[working title]
It’s not a church. It’s not at all religious. But,
we all have a deep, undeniable need for friendship and family, to feel part of something bigger, to seek meaning and purpose.. We need a reliable refuge and source of strength, wisdom, sanity, energy and balance for the coming week. That’s what The House in OKC will be.
So let’s get together each week.
We’ll sing together. We’ll share and discuss what’s on our hearts and minds. Good food wouldn’t hurt.
Our daily lives beat us down, demand too much of us and don’t fill us up.
To make matters worse, the messages we receive in social media, TV, films and corporate culture are often bad for us and need a counterbalance.
Everyone, especially those without religious beliefs or communities, needs to feel part of a community of kindred spirits and minds. Many people have found that elsewhere – through religion, political affiliation, sports, etc. – but for us, the baggage those groups come with just doesn’t feel right. So we want to start our own thing.
Part barroom singalong, part therapy, part AA, part church, part coffee house.
Here’s how I imagine a typical gathering:
Opening / Greeting
Singing together: Classic songs with relevance to us today
Presentation of an idea, message, theory or topic
Facilitated discussion of that topic
Closing. Maybe a meal together to follow.
What it is
Making real friends
Singing great songs together
Talking about real stuff
Knowing & supporting each other & each other’s families
Being honest and vulnerable with each other
Exploring philosophies and improvement
Finding common ground
Meeting in the middle
Practicing balance
Mastering gratitude
Giving back
Exploring spirituality*
What it isn’t
Religion
Politics
Anti-religion
People selling you shit
Motivational speaking
Exclusive
Preachy
Digital / Virtual
Opaque
Cliquey
A cult
New age namby pamby hippy dippy hocus pocus*
This is way too funny to not include
*Spirituality is a seriously loaded term. I totally understand if you’re turned off hearing this word that’s so often wrapped up in vague nonsense. But here’s what I mean by it: We always feel like we’ll be satisfied and satiated once we get X: The promotion, the car, the house, the lover, the whatever.
But a realer part of you knows you’ll never be thoroughly satisfied, full or happy, no matter how many retweets, likes or shares you get. No matter how much sex, money, highs, drugs, drunks, buying, glory or power you achieve. It undoubtedly needs something more, though you can’t put your finger on what it needs. THAT part of you is what we mean by “spirit.” Not crystals, ghosts or thetans. Just the real you.
Look for similarities. Ignore differences.
These days people seem eager to talk politics – or at least smoke out the political stance of others. Political discourse is seductive and toxic. It’s easy to find things to disagree about. Instead, we’ll search each other for similarities and forget the differences.
That means leaving politics, religion and divisive issues at the door.
As you return to social life in a post-pandemic world, you have a unique opportunity
to shape just what kind of life you want to have – to be intentional about which circles and habits you want to return to, and which new ones you want to explore or create.
Think about that for a second. You have a social reset button.
How will you use it?
The House doesn’t exist yet. It needs people who want to shape it and make it real.
It needs you.
Want to be part of it? Let’s get in touch! Fill out the form below.
Not your thing? No worries.
