Thin place

Lately I have found myself more and more drawn to write and study for blogs, talks, my academic work and also to write up my prayer journal in my favourite coffee place. It defies logic really. Generally people Need peace and quiet even total silence to be able to encounter God and work, especially to produce written work. But I have found it really difficult for instance to work in my office. I think that the distractions that are around my office, such as my plumbed in Sky TV, my playstation, my book shelf. All these things hang around while I try to work. Before long if I'm not careful I'm playing another league match on Pro evolution soccer or turning on LFC TV to catch a glimpse of my teams news.

But when I get into the Coffee House in Durham City Centre, I seem to able to connect spiritually very easily, and before long I am in the flow of production.

I've been thinking about this lately why is it I find this place so spiritually alive?

My mind went back to a morning when I was praying in Durham Cathedral.It was very early in the morning and I was the only one in the building. I had literally just started to pray when my phone began to ring. Mobile phones are specifically not allowed to be switched on in Durham Cathedral. Within five seconds a lady in a purple robe appeared from behind one of the large ancient stone pillars in the main space of the building. She said in a very cross tone. "you are not allowed to use mobiles in here!" I replied with these very words, "I am so sorry I've just come to pray and I had forgotten to switch it off." she replied in a more authoritative tone, "I do not want to hear your excuses could you please leave." not wanting to cause a scene, I said, "bless you", and left. I walked straight down to the coffee house, my favourite place in Durham. Peter the owner said, "your not looking to happy." I began to explain to him that I must be the only minister in Durham to ever have been kicked out of the cathedral. We laughed about it together and he gave me a free cup of coffee to help soften the hurt i'd just experienced.

The thing about that, well there are many things I could write about that actually, what if i'd been a non-Christian looking for help? What impression of Christianity would I have had? but the thing about that morning is this, that I received more love from the non-Christian community than I did in a place where more than anywhere else I should have received the love expected through people who represent Jesus of Nazareth.

This came to my mind and I think made me think even more about the relevance of place. Are places important? Are specific buildings important. Theologically it doesn't seem to fit as I believe God is everywhere, and no doubt he is. But there are seemingly specific places where God seems to be really close? Where heaven seems really close? Where the kingdom of God is near?

The coffee house in Durham is one of these places for me. The Celtic people would have called it a thin place. A place where the limits between heaven and earth are very thin and Gods presence is more easily accessed. When I pray in there I connect so easily God really does speak more clearly than in many other places including a magnificent cathedral with a thousand or so years of Christian history. The celts believed some geographical places, places of extreme beauty such as a beautiful bay or a quiet river, or in the middle of some dark forest somewhere, or in a small basic monastic cell they could find connection with God more easily. They could face up to their demons more easily. They could find peace and consequently restoration and ultimately transformation.

I guess throughout history place has been important. In our fast paced world today, especially when we look at church, and the vast throng of would be change mongers who kind of unwittingly almost purport abandonment of our places. They speak out their eloquent lines and write their powerful words in books presenting a hard hitting message that we need to break out of our walls, we need to go to them, we need to get out of here and go to there. We need to reach people on the streets. Well we do no doubt. But I think we would do well to remember that most of the world still are looking for a place. A place of community, of connection and of love. A place where they can find something more, something valuable.

A thin place.

My coffee place is definitely a thin place for me. I can't quantify or add any provable science to that remark. Maybe it's something to do with the atmosphere of acceptance I find there as opposed to the rejection I found in another place, I really don't know.

It just is.

I think sitting in the midst of the world about me I begin to sense and see what God is sensing and seeing. I connect and identify with what God is doing in the world. And as I connect with God in my thin place a flow, no, actually an outflow happens. An outflow of creativity and mission, love and a sense of Justice.

I pray guys that we will all find our thin places.

And we will not be so quick to abandon the need of place.