A Full Day in Tucson

On a warm summer day, I jumped in the car early to beat the traffic out of Phoenix (no luck, even at 6:30am it was heavy) and headed south to Tucson.

I was able to spend a little time with Virginia Bergfahl, who is recovering from back surgery and will use the coming days for some serious rehab. We continue to lift her up in prayer.

From there I went and spent an enjoyable morning and lunch with Lee Milligan, pastor at Church of the Painted Hills. You can see from the picture what a gorgeous setting they have for their church. Lee has a great spirit about him, and I enjoyed very much our conversation together. I look forward to being in worship with him and the friends and members of Painted Hills - he tells me their choir is among the best, and their choir director is the reason for that.

I left there to meet Randy Mayer, pastor at church of the Good Shepherd in Sahaurita, at the Epic Cafe in Tucson. That has become my new favorite spot in Tucson - a little cafe/bistro where one can spend a few lazy hours drinking the caffeinated beverage of choice, reading a good book, logging on to the interent, or - as Randy and I would do - engage in conversation. We talked about the work, the vision, and the purpose of our Growth and Development Committee, which Randy chairs. We talked about Border Ministry and restructuring the denomination. We talked about the Church of the Good Shepherd, of which he is clearly very proud.

I finished the day having dinner with Mark and Stacey Clark - who have really gone the extra mile to welcome Mimi and me. Mark, you will recall, was the chair of the Search Committee. Were it not for his suave and sophisticated manner, his effervessence and charm - I am sure our transition here would have been a bit more difficult. (Ok, you all know him much better than I - you know I'm laying it on a little thick here.)

I drove home after dinner, and spent the rest of the evening with my son, who had just arrived in Phoenix just about the time I hit the Tucson city limits. We two are flying to New York for a couple of days this weekend just to see the Yankees play at home before they tear Yankee Stadium down. Tune in later this week for pics and details. I will fly from New York to New Orleans to meet with selected leaders from across the denomination to brainstorm a new direction for the Still Speaking campaign. I will also report to you about that trip.