T-minus 3 Days

Well, I am on the road to General Conference. I am writing from St. Robert, MO. Some of my more theologically gifted friends will have to bring me up to date on this particular saint. It is also the home of Ft. Leonard Wood. I told Deb that I really wasn't going to General Conference - that was just a cover story - I had really joined the Army and Boot Camp starts tomorrow. She asked if the paramedics would be on call. Ha. Ha.

So, on the trip today I listened to the White Sox win 6-0 over the Tampa Rays (no more Devil in their name); listened to Arlo Guthrie sing "Riding on the City of New Orleans" as a train passed me on I-55 - I think the C of NO actually more parallels I-57, but what's a few miles; and of course had Show Boat in the CD player as I crossed the Mississippi and sang along with Paul Warfield to "Old Man River" - kind of channeling Clark Griswald too.

I stopped in Springfield, IL for a few minutes and saw my Mom and sister Barb. Barb's granddaughters - 8 month old twins Grace and Isabelle (I probably spelled that wrong) were in church this morning at FUMC LaGrange to check out the surroundings since they will be baptized there on May 18th.

Interesting church that I passed along the road, just past St. Louis. 1st Assembly of God - Truckers Welcome; and they had a big parking lot.

I guess the lectionary for today was from John 14 1-14 with the headline being the part about "In my Father's house are many rooms." Tom Harmon preached about it to our newest members (confirmation class joined the church today) and my Mom reported that, in addition to her Presbyterian minister using it, the Pope also did this afternoon. I don't think Mom is converting to Catholicism, but she does like this new Pope.

I thought about that verse today as I am heading to General Conference. My thoughts are kind of jumbled - I was driving at 70+ and listening to the White Sox and I don't claim to be a theologian, but here goes. I have a hope that all of the delegates will realize that the UMC is like a house with many rooms - kind of like a hotel. There are rooms for conservative, progressive, gay, straight, White, Black, Filipino, African, Korean, and every other group that any one is part of, either by birth, or by choice. Some of our congregations have only one of those groups in their room, and they are the poorer for it. In many of those rooms the people are happy and productive, some of the rooms have connecting doors and one room might really be a whole group of rooms. When all of the groups come together in the grand ballroom of the hotel, we do great things together - like Africa University - like Katrina Relief - like Florida hurricane relief - like being disciples for Jesus Christ - and hopefully we can do Holy Conferencing at this General Conference. What we do need to do is allow everyone into any room that they choose to enter. When we are at the Table for Communion, we are open to all - we claim to have open hearts, open minds, and open doors, but we are not truly open. Some of us seem to want a denomination that is like an old time private country club, where we only let in new members that are like us. I am not saying that we should have separate-but-equal, or that we should all stay in our rooms except for a few things that we can agree on, but we seem do good things when we are together, so let's be truly all together.

Well, it is 11:00 p.m., and this is about the time we will be adjourning each night at General Conference, and since I will be driving all day tomorrow, I think I will sleep.I'll keep reporting my thoughts each day.


Peace to all, Jack