After Eucharist I went to lunch with the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast's group of people, courtesy of the bishop and his wife. It was very good getting to talk to some deputies and spending a lot of time with two members of the National Altar Guild. I showed them some of my stoles and they're recruiting me! ;) I brought cheesecake back to the hotel and got my computer and the information for the woman from TX. I had to e-mail her the link to our blog (the hits dropped today, btw. I expect y'all to visit more frequently!) so I got her contact info, too. From the hotel I went to see the deacons and I learned how to knit! I'm not too good at it yet, I don't think, but I'm making some progress.
The idea is to knit a scarf while you're at convention and then give it either to a shelter back home or give it back to them and they'll get it to someone in need. I got the ball of yarn and needles for a few reasons. I'm crafty and sew stoles, for one. For another, apparently knitting is a General Convention tradition. People bring their knitting for sitting in either house (including deputies and bishops of both sexes) so that their hands are occupied. I started following one of them on Twitter and am about to add another on Facebook. I might be starting to make some deacon's stoles for one of them! I sat and talked with them about the diaconate and how I <3>
Then to the EPF booth to hear the Rev. Naim Ateek speak. He's a really good speaker, and my eyes are really being opened the last three months about different perspectives on Israel/Palestine. Fr. Ateek is a Palestinian Christian and spoke as The Consultation's lunchtime speaker on Thursday. Growing up where I did and in the kind of theological background I've had, I've only been exposed to one side of the Israel/Palestine discussion/issue. I'm still sorting some things out and will continue doing that. It's something I need to do a lot of research on, especially reading. I worked on my knitting while he was talking to us and I absorbed a good deal of what he said, now that I think about it. Apparently that's a good way for me to do some focusing.
After he talked with us a group of us went and got Indian food, which I'm not used to. Not a lot of it in Troy, and I didn't make trips to Montgomery unless I had to. I was pleased with what I ate, although it was a little spicier than I expected...but I got used to it. While I was with the deacons, once during Naim's talk, and all through dinner I was following the debate and then voting on Resolution D025 (the hot issue of the day; I think most of the YAPs were wondering what was going to happen with it), and it passed with 2/3+ majority. After that we went to Traces of the Trade, which I've seen before and will see again Tuesday night. I think I'll talk more about it then because I will have been through the entire conversation about it that will follow.
I did NOT stay for the entire conversation tonight. I went and got frozen yogurt with Valerie, Nicole, and Gary. It was a good break :). Then I came back to the room and listened to various music and discussions about prisons and then took part in a discussion about sex offenders. Finishing up this blog entry, going to meditate some for tomorrow's collect (which I'm really looking forward to), and then going to post my sermon "The Dance Goes On" before going to bed.
Teaser: God of Imagination...
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