It Was Wonderful!

This will be one of those "make-up" diary entries I mentioned yesterday. Let me be one of the last writers in the blogosphere to add my reflections about the North American Christian Convention last week in Louisville.
In a word, it was wonderful. I suppose if I were to add a second word it would be exhausting. By the time we were driving home Friday afternoon about 3:00, I was completely spent. Evelyn drove, and I napped.
Highlights for me:

• Getting to interview almost a dozen of the convention's main session speakers and special guests, including Wayne Cordeiro, Eric Metaxas, Ken Davis, and, most memorable, Joni Eareckson Tada. They were universally gracious, with meaningful challenges for me personally and every Christian. The interviews will be posted, one or two at a time, over the next couple of weeks at ChristianStandard.com.

Eric Metaxas was passionate and personal.

Wayne Cordeiro was warm and wise.

• Working with Tim Antkowiak of Southland Christian Church, who did all the videotaping of the interviews. Tim went above and beyond what we asked him to do: brought in a green screen so he could insert unique backgrounds behind the interviewer and his subject; created a lead-in tape with background music; edited the feed from two cameras into one smooth program. He told me he's spending about 3 hours of editing for each 10-15 minute interview. And he couldn't have been more pleasant or flexible or dependable during the convention itself.
• Bunking with Miles and Jennifer (as well as Evelyn!) in the Marriott for the week. It was a special joy to see Miles enjoying the convention, meeting Jennifer's friends, and showing his potential as a young Christian man. And he's fun! 
• Hearing Sam Stone choke up when he got to the end of his speech at the Cincinnati Christian University banquet, on the line, "There's no one I would more like to see receive the Legacy in Leadership Award than Mark and Evelyn Taylor." There are so many years and experiences and shared memories contained in that moment.

Sam and Gwen posed with Evelyn and me after the CCU banquet.

• In spite of the busy schedules, enjoying special times with relatives, coworkers, and friends at several special meals. I'm thinking in particular of our Tuesday-night meal with the Aulen clan, my Tuesday-night dessert with Paul Williams, and our Friday-afternoon lunch celebration hosted by Robb Faust for all of us who had helped him pull off the Standard display. 
• The sermons! As I wrote at the Christian Standard website, the preaching moved me more this year than any year I can remember. You really should go to the NACC website and listen to several of them. My favorites: Matt Proctor, Aaron Brockett, Randy Harris, Rick Atchley, Joni Eareckson Tada. (And the other two were outstanding, too! Listen to all of 'em!)

Shower of Blessings

Ken and Susan came in yesterday evening so Susan could attend a wedding shower for Jennifer at Christ's Church at Mason today. Just as they arrived, our Internet went out, and I spent an hour on the phone with Cincinnati Bell trying to solve the problem before giving up and yielding to hunger pangs and going to dinner. Finally last night about 11:30, I checked one more time and the Internet popped on. I quickly posted yesterday's blog post, which I had written but not published before the Internet went down. Whew! I thought for a minute there I was going to miss my goal of one post per day.

Ken and I went to lunch with Sam Stone while Gwen joined 15 or 20 other ladies for Jennifer's shower. All reports afterwards were more than positive. Laughter, almost some tears, wonderful gifts, great visiting and catching up--just a foretaste of all the fun we'll have at Jennifer's wedding reception (which somebody reminded me today is NEXT MONTH!). 

"Maybe it's because it was yours," Evelyn said to Jennifer on the way home, "but I think that's the most fun I've had at a shower in a long time."

We piled the gifts on the dining room table so Jennifer could look at them again and show them to me. There's leftover carrot cake in the kitchen, and we're going to enjoy some soon!

Mary Lautzenheiser and Cindi Cooper planned and hosted the shower. What a nice thing they did!

Evelyn, Carol Ray, Joan Maxell, Susan Aulen, and Jennifer let me snap their picture as they arrived for the party.

Mary made the centerpiece, a tower of towels and cloths and other
kitchen necessities, all atop a nifty over-the-sink cutting board
and colander combination thingy.

You Know It's Not a Big Day . . .

I wanted to get a cut like that
guy on the poster, but no
one seemed to think
that was a good idea.

You know it's not a big day when the best thing you can report in your diary is getting your hair cut. We'll see if the Tuesday five weeks from today is any more exciting; if not, you'll be seeing me with the blue plastic shawl and our excellent haircutter, Peg Wiggs, popping up on the blog again.

Trivia question for the record: What, in the personal grooming category, do the last two editors of Christian Standard have in common? 

Answer: For awhile at least, they both went to the same haircutter! When Sam and Gwen Stone lived in West Chester, he asked me where I got my hair cut, and I recommended Peg. He stuck with her till he and Gwen moved back to the West side of town. But she asks me about them often.

This doesn't usually happen, but Evelyn got her hair cut tonight too, just before I arrived. I wanted to take her picture in the barber chair, but she wouldn't let me. So she took mine! (That's her in the mirror snapping me and Peg. Now, don't you think SHE would have made a more attractive shot than I turned out to be?)