It's 2pm on the first day, and I already think this will be my favorite day. It'll be hard to beat, for sure. Enjoyed breakfast this morning - a custom omelette bar (note to self, embassy suites is awesome), then met with the group for a little introduction to our weekend. Loaded up the van and headed to Saddleback for a tour and conversation with their Children's Pastor, Steve Adams.
The space is amazing. Beautiful, very California, serene (or at least it was when there was hardly anyone there). They have a whole floor of classrooms for their little ones, then we toured the floor devoted to their 3-4th graders, and their 5th-6th grade floor. Wow! The 3-4th grade floor and 5th-6th grade floor each have a max occ of about 540 (that's of course sardine-tin style, they don't pack it that full at each service). But, amazing nonetheless.
The conversation with Steve was great. He's super real, down-to-earth, and his vision is inspiring. He gave us a look at how the guts of their children's ministry work, how their executive leadership team functions, and even a glimpse at the real person of Rick Warren.
We ate lunch in the Refinery - their student (youth) ministry space. Incredible - a huge building, with a few food-court style restaurants, an outdoor skate park, a baptism tank (they have a separate one by the kids building too!), and amazing detail worked into the building and displays.
At lunch, I had a conversation that haunted me a bit: the youth ministry director of our network asked me casually "So, Kate, what are you working on that burns inside of you?" And I had no answer. I admitted to him that I've been in a tough season, and that I still love what I do and considered it extremely important, but that I didn't feel on fire. I've been mulling that over all afternoon, and praying now that God might restore my passion and light a new fire within me. Complacency is a sneaky enemy.
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