I am here in Fort Worth, and yes, it’s hot. It’s so hot that it makes you rethink life, in a way. We stay huddled in air conditioning, like life wouldn’t exist without it. I was reflecting on how when I grew up, our cars didn’t always have air conditioning. And yet, we survived… but now, it’s like if the air conditioning is out, life comes to a halt. We are too pampered.
The State of the Church address was tonight, and it was filled with a surprising amount of optimism and celebration for all that we have done as Disciples. Sharon Watkins declared that our death was “greatly exaggerated.” She pointed to the way we have poured out through mission trips and assistance to all those areas hit by Hurricanes Rita and Katrina. She pointed out the over 500 new churches we have added to our ranks and to the fact that 80% of them are ethnic. We are again sending missionaries abroad to work with communities at their critical moments. Are we slowly turning outward again?
Wow - it’s good to see the positives resurfacing. There are a lot of people here, and it’s good to see new and old friends. My wife is having a good time meeting the folks at NAPAD, and we are finding that the days go by too fast.
I’ll have more about the emerging church stuff later.
July 23, 2007
I agree. I loved Sharon’s address last night. She’s a great leader for our church.