As I reflect on this past weekend’s goings on, I am heartened that the academic year (a very bad one), ended with this meeting. I can’t help but recall when I first met some of these people, many whom I have known for years, and in only fleeting emails over the years have kept in touch.
As I plan the 2011 meeting of the Society of Pentecostal Studies program, slated for Memphis, I think about the nature of meetings like these, and how most academic meetings completely bore me, this was not one of those. I remember meeting one person at an academic conference, thinking that they did not look anything like I expected, and were quite bright and yet approachable, that person drew me into their story so completely, it was as if the conversation we started in 1987 in some cafe in San Francisco had just concluded with a big hug.
I remember meeting another person and wondering if what they were thinking about in their wildest dreams was ever possible? And if it was, could I ever get over my innate cynicism…I have spent the last 10 years or so out of this person’s life, only to have reconnected recently, and wondering how much I actually knew about this person back when I met them…I do know that if a fraction of their dreams come true, the world will be forever changed.
I have met most of these Louisville participants before, some in passing, some in informal gatherings, some in very difficult and awkward moments. What I can tell you is that whenever you feel free enough to talk outloud, share your secrets, admit your failures, and still walk out of those meetings with some sense of purpose and hope, you have transcended the mundane ego-driven goals of most academic meetings, and you have begun to form a community…welcome to our stories…
Universals
June 9, 2009
Sentient beings are innumerable, I vow to help them all.
Afflictions are inexhaustible, I vow to end them all.
Ways to practice is boundless, I vow to master them all.
Enlightenment is unsurpassable, I vow to attain it.
