Dinner and Divinity - December 17th - "Prayer"

This month's Dinner and Dinner was a twofold event. On one hand, D&D was its normal self. We had a delicious dinner (Middle Eastern meatballs - cous cous and cucumber sauce, chicken and asparagus and some Chinese dumplings [lots to choose from at these potlucks...!]). We had a diverse mix of participants and since our theme was prayer, we created a prayer list which we read during our divinity portion. We discussed the topic, got to know each other and enjoyed our selection of tasty desserts.

On the the other hand, D&D was also celebrating my last day of student teaching. Tanja did some decorating and used the night to congratulate me. It was a great way to finish off the semester! Thanks Tee!

Tanja put these little speech bubbles all over the house. They were awesome!

Dinner was great. A true potluck. Thanks everyone!

When you don't have a table, make one with your knees!

Dessert (thanks for the cookies Jessie!)

Erica, Tanja and Wink

Naseem and friends from San Francisco

Tanja even made that banner for me... from SCRATCH!

Dinner and Divinity - November 5th - "Meditation"

This week's Dinner and Divinity was led by Jessie Klein, a yoga and meditation teacher (and our friend and neighbor). After a filling dinner of lasagna, stuffed shells, chicken, garlic bread and salad, Jessie shared some of the basic concepts of meditation and led the group in a sampling of four different types of meditation: visualization, breathing, sound and reflective. We closed the night with some silence, prayer, singing, and of course - dessert!

Here are some photos from the night. Until next time...

Brenda, Jessie, Marlena

Garlic bread... ^__^

Tanja, Ollie, Chelsea

Tanja's Dad, Paul, who was visiting from Finland and me

Dinner and Divinity - October 22nd - "Coming out Spiritually"

This week's gathering was the biggest Dinner and Divinity we've ever held! 19 people cozily sat on couches, chairs and even the floor! It was a lovely and diverse group of friends.

The conversation was lead by Lisa Sargese, a religious studies professor from Montclair State University, on the topic of "Coming out Spiritually." Before getting to the topic, each participant shared their own spiritual path and where they currently feel they are. Then Lisa started the discussion, asking, "When you declare new beliefs or your interest in a different religion, how do you friends and family react? How do you respond to those reactions?" With heartfelt, honest answers, the group shared their experiences and the discussion carried into the night. The evening was capped off with a prayer for humanity and a series of seven desserts!

One - two - three - four - five ...

... six - seven - eight ...

... nine - ten - eleven - twelve... :)

Goat cheese and pear salad, Wild rice, Chicken cooked with mushrooms and tomatoes, Vegan artichoke baked pasta and a Pasta dish with a tomato and turkey sauce. Yum!

Good food and good company!

Seven different types of dessert!

Pumpkin pie, Cream puffs, Munchkins and four types of cake! (Red Velvet, Peruvian Strawberry Short, etc). Delicious!

John and Nassim having a cuddly moment with our cat Wink.

Dinner and Divinity - October 8th - "We Are God?"

For this week's D&D, a good friend of ours, rockstar / meditation leader - Mark Van Buren, shared some of his insights on the topic "We are God." Over the summer, he completed an independent study focused on the similarities between Buddhism and Christanity and came up with a paper about the need to find inner divinity. For D&D, mark put his paper into a powerpoint presentation and helped us think deeper about the reality of God and ourselves.

As always, we started our gathering with delicious food:

build-your-own Chicken Fajitas with some Potato salad on the side.

the lovely Jessie and Andrea.

Mark sharing his Power Point presentation.

The evening was brought to a lovely end with some lovely songs and drum beats...

Dinner and Divinity - September 24th - "Think With Your Soul"

This week at Dinner and Divinity, our dear friend Ally led some discussion on this interesting thought:

Often, in times of difficulty or decision making, we are encouraged to think with our head (rationally) or to think with our heart (emotionally).

Ally suggested, "What if we were encouraged to think with our soul? What would that look like?" Unlike our head and heart, the soul can not be simplified so easily. It is a divine mystery held deep inside us, manifesting itself in subtle reflections and silent moments. When we call upon our soul, how do our thoughts and actions differ?

