After Samuel Bartos played the entire Goldberg Variations (including all the repeats) on our little Yamaha grand piano some years ago, the piano glowed for about 2 weeks. Really. There was an energy in the room, emanating from the piano that you could feel. Just like after the AIDS-educating, South African group of singers and dancers, Siyaya, performed at First Presbyterian Church a few weeks ago. The air was electric. It just was.

And so is my heart. My chest is actually tingling. Ummm. Just take my word for it.

This is, of course, my post-spiritual-retreat blog entry. It's taking me a while to put this together because I want to describe the actual experience of it and I know I really can't. One of those you've-got-to-be-me-there kind of stories. And already my world is returning to its pre-retreat state. If I can (and I will) retain a portion of what I've learned and felt this past weekend, I'll be lucky indeed.

I've been reading Gordon Atkinson's thoughts and reflections and stories about Covenant for some years through his blog, reallivepreacher.com. And actually meeting the folk from his ongoing narrative was more satisfying than the casting of the Harry Potter movies. But, that's just the surface stuff. That's what made it easy for me to be drawn into this community of real, live and loving people.

On only a few occasions, have I received such warm and generous hospitality. Delicious, homemade meals, warm, comfortable bedding, easy, meaningful conversation and rolling humor. Providing for our comfort as though we were old friends.

Standing around the kitchen. "She thinks she's my psychiatrist," Paul said. "He thinks I'm not," Cynthia countered.

And this is another tie that binds the hearts and minds in Christian love. (That's a hymn quote, more or less.) In Tim, Gordon, Ben, Paul, Lexie, Cynthia and Jeanene (the friends from Covenant who facilitated the weekend) I experienced a love of life, for the scripture, for service and for the services we participated in throughout the weekend. Vespers at 8pm, Compline at 10pm, Matins at 3am (I soloed at 2am), Lauds at 5am, Terce at 9am, Sext at 12pm and finally None at 3pm. Yes. Baptists. Services that began with the gentle ringing of handbells. Then Chants Psalms and finally, during None, Communion unlike any I've experienced since and including my First Holy Communion in 1964. Not because of the ritual per se, but the attention and love that infused it.

This was a profound weekend for me and, I believe, healing for some of the other pilgrims who found their way to San Antonio after experiencing pain and devastating disappointment from their experiences with their various churches. People, who are so connected to God, through Jesus, that they want to get beyond their painful experiences and find their way back to the source of their love. Looking, maybe, to Gordon for some Truth and finding Love (what some call God, others, Jesus) in all the people of and around Covenant Baptist.