Comments on: The Open Table

By: Coming Soon: The Open Table « The Vineyard

Coming Soon: The Open Table « The Vineyard — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 16:55:37 +0000

[...] can visit HERE & HERE for more info on the background of the Open Table, and see previews and [...]

By: Matthew

Matthew — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 08:44:43 +0000

I wonder if there is an Open Table community in my city, Nashville TN.

By: Adam

Adam — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 21:29:27 +0000

Ditto on the praise. This validates a desire in me to shift from “seeker-sensitive” to simply “approachable”. I wonder how others responses to the quesitons, from varying economic/ethnic/social/cultural backgrounds, would compare.

By: Soulstice Community Church

Soulstice Community Church — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 15:11:28 +0000

ammend comment #14 to say “what you DO sucks, and what we want to do is cool.”

By: Soulstice Community Church

Soulstice Community Church — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 15:10:44 +0000

I keep trying to communicate this reality to people in leadership at my church without offending them and saying “what you sucks, and what we want to do is cool” and it’s really difficult. Often my words come out wrong, people’s emotions get involved and it ends up going south real quick. Thanks for a tool that helps communicate what I want to say from an “objective” third party. well done.
micah

By: Brianmpei

Brianmpei — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 18:55:20 +0000

O.K., I don’t like you any more Donald Miller. I’ve been working on this idea for 2 years now, calling it “The Friendship Experiment”, and you come out with this. The worst part is that it looks like your version totally kicks the butt of my idea…

Do you mind if I tell people you totally copied off of me? Not like a lawyer or judge, just my friends here. Cool?

By: Kim

Kim — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 00:52:52 +0000

(I KNEW that had to be Rick. Great to put a face to the voice.

Anyway…

This just might be the COOLEST thing in the history of cool. It’s something I’ve been wishing for, without knowing exactly what I was wishing for (if that makes any sense). I think people sitting around telling their story is the most relevant, non-threatening, potentially life-changing thing there is to those that are looking for answers. Can’t wait for spring!

By: Scandalous Sanity

Scandalous Sanity — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 22:21:05 +0000

Projects like this are what the world needs. I think honest discussion about God and spirituality are lacking, but so refreshing when someone actually opens up and does it.

By: sunday’s best: first edition. « The Smallworld

sunday’s best: first edition. « The Smallworld — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 08:33:55 +0000

[...] Donald Miller invites you to have dinner at his house. (Or something like that.) Donald Miller announced on his blog this a new thing called The Open Table inviting seekers and skeptics in Jesus-as-Savior to join [...]

By: Steven Malone

Steven Malone — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 19:21:03 +0000

This sounds like an amazing idea! I have been writing a lot, and I’d love to incorporate answers to these questions in my writings. I am actually working on a blog right now about me going homeless and traveling the world to find myself, and repair my broken relationship with God. (A not so obvious plug to my site.. lol)

A few years ago I had a small group that used to meet up at starbucks for a “Bible Study”. The guy who lead it was a youth pastor and was really interested in my faith and knowledge, because I happened to interrupt there discussion once with my point of view, and they liked it. Nonetheless, we ended up turning these bible studies into an “Open Table” discussion. The kids were younger than me, and much younger than the youth pasture, but we both gave them some sort of mentorship to follow. His wisdom and experience helped them see what is true and just, and my youth and insight to the current times helped them see how to apply these things in their lives.

It was great, we would ask them who God was to them, and we told them to answer honestly, and not how WE wanted to hear it. It took time, but eventually they let go of the “People Pleasing” answers and just let it all out. It was good, because everyone was different. God works differently in everyone’s lives, and they discovered that the God they believed in wasn’t the same among the rest of the group. But a pattern emerged and we began to see who God really was and we as a group discovered God, rather than letting our flawed perception of the world corrupt our vision of God.

Its amazing these kind of discussions, because the rhetoric changes from biblical wordiness to a modern syntax and the semantics becomes clear. In church you have someone saying “I rejoice in my faith with the beloved Lord, our God Almighty!” and everyone nodding and clapping… a few “Amens” ring out… But at an “open table” someone says “I think I am happy about following God, I don’t know… its not really clear but I feel important now, and I feel this presence of a god pushing me and guiding me to something better, at least I hope so”… and with this no one nods, or claps… they sit with there eyes wide open, listening… and understanding…

Again, this is a really good idea, and Don, its amazing your influence on the world. You have a gift that I admire… Thanks.