I am choosing not to succumb to internal feelings of guilt for failing to attend my final seminar of the Regent Pastor’s Conference. Instead, I am choosing to succumb to externally imposed feelings of guilt from a certain Kissinger man for failing to ever update my blog. So here I sit, in a lovely Vancouver coffeeshop, decaf latte at my side, Ella Fitzgerald in my ears, and an entire hour and a half at my disposal.

As a new pastor, I am enjoying this new luxury of having time and money given to me simply for my own continuing education. As I have perused the many possible ways I could spend these days and dollars, as I’ve read about the myriads of conferences, retreats and seminars I could attend, I’ve decided that it matters very much WHERE the conference is held. Sure, the content and the presenters are important. I wouldn’t go to Maui to learn about the intricacies of Hebrew vowel points from Urkel. BUT I kind of think that it would take having Jesus himself as the keynote speaker to get me to go to a conference in Nebraska.

So I’ve chosen my 2 conferences of the year based on 1.) where they are located, 2.) what friends I’ll get to see while I’m there, and 3.) what’s being taught. In that order.

Back in March, I spent a WONDERFUL weekend in Mt. Hermon, CA where I attended an amazing women’s prayer retreat with some of my favorite girlfriends from camp. It’s hard for me NOT to feel God’s presence when surrounded my ancient Redwood trees and faithful friends, whose roots sink deeper and deeper with each passing year.

This week, I’ve been in Vancouver, B.C. attending the Regent College’s annual pastor’s conference. This year’s theme is “Pastor as Preacher”.

Priority Number One: The Place

Vancouver is absolutely beautiful! Our B&B is located on a steep hill that descends all the way down to a bay that overlooks the downtown skyline, immense skyscrapers which are dwarfed by the mountains which serve as their backdrop. I went on a jog-walk (a “jalk,” if you will) this morning on the beach and just breathed it all in… the sand, the lapping waves, the distant bustle of the city, and the low-lying clouds every-so-often reaching down to gently kiss the mountains.

I am so joyfully and gratefully confident that Dave and I are exactly where God has called us to be in Bloomington-Normal, IL. I love being the pastor at First Pres Normal SO MUCH and could not imagine a better place for me to live into my first call to ministry. Then there’s the miracle of Dave’s concurrent call to work at St. John’s Lutheran, first as their intern and (Lord willing!!) as their associate pastor. Not to mention the fact that we have FRIENDS in town, 2 couples with whom we delight sharing beers on Wednesday nights, food on Friday nights, and the ups & downs of life whenever we feel like driving 5 minutes across town. Truly, we are so blessed to live where we do.

Having said all that, central Illinois is not… NOT… my heart’s home. It’s flatter than flat. The trees are few and scattered. The largest body of water is miles and miles away. As much as I feel like I like to find beauty anywhere, there is something unique and irreplaceable about the way the landscape of the Pacific Northwest nourishes my soul. (Don’t even get me started on the joy of being in an actual CITY; a bustling urban area rich with cultural, racial, religious, political, AND gastronomical diversity. I haven’t even SEEN a Chili’s or an Applebees since we arrived. PTL.

Priority Number Two: The People

JJ and Lisa Kissinger have been living here for almost a year as JJ is getting his M.Div at Regent. Jeremy and Katy Kidwell are about to leave for Scotland for Jeremy to pursue his Ph.D. But in this perfect, serendipitous week, two of my favorite couples are here and I got the all-too-brief joy of sitting with a room with all 4 of them, sharing laughter, life-updates and sinfully delicious Apple-Blackberry Pie.

The Kidwells and the Kissingers are truly some of my favorite people. I would give my big toe for the chance to live in the same community as these folks, to be “everyday friends”. With these friends, we don’t simple spend TIME together, we share life.

It was Katy and Jeremy’s wedding where I got my first shot at bridesmaid-dom. And I remember feeling so overwhelmed with joy for them, because over the previous two years, Katy and Jeremy had shared their lives with me, and I knew that God had drawn them to one another and was going to do GOOD things in and through their life together. And though we’ve lost touch over the last couple years, I can see that I was right. Their joy in each other and their friends, their shared love for the Lord and their commitment to the people Jesus especially loved- the poor, the disenfranchised and the hurting- is an inspiration. I want to be like Katy and Jeremy when I grow up.

Friendship with JJ and Lisa goes back over 10 years now. Hard to believe! It’s crazy to think that it was 9 or 10 years ago that JJ and I were sitting in the back of the choir tour bus with friends just as nerdy as we are, making up songs about Destiny.

I remember when JJ and Lisa first began inching toward dating one another. It was slow and cautious. Such a precious friendship they had with one another- they didn’t want to ruin it. But to those of us on the outside, there couldn’t have been a better match. They balance each other in their extremes, they encourage one another in their weaknesses, and they make one another’s strengths shine. I love spending time with JJ and Lisa because, when we get together, no matter how many months have passed, we go straight to the heart of things. Life. Marriage. Jesus. Joys. Sorrows. And everything in between. There’s no awkwardness, no pretending, no bullshit. And everything is STILL covered in laughter. (“I don’t want to fall asleep… wait, what are the words? What?”) We laugh just as much now as we did 10 years ago. With cooler clothes and hair.

Priority Number Three: The Content

Overall, I’d say that this conference has been good. It’s been a wonderful treat to listen to such gifted preachers (Fleming Rutledge and Earl Palmer) deliver such well-crafted and thought-provoking sermons. It’s been refreshing to have my voice overshadowed by other exuberant pastors as we sing in worship. It’s been interesting to meet other pastors from all over the world, all coming together to learn and connect and grow in our shared calling to the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I’m not sure what I came here looking for. I LOVE preaching, but I am aware that I have much to learn, many ways I can improve. Many of the questions asked in the seminars have been around the process of preaching: how do you write your sermons? What preachers inspire you? Which commentaries do you read? What steps do you take to get from brief Scripture text to inspiring 20-minute sermon, week after week? Is there a magical formula? Please? And can you share it with me?

I’m not sure I’ve picked up any magical formula. Preaching is an art and a discipline and a gift. It takes a lot of work, and lot of time, a lot of reading and learning from other preachers, and a lot of dependence on the Holy Spirit. Week in and week out. Sunday after Sunday.

The one comfort I take in this somewhat intimidating venture was said by both Fleming Rutledge and Earl Palmer, each in their own way. In Earl’s words, “the truth is self-validating.” Jesus speaks for Himself and makes Himself known to people’s hearts. And according to Fleming Rutledge, “the text speaks! Even if you are dead.”

Good words. Good friends. Good place.

Good week!