What a great week it has been. For those that didn't know, this week I got to go spend time with Bob Russell in Louisville, KY. If you don't know who Bob Russell is, then this may be meaningless to you. However, if you do know who he is, then you understand why spending time with this man could be significant.
Bob Russell is the retired minister of Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY. Southeast is said to be the "quietest megachurch in the country". This is very true and it probably has to do with the leadership there. They are very humble.
I got the opportunity because of a friend. He told me to sign up and I applied online my first day as Sr. Pastor. (It's for S.P.'s only.) I got the confirmation that I had been accepted 4 months later. So, needless to say, I've been looking forward to it for a long time. Bob's retreats are limited to 8 S.P.'s. So it's literally 7 other guys, you and Bob. They keep the retreats this size so there can be lots of interaction and a more intimate setting. Our group was really cool. Guys from all over and churches of all sizes.
I could blog forever about all that happened, all that I learned, all that I was challenged with. I'll save that for another day. I kind of want to talk about the treatment that we all received while we were there. It was greatness! We stayed at the Country Lake Retreat Center about 20 miles north of Louisville in the woods of southern Indiana. Southeast owns the campgrounds and all of the facilities.
The retreat center lodge was set up like a hotel. This is the nicest "camp" I've ever been to. It was incredible. The rooms were just like hotel rooms and were furnished nicely. The only difference...no TVs, which was kind of nice. It was quiet and peaceful in the woods. I slept so well. It was very restful.
The retreat center's food was very good. Every meal was warm, tasted good, served by friendly staff, and plenty of variety to eat. We were in sessions being taught and coached alot, but they mixed it up with some fun and touristy stuff too. A lot of the retreat I felt like I was Donald Trump or something. We met many high up business execs and got to discuss leadership and management with them. We got to tour the Louisville Slugger Bat Factory with the president, Mr. Archer. Then we go to meet with another guy who was a Christian, I can't remember his name right now, but I have his business card at the office. He gave us some great insights and was very encouraging.
I could go on and on at what we got to see and do. The fun stuff culminated with tours of Southeast (awesome!), bowling, and before I left, I got to play golf with Bob. It was amazing. I've learned a ton and really feel like this week was a time of refreshing for my spirit. You could ask my wife, I think she agrees.
I'll blog more about my trip and what hit me this week so stay tuned. Sorry I haven't been blogging in a while, but I intentionally did not take the laptop last week. I'm back and will be blogging more. It's good to be home with my girls. I missed all 4 of them dearly. I'm a really fortunate man to have the support I have from my wife and family. I'll never take that for granted again.
No comments:
Post a Comment