Hello friends! It’s lovely to be back among you all, after three weeks in the USA. Adrian and I had a wonderful time together. We spent the first four days in Washington DC, exploring the various national monuments (and the breathtaking National Cathedral) and the many museums of the Smithsonian. The next ten days were spent in New York City, the city that genuinely never sleeps and always seems to have a buzz about it. Alongside all the usual tourist attractions (Central Park, Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty), we caught a baseball game, three musicals, and just spent a lot of time walking around and soaking up the atmosphere. New York really makes Sydney seem like a country town!

Our last week was spent at the Festival of Homiletics in San Antonio, Texas. I’m only starting to process that week, but let it suffice to say that it was the best educational and inspiring experience I’ve had since my call to ministry. It was an immense privilege to hear from some of the world’ best preachers, and to be reinvigorated and reinspired to continue to grow my skills as a preacher of the Gospel of Jesus. America has a history of great orators (Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr, Billy Graham etc.), and so its culture of excellence in preaching is strong. Australian culture is a little different – but I believe that we still need inspiring, energizing, challenging, prophetic speakers and preachers among us, to help us “take up our cross”.

I’m sure you will hear a lot of anecdotes from the conference in weeks ahead, but today, let me give you a few of the best quotes I noted down, for your pondering:

“A sermon creates a hunger people didn’t know they had. A sermon creates space where all kinds of things happen that are beyond us.” – Rob Bell

“Our energy must not be used to nourish nostalgia. God is doing a new thing – do you not perceive it?” – Walter Brueggemann

“Maybe returning to God with all you heart means returning to God with ALL your heart – that which you deem good and that which you deem bad.” – Nadia Bolz Weber

“Why don’t we transform temptation from something of Satan’s domain into an invitation to the world to do good? We can tempt the world with our testimony.” – Anthony Bailey

“Before we go out to bring strangers to us, let’s stop and ask if we are real sanctuary for those who are already here.” – Yvette Flunder

“All my life I have been eating from trees that I did not plant. The least I can do is plant trees for another generation.” – Otis Moss III

And finally…

“You’ll never have a parishioner that is more difficult to live with than Jesus.” – William Willimon