Re-energized with Tears in My Eyes

I may have been tired when I walked into General Session #3 . . . no more!

General session three started off with a laugh as Ken Medema did improv prior to the start time of 9:45am. One of the staffers went through the crowd of gathering pastors and ministry leaders and got some of their more embarrassing experiences in ministry. Ken Medema then, on the spot, wrote songs describing those experiences. Ken brought smiles and laughter to all involved and was a welcome burst of energy!

Taylor Mason added an additional burst of humor with his fabulous ventriloquism and then Todd Agnew provided some truly special music for the group. Todd’s candor, humor and style were refreshing and welcome. What a great addition to the program. An energetic interview with Phyllis Tickle regarding her book on prayer followed Todd Agnew. And not to be forgotten was a humorous yet pointed drama from Ted and Lee regarding an interaction between Peter and Andrew.

Worship was lead by Stephen Newby. As Stephen has done each session, he brought the group into a time of worship and welcomed the Holy Spirit into our midst. The worship was simply AMAZING! On a side note I also learned that taking pictures is made more difficult when you have tears of joy and worship in your eyes. Simply incredible!!

Ruth Haley Barton from the Transforming Center is speaking as I type this. She specializes in retreats for pastors and promises to provide some valuable insight to the pastors in attendance. My compact flash card ran out of room about five minutes into her presentation, therefore I’m blogging from the other side of the wall.

Here’s a few shots of General Session #3 at the National Pastors Convention, 2007: