I’m
back from Laity Lodge. It was a very nice week for me, a week of rest
and quiet and with no stress or tasks waiting to be done.
Laity Lodge
is run by the sort of contemplative, quiet, and gentle Christians that
I wish everyone could know. People gather in peace from all
denominations to celebrate our shared commitment to Christ.
The
lodge itself sits on the crystal-clear Frio River. From the balcony of
the lodge, you can easily see every fish in the river below. I watched
a lovesick turtle chase his intended from one bank to the other one
morning. He never caught her. She would dart into the plants on the
bottom to hide, while he, confused, would paddle in circles
waiting for her to come up for air.
I did indeed get to meet Dale Bruner.
More than that, I became good friends with him and his wife Kathy. At
the end of the retreat I got to drive him back to San Antonio to catch
his plane to California. We talked theology the whole way. Man, what a
thrill for me. Dale is VERY much interested in the theology and
exegetical work of Martin Luther. I left committed to purchasing
Luther’s commentaries for myself. That’s a frightening thing because I
used to be addicted to buying books. I’ve been on a self-imposed
program of book-buying abstinence for about four years now. Like any
addict would say, I feel sure I can handle it this time.
Coincidentally,
I recently started a humorous essay called, “Martin Luther, Diet
Coke, and Canned Soup.” Meeting Dale has inspired me to finish it.
Look for it in a week or so.
I
also met a lot of dear Christian people from all around the United
States, some as far away as Georgia, Washington DC, and California.
I
got a lot of writing done during the week. I even completed an essay
about my evenings sitting in this swing and listening to the sounds of
the night. I’m sending it to Christian Century on Monday. If they don’t
accept it I’ll post it here.
Inspired by Susan at Visual Voice,
I have purchased a very nice digital camera and am trying my hand at
photography. I used the macro function to take some close-up shots of
insects and flowers at Laity Lodge. Click here if you want to see some more pictures, including one of me at the site of some dinosaur fossils. WARNING: This page may take awhile to load unless you have a broadband connection.
Now This Was Fun
I officiated at the wedding of two bloggers who met online and came to San Antonio to be married on the Riverwalk.
Since they met in the blog world, they thought it might be appropriate
if Real Live Preacher did the ceremony. WHILE I RARELY AGREE TO DO
WEDDINGS FOR PEOPLE I DON’T KNOW, for some reason I said yes to this. I
wore my blue jean priest shirt, the one I only wear when I’m being RLP.
It was fun, but not something I plan to do often. In
this case, I had corresponded with the bride through her blog, Zelda
Pinwheel. I felt like we had something of a relationship. Enough for me
to be comfortable doing the wedding.
The wedding itself took place on the roof of the
Plaza Room of the Hyatt Regency, overlooking the Alamo itself. I got a
nice panorama shot from the roof.
Click for larger image
The three of us at a Jazz bar on the Riverwalk
rlp
