Sunday, June 27, 2004

June 27, 2004


11:38 PM In my sermon this AM, I made a crack about low-carb ice cream—”That’s not right.” Of course, I’ve never really had any. Dan Norton sent me this message: “Better dish you up a little…it tastes better than the real thing! I wouldn’t have believed it myself, but it’s true. And I have about 3 gallons worth of experience!” I’m opposed to the concept because I always thought carbs were what made ice cream good. But now that I’ve got Dan’s recommendation, I’ve have to give it a try. 11:32 PM I’m writing this from my room on the fifth floor of the Hilton Hotel in Atlanta. I just arrived a few minutes ago—3 1/2 hours late. The flight from O’Hare was delayed because of bad weather in Atlanta. Instead of leaving at 3:45 PM, we took off a few minutes after 6 PM. The plane was full and there were two crying babies a few rows behind me. Then we were put in a holding pattern over Bowling Green, KY because of more bad weather in Atlanta. It looked for a while as if we might be diverted to another airport because the pilot said we were running low on fuel. Everyone seemed to be good spirits despite our various travails. I haven’t eaten anything since lunch and the restaurants are closed so I went to the drug store in the lobby and bought peanuts in the shell, a Coke, and some Moon Pies. A late-night Southern feast. Josh leaves tomorrow for China. He’s been in training for the last week in Los Angeles but tomorrow the whole team heads for Beijing. I’m going to try to call him before I go to bed tonight. 6:23 AM This is a busy day for me. After I preach this morning, I go home, change clothes, eat lunch, and head to the airport. I’m flying to Atlanta later today for the Christian Booksellers Association annual convention. Authors, publishers, musicians, and bookstore owners from around the world come to this convention each year. I’m going with the team from Crossway Books in Wheaton. CBA attracts almost 15,000 people, with a diplay area that would fill ten football fields. The convention is like a snapshot of evangelical Christianity. A few years ago everyone was talking about “The Prayer of Jabez,” “Veggie Tales,” and the “Left Behind” series. It will be interesting to see what’s hot this year. 6:21 AM Our high schoolers are on the road again. A group of 11 students and leaders (including Craig Hammond) leave at 7 AM for a trip to Tennessee where they will spend the week camping, hiking, climbing, spelunking, and canoeing together. Craig hopes this will become an annual leadership development trip. God willing, they return to Oak Park next Saturday.

Do you have any thoughts or questions about this post?