Quite the Week
For the past year I've worked constantly on the national convention for the Evangelical Press Association. I chaired the event May 5-7 at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Irving. That explains how a week has passed without a blog entry.
Tuesday I had dinner with the board at Hattie's in Oak Cliff, near where Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested. Fantastic restaurant. I ordered the cod flown in that afternoon from the East Coast. Serious yum. Afterward we drove by the theater where the arrest happened.
Wednesday I picked up four data projectors from the media center, and I'm sure I looked like a sherpa loaded down with them in addition to the one I own. A bunch of my DTS journalism students showed up at the hotel about the time I did, and they added good humor to the week.
We kicked off the event on Wednesday night with Ed Stetzer (above) of Lifeway Research. I sat next to him at dinner and enjoyed an interesting conversation. He challenged us to do a better job of using accurate statistics, calling into question the hype about how the last young person has left the church. Young adult church attendance is actually where it was in 1972. He also encouraged us that great movements of God usually happen during difficult times. And he called us to address the fact that sexuality issues are profoundly affecting the church. Time to provide some relevant dialogue.
A local media company arranged an advance viewing of "Get Low," inspired by the true story of a recluse who planned his funeral while he was still alive. The Robert Duvall, Bill Murray, and Sissy Spacek lineup totally works. Murray is not a funny guy in this one. When the flick comes out, see it. We also got to see a preview of the next Narnia film, "Voyage of the Dawn Treader." Looks fantastic.
I caught bits of workshops, but mostly made sure everybody showed up, got introduced, had working technology, stopped on time...
Thursday morning Sue Edwards led devotions, and Thursday night the "I Am Second" people sponsored a night out at the Ranger's Game. Cracker Jacks. Hot dogs. And impeccable weather. Think blue sky, nice breeze, 75 degrees. We won in an exciting two-home-run-in-a-row finale that pulled us ahead 13-12. The crowd was euphoric. Hollywood couldn't have orchestrated an ending that good.
Friday morning Thelma Wells, formerly of Women of Faith, led devotions. That night Anthony Evans' singing brought a standing ovation for only the second time in EPA history. He was followed by Bishop T. D. Jakes. Unlike his TV persona, he seemed very quiet and reflective. He had given some serious thought to what he wanted to say to us, calling us to a higher standard of civility in journalism. Then he took questions for 20 minutes and gave great answers about how we can work for racial reconciliation and other justice issues.
My hubby joined me Wednesday and Friday night. He and my daughter spent the night in our hotel room Friday. And while they slept on Saturday morning, I slipped out to go to DTS's graduation. Our beloved Prof Hendricks retired from classroom service after six decades, making it a bittersweet event. The man is a dear friend, who especially encouraged me at faculty retreats when I was only one of two women present.
I do love singing the roof-raising school song, "Crown Him With Many Crowns," in four-part harmony with that many people. Nothing like it.
I caught a nap at home before heading out again, this time to a reunion dinner with three other women from the Israel trip while EPA prez, Diane McDougall, was in town for EPA. Our friend Cari cooked for us, and then we watched "Fiddler on the Roof" in Israel's honor.
Diane spent the night at my house before heading back to Virginia, and she attended worship with us...at our last Sunday together as a church. We had dwindled to about twenty people and all the options we pursued fell through. Some old friends joined us for the service. Killer.
My daughter gave me a Mother's Day hug and the sound track to "Mamma Mia," which we hope to see in NYC together. That was nice.
So, after that twenty-tissue service and a pot of chili with my family, I took Diane to the airport.
How's that for a week of high highs and low lows?
Today I started teaching a three-week creative writing class. But tonight I sat, vegged, and watched dumb TV shows!