Last weekend I had the privilege and pleasure of attending Hutchmoot 2012. Putting the experience into words is no small feat, and any attempt on my part to do so would result in certain failure. The previous two Hutchmoots were wonderful in their own right, but I cannot remember being as utterly exhausted in the past as I was this year. (Based on Facebook posts, I wasn’t the only one dragging on Monday, taking catnaps, or falling asleep early that night). A sick two-year old and an eight-month old may have been contributing factors to being more tired going into Hutchmoot this year, but there is also a weariness that can come from trying to soak in so much truth, beauty, and goodness.
The sessions were rich, and though I wished I could have attended others (where’s a time-turner when you need one?), I am not sure how I could have absorbed much more. Having concerts three nights in a row was amazing, and Evie’s cooking was a partaking of her love and God’s love as manifest in the harvest of the earth and the fruit of the vine. But even more, the stories that I heard from fellow brothers and sisters amidst the fellowship shared around tables was, perhaps, the most encouraging aspect of the weekend. I heard of brothers doing a marvelous work for the poor in Modesto, CA. I heard of families seeking to be faithful in the churches where God has placed them, and their desire for their children to grow in their love and knowledge of the Savior. What I heard was testimony after testimony of believers endeavoring to be faithful to Jesus their king. And when I stepped back and thought about how spread out we Hutchmooters are, and how new or small our endeavors may appear to be, I could only be encouraged and conclude: “Aslan is on the move.”