Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Rich Foss on the DSC Call

Rich Foss spoke and fielded questions on Aprils First Tuesdays call. Could some of you who were on the call leave comments about it? Particularly what was helpful to you on the call and anything you're thinking about or processing because of it. Thanks.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

An old collaborative project

Untitled from Jonathan A Reuel on Vimeo.



Just found this old video from a collaborative project a bunch of Dandelion Seed people did for fun one weekend, thought I'd post it as a reminder of how getting together can spark creativity.

Start thinking about the Dandelion Seed Company. Think about if there's someone you'd like to invite, someone who needs to be there. It's going to be a good year, an important year, and year of transition. More soon.

Keith speaks at last year's DSC

Wasted or Worth It - Keith Spurgin from Dandelion Seed Co on Vimeo.

Saturday Morning, Last Year's DSC

Saturday Morning Session from Dandelion Seed Co on Vimeo.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Plans and Dreams for 2011 Conference

Not exactly sure, but I think we've done 9 of these conferences now. Plus a bunch of small local gatherings. Now we're gearing up for DSC 2011 in Indiana. While nothing is for sure yet, here's some of what we're

Tentatively planning:

- The Fikes and Paul Grout bringing themselves and their ideas. DSC wouldn't exist without these people, and they'll help us move into the next decade.
- Organizational/personal development and identity work with the Fikes.
- Training, networking and hanging out at Quaker Haven.

Dreaming:
- More local groups sprouting up across the country and beyond caught with the call to grow community, cultivate creativity and follow Jesus. Maturation or healthy ends for established groups.
- New increasingly excellent and creative projects.
- Integration of life and vision. Non DSC spouses and families feeling welcome and catching the vision.
- Entering deeper into the stillness of knowing Christ, anchoring ourselves there and from that - root our lives extending as a gift of love, beauty and hope to others in new ways.
- Discovering new ideas relevant to the areas that matter most to us. And God alone knows what that means for each of us and for us as a loose network of people strewn across this hemisphere like tacks on the floor or stars in the midnight sky.
- Seeing people escape situations, habits and fears that have kept them from living creatively, finding community and following Jesus freely.


The Dandelion Seed Company
is a loose network of people called to the crossroads of Art, Faith and Relationship. Sometimes our job is to just stand there. Other times we yell and let people know these roads actually meet. We're building tents and setting them up near the crossroads -- tents big enough for visitors and refugees but light enough to move when it's time.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Great First Tuesdays Call

The first of our First Tuesdays conference call went great. After vision and announcements by Adam and Jonathan, Ben shared about growth and challenges in his life and work over the last six months. Jonathan shared how “practicing the presence” over the last couple weeks has both brought freedom from fear and exposed hidden fears and anger in his life.

Questions and conversation followed, with comments from a variety of people. It was good to hear and learn from each other. We all have things to think about and practice.

Some Where To From Here ideas:
1. Try doing it (practicing the presence of God) over the next few weeks. See what happens. All the theory in the world is no good without real world experiments and personal experience.

2. Read “the Practice of the Presence of God” available here...

3. Triangulate by studying a related subject at the same time (this is something Ben suggested on the call). A couple ideas for related practices/concepts: 1. abiding (John 15 concept), 2. meditation, 3. Worship, 4. monastic hours. See how your growth in practicing the presence benefits from cross-pollination with a related idea/discipline.

Monday, January 3, 2011

Communication, Giving, Movement

Regular Communication.
Generous Giving.
Clear Movement.

RC: We're a network with aspirations to be movement-like. That only works if we communicate. It happens some naturally. To become what we long to become it must happen more intentionally.

GG: We've spent a lot of our ten years frustrated -- at ourselves, our circumstances, at the lack of resources, at the challenge of living out this creative call. One of the things that will get our heads out of our hmmm, and move us forward will be giving. There's a lot of desperate needs and we get the huge privilege of being part of meeting a few of those. We may not have what we think we need, but we have something, so lets give.

CM: To get from the IDEA of growing community, cultivating creativity and following Jesus to the reality of a grassroots movement we must find the path that includes 1. our continual growth (sacrifice and strain followed by profound rest -- rinse, repeat) and 2. our inviting others to walk with us towards this goal, and 3. encouraging, challenging, training and equipping others with what we've learned or been given.