Sunday, July 11, 2004

10:26 PM Today’s entry in the Crosswalk weblog is called The Passion Movie—What Difference Did It Make?. 9:58 PM I’m writing this note at the end of a very good day at Maranatha Bible and Missionary Conference in Muskegon, Michigan. Some quick impressions: 1) I thought last night’s concert by Selah was perhaps the best Christian concert I’ve ever attended. As I listened, my heart was deeply stirred. At one point, I leaned over to Marlene and said, “I really needed to be here tonight.” The audience filled the tabernacle (1200 seats) with 1000 more people sitting in chairs on the lawn outside. This is one group that ministers across the age and musical spectrum. We should sponsor them to come to Scoville Park for a free outdoor concert. 2) The conference center is located on the shores of Lake Michigan. I say that by faith because I’ve not yet seen the lake even though we’re only a few hundred feet away. You climb a hill and the lake is on the other side. This is my third time at Maranatha and the place seems to be pulsating with new energy. Some people say that young families won’t come to Christian camps, but that’s not true here. You see parents and young children everywhere. That’s very refreshing. 3) Marlene commented tonight that everything seems beautiful and modern. It’s a wonderful place to visit. 4) This is also great biking territory. This morning I took off at 6:15 AM and road 18 miles. I rode to the east side of Muskegon and then rode into the country and found the Musketawa Bike Trail. It’s an old railroad track that has been converted to a bike trail. While I enjoy riding in Chicago, it’s a lot of fun not having to dodge cars in the big city. This afternoon Marlene and I rode ten miles together. We stopped at the “Whippi Dip,” a rustic ice cream stand by the side of the road. 5) People we know: We talked with Sharon Keegan who is working at Maranatha this summer. She graduated from Moody in May. During her student years, she worked with our Power Connection junior high ministry. We also met Sue Thomas’s parents. 6) When I mentioned riding my bike this AM, a man told me that he and his son had ridden from Grand Rapids to California. That definitely beats riding to the Whippi Dip. 7) I told the folks that I would be blogging while I was at the conference. I might as well have been speaking Greek. Most of them had no idea what I meant. 8) I also told them I’m a Civil War buff. One fellow said he and his son had toured the Civil War battlefields on bikes. That’s the best of all possible worlds. 9) What else? Great food here. It’s hot in the tabernacle. No AC, no windows—just screens. So we all got hot this morning, and it seemed pretty muggy tonight. 10) Roger and Regina Krenzin from JAARS (the missionary aviation wing of Wycliffe Bible Translators) are the missionary reps this week. Very sharp couple. Roger is 58, has flown planes in 38 countries, mostly in remote jungle regions of places like Irian Jaya and Zambia. He has personally trained most of the younger missionary pilots, including Calvary’s own Tim and Deb Carpenter who serve with AIM in Africa. That’s the news from Maranatha. As you can tell, we’re having a great time so far.