Welcome

The current installment of the COEC began meeting in 2007.

We are currently on a "break," for no particular reason, and many little reasons - mostly pertaining to life circumstances. If anyone is interested in calling a meeting, feel free to post on the blog, join the google group (see link below) and send an email, or contact either Nancy (nancykj10@yahoo.com) or Jesse (schroeder.jesse@gmail.com) for more information.

To receive cohort emails, join our Google group.

2.28.2014

(Post-)Hell and Things Freezing Over

Hello everyone, and my apologies for waiting until Friday to post.

I am more than willing to move forward with our plans to meet for discussion at my house this Sunday. Whether that conversation is a continuation of last week, or whether we take a break from that topic for a while is fine by me.  I'm tempted to say maybe we should take a break from the topic for a week, for the sake of levity, since it looks like we might pick it up again the following week at Scot and Mary's.

If we do take a break, I think we can easily pick one the Nooma (Rob Bell) videos Jesse brought over the last time we met at my house.  Discussion on those would be less theological and more personal, which may be a nice contrast to last week's discussion.  I'm happy to make a couple pizzas again.

All of that being as it is, I want to suggest that we play Sunday by ear as it looks like by that time we'll be in the thick of a pretty nasty winter storm (...again).  The last I heard, the worst of the snow is supposed to be hitting right around the time we would be breaking up to head home.

Thoughts?

I'm cancelling today.  Hope to see you all at Scot and Mary's next week.  

2.27.2014

WTH!

Anybody with me on this?

Last Sunday we attempted to discuss the Hellbound? video.

It seems to me a discussion needs a forum in which the participants are in agreement on basic foundational issues regarding the topic.  Otherwise it’s a futile exercise.  Unless one just enjoys hearing oneself talk.

It seems to me the topic of hell, let alone who goes there and why are parts of a greater whole.
That “whole” needs to be established and agreed upon before attempting to discuss the parts. 

Sharing opinions on a topic without an agreed upon context to me is frustrating. 

Several things were said Sunday past that from my perspective illustrate this:

- Zack spoke of other options concerning hell.   

Based on what?  To discuss those options we need to agree on context.

- Jesse “said” in so many words that he and I have shared a common experience in our faith journey and went on to point out questions that have arisen for him (and a friend he regards to be of a higher spiritual caliber) that make him question the “classic” doctrine of hell.  Here again context is an issue, I would need to probe into Jesse’s experience to determine if indeed we do share a common experience.  Only then after establishing that commonness could it be referenced so as to bring credibility to his questions. 

- Jacqui shared how interpretations of scripture different from mine informed her opinions.  That’s an admission of approaching the topic from perhaps contrary contexts. 

Nancy got the ball rolling when before anything else was said she made a point of “out of respect” so as not to offend, asking for my opinion first and foremost.  This was fine and I am not upset or troubled by it but it shows the low potential our gathering had for being anything more than gab fest.  In affect her question stated the obvious:  What Mary and I believe is incongruous with the majority and so as to keep from offending Scot and Mary lets find out where they stand on this specific topic so we know how to temper our own remarks.  Gee, thanks for looking out, but that type of environment is not conducive to “discussion”.  If real discussion is curtailed because of our presence are we justified in feeling as though we are a “wet blanket”?


In short substance and depth can only be plumbed from a position of shared or agreed upon context.  To attempt to delve into those things with out such agreement seems lame.

I think we had the (hell) cart way before the horse last Sunday.  Establishing a common context is HARD work.  Are we up for it?


Proposals:  

- I see this coming week Jacqui is hosting a video “discussion”/ Communion.

Should we instead do some of the HARD work?  

2 weeks out Mary & I host the “discussion” of the Tim Keller book, “The Reason for God”.

    Do we want to discuss this book without a shared context?  By the way trying to cover this book in a onetime gathering is very optimistic.  There is a chapter focused on hell, perhaps we should limit our “discussion” to that alone.  If you need the book or that chapter let me know and we can try to figure out how to accommodate  you in that way.



love to all

Scot


2.21.2014

Hellbound - again

This Sunday, the 23rd we'll meet at Eve, Zack, Chris and Julia's house in Weinland Park, 4:00ish to 6:30.   Let's take another go at watching Hellbound. When Zack and I were in Cambodia this topic was what caused us to change organizations. I feel like we scoured the subject then and frankly I got tired of hurting over it so I stopped searching for concrete answers.  It'd be interesting to me to discuss this again and with a very different group.

We'll have Mexican buffet style you can help yourself to anytime.  Zack and I will provide tortillas, beans and cheese for soft tacos.  Please bring other fillings, sides or drinks (post in the comments). I would like to begin the movie at 4:30 so we have time to discuss after, so come a bit before then to chat, grab a taco and a good seat!

Kids and babies are of course always welcome to stay in the big group but we'll have our back room open as an area to play.  I've not watched the movie to know if there's any scary imagery.

See you Sunday : )

Eve

2.15.2014

Global Gallery Today

Thank goodness Matt called me this morning!  I lost a day or two somewhere in the week and thought it was only Friday today. 

I have space reserved at Global Gallery today at 3:00 p.m.  I have missed an awful lot of gatherings due to health and  the plan was to talk about community today.  It seems we have had various problems around getting together.  The weather has been the primary culprit.  Perhaps it would be a good idea to talk about what we want out of the Cohort and what we are willing to give to the Cohort.  I know that I have not been as much a part of our group as I should have been.  I guess that's why I have been concerned, lately.  We  are lacking in the communication aspect of community. 

I'd appreciate hearing from the rest of you so that we can address any issues that need to be discussed.  I think that we can be strengthened by having a good conversation.  I hope to see you there ready to have a coffee buzz-on.

2.08.2014

Hunger Games...?

Hello everyone - 

Apologies for the late email.  I just wanted to get a feel for who is planning on coming tomorrow.  

After talking to a few of you, I've discovered that very few of us have done any of the reading/listening around the Hunger Games theme for tomorrow (especially those of us who were most interested in the theme in the first place).  

So I'm offering up some options .... 

For those of us who are planning to attend: 

a) we can meet at my place and discuss the theology of Hunger Games, as planned
b) we can meet at my place and discuss sometime else
c) if it's easier for those who are available, we can meet somewhere else (Global Gallery, Stauf's, somewhere with more adult libations, etc) and just hang out and catch up

So...if you're planning on joining tomorrow, chime on in.  

Thanks!
Jacqui