Synod Assembly Day One Friday
This is my 12th synod assembly in the Florida-Bahamas Synod.
Whether it is the Spirit opening our hearts to the assembly theme of radical hospitality and allowing us to embody it in profound and meaningful ways or the lovely Orlando weather which we experience during the occasional break or something that they slipped into the water, but know this: this is the most joyful, most easy in laughter, the lightest in temperament assembly in my memory.  And then they served ice-cream, seriously, does it get any better?

Everybody needs to view the video on the impact of malaria on the children, women, and people of sub-Sahara Africa and what the ELCA Campaign to wipe out malaria is doing to make a difference and how each of us can become a stake-holder in that blessing. A child dies every 45 seconds from malaria. Painfully. Sadly. And our dollars can prevent it.

Awesome to have Bishops Trexler and Franzen among us! They got mobbed a bit like rock stars (and deservedly so) for their service and dedication in shaping not just the history of our synod, but for the lives, including mine, that they have impacted. 

And while we are on the subject, worship also rocked, by the way - Bishop Benoway had the boldness to lay it out for us - that radical hospitality is more than wanting more children in worship and then expecting them to be adults or wanting more diversity in worship and expecting people to shed their own culture and traditions or wanting more people in worship and expecting them to stop being who they are and start acting like us (this is my paraphrase, but you get the point). I say, keep bringing it Bishop! Words we need to hear and to hold us accountable to taking home and living out. The latest ordination too place during our worship this night and included individual blessings by every clergy present, placing their hands on our ordinand's head and sharing and saying what was on our hearts.

Note to self: if using 30 foot poles with dangling ribbons during worship to capture the blowing winds and fire of the Spirit make sure they are lower than any chandeliers (or anything else for that matter) that might be present.

The keynote and Bible study have us taking notes rather than checking our email - and that's a strong compliment. Looking forward to more!

Most hospitable moment of the day that I experienced: the concierge and front desk finding me a razor and some shaving cream to replace the items sitting on my sink back at home still waiting to be packed.

Situation most in need of hospitality: random people not affiliated at all with the FL-Bahamas synod yelling at the greeter at the main hotel restaurant because they were not seated immediately at the time of their reservation.  A number of our synod folks offered thanks to the beleaguered workers, who continued to smile through it all!