My Top 5 memories from YL/Emergent:
1. Glorieta, NM: National Evaluation Forum or New Edge gathering in 1998. We wanted to allow people to respond to the messages through visual and tactile means. So we set up an art studio in a broom closet and installed a resident artist (Derek Chapman) for the event. My wife Debbie put chunks of clay around the conference center. I had this idea of putting paper all over the walls so people could write on the wall whatever God was telling them or maybe questions they had. Before long there were scribbles all over the place and the chunks of clay were becoming pieces of art. Funny thing was that as we traveled around USA to speak at churches, we kept seeing chunks of clay and other art supplies. Debbie got a buzz out of that.
2. Orlando: Doug and I did a workshop at the National GenX Forum in Florida, 1999, in which I suggested we dont mention the word "postmodern", which by this time had begun to get worn out. We had a great time and I was laughing so much I could hardly continue.
3. Atlanta: 5 of us were at this stupid big meeting full of show-offs. This one guy, who's ministry was named after himself, gets up to the stage which had his name plastered on 3 different banners around the stage. Mark Driscoll was next up to speak after this braggart and instead of trying to do one better, he simply bows his head and prays for the entire time a prayer of repentance for our arrogance. Then he walks back to our table and sits down. Sweet! Soooo timely and prophetic. I'll never forget that one.
4. Glorieta, NM. Innovative Church Conference, 1998. I think Rick Warren and other big shots were there. Lots of Southern Baptists. About 5 of us were invited to share our stuff and it was Bob Hope's birthday so I thought I would liven it up a little by dressing up in red golf pants and arriving in an obnoxious manner with a bag of golf-clubs on my shoulder, non-seeker friendly, non-postmodern outfit. At least i thought it was funny.
5. Glorieta, NM. Emergent Gathering 2005. Rather than give a talk I made pizza for a hundred people and taught on the yeast of the Kingdom as we made dough. Some of it is on video.
