P & T and Randomnity

Preaching & Teaching Convention. It has been very good. Yesterday I helped David Ferguson from Community Christian Church in Naperville, IL get set up for a workshop on Multi-site Churches. He has a very interesting blog, and other than being a White Sox fan, I found him to be a good guy. They are doing some interesting things in church planting. Check out his site, as well as the links. On the church site, I found a video about a Self-Baptism Kit that made me laugh out loud. Since generally I laugh on the inside, I thought it was great! I first met Dave Ferguson when I spoke at CCCB when he was a student there in the early 1980s. I think he graduated from Lincoln Christian College. I've known of his father for years, as he was from Vandalia, MO where my father ministered for two and a half years. His uncle was a couple years ahead of me in school there.

Later I attended a workshop led by Brent Foulke of the Orchard Group. I first met Brent when he was a high school student in Ft. Myers, FL. He later was youth minister at another Florida church that supported us when we were on the mission field. Brent has been a church planter in Albany, NY since 1992. There were a couple of other church planters present (Marc Bigelow of Stadia, and Jerry Kilson of M.O.V.E.), and both of them contributed comments to the workshop. The basic idea, which could result in the multiplication of church plants, is to cast a vision for groups of four existing churches to form collaborative networks that will finance a church plant, and commit to repeat the process after three years with another network, as well as train the new church to do the same. Since I live is Missouri, I might be tempted to say "Show me!", but in reality, the collaborative network part is already taking place. The only thing lacking is the vision casting, and the commitment both to repeat the process, as well as to cast the same vision within the newly planted church at the same time. Times are good!

Randomnity. The Cubs are in spring training now. I keep waiting for some big news of a trade. All indications point to the Cubs trying to trade Todd Walker. Walker himself has said that he does not expect to be on the opening day roster. I would like to see the Cubbies keep him, but 2nd base seems to be rather overloaded with the presence of Walker, Jerry Hairston and Dusty's favorite Neifi Pérez.

The OCC basketball teams will be leaving this evening to go to Saint Louis Christian College for the NCCAA Divison II Central Regional, which will be played Thursday-Saturday. It has been a tough year for both our Men's and Women's teams. The Central Regional is tough as well, with Central Bible College Men (Springfield, MO) ranked 2nd in the nation.

Reading Dave Ferguson's blog led me to some of his relatives who are dear old friends. It was nice to see that connection.

I'm giving a Greek test tomorrow. I'll see if my students studied over the weekend and during the P & T Convention. One of the sentences I will give them to translate is:

ἀκηκόαμεν τὴν φωνὴν τῆς χαρᾶς· ὁ Ἰησοῦς σέσωκεν, σώζει καὶ σώσει.

A lot of the churches that I frequent these days sing more choruses than hymns, but that sentence reminds me of a great hymn.

I'm just about out of random thoughts now.

Peace to all!

DGF