Thanks for the engaging discussion Ally. Enjoy London for the next 7 months. We'll miss you!

Persian rice, eggplant casserole, bean salad, stew and salad. Yum.

So far, D&D's youngest participant. :D

Tanja and Ally. Cheerio mate!

Dinner and Divinity - September 11th

This week was a little different from previous times: We had a very international group of friends get together! These are some friends we met during our Year of Service in Haifa, Israel, where we worked along side people from all over the world, as well as other friends from New Jersey who had met each other in Israel as well!

Tonight was shared with Roya from Australia, Nabil from Germany/England, Matine straight from Jamaica on his way back to Seattle, James from NJ but on his way to Russia, Bahiyyah from South Carolina, Juliet who recently arrived from Niger and thrown into the mix was Tanja from Finland/Canada/NJ and Bryan, World Citizen! :-)

It was a lovely evening filled with reminiscing of the "good old days" , discussing all kinds of different and diverse spiritual topics as well as sharing some prayers.

Salad, homemade pizza and baked pasta. Italian night.

Conversing, reflecting.

So lovely to be together again!

Such strange elbows...

:)

Dinner and Divinity - August 21st - Middle Eastern Drumming

This week's gathering was a small and intimate group. For dinner, we ate salad, baked macaroni, a healthy vegetable dish and crab dip and chips. After cleaning up and conversing, we started with some drumming. This week, D&D was attended by Luis Manuel, an accomplished drummer, who teaches drumming workshops all over the State. (You can check out his website here). He led the group in several different Middle Eastern drum patterns. During a Sufi pattern, the type that Whirling Dervishes dance too, I read some mystical writings to accompany the rhythms. The spontaneous collaboration was quite beautiful.

We finished the evening with some more music and interfaith readings, followed by a delicious dessert of peach cobbler / crisp.

Here are just a few photos from the night. See you at our next gathering, September 11th at 7pm!

A Portuguese vegetable salad.

Post dinner conversation.

Luis Manuel. Check out his site and videos here.

Hasta la próxima!

Dinner and Divinity - August 8th - Multicultural Feast

Hey everyone,

Here are some pictures from this week's gathering. In summary, the evening was a bountiful feast of food and fellowship. You know, the norm. :)

Hope to see you at our next Dinner and Divinity, on August 22nd, at 7pm.

I say multicultural since we ate South American wraps, Persian potato salad, and several types of pasta.

Atridad, Robert, Kate

We also had home-made salsa fresco and chips.

Post dinner conversation and discussion.

Eric and "Wink" having a calm moment. :)

Dinner and Divinity - July 24th - "Shake the Dust"

Preparation for this week's Dinner and Divinity began with a trip to Montclair's Saturday farmers market held over at the Walnut Street train station. After perusing the local organic veggies and fruits and selecting some corn, heirloom cherry tomatoes, fresh basil and a host of other delicious picks, Tanja and I got to work preparing for D&D. We wanted to get the baking and oven usage out of the way so our apartment could be as cool as possible once everyone had arrived. (Nonetheless, our apartment was still quite hot!) So, what did we prepare? Well, we created two delectable quiche concoctions - 1. a standard broccoli cheese quiche and 2. a bacon-basil-tomato quiche. Both were delicious. (Sadly, I didn't get any pictures of them). We also made home made pico de gallo, a large salad with grilled chicken breast, gallo pinto (a rice and beans dish) and a banana bread loaf. Phew. That kitchen was rocking!

All prepared, friends started to arrive. And with them, the desserts came flooding in - cheesecake, cake, pastries, fruit! This was not a potluck dinner - it was a potluck dessert! Nonetheless, the food fed the masses and the dessert waited patiently while we got our divinity on.

After some brief introductions from everyone in attendance, I explained the evenings theme - "Shake the Dust." I explained that just a few days before, I had taken a powerful quote and put it to music - "Thou comest from the world of holines - bind not thine heart to the earth; thou art a dweller in the court of nearness - choose not the homeland of the dust." ~Baha'u'llah

The theme was also based on a conversation from the book "I Am That," where a seeker is told that in order to find out "what one is," one has to discover "what one is not." Jagadisha, from Be Evolution Hot Yoga, further helped the group understand the concept. Lastly, we listened to incredible slam poet, Anis Mojgani, deliver his famous poem on the topic, also titled "Shake the Dust."

