Hosting Housemoot

And...what can question marks create?

My name is Lindsay Kyle and I’m a rabbit-holic. It’s been going on for many years now. I’ll confess. It’s no secret that I harbor deep and profound affection for all things connected to The Rabbit Room.

I’m pretty sure the people closest to me in my life wish I would stop talking about it.

Sorry, not sorry.

The name comes from the little room inside the pub, The Eagle and Child, where C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and the rest of the Inklings would meet to share their creative work. They believed that we are the best versions of ourselves when we are sharing our work with others. Since you’re already on Substack, check them out here: The Rabbit Room

The Rabbit Room is a small corner of beauty in the dark world, fostering a community of writers, artists, songwriters, and creatives. They are committed to encouraging the making of beautiful things for the glory of God. In addition to lovely articles, they also produce beautiful works through their publishing house, host live music shows, produce theatrical events, and generally make the world a better place.

Each year, they host a conference called Hutchmoot (Hutch=a home for rabbits; Moot=to meet or gather). I had the very special experience of attending Hutchmoot back in 2019. Alas, the tickets are rarer than Willy Wonka’s Golden Ticket, and I have yet to secure once since.

Fear not, o my soul! For now there is HOUSEMOOT. This genius idea was birthed from the desire of many rabbits to take the glory of the Rabbit Room and Hutchmoot and bring it to their own neighborhoods. A “ticket” to Housemoot gets you access to the many recorded lectures, liturgies, articles, and discussion questions. As they say in their marketing: “We set the table. All you have to do is bring the guests.”

I was sold.

I enlisted my team of family and friends-that-are-family to join me in this grand celebration of all things rabbity. Here are my thoughts on the experience:

I’ve been thinking about “need” all wrong

Our little group listened to two lectures on hospitality, thinking through all the ways we move toward or away from others. The first lecture was given by Kevan Chandler and Tommy Shelton. Inspired by their new book, The Hospitality of Need, their lecture encouraged us to consider our needs, not as burdens, but invitations to relationships. Kevan used examples from his own life as someone living with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, a rare neuromuscular disease. His life situation calls for full-time personal care, which he receives from a rotation of dear friends. His life is an example of living out of need, all for the purpose of sharing Jesus with others. Jesus used His human needs to draw closer to broken people, to invite others into the story He was offering, and to restore dignity to the broken.

Loneliness is real…and we’re called to push against it

The second lecture, Let’s Get Coffee: Loneliness, Hospitality, and the Power of Conversation was a battle cry against isolation. Writer Kate Gatson challenged us to consider our role in helping others feel connected to community.

The strategy of pushing against isolation includes things like intentionally introducing yourself to people you don’t know, engaging in dialogue with said people you don’t know, and even taking the risk of inviting someone to coffee. (The horror!)

All of this might sound like a no-brainer, but the reality is much harder. I discovered something shocking about myself in listening to this lecture: I don’t like talking to people I don’t know well. My introverted tendencies don’t allow for the comfortable exchange of small talk in the sanctuary before or after church. What I’m learning, though, is that my introverted tendencies are not an excuse to avoid or hide. God created us to live amongst the humans, to connect with them, and to invite them to know Jesus.

What are some ways you engage with strangers? What strategies work best with your personality type? Help me, people!

Inspiration and Courage

I love new ideas. At least, ideas that are new to me. Our little Housemoot did not have time to hear all the lectures gifted to us. In my preparation for my own gathering, I listened to all of them. One lecture was from one of my favorite poets, Anna A. Friedrich. Check out her substack: Anna A. Friedrich

Her lecture was called A Question Mark is a Generative Little Thing: Discovering Creative Life in the Bible’s Questions. She shared some beautiful poetry inspired by her recent work in studying the lives of Elijah and Elisha in 1 & 2 Kings. In fact, she shared that her inspiration really began with a question:

So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen in front of him, and he was with the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and cast his cloak upon him. And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, “Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.” And he said to him, “Go back again, for what have I done to you?” And he returned from following him and took the yoke of oxen and sacrificed them and boiled their flesh with the yokes of the oxen and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and went after Elijah and assisted him.

-1 Kings 19:19-21

This question: “what have I done to you?” was wrestled through and answered with art. And this is Anna Friedrich’s challenge to us: What would happen if you engaged with Scripture by looking for the questions? What would you learn? How might you answer them?

So inspired and challenged by Anna, my next series of posts will explore questions from Jesus. In the Gospels alone, Jesus asks about 173 unique questions. What could we learn from his asking?