For Good Works (Friday-Part 1)
Friday morning was a pretty exciting time. One by one we made our way forward, stopping off at the shower amid-ship and then proceeding past the galley for a quick bite (brownies, and cookies). The Aero was fired up and the coffee flowed. Kelley was out of time, if he was to demonstrate his style chops, it had to be today. His ensemble was inspired by a men's hosiery selection, displaying a strong sense of purpose and independence. These 'socks' screamed, "Come and Take It-Baby".
Before we even left the Travel-Village, Jason slammed on the brakes; "is that Mr. Bill up there" he exclaimed? Yes indeed. Two days, were two days too much for Mr. Bill to control himself. He too felt the pressure of this being the last day of the conference and he snuck onto the Tahoe.
To avoid being late, I wedged him into my backpack. We made use of the river parking again. It was just a short walk to the Grace Community Church campus.
Once we arrived, Marv went on recon duty for various bfast treats. His efforts were highly productive, biscuits-n-gravy with Krispy-Kreme donut-holes, covered in chocolate sprinkles started the day off with steely-eyed anxiety. Jason spied the Heaven-touring book, that is not really a Heaven-touring book and asked me to remember the name.
We convened at the check-point and were escorted back to the VIP entry-area. After Dusty provided the authorization codes we were granted entry for early seating into the designated 2.5 rows reserved for the Countryside team.
As the doors were being opened and I heard a familiar cry for help; "who was that am I hearing" I asked the FoTW? Jason said; "Its Mr. Bill, just ignore him and he will stop... eventually".
I then realized the danger that awaited. I rushed to get near the cry's source.
It was a horrible sight. Mr. Bill was being trampled! I gathered him up and wiped of the dust and grime. He was so thankful afterwords that he stayed put and followed along as Pastor Tom was speaking.
Once the men were seated, Pastor Tom took time to greet and answer questions from several waves of men attending.
Pastor Tom's message focused on the Mission of the Church. The key scriptures were Eph 1, John 13:13 and Acts 14:21. From these he pointed out that the Church has always held that the core mandate given by Christ just prior to His ascension was to "Preach the Gospel and make disciples". This is a mandate not just for our local Church but for the entire congregation to carry across the world, to "all the nations, tribes and peoples". Tom was convictionally-clear. This is a message and task we need to do a better job with. No doubt we will be learning more in future messages from Pastor Tom.
It was time for lunch. In the book tent, Jason asked, "what was the name of that book I asked you to remember?" My slack-jawed response was a mumbled, "I forgot". It worked out though. Jason retraced his steps and asked the volunteers in the book store. To his joy they even had an audio version of the book so he could listen during his commute.
With the last minute book selections in hand, the lunch line was all but gone. We grabbed a plate and had a quick bite. They served the lemon-cake that Jason loves.
It is 5:44am here dawn struggling to rise and Jason is a flurry of activity. We will be leaving very soon. This has been more that great. It has been renewing. So many new friendships have been formed and others strengthened. However, nothing can quell our longing to be home with our families. Soon we will be there. Part -2 and some travel updates will happen once we get out of LA.
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