After some music, some quotations and reflections, our discussion returned to the main topic. It was pointed out that although we live with many dualities, our true nature is one that is spiritual and noble. Just as darkness is merely the absence of light, so too hate and prejudice are only the absence of love. If we focus on the reality that mankind is not destined to kill, destroy, dominate, etc, we will find greater strength and assurance that we can attain our true selves and continue to rise up beyond the dust.

I hope that gives you a sense of the evening's discussion. Here are some photos to conclude this week's recap.

See you next time - Saturday, August 7th, 7pm!

Enjoying some "appetizing" homemade pico de gallo.

Jamie and his daughter Rhiannon.

Introductions and discussion.

An official group shot - tripod and all!

Dinner and Divinity - Sunday, July 11th - Yoga and Meditation

Last week, D&D took a beautiful step forward. For the first time in it's 16 months of community building efforts, D&D was hosted outside the confines of our cozy little one-bedroom apartment. It was instead hosted at someone else's "cozy little one-bedroom apartment." :) Not only did it take place at a new location, but it did so under the support of a courageous group of loving souls, who provided the food, space, friends, music, art and divinity for the gathering. As Tanja and I left for California, we left Dinner and Divinity behind, knowing it had matured and had found roots in the people and community upon which it had been founded. Although we could not attend the gathering in person, it remained in our minds and spirits as we cruised up the California coast.

Sunday's D&D was unifying and uplifting as always. Here are what two participants said about the gathering:

• It was a "very good D&D last night full of music, great company, plenty of spirituality, and good food."
• It had "some music, some readings, some food, some art, some meditation...lots of love!"

As the comments above show, D&D encompasses much yet is founded on a very simple premise: "Let's build a stronger community, one potluck at a time and let's engage the arts and reflect on our spiritual nature." It is hosted with openness, love and hospitality. Strangers become friends, hearts leave a little lighter - and a lot happier.

Dinner and Divinity's next gathering will be Saturday, July 24th at 7pm. Hope you can make it!

Carissa, this week's host and Jagadisha, from Be Evolution Hot Yoga,
who lead some chanting and meditation for the gathering.

A lovely group.

Dinner and Divinity - June 12th - Community Building

I am currently reading The Alchemist. Perhaps you've read it too? (If not, I'd HIGHLY recommend it). At one point in the novel, a strangely divine character remarks that "when you want something, the Universe conspires to help you achieve it." Currently, I want to build community, get to know my neighbors, strengthen friendships and create a better world, one day, one activity, one dinner at a time. Slowly but surely, the Universe has been aiding me to achieve this, more every day. Dinner and Divinity has proudly become the foundation of this community building. Every week we hold it, new connections are made and those that are once strangers become dear friends.

This week's D&D keep this tradition alive. After a delicious meal of salad, chicken stir fry with peanut sauce, rice and fried chicken(which sadly I don't have any pictures of), we gathered together and let the divinity flow. First we discussed a new activity we'll be starting next month. For about 5 weeks (meeting once a week), we will be holding a study group on "the life of the spirit,"seeking to expand our understanding of prayer, the soul and how to live a life of service. Putting our learnings into action, participants will embark on community building acts of service, like hosting their own 'Dinner and Divinity' style gathering. All are welcome so send me a email if you are interested in joining.

We finished our gathering with interfaith writings complemented by some instrumental music, songs and sing-a-longs, dessert and lots of discussion. Look forward to seeing you at our next gathering, June 25th at 7pm.

O and yesterday I got my 'hot yoga' on at Be Evolution. The postures, the heat, rocked my body yet refreshed my soul. Next month we'll be bringing the yoga to D&D (but will be skipping the heat!)

Om shanti. :)

Makini loving some mango tea

Readings and reflections

Hayden's LAST Dinner and Divinity :( We'll miss you brother!