ZOE Conference, Day 1

Actually, I'll start on Day 0, yesterday. Got up, got the kids ready and Nina and I took them to school. Then we went and had breakfast at Baker's Square before she took me to the airport. My first flight, from Oakland to Ontario, was very easy; only about 40 people on the flight, and I got a window seat on the over-wing exit row, with lots of leg room. It was my first time to see or ride on a 737-700, with the upturned wingtips. Nice plane. Second flight was a little more full, but I was in the "A" group, and headed to the back of the plane to get a row by myself. Snoozed a little, read a little, listened to music a little, and the flight went by reasonably quickly.

Got into Nashville, got my luggage, and went to the rental car counter. The young lady who gave me my key said that she'd already met four other folks coming to the conference!

Checked into the hotel, and got in touch with Owen Burgess to meet at Cracker Barrel for dinner. We had a good chat and great food. I stopped by the Harris Teeter store to get a few groceries, and headed back to the hotel. I called home and talked to Nina and the kids, and turned in as early as I could manage -- but didn't sleep so great.

I woke up this morning early, and decided to get out and about. I went driving down Franklin Pike to the town of Franklin, and looked around a little. One thing I love about this area, south of Nashville, is the history. Granted, it's not as aged as most of Europe, but there are lots of signs noting Civil War sites, buildings with dates that go back almost two hundred years. Not as much of that in my part of California.

Took a swing through the Cool Springs Galleria, and did a little shopping. Found a really colorful shirt to add to my wardrobe, and had a light lunch at Chik-Fil-A -- another thing I don't see much in California.

Then I headed back to my room to change, and went up to the Woodmont Hills church for the conference.

Ken Young and Hallal led worship first, and we heard from Brian McLaren, who challenged us to be sensitive to listen to people who are looking for God, instead of trying to talk them into our way of thinking about God. Instead of teaching people to be "churched," we need to let the Holy Spirit move them to become faithful, by listening and encouraging them to keep seeking through God's word.

In the Worship Leader's breakout track, Kip Long and a group of teens led us in praise, and we then heard from the spouses of two worship ministers about some of the challenges they face, and the blessings that have come through their spouses' ministries. In our small group, we reflected on some of the challenging things that Brian McLaren had said.

The dinner break took me and several folks I've gotten to know through WorshipForum.com to Cracker Barrel (where else?) for more great food, and more great conversation.

The evening worship was led by Randy Gill and one of the praise teams from Woodmont. Then we heard more of the continuing story from Brian McLaren.

This is a very bland report, I realize. The best part of the day has been hearing McLaren speak. He reaffirmed some things I think I knew intuitively, but haven't been able to articulate. He didn't give me the answers, but he's given me better questions. What do churches need to do to prepare for the next generation? How do we reach out to post-modern people from a construct that is very modern in its patterns and attitudes? How can we spur on their faith, and help them grown into a vital group of believers, when they don't want to "do church" the way we have for the past few generations? My guess is that churches as we know them will begin to decline rapidly in the next ten years or so, and something new will arise. Then the generation after that will probably build something a little different.

I have enjoyed meeting people face-to-face that I have known from the blog community and from WorshipForum. This is a great 'family reunion' for me.

Now to sleep.... I hope.