Podcast feed on iTunes

So I am discovering that I tend to encourage my people to do things before I do them myself.  And in the past school year I have been encouraging my parishioners to practice telling their story and then record it online in audio or video.  See, I have been apart of groups that practice telling your own personal story - the story of your life's journey up to that point - as an important and highly valued practice.  This is true to the point that some groups will block out large amounts of space, time and attention just to listen to a person tell their story.  When I live at Ivanwold in DC, the house had a tradition, it was called 10 minutes of hell.  When you sat down to dinner at Ivanwold for the first time, someone, at some point during dinner would ask: "[Guest name], is this your first time to eat dinner at Ivanwold?!"  To which point you would invariably say yes, and this would lead you to have to share your personal story for 10 straight uninterrupted minutes.  10 minutes does not sound like a long amount of time, but when you are in a room full of people you have never met, and are asked to talk about yourself for 10 straight minutes, it is very long!

That first night at Ivanwold I made my 10 minutes, and on this podcast, in the intro I say I am giving you the 5-6 minute version, but I actually give you 18 minutes.  I thought I would first practice what I preach, and share with you a little about me and my family.  Because as we know, family shapes so much of who we are.  I hope you enjoy the brief history.