Home again, home again, jiggity jig.

Back from a week in Tampa and General Assembly – and what a week it was.  My pastor asked me on Sunday if I’d had fun.  My response was, “No.  I did not have one bit of fun.  But I enjoyed every second of it!”  Now, after having given it some thought, I’ll amend that statement.  I suppose I did have some “fun” during worship.  The music of Ken Medema was wonderful.  And yes, I danced.  That was fun.

As a first-timer to General Assembly, I really wasn’t sure what all to expect.  I’m on staff and had had plenty of advice and guidance, but truly didn’t have enough knowledge to know what to be afraid of.  Having been in on the planning since the first Steering Committee Meeting last fall, I saw how all the pieces fall in place, many people doing many jobs to make this happen.  But being there last week, I could not for the life of me figure out how we did it.  Like Terry Walton always says, “It’s a God thing.”

God was there.  In people happy to see old friends.  In honoring the past 20 years.  In looking to our future at CBF.  In the business sessions and in worship.  And oh, how He was there in the music.

I’m thankful for the chance to have gone to General Assembly.  To have heard people like Molly Marshall, Pam Durso, Buddy Shurden, Rob Nash, Christy McMillin-Goodwin, Colleen Burroughs … and of course, my boss, Daniel Vestal (he’s my favorite).  At one point on Friday evening, I found myself in a room with many former and present Coordinating Council members and some colleagues here at CBF.  At the close of the event, we were led in singing a song I’d grown up singing.  Knew all the words since before I could read.  Can sing the song without really thinking about it.  “What a fellowship.  What a joy divine.  Leaning on the Everlasting Arms.”  At which point, I found myself looking around the room and I was a little overcome with emotion.  I was in a room full of people who I didn’t even know a year ago.  Didn’t even know of most of them.  And I realized how much they (even those I’d just met) and what they’ve accomplished have come to mean to me in the past 10 months since I’ve been here at CBF.  It was a blessing and an honor and I’m so glad that, in the busy-ness of General Assembly, I did not let that moment go by unnoticed and unappreciated.  God was there.  And so was I.  Glory!

So I take a moment or two to reflect on the past week.  But I look at my calendar and realize that in about six weeks, I’ll be at the first Steering Committee meeting for next year’s General Assembly in Fort Worth.  My prayer is that we have the same kind of encouragement, cooperation and help that we had in Tampa.  You should come.  It’ll be fun.