.

Linda Bob Grifins Korbetis Hall said...

lovely tribe.

Linda Bob Grifins Korbetis Hall said...

reaching out and get tickled by friends is a way to relax,

http://thursdaypoetsrallypoetry.wordpress.com/2010/10/09/mountains-are-high/

claim the awards..
I encourage you to link in up to 3 poems (not necessarily related to the theme),


them more you share, the happier we are...
Thanks for the treats.