Final Roadtrip Highlights

I’m on the airplane flying back home. It’s tough to leave the sun and the palm trees, but my kids are waiting for me. Can’t wait to see them. Here are some highlights from the last couple of days of our trip:

• We taught our workshops at Church at the Springs in Ocala, FL on Thursday. More people showed up for the workshops in Florida than Kansas. Don’t know what that means, but I’m going to assume it’s because the folks in Florida are smarter than the folks in Kansas.
• We had the chance to hang out with Ron Sylvia, the senior pastor at The Springs. Ron planted the church about 12 years ago, and they’re running several thousand in attendance now. (They’ve experienced that growth without ever owning a building.) In addition to planting The Springs, Ron also has a heart for equipping other church planters. One of the most intriguing parts of his strategy for helping church planters was the coaching network he has created. It made me wonder if there might also be a demand for a WiredChurches.com coaching network.
• We were able to eat Chicago-style pizza in Orlando. We also found at least one Notre Dame fan on our trip.
• Yesterday, I went to Disney for the first time in my life. We spent the whole day at Epcot. My favorite moments were Soarin’, the Test Drive, the fireworks display and taking the monorail through the park to get a peak at the castle in the Magic Kingdom.
• I got to spend a full week hanging out my wife. Love that focused time with her. We’re already planning our next overnight. I love my kids, but I highly value the time I can have alone with Emily. I also happen to believe it’s good for my kids to see us making our marriage a priority.