The Spring Equinox today at 5:58 pm, Eastern Daylight Time. The sun is shining, the flowers are blooming and the birds are singing…the Doxology, either that or the Sevenfold Amen, except for in Nashville where something about tears and beer have to be worked into every song.
The Executive Committee has a guy, the celebrated God’s Man, who will be announced March 31st and voted upon two days later at the Dallas-Ft. Worth Grand Hyatt. Plaudits to the EC leadership for not scheduling the vote on April Fool’s Day. That shows some insight and careful planning. And, what’s it cost to get the 80 or so mostly caucasian, predominantly senior brethren and a few sistren to Dallas for a few hours for a vote?
Some shrubs and flowers have been blooming here since late January but the official arrival of Spring is always welcome. It helps dispel the deep blue winter funk that had settled on we sunshine lovers in the temperate zones. I don’t know how anyone could live year round in Alaska.
SBC This Week has a countdown clock to the SBC Annual Meeting in Birmingham. When you read this, there will be only 82 days until the gavel slams down to begin that two-day period during the year when the Southern Baptist Convention exists. I am scouting around for the best bbq in Birmingham.
If Dave Miller would grow a big, unruly mustache and wear a dirty, oversized sombrero he could shed the ‘lime suit’ moniker and be known as the Baptist “El Guapo,” handsome.
Speaking of such things as sombreros, my theory is that all SBCers can be divided into those who feel comfortable in the sombra part of the arena and those who prefer the sol. Has nothing to do with Calvinism, my self-absorbed sola friends. I’ve scooted over into the sombra section for some years now. Give me a good reason and I’ll go back to the sol. This is a metaphor. Look it up.
How about a wild conjecture about the Annual Meeting: There will be no big politicians taking up our time this year. And the mayor of Birmingham and/or the governor of Alabama better not show up and prattle on for more than two minutes. The governor of Texas droned on interminably last year. “Hey, gov! It’s not about you, bro.”
The Order of Business Committee is now accepting idiotic motions. Any messenger may submit one and some always do.
I went to a state convention meeting a few years ago here in Georgia and of the dozens of people who were on the platform and spoke only one was female, the state WMU president. My guess is that in Birmingham one will see more women taking part in the convention program than ever before. And, has a woman ever closed one of the sessions in prayer? I can’t recall one.
Why the Executive Committee convention arrangements people allow schools like Liberty to have big spaces in the exhibit hall has always confused me. They are not all that Southern Baptist and bleed off thousands of students who would otherwise have attended Southern Baptist colleges and seminaries.
Adam Greenway will be a big hit at the convention. Never has a new entity head been so widely praised. My prayers for his success.
Mystery question for the annual meeting: Will someone offer an amendment to any of the Nominating Committee’s report and attempt to replace someone? Just asking. It’s been done before.
No, you can’t (and shouldn’t) vote unless you are in the convention hall and properly regisetered as a messenger. 81,570,178 people live within a day’s drive of that city. Show up or get over it.
I’ll be looking for the best-dressed Southern Baptist narcissist who glad-hands folks at the convention while he looks over their shoulder for someone more important to talk to.
And has any of the SBC Voices people lined up another exclusive confab like we did last year? I’d pay for a ticket to such if it doesn’t cut into my fishbait money too much.
I’d still rather be a Southern Baptist than any other kind of Baptist.
It is even sunny and above freezing in Sioux City.
LOL. I watched the 1985 convention and a lady prayed, and prayed, and prayed. She chose to use her prayer as a sermon. Unwise. Other men who prayed did the same, but with fewer words than her. She went on, and on, and on.
My visits to Birmingham have been relatively brief, either passing through on I-20 or I-65, or through the airport when attending a conference at Shocco Springs, which is also the only place I’ve ever spent the night in Alabama. I’m a barbeque connoisseur who grew up in the west with real barbeque, not the mild mannered, boring pulled pork you find in Dixie. But I would heartily recommend Dreamland Barbeque which has locations in Birmingham, but a trip to the original in Tuscaloosa might be worth the trip for the hickory smoked sausage and their ribs and brisket slabs are, well, not as good as you’d get in Arizona but better than anything south of the Mason Dixon line.
William,
The EC vote is to take place on April 2, not April Fools Day. FYI
Sorry … I misread.
“I’ll be looking for the best-dressed Southern Baptist narcissist who glad-hands folks at the convention while he looks over their shoulder for someone more important to talk to.”
Too funny…. Keep up the sense of humor. That comment hit me real good from my state convention days observing what we called the “hall dogs”. The preacher boys are gonna hall dog to find that larger church. How about growing the congregation you have so you have a larger, healthier congregation next year instead?