Can't Believe I'm in the Land of Tara

Georgia doesn't look anything like Gone With the Wind.

Weird.

So it's Friday, 4:45pm, and I'm in the lobby again, using the potentially Swine Flu-laden computer. I have lost my hand sanitizer, which really ticks me off.

Yesterday I corrected myself to say I'm not in Atlanta; I'm in Duluth. Today I correct myself to say I've been living in Lawrenceville. And eating at a place called Moe's, where they have a menu item called the "Triple Lindy," which I think they named in honor of Mocha Lid, L-Vuj, and A Merry Heart Lid, but I'm not sure.

But I didn't order the Triple Lindy for lunch. Instead, I had the "Please Undo Everything Positive I've Accomplished in the 30 x 5" special. And add some Georgia pecans for kicks.

Today was the last day of the conference, and it was my favorite day. In the early morning general session, the host, Reggie Joiner, moderated a laid-back interview with Perry Noble, whose name I recognized but knew nothing else about, and Andy Stanley. I guess Perry Noble's humongous church, NewSpring, started in Anderson, SC.

Oh. I was just scared out of my wits because "The Long and Winding Road" started chiming really loudly, and I couldn't figure out where it was coming from. There's a clock high up in the lobby that just chimed 5:00pm with that song. Interesting. I wish it had chimed the theme from Gone with the Wind for ambiance. I guess I can't have everything my way all the time, can I. But a girl can dream.

Anyway, YEAH, Perry Noble and Andy Stanley.

Andy Stanley, I know.

It was a great session. The best take home point of that interview was that both men see child and student ministries not as the church of tomorrow, but of today and went on to extrapolate why. Good stuff.

My break-out sessions have all been good, but as usual with conferences, they could have been even better had they included more specific details.

I'm a detail, steps person. So when I went to one break-out and the speaker began with, "We're not going to offer you steps and details about how to do this; we're going to be painting with broad strokes," I said, "Harumph."

Because "Harumph" is how you cuss at a Christian conference.

I don't mind broad strokes as long as the speaker uses lots of real-life examples, illustrations, successful vs. unsuccessful strategies, etc. because I can get generalized guidelines for just about anything anywhere. I want to hear specifics from them because they're the "pros" at this. I'm here to learn. What worked for them? What didn't? Spill it!

Is this too much to ask?

So now we are done with all of our good work here and are ready to head out and par-tay like a bunch of crazy church staff! Woo! Perhaps we'll buy big ol' ice cream cones and then walk to the local fabric store and admire the clever calico print. Or maybe we'll have a rousing game of miniature golf and then take a 1 mile radius walk around the hotel with no pool.

Actually, I think we're going to a place called Jillian's for some "competitive bowling sport." That phrase reminds me of Monk, the uber-repressed, OCD ex-detective who cannot bring himself to use the sanitized phrase "marital affair" and so says things like, "Mr. Smith, when was the last time you spoke with your fornication partner?" Cracks. me. up.

So I'm going back up to my room now to work a crossword puzzle or snooze for a few before our big night out in a town near, but not actually being, Hotlanta.

Peace out. (Sorry. I've been listening to a bunch of cool pastors for three days.)