Archive for the ‘From the Road’ Category
Wednesday, April 21st, 2010 by Paul
Day 12 – Houston
Dessert at Houston Pediatric Hospice Butterfly Luncheon
The Houston Hospice event went wonderfully, 500+ folks attending a benefit luncheon that raised over $200,000 for pediatric Hospice. Saw many people from last year and got to do a little catch-up.
Quick change of clothes before Nina and Smith J drove me to their home, where I am spending the night. Smith and I then headed for a private tour of NASA. Smith is an astronaut doctor, overseeing many of the space teams and a week from Friday involved in his 18th launch from Florida. He was the doctor for the team on the Columbia that exploded shortly after takeoff. They were all friends. Below I have posted some of the pictures from the Houston Space Center.
Tuesday, April 20th, 2010 by Paul
Days 10 and 11
Houston, TX
Sunday and Monday were home. Dropped over to Andrew and Courtney’s for hamburgers. Houston, 15 months and in no hurry about things actually took a couple steps because he didn’t like the grass he was standing on. Elle, who will be three in August, and I played in the backyard for about an hour, finding pineapples (pinecones) and feeding them to the polar bear that lives in the corner by the fence.
Sunday, April 18th, 2010 by Paul
Day 8 and 9 – ND to Home
The Fab Five...and me
On this trip so far, I was brought into Bellingham, WA, by a large Protestant Church, the Boys and Girls Club of America to do a benefit in Las Vegas, a lecture series in Bonita Springs, FL, an Evangelical Seminary in Ashland, OH and a Catholic College in Sylvania, OH. But Grand Forks, ND, was different. A year ago, five women, who had joined together for times of prayer and a lot of laughter read The Shack, and it impacted them significantly. On a nudge, Kathy (whose husband is Todd in the story I told yesterday), Janet (who is your basic trouble maker), Linda (the sane one of the bunch), Connie (who lives in Fertile, MN – seriously – and sounds like Betty White), and Sandy (whose last name is Beach), decide that I should come and speak in Grand Forks. The time with these women and their husbands was so much fun. We ate a lot, told a lot of jokes, mostly ND and MN, and watched the Holy Spirit weave wonderful threads all around.
Saturday, April 17th, 2010 by Paul
Day 7 – OH to ND
Will G picks me up at 8AM and we drive the couple hours up to Sylvania, just south of Toledo and the stunning 89-acre campus of Lourdes College. Founded and sponsored by Sisters of Saint Francis, the architecture and aesthetics reflect a settled honor of God and the Creation. I could have spent hours roaming the hallways and resting in the quiet places, marveling at the creative expressions and obvious delight that has been crafted into this place.
Friday, April 16th, 2010 by Paul
Day 6 – ATS
Wow, it has been a long day on and off the Ashland Theological Seminary campus and I am beat. But often long days are good days and this was no exception. Will picked me up at 7:30AM and I interacted with Terry’s DMin (also known as demon) class. Anybody who is a friend of Ron Blue is a friend of mine. Then off to a local restaurant with Will and Dawn for breakfast – I had oatmeal with cranberries and English muffin.
Thursday, April 15th, 2010 by Paul
Day 5 – FL to OH
At the Fort Meyers airport a woman whom I met in Atlanta two years ago spots me. At that time The Shack has sold about 350,000 copies and I was speaking in the city. She had told me her husband was an airline pilot and their marriage was on the rocks, divorce appearing imminent. Today, they are completely reconciled and heading out in May to celebrate their 11th anniversary in Greece. Big win for grace and forgiveness.
Tuesday, April 13th, 2010 by Paul
Day 4 – NV to FL
Vegas is surely one of the most unique cities in the world. In the last forty or so years, they have grown from about a hundred thousand to over two million, stretching natural resources and imaginations. In a world where we all tend to gamble for a little certainty, here no one hides it. The liquored young people in my elevator apologize for it, while JC, my driver, embraces it to make a buck, even though doing so with a fair degree of discomfort. The air is tinged with a combination of greed and desperation, creativity and sexuality; surely the mix of civilization and its discontents.
Monday, April 12th, 2010 by Paul
Day 3 – Papa’s Fire
I have a friend. Her name is Jennie and a couple years ago, this is the email that I received from her.
Monday, April 12th, 2010 by Paul
Day Two
You just never know what a day will bring.
Two speaking services this morning and then lunch with Bob M, hosted by a gracious couple who live in a beautiful home on a lake before I board a two and a half hour direct flight from Bellingham, WA to Las Vegas, NV. For $35 I get the last seat in first class. Gorgeous day up here north of Seattle. I check the weather at home. Raining. Doesn’t seem right.
I, and the older man next to me, nod off shortly after we take off, even though the two large athletic men in the seats right in front of us are having an animated conversation about sports. About half hour later the steward wakes me up with a small meal. Since Lent is over (I gave up airline food), I ate the chicken with Gorgonzola and side salad. On the placemat is an Alaska Airlines card (see picture), with the Psalm quotation. Makes me grin, finding little graces in unexpected places.
Saturday, April 10th, 2010 by Paul
Day 1, April 10, 2010
Stage at Cornwall Church, Bellingham WA
There is unsettledness about not being home, a gentle disquiet that lingers at the edges of the morning. I haven’t left yet, but I am already missing everyone, especially Kim.
The day started too early, needing to be at the airport by 5:15AM. Two puddle jumpers in the schedule to take me from Portland, OR, to Bellingham, WA, where I will speak twice tonight and twice tomorrow morning. The event is being held at Cornwall Church and the anticipated attendance each time is about 1,200.
