Thursday, August 6, 2009

Well we started the day with another wonderful worship service. It's amazing what storytellers can do ... and they've given me some ideas. And then we went off to our workshops where my group practised actually telling the story of Abram (Genesis 15:1-6) We'll be telling it as a group during Saturday's closing worship.

After lunch we went for another workshop. you might remember that mine was "Grounding the body, Opening the Heart." It was wonderful ... it was learning exercises and massage techniques to help keep us grounded and open as we told stories. It was fun, it rejuvenated and relaxed us, and left us with some techniques we can continue to use!

Then it was on to the Keynote Speaker, who left us with some unsettling images and interesting and challenging questions. Tomorrow's presentation is addressing ways to resolve some of those challenges and promises to be very interesting.

After dinner we gathered for our "Epic Storytelling" Session. Storytellers signed up to tell parts of the story found in Genesis, and for just under an hour and a half, teller followed teller (or sometimes, pairs of tellers) as they presented the first 11 chapters of Genesis -- without notes! It was amazing and wonderful ... and we were blown away by how much genealogy could be committed to memory and presented in interesting ways.

We had a little time between dinner and storytelling and so I took out my camera for just a couple of shots.


My friend in Tennessee told me to turn slightly to the west and look south and the distant ridges would probably be Tennessee -- so that's what I did when I came out of the Spilman Auditorium




And though I didn't take a picture of the Spilman auditorium building (yet), I did take one of the building next store - which is where we registered and is just across the way from our Exhibitors Hall -- and though you can't see them, there ARE rocking chairs on the front porch!


Now doesn't that just look typically southern????

I went out for a short walk after I got back to my room tonight, met up with another couple of like mind. They were from the south and so I asked them what I could hear. They told me it was tree beetles. Then we heard something else and they headed off down the hill and I headed toward my room. It sounded more like a growl, and since they had just told me that a bear had been seen near one of the residences, just a cub .... but you know, where you see a cub, Mama is not likely far behind! So I thought it might be wiser to head indoors ... So I came to chat here instead!

And now it's time for me to say good night!