From there we were off to the Chalet Retreats (which are near Roan Mountain). These chalets are pretty much carved into the side of the hill and are a nice place to get away.
The stream that runs through the property adds as much beauty to the sounds as to the sights.
We hunkered down and tried to get a handle on what the culture around us is like. Then we turned the examining eye toward ourselves as a church. This is where Bryan Bucher's assessment of Grandview came in especially handy. After those two exercises we tried to discern God's leading for the next year or so.
It was a joy to be back with the Grandview gang. Lil' Bobby Hall brought me some Diet Mountain Dew. 
The discussion was good. I continue to be impressed with the constant desire of Grandview leadership to do the right thing. We looked at ways we in the church live up to our vision statement and ways in which we fail. The feedback I received from them will play a major role in my dissertation. I pray that it will make a difference in the life of Grandview and Johnson City as well.Big "Thanks" go to John Marr for handling all of the details and making sure this event happened. John has been a HUGE blessing during my year at Asbury. If you're sitting at your computer and it won't annoy the people around you, just go ahead and give a blog applause.
Thanks, John!
After the meeting was over on Saturday afternoon, I hopped back in the car and drove back to Kentucky. Fortunately I was able to listen to the Colts game on the radio--that made it much easier to stay alert.
3 comments:
Um... yeah I did an assessment. Is it OK for me to come back to Johnson City on my bike next year, or is someone going to let the air out of my tires?
Y'all have a great church. I pray you use the depth of your spirituality, which stems from your pastoral leaders, to lead people in your community to a deep, abiding faith in Jesus Christ.
Special thanks to all the interview subjects for putting up with stream-of-consciousness questions and lots of puzzled looks.
You will be welcomed and the air pressure in your tires will be fine . . . because I won't tell any of these Tennessee fans what you said about the SEC.
I didn't realize that there was a NCAA Division I football team in the state of Tennessee. And in the SEC to boot.... man, that's really something. Learn something new every day.
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