A friend and I left for Chautauqua at 6:15 this morning, because the week-day service starts at 9:15. Our trip was an uneventful one -- a relief after the attempt my son and I made a few years ago to celebrate my birthday by going to hear John Claypool, another of my favorite preachers, when we suffered a complete car collapse and ended up spending most of the afternoon being towed the 100 miles home via AAA (thank you God for gold cards).
Highlights:
An exquisitely crafted sermon presented by Barbara Brown Taylor, who is in fine form despite the baffled and mixed reviews her most recent book has received ~
A fascinating talk on American attitudes toward global warming and what we need to do to create an impetus for action (start talking in terms of national energy security and personal heath issues) by pollster Whit Ayres ~
The Black Dog/Martha’s Vineyard/2001 on the back of a t-shirt a couple of rows ahead of us (that one’s for you, Paul) ~
Another and equally fascinating presentation by conservative Republican evangelist lobbyist and environmental activist Richard Cizik, who talked about how we need to forget the Left Behind Armageddon nonsense and focus on the Biblical mandate to care for and restore the earth ~
The realization, as we sat in the grass outside the packed Hall of Philosophy for the above, that Al and Tipper Gore were listening intently from their seats on the porch behind us ~
Ah, summer days. . . .
Highlights:
An exquisitely crafted sermon presented by Barbara Brown Taylor, who is in fine form despite the baffled and mixed reviews her most recent book has received ~
A fascinating talk on American attitudes toward global warming and what we need to do to create an impetus for action (start talking in terms of national energy security and personal heath issues) by pollster Whit Ayres ~
The Black Dog/Martha’s Vineyard/2001 on the back of a t-shirt a couple of rows ahead of us (that one’s for you, Paul) ~
Another and equally fascinating presentation by conservative Republican evangelist lobbyist and environmental activist Richard Cizik, who talked about how we need to forget the Left Behind Armageddon nonsense and focus on the Biblical mandate to care for and restore the earth ~
The realization, as we sat in the grass outside the packed Hall of Philosophy for the above, that Al and Tipper Gore were listening intently from their seats on the porch behind us ~
Ah, summer days. . . .
3 comments:
I do think there is a connection between Chautauqua and the Methodist Campgrounds in Oak Bluffs on the Vineyard. The Black Dog is just a bakery in Vineyard Haven that caught on with tourists. There is a satirical T-shirt called the Bad Dog.
When I get those prompts to enable cookies, etc. I just turn my computer off and then turn it back on. It works. I know it's the blogging-for-dummies approach, but that's the best I can do right now. Glad you had a great time at Chautauqua. Don't you just love that word? Chau-tau-qua.
Were you able to meet the Gores? My brother goes to Chautaqua each summer but has never been to any of the speakers. He doesn't know what he's missing but he'd rather spend his time lazing in a canoe or sailboat! Maybe he'll let me go in his place one time!
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