Thursday

Take My Seat!

Whew! Everybody has "hit the wall." The energy reserves are almost gone and the crew is TIRED. We keep getting to Anderson Auditorium later and later and the crowd is small and smaller for the door opening. The hall is still filed by keynote (they have been great) but it takes folks longer to get there.

The keynote forced us to look at ourselves vis-a-vis the rest of the world. Particularly powerful was a statistical demonstration of the distribution of the world's wealth and resources. One hundred youth each represented a percent of the world's population. It was numbing when so many stood representing malnourishment and so few stood representing wealth. A lot to think about!

We continue to enjoy our meals at the Assembly Inn. The food is tasty (by most folks admission) and it is plentiful. We didn't think that we would like the eating arrangements (we had really grown fond of the Glenn Rock Inn) this year but we have really enjoyed it.

A special treat is in store for us tonight. Matt Auten (Mary Ellen Auten's uncle who lives in Black Mouuntain) is going to give us a private concert. Matt has recorded a couple of CDs and played in a variety of venues in the Southeast. We look forward to hearing him.

The concert was super! Matt played for about an hour and a half for us. He shared some of his own songs, some of other folk's songs. He sang "I Am My Own Grandpa" and lullabied us with "the Pajama Song." He played on his guitar and his new octave mandolin. God has given Matt some incredible talents and we are grateful for his sharing them with us.

Our "Back Home" group focused on Isaiah 55 tonight and wrestled with the issues of sharing our abundance with others... not just material, but spiritual blessings as well.

The conference has been really good. It has challenged us... pushed us out of our "comfort zones" and forced us to look at the world in a new way. It's been a good "discomfort"

Last edit made on 07/15/2002 03:17 PM