Gatlinburg Fun Fact #37: There are more pancake houses per capita than bears.
October 8th, 2009
I didn’t get a reading from a psychic or get an “old timey” picture taken this past week in Gatlinburg, but I saw a flash of my past and a glimpse of my future.
I often joke that Senior Adults are just retired teenagers and this week we proved it. We spent the first part of the week at Jubilee Conference 2009 at the Conference Center in the heart of the beautiful Smoky Mountains. That’s what the brochure said, “heart of the beautiful Smoky Mountains,” what it didn’t say was “also you will be rooming with Ralph Painter.”
That part was a surprise, but it turned out to be great! He is 60 years older than me but I think he might be my new best friend. I think we could definitely get into a lot of trouble together! He reminds me of a 9th grader I roomed with once on a youth trip to Gatlinburg, except the night he kept me up “late” talking we were still asleep by 11:30. And that is why he is my new favorite 9th grader of all time. That and he bought my breakfast Wednesday morning.
It was such a good trip, and like any good “youth” trip, there were room-to-room prank calls… but they didn’t come from me and Ralph like you’d expect, they came from the girls rooms. True story. For three days we goofed off and we joked and we laughed and had the best time, it really was like a youth trip from my past.
But it was also a quick glimpse of a wonderful future. To be a part of the 6,000 plus people there worshipping for