Well I had good intentions of trying to write while at the conference…and even try video, but it didn’t happen…My only excuse is that I feel like it was just yesterday that I was sitting here writing my post about leaving for conference. This week went by fast!
This year had it’s normal standard stuff: Rogier’s church video being amazing putting the quality of all else to shame (thanks Ro), Scott Last busting out oldies songs on every instrument on the stage, Scott Curly displaying his incredibly quick wit that makes me laugh so hard I feel like I’m going to puke, people staying out till 2am (or 4am) hanging out and laughing…but this year had so much more too. There is a lot that I could say about this year…This year has been our favorite year and like my friend Phil said, we’ll probably be talking about Staff Conference 2006 for a long time.
This is partially due in part to the guests that we had come in and speak. Alan and Deborah Hirsch (in the picture with us) came all the way from Melbourne, Australia to share their lives, experience, and wisdom with us. Alan works with an organization called Forge that trains missional leaders for the future. He has written a book called The Shaping of Things to Come, which I highly recommend if you want your head to twist a little bit. I read it last November and then we as a staff were going through it pre-conference. This is one of the better books about the Church that I have read in a long time. Alan and Deb were both good speakers, but it wasn’t only that that was meaningful. These people live church…they are kind, humble, wise, crazy, and generous people. Their stories are full of grace and they inspire others to give grace and life as well. Alan’s love for the Bible and it’s guiding of the Body was really an encouragement to me.
CAI staff conference is a time for spiritual and ministry renewal, but there is also a huge emphasis on fun (which I guess is one of the best ways to be renewed!). This year Klaus and I organized some football (soccer) games and had a blast. The games were physical enough to be fun, but fun enough to not get too physical. More than one night I stayed out past 2am just chatting with friends about life, laughing hysterically (thanks Paula, Spencer, Kevin, Andi, and our very own Jeff Plowman, and the many others that kept smiles on faces), talking about ministry and what God is doing in our cities. We met new people to CA that we really connected with that I am excited about doing life and ministry with in the future. There were a few new couples Jen and I’s age that we are stoked to get to know more over the years. The only bummer is that every year I leave feeling like I’ve just experienced the tip of the iceberg of so many people. There are so many cool people in CAI that I wish we had more time together.
Even though we leave in less than 72 hours for California I feel energized to be back in Paris. I am already looking forward to being back in September for a new season of life and ministry to start. We talked about a lot of practical stuff that I think will be really helpful for the growth of Vintage.
This year, after 3 years, we say goodbye to DeBron Conference Center. Your food was heinous as always, and I was even more impressed this year at the creativity you conjured up in using our leftovers from the days before to create new treats that never left me satisfied. We’ll miss your nice showers and clean rooms and you’ll always have a special place in our hearts…but never our stomachs. Next year we are off to Hungry to stay at Hotel Fagus (fah-goose…just to be clear). Check out the website…it’s going to be a nice change…I’m already looking forward to friends, laughter, God’s spirit showing up, and maybe some more football. We are so blessed to be a part of CAI and we are excited for the way things are shaping up…
I am now writing from beautiful Oregon…which means a few things. One: We did end up flying out yesterday despite my ears being a bit stuffed up. Two: My ears being stuffed up felt much better the next morning. They were working about 60% to their hearing potential. Nearly 95% now. Three: I did talk to a couple of doctors whose advice saved me from having pain rivaling that of snakes on planes. In fact my ears only hurt more than usual one time, but after a few minutes it went away. It was ‘fun’ to experience what having already popped ears pop even more…By the end of the flights I think the changes in pressure actually helped me! Thanks God. 
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