Ridgecrest…one more time

I’m at Ridgecrest Conference Center for the night. I’m not attending a conference but it is close to where I went today so I reserved a night. In earlier years some group from my church would go every year, mostly students in the summer, but I haven’t been here in a decade or so. Hmmm, it used to be Ridgecrest Baptist Conference Center I think, but I’m OK for broader marketing if that’s what is needed to keep our sole national conference center going. Glorieta, the other one, is alive only in the form of a Hail Mary lawsuit. It was closed years ago.

My state convention gave away one of our conference centers. I don’t miss it….only stayed there once, in a clean but 70s era room at a price of $200 for the night but that princely sum included breakfast and nighttime cookies. Shoulda complained.

Did I read that SC was selling their relatively new conference center? Things change. Markets change. Preferences and standards change. I surmise that the demand for state conference centers has diminished over the decades.

There are new buildings here at Ridgecrest. Nice. My standard motel room is on par with what one might expect these days. Splendid. Workers have always been super here.

In my room small refrigerator is where the TV should be…but we’re very spiritual while up here. I am next to a small “Fellowship Room” which has a TV to watch along with a 1980s version of Trivial Pursuit to play. I’ll go with the TV. A lot of trivia has happened since the 1980s.

There’s a coffee shop, packed with kids and adults. From the price list I see that I can not buy a $5 cup of coffee here just like at home but I do pick up a $2 cinnamon roll for the trip home. Very tasty.

Must be some student conference because most of the people around are kids. For 15 or so years consecutively I came here with a student group for a full seven-day conference. I don’t think I ever got paid for those 168 hour work weeks…don’t miss ’em either.

Half the kids have cellphones in hand. Half don’t. What exactly do adults in charge of a group of teens do about electronics these days? Have churches generally acquiesced to the demand that kids must have a vice grip on a cell phone at all times? Maybe some Neanderthal student leaders require that they be left in rooms and not taken to worship and small groups. There were always groups that ran wild here and I recall wondering why any leader – pastor, staff minister, or volunteer adult – would allow it. “No you can’t do that and I don’t care what other pastors allow their groups to do.”

I lean on the balcony rail and watch small gaggles of teens walk around and try to look cool. Some do. Some don’t. They all look young.

It looks like some of the folks are pastors or staff and families on a weekend excursion. There’s one, mom and dad, two teens or pre-teens. They sit together waiting for something and each one of them has a cellphone and is focused on it. Odd, but typical of our day, I suppose.

Ah, new buildings where the day care center used to be. The facility was dated when our kids were little and I suppose there’s a shiny new one somewhere but ‘m a little nostalgic and sad about the old one. Nowhere were our children better cared for.

Same cafeteria. I’ll never forget sitting with a missionary from Panama 25 or so years ago who said, “If we’re going into the Darien we have to be self contained, take everything we need.”

There’s a flock of bright yellow goldfinches. Beautiful. Reminds me of the time up here when a common yellowthroat stunned himself by flying into our sliding glass door. I picked it up and waited a bit and he flew away. Closest look I ever had at that species. Kids,were unimpressed.

Keep up the good work, LifeWay.

I’m headed down to the Nibble Nook for an ice cream. Guess they still have that. I better not have to pay five bucks a scoop either.

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I’m waiting for the Nibble Nook to open. Some of the workers, seasoned saints, are inside dancing…now they’re circled up and praying. Repenting? Salted caramel is good. One scoop; two bucks. I’d comparison shop my five bucks. You could get 2 1/2 scoops for the price of one cup of coffee.