Well, the days are starting to run together, but there are some moments that have stood out. On Sunday morning, we decided to avoid the mobs of DOC folk trying to hear Fred Craddock preach, and we walked across the street from the hotel to worship at McKendree Methodist Church. Good decision. The service was contemporary, urban, lively, and the African American pastor gave a fiery sermon about what to do when we find ourselves in a pit (like Joseph). He reminded us that being in a pit is not an excuse to throw a "pit-y party." Great line! We enjoyed the music and the message.
In the afternoon, we went to a reception for the Bethany Fellowships. This is a ministry that nurtures new pastors during their first years of ministry. It was such a blessing in my life and ministry, and it continues to nourish new pastors. It was such fun to see all my BF friends. We opted out of the evening concert and chose to relax in our hotel room that night.
Yesterday was business sessions in the morning, then I met up with some good friends of mine from back in the day - Shari Allison and her mom Sheila. The years melted away as we talked about people we knew back in the 80s in Des Moines. I am amazed at how strong those connections still are for me. It was a real treat to get to see them while I'm in Nashville.
Then my daughter Bethany and I attended a workshop on global missions. It was simply missionaries sharing the stories of what they do. Wow! I got goosebumps hearing them talk about the lives that are changed through their day-to-day work. It was the best GA workshop I've ever attended. I'm so proud of our denomination for supporting such great work.
Then there was worship last night. I was really looking forward to it since it was billed as an "emergent" service and Brian McLaren was speaking. I think I got my hopes up too much. The service was more a mash-up of weird things - an unsingable Vietnamese song, a rollicking version of "When the Saints Go Marching In", people walking in the aisles waving giant flags, and a group prayer experience that no one seemed to understand or do correctly. Frankly, I was embarrassed. Not only was the service not emergent, it wasn't even well-designed. I kind of hated for Brian McLaren to see it. So, I wasn't in the best mood when he began preaching, but he did a nice job of showing us how we can be a Luke 10 church - using all three stories from Luke 10!
I was pretty wiped out and cranky after worship, but I felt I needed to make an appearance at an aftersession led by the New Church Ministry. It was actually for a new initiative to start high-growth churches - so it didn't really apply to me. But a good friend and mentor, David Shirey of Coolwater Christian Church in Arizona shared his story at the event. David began by being brutally honest about what 9 years of church planting had done to himself and his family. He shed some tears, and I was crying right along with him. His story has been my story - a long string of "defeats" with a few "victories" scattered in just to keep you going. But David's long list of setbacks was followed by a litany of praise for all God has done through his new church. They are not yet a high-growth church, but they are moving forward into meaningful ministry. They completed their first building and have been worshipping there for 2 months. I had asked him earlier, "Did it increase your attendance?" He nodded and answered, "By 40%." Wow. His story was just what I needed to hear, the next whisper from the Holy Spirit letting me know there is something good up ahead...
No comments:
Post a Comment