"Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received"
1 Peter 4:10 NRSV
It has been a great joy these past few months to spend Tuesday evenings with a group of fellow St. Mark folk as part of an informal writing project. Though we each had our own personal reasons for wanting to be there, it soon became apparent that the experience was much more than just a sum of its parts. Those who wanted critiques of style and clarity received it in a very supportive way, those who shared personal experiences knew they were in a supportive environment, and those who were writing family histories and childhood memories brought all of us into those times, those places, those families... and we soon became a sort of family ourselves. I have long thought of St. Mark as my church family, but these evenings sitting around a big table reading our efforts brought home the fact the more we were sharing, the more great stories, and the more people being brought to life in them was both widened the circle and brought depth to the understanding of who we are.
It has as well helped me understand that everyone has a rich and complex life, that there is much more to their story than than ever meets the eye, and to hope that everyone some day gets a chance to share what they wish. I now truly see the value of writing as a good habit, and that while I may not be able to do something about everything I feel, writing about it is doing something about it, and should be encouraged and shared.
John Northrip
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