- Thanks to everyone for your prayers for the break-out I did yesterday at the denominational conference. It was well received and I enjoyed speaking the rest of the day with various pastors about ideas.
- It’s still weird being recognized from my days at Purpose Driven. I had a number of people come up and tell me how much they had enjoyed hearing me speak at various conferences I did previously.
- From a prideful standpoint it makes you feel special…sort of like a rock star. I remember once Lisa and I were travelling and we were sitting in a restaurant eating when someone came up and said, “Aren’t you Gilbert Thurston from Purpose Driven?”
- Now that’s cool every once in awhile, but I have at least a little bit of empathy for movie stars, athletes, etc., who can’t go out in public in peace or eat a meal without constantly being barraged by people.
- Makes you realize why the scriptures say that Jesus withdrew many times to get his batteries recharged.
- As for the rest of the conference, it had it’s high’s and lows.
- The lows are the business meeting parts…glad I only had to be there for 1 day instead of all 3. While the world is dying and going to hell, pastors of all people argue over the stupidest things including the proper way to conduct Robert’s Rules of Order.
- Not exactly sure who that Robert guy is but sometimes I wish he had been shot.
- The highs included spending time brainstorming with some pastors, hanging out with some friends and making some new ones.
- A couple of funny things happened as well.
- Earl got the church van stuck in the mud…which led to many of the pastors making jokes at Earl’s expense.
- Gene and I were determined to get cell phone coverage so we climbed pretty high up the mountain to find the perfect spot and then once you did get a signal you had to stand perfectly still. Ironically the world was still surviving without us.
- At lunch one of our senior adults from CFCOG (there as a delegate) was sitting next to me. He’s a great guy, but apparently he’s a little confused about what United is all about. Someone else at the table asked me about United and I told them we had maxed out the space in the new gym. Our older member says to me, “Well maybe you should have them come over to the church service then.” I thought he was joking and making a playful jab at our unique way of doing church. But then he says, “I hear that some adults are actually attending over there. You’d have more room if you sent them over to the sanctuary.” It took everything I had from puking my drink about my nose I wanted to laugh so hard. I guess that’s just further proof that as church leaders there is no such thing as over communicating.
- Before dinner, Earl was asked to come forward to pray for the meal as well as the evening service where people were going to be getting their pastoral license and others were being ordained. When he prayed for those getting their license he made up a word to describe them…it was something like…licensionists…I later ran into Kim who wasn’t there for that part and I said, “You’ll never believe what Earl did”…she said, “I’ve already heard.”
- At the service Gene got his license and right as it’s about to happen I realize that I should snap a picture on my cell phone. So I frantically, power it up (had it turned off like a good boy), get the camera mode going and then hand it to Kim because I couldn’t actually see him because the “camera man” was blocking my view. I give it to her just in time…she snaps the picture and…the memory card was full.
- And why was the card full you might ask? Because I had wasted so many pictures earlier in the day trying to get a clear shot of Earl singing in an impromptu choir that he decided to join. Problem was he was hiding.
- Another highlight was the keynote address from Rick Rusaw the Senior Pastor of LifeBridge Christian Church in Colorado. He gave a very inspirational talk and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house by the time he was done.
- Today is catch up from missing yesterday and tonight is our normal Wedneday night classes…why don’t you come out and check one out.