Shine On

A Time to Think

Let God's promises shine on your problems.
 –Corrie ten Boom, author
From a Guideposts email devotional

I'm leaving this morning to go to Wichita for the Great Plains Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. Beginning mid-morning and continuing through Saturday at noon, laity and clergy representatives from all UM Churches in Kansas and Nebraska will gather to worship, learn, conduct business and debate tough issues. I'm Stafford UMC's lay delegate to conference, and I've spent the last few weeks reading a 115-page workbook and pondering a bunch of supplemental materials.

Though the theme for this annual conference is "Through many, One," some of the issues we'll debate have the potential to be as destructive and divisive as a thunderstorm when it unleashes its fury on top of us.

Still, I hope to find beauty, too, in the worship services and in my interactions with others, and yes, even in listening to passionate people work through issues to find solutions pleasing to God.

Taken Tuesday, June 9

I leave behind wheat fields quickly transitioning toward harvest under a hot summer sun and blustery southern winds.

Taken Sunday, June 7, but the flash made the green show up more.

And  I pray the conference, too, will ultimately harvest a spirit of cooperation through the Son and the winds of the Holy Spirit. 

This video is more for me than any readers I have today. I may need to hear the rush of wind through the wheat stalks and listen to the birds singing while I'm in the big city. Home is my happy place.

I'm taking a hiatus from the blog while I'm in Wichita. See you next week, when we'll likely start harvest, if the weather cooperates.

Best-Laid Plans

Best-laid plans: I often have them.

They may be as meticulously plotted as an interstate highway. Or they may meander and shift like sand on a dirt road pummeled by the Kansas wind. But I like my plans and my lists. They just don't always work out as well as they do in my head. Know the feeling?

We spent last Tuesday night in Topeka. It was, admittedly, a roundabout way to get to Lincoln, Nebraska, for the Great Plains United Methodist Church annual conference. But there was a certain little girl who lives in Topeka that needed a visit from Grandma and Grandpa. Brent drove over from Manhattan, so we got to share a meal prepared by Jill and Eric and served under their backyard gazebo.

Then, Wednesday morning, I joined some 1,800 other lay delegates and pastors from United Methodist churches from every corner of Kansas and Nebraska.

Since it had rained, Randy went along for the ride. Actually, he drove the whole time, so I guess he went along for the "drive" ... in more ways than one. While I spent the time in meetings during the day, he "drove" little white balls across the landscape of three different Lincoln golf courses.

We ate at some fun places in Lincoln's historic Haymarket district. Thursday night, we went to the Sunken Gardens and Antelope Park, where I took dozens of photos. I posted one from Antelope Park to Facebook, but I thought I'd edit the rest of them and share the best ones after I got home.

I was trying to be a stellar church lay delegate and post photos from Pastor Ben's Friday night commissioning service to the Stafford United Methodist Church Facebook page. I accomplished that goal. 

But, in my efforts on an unfamiliar computer, I guess I erased the memory card. So my pictures of Kinley, the gardens and other snapshots of the conference are gone. As I told Jill (who is my anti-clutter preacher), she will have one fewer memory card to throw out one day.

So, I will have to be happy with the photos of Kinley I received by text last week. And I am.

Princess Kinley and her Royal Coach

Can you imagine what a sticky mess it is to feed a roomful of 2-year-olds watermelon?

My only scenic photo of Nebraska is the rainbow that I took on our way home on Saturday, which I also posted to Facebook.

But, that's OK. I'm back to the County Line, where we may not have Sunken Gardens or a rose garden. But it's beautiful, all the same, especially after more rain. We got 0.50" while we were in Lincoln and then 1.30" Saturday night into Sunday morning. So, it will likely be a couple of days before we try cutting wheat or get back into the hay field.

It may not be the lily pool at the Sunken Gardens. But it's beautiful, all the same.