2010 Convocation 
“You must be born of wind and water...” is essentially what Jesus said to Nicodemus in the third chapter of John. To which Nicodemus responded “Huh?!?” Okay this might be a bit of a translation. But you get the point. As is the case with most people when it comes to these obtuse sayings in John, Nicodemus didn’t understand what he was being told, he didn’t get it, he was confused. How can one be born of both wind and water? Why would we even want to? What is the purpose, what is the challenge, what is the gift?
It could be said that the Spirit is equally disguised or difficult to understand or grasp, if even recognizable or knowable at all. But in truth the Spirit is always moving, speaking, inviting in a multitude of beautiful and alluring ways,and our task is to hear, to notice, and to respond to this uniquely diverse guide. Uniquely diverse because the human race is so diverse. For some the ecstatic experience of dance might draw them deep into the Spirit’s everlasting party, while for others it is the call of quiet and solitude that leads to a greater communion with the Divine. However you are drawn into the Spirit’s ever-flowing current you will find it amongst us, the Alliance of Baptists. We will sit, dance, draw, sculpt, sing, play, listen, talk, reflect, eat, all while we experience one another and the Holy in new settings and in new ways. 
Leading us in this exploration will be recording artist Carrie Newcomer, author, Mark Yaconelli, visionary leader of InterPlay, Cynthia Winton-Henry, and professor and pastor, James Chuck. Just as the spirit knows no boundaries, just as wind and water cannot be truly confined, we too seek to create a community that knows no boundaries. Young and old, gay and straight, male and female, able bodies and differently abled bodies will find a place to be and a voice that invites them into a new and different way of being in the world, a new way of discerning God’s call for their beautiful and beloved lives.
Come move with the Spirit at Asilomar and be born of wind and water!
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