Florida
Greetings from sunny, hot, humid Florida! Of course, the hotel is so cold you practically need a jacket while wandering the halls, but immediately want your bathing suit when you step outside. Still, the heat is nice for a change.
I don't really have much to say so far, and I forgot the cable for the camera, so I can't download any photos yet. Anyway, it is my second day in Orlando at the Florida Mall Hotel for the Associated Church Press convention. This is my second convention (I went 2 years ago when it was in Toronto). The people are nice, the food is good and the experience is a worthy one.
As soon as I'm done blogging I'm going to workout. I can't decide if I want to use the pool or not though. The best part about this hotel is that it's attached to a huge mall!! It's great! I can go shopping whenever I want, even if I only have a few minutes! I already bought some shoes and there's another pair I'm eyeing. It's a good thing that Joseph is so good about pretty much letting me buy whatever I want! (Within reason of course).
I was taking some pictures outside the hotel today (there really isn't anywhere to walk to - the hotel is kind of on its own; it's not in a downtown area where there's a milion things to do outside your door - hence the mall). Anyway, I was taking pictures of the gardens and saw a bunch of tiny lizards scurrying around. They were so cute! I took a bunch of pictures of them among the flowers, so you'll have to stay tuned for those.
Our group just came from worship. The music was great and the speaker was a Baptist minister from here in Orlando. She was fantastic! Everyone was absolutely on the edge of their seats - she had our undivided attention. Her sermon was about a story in Numbers 27, where 5 sisters approached Moses about their inheritance in the Promised Land, as their father died and therefore they had no right to any of the land that was to be coming to him. These 5 brave women took their concern to Moses, and Moses dutifully asked God for an answer. God told Moses that the women were right, and would receive their father's inheritance as part of the tribe of Israel. What a great story! She then referred to chaper 8 in Luke, where more women are named as faithful servants of Jesus. She tied it all together by noting that all of us have a part to play in God's plan, and that the plan is only perfectly carried out when we all work together; bringing our strengths and gifts and unique personalities to the table (as the 5 named women all brought certain qualities that resulted in a successful resolution to their problem). When we all work together, she said, we can be a voice for the voiceless, we can recognize problems and speak up and affect change. (Remember, she's speaking to a bunch of journalists who often have the ability to do just that). She kept repeating that as God's children, we are called to be different and we are called to do differently, and when we all work together for the greater good, things happen. Anyway, I obviously didn't say it as well as she did, but trust me, it was a fantastic sermon - probably one of the best I've heard (which was greatly buoyed by her enthusiastic, energetic preaching style!).
Enough rambling though. I apologize for this somewhat boring blog entry! I figured I should write something though while I'm in Florida.
Until next time,
A.
I don't really have much to say so far, and I forgot the cable for the camera, so I can't download any photos yet. Anyway, it is my second day in Orlando at the Florida Mall Hotel for the Associated Church Press convention. This is my second convention (I went 2 years ago when it was in Toronto). The people are nice, the food is good and the experience is a worthy one.
As soon as I'm done blogging I'm going to workout. I can't decide if I want to use the pool or not though. The best part about this hotel is that it's attached to a huge mall!! It's great! I can go shopping whenever I want, even if I only have a few minutes! I already bought some shoes and there's another pair I'm eyeing. It's a good thing that Joseph is so good about pretty much letting me buy whatever I want! (Within reason of course).
I was taking some pictures outside the hotel today (there really isn't anywhere to walk to - the hotel is kind of on its own; it's not in a downtown area where there's a milion things to do outside your door - hence the mall). Anyway, I was taking pictures of the gardens and saw a bunch of tiny lizards scurrying around. They were so cute! I took a bunch of pictures of them among the flowers, so you'll have to stay tuned for those.
Our group just came from worship. The music was great and the speaker was a Baptist minister from here in Orlando. She was fantastic! Everyone was absolutely on the edge of their seats - she had our undivided attention. Her sermon was about a story in Numbers 27, where 5 sisters approached Moses about their inheritance in the Promised Land, as their father died and therefore they had no right to any of the land that was to be coming to him. These 5 brave women took their concern to Moses, and Moses dutifully asked God for an answer. God told Moses that the women were right, and would receive their father's inheritance as part of the tribe of Israel. What a great story! She then referred to chaper 8 in Luke, where more women are named as faithful servants of Jesus. She tied it all together by noting that all of us have a part to play in God's plan, and that the plan is only perfectly carried out when we all work together; bringing our strengths and gifts and unique personalities to the table (as the 5 named women all brought certain qualities that resulted in a successful resolution to their problem). When we all work together, she said, we can be a voice for the voiceless, we can recognize problems and speak up and affect change. (Remember, she's speaking to a bunch of journalists who often have the ability to do just that). She kept repeating that as God's children, we are called to be different and we are called to do differently, and when we all work together for the greater good, things happen. Anyway, I obviously didn't say it as well as she did, but trust me, it was a fantastic sermon - probably one of the best I've heard (which was greatly buoyed by her enthusiastic, energetic preaching style!).
Enough rambling though. I apologize for this somewhat boring blog entry! I figured I should write something though while I'm in Florida.
Until next time,
A.