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SBC Meeting #2 - June 14 2023

 Beloved friends, yesterday's optimism evaporated in the New Orleans heat today.  I had hoped for a few things today and, sadly for me, most of them broke the wrong way in my view.  The lone bright spot was Dr Bart Barber who did a masterful job handling the tough duties and managing the clock.  In spite of that,  it was a deeply saddening day for me.  Consider with me why. An amendment - known loosely as the "Mike Law Amendment" - had been given to the SBC Ex Committee months ago declaring the role of pastor to be limited to men.  That's already in the Baptist Faith and Message so I didn't think much of it.  Surely we won't take it as a litmus test for fidelity to the SBC - that's a creed and last I checked we Baptists are non-creedal people.  Or were.  I had hoped cooler heads would prevail and the "Mike Law" amendment would fail.  After all, the Exec Committee put it forward but did NOT recommend it for approval.  This motion declares there sh
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SBC meeting - June 13 2023

 Friends, today was not the day I expected and I mean that in the best possible way.  I came into this meeting believing much of what I had read online to be an accurate portrayal of where Baptist life really was.  I was wrong.  We aren't nearly as angry or narrow as I feared.   Our friend Dr Bart Barber was re-elected in a resounding vote - 67.5% to 31.5%.  I didn't see that coming. The spirit of the meeting was pleasant, even jovial at times.  I didn't see that coming. The people who came seemed genuinely happy to be here.  I didn't see that coming.   There's still work left to do and there are questions left to be answered tomorrow, but this was a really good start.  And I'm glad it came, even if I didn't see it coming.  
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Home

I'm home and it's Saturday morning.  I woke up - no surprises here - at 4 AM.  Jet lag takes a couple of days to dissipate.   So this is where I'll end my travelogue.  Already I'm back to regular pastor life.  I'd been in the house about 20 minutes when I got a call that one of our deacons had lost his father-in-law.  I left for the hospital immediately.  I knew my associate pastor could handle it, but that's not a job I wanted to give away.  Later today (I hope), I'll post some pictures from our adventure.  Thanks for reading this nonsense and for walking with me along this path.  The good news is our adventures don't end just because we're home.  My prayer for this moment in time is that I'll recognize the power of THIS moment as I did while I was traveling. 
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Thursday and Friday

It’s sunrise now and I’m sitting on the tarmac at Dublin International, awaiting them to complete refueling and cabin crew swaps.   It was a good flight up from Addis.   The ride was smooth and I slept about 5 hours – that’s pretty good for sleeping on a plane!   But we still have a long day ahead.   According to the map, we’re still some 3400 miles from DC.   It’s later now – at home, it’s 2:35 AM.   In 13 hours – I hope – I’ll be home.   My bed.   Fresh clothes.   My couch.   My TV.   Plenty of hot water and wifi.   I’m excited but this is a strange feeling – almost like culture shock coming home.   I’ve gotten so used to carefully managing my data usage (I was only allotted a certain amount for the trip) that I was an absolute miser with it.   Thus, I didn’t use my phone except for my Bible app and my journal.   When I could get Wifi, I called Julie and Josh.   I know – when I get home – there will be no such restrictions.   And yet, I don’t really know that I
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Tuesday, July 2 and Wednesday, July 3

We left early – 6:45 AM – to make our way to Karuga.   It means “he jumps.”   It used to be close to Thompson Falls.   The falls are still there but they’ve been renamed with a Swahili name.   The event was supposed to begin at 11.   It took us till 11:15 to get there.   We stopped only once – a quick potty stop.   The crazy thing is it’s only about 150 miles.   It Texas, we’d cover than in just over two hours.   But they have no interstate system and they have no means to build one now.   There are speed HUMPS not bumps, in every community to slow traffic.   Everytime traffic slows, here come the hawkers.   Water, fruit, chipatie (Kenyan tortillas), cookies, potato chips, SHOES – I’ve seen it all being hawked by the roadside with people running up to your window with them.   Esp if they see a white face.   I’ve never been ashamed of being white – it’s how God made me after all – but it’s no asset here for trying to be incognito.   Once we arrived, the conferenc
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Monday, July 1 2019

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Forgive the day error for the several days on my dating - I lost a day somewhere last week and didn't have to find it till today!   It’s been a long, rich and fruitful day!   After a wonderful and strong devotional led by Caleb Anderson and his dad Carl at 6:45 AM, Lazaro, Baraka and myself left for the college.   It was about an hour and half ride to get there.   On the way out, we saw a few warthogs and a few baboons.   Still a shocking site to my eyes.   We were supposed to start at a given time – 9 I think – and it was clear we weren’t going to make it on time.   Baraka asked me what time class was supposed to begin.   I told him, “When I get there!”   We all had a good laugh and went on. The class, as it had been, was exceptional.   Don't mind the looks on their faces in the picture - they were happy to be there and we had a lot of fun working together.   They were eager students and had questions far beyond their training.   I was blessed by the
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