It’s amazing to see how new babies bring new meaning to people. I heard someone say that grandchildren are a consolation for growing old. Might be true.
My wife Kim loves being a ‘Gama’. I hate being ‘Papa’, but love my grandkids. We all adjust differently to change.
Wow! What a week!
Several hundred delegates flew, drove and hitchhiked (okay maybe not hitchhiked) to fill the auditorium of C3 Church in Atlanta and be part of the C3 Americas annual conference.
To get a bit of a feel for the conference checkout the #c3americas Twitter feed.
There were a few highlights for me. Well… maybe just a slight bit more than a few. 
Phil Pringle’s session where he talked about faith and conscience had to be the absolute best teaching on that subject I have ever heard.
If it becomes available for download I’ll link it here. (which incidentally would be a good reason to subscribe to my RSS feed. Hit the link at the top right.)
The thing that constantly amazes me about Ps Phil is his ability to break down a difficult and controversial subject and leave you saying ‘of course, why didn’t I think of that before. It makes so much sense.’
“Your body is designed to be a temple, not an entertainment center! You were designed for God to inhabit!” Phil Pringle
“If your sincerity supercedes your faith you will find yourself living in performance.” Phil Pringle
But hey… there were many more speakers. Everyone shared absolute gold. Each one was completely unique. And Ps Chris Pringle’s session should rid you of any remaining religious devils OR make them manifest. Get the audio of the sessions if and when they become available. — hint rss feed (audio sessions are available here)
One of the many things I love about this family of churches is the freedom to be yourself. I mean really, how many of you are under constant pressure to be or act a particular way? Wouldn’t you just love the freedom to just be who God made you?
When you see the massive diversity of gifts, talents, personalities, capacity, training and experience of people throughout this movement you realize that there is a place for nearly everyone. Admittedly the religiously judgmental, the critically proficient and the defenders of tradition may find it somewhat harder to fit in… at least without a merciful reshaping of their fundamental values and insecurities. (…But God)
Oh.. did I mention the loud, worshipful, motivational, impartational, blow your mind loud, incredible, presence of God, forward looking, humbling, faithbuilding, honouring, really loud, can we do it again Stadium Night at Center Stage, Atlanta.
No?
I guess I didn’t. Why don’t you ask someone else who was there about it or if you were there, leave a comment below.
What do you think? Let’s talk.
Okay I know I was ‘complaining‘ sorta about the noise yesterday, BUT…
So I was on twitter last night… just catching up on friends and stuff. And like I occasionally do on facebook, I was checking out who is friends with my friends… (sounds complicated I know) That would be friends on Twitter not Facebook.
Anyway… I discovered that Barack Obama is on Twitter. I click the button to follow him since I think it could be interesting. Now this morning I get an email letting me know that Barack is following me.
My voice is not really that important to the Obama campaign… trust me on that one. (I’m Canadian) And it’s probably not even Barack but someone on his staff that (wo)mans the Twitter account. But even so, there was something emotionally satisfying in the thought that a presidential candidate just might care what I have to say (or tweet). (okay he’s a potential presidential candidate.. I do have some clue about American politics)
Looking through my twitter friends I realize that there are a few others there that I might consider higher level individuals (don’t read anything into that statement). It means something that they are following me. Doesn’t that somehow satisfy a human urge for significance. IT DOES FOR ME. Maybe technology really can contribute to our emotional health not just waste our time and resources…. and add to the noise around us.
I know there are all types of social media out there. Facebook is certainly connecting people who wouldn’t otherwise be connected. My wife discovered a brother she hadn’t really known before.
I’m really starting to like Twitter. It feels more like a conversation than correspondence. Maybe if a blog felt more that way others would get involved. Who knows?
So tell me… would you say things differently if you knew someone you respected was listening?
