Here are a few random workshop reflections.
1. The love and encouragement Terry and I experienced was at times overwhelming. I received only one negative comment about the program and it didn’t come from the direction you might expect. It was from a member of the Disciples of Christ (See reflection #2). Obviously, the people who were most critical of what we did weren’t at the fairgrounds.
2. My biggest regret about the program I put together was that I didn’t include a few Disciples of Christ speakers in the mix. When I was putting it all together I assumed that the Disciples folks wouldn’t be interested in what we were doing. For some that was true, but not all. Not everyone within the Disciples of Christ is “liberal” just as not everyone within Churches of Christ is “conservative” and not everyone within Independent Christian Churches is “fundamentalist.” In the age to come, the streets will have no names and all the labels we’ve used to describe, belittle, and caricature each other will be consigned to hell. Hopefully, in future conversations we’ll find ways to include representatives from Disciples churches who want to be a part of the conversation.
3. Nothing frustrated me more than the sound and visual miscues. I wish there were an easy way to correct the problem, but as some have already noted it seems to happen every year. I’ve been trying to figure out why. Here are a few contributing factors I’ve noted. A. We get what we pay for. We put the workshop together on a very limited budget and we always end up stretching ourselves in the audio/visual production category. B. The pavilion is not the most conducive environment for what we are trying to pull off. C. We pack our schedule so full during the day that we never have time to do a technical rehearsal. The evening session each night is our first rehearsal and it shows. D. We make too many last minute changes. We put singing groups on the stage at the last minute and speakers hand us powerpoint and dvd’s to play five minutes before they go on stage even though they were asked to send us their stuff at least a week in advance. (Mild frustration with my fellow preachers is showing here.)
I know some are worried that the outcome of all this unity talk with Christian Churches will be that Churches of Christ will start using instruments. There’s nothing to worry about here. We’re still trying to figure out how to use microphones.
4. I didn’t get to attend many classes but the feedback I’m getting is that Mark Moore and Bob Russell were great. Of course the usual suspects keep being mentioned as well.
Telling Stories, Asking Questions, Learning Lessons
Ha! That’s a classic line. I like it.
“I know some are worried that the outcome of all this unity talk with Christian Churches will be that Churches of Christ will start using instruments. There?s nothing to worry about here. We?re still trying to figure out how to use microphones.”
Peace.
“I know some are worried that the outcome of all this unity talk with Christian Churches will be that Churches of Christ will start using instruments. There?s nothing to worry about here. We?re still trying to figure out how to use microphones.”
Haha, so true!
LOL! I agree.
Wade,
I appreciate your blog. You mentioned that people liked Mark Moore. I sat in on his sessions and I liked him as well. It is curious because we have a professor at Lipscomb who is of very similar mind to Mark, Dr. Lee Camp. Dr. Camp wrote a book “Mere Discipleship” and from all outward appearances has taken more flack because of his positions that concurrence. I gave Mark a copy after I heard him speak. I look forward to hearing him again at future conferences.
Thanks for all the hard work and time you put into making Tulsa a great experience last week.
A suggestion for your fellow preachers: We got notes saying that if we had AV stuff (ppt or DVDs) we should have them in by March 15 or bring them on our own laptop. So, given those options, I brought my files on (1) my Powerbook; (2) CDs; and (3) a flashdrive. The problem was that the Pavillion is busy all day. It’s hard to get the attention of anyone until you’re up.
So the suggestion is to tell people that if they want something it has to be in by March 15. No exceptions. If it isn’t in by then, it doesn’t get used. (Of course for those of us who write our messages two days before, that means less AV. But that would help with the problems.)
In the big scheme, this is very small, of course. The workshop was wonderful. Sitting in on Milton’s passionn for the children of Africa was worth the trip for me.
Yes, invite the Disciples of Christ! What an awesome time this is for our tradition, a time of arms wide open! Thanks for helping us see that the enemy ain’t in the church building down the road.
Regarding point number 2. I had a lady at work today say how much she enjoyed a recent visit to San Antonio and how wonderful Max Lucado was and how wonderful the church was and that, “Although he isn’t church of Christ anymore, it was wonderful!” I had to hold my tongue, but I thought to myself aren’t we all trying to follow Christ? If the church is building disciples, doing work for the kingdom God, isn’t that what it’s all about?
Shalom
The workshop was great! We’ve been going now for 11 years and it’s always the highlight of the year. Along with all of the usuals, Bob Russell is a new favorite. What a passion for the Lord he has. Thanks for all of your work on this year’s workshop. P.S. Isn’t it a pre-requisite for the Church of Christ to have problems with either the sound system or the person running?!?! ha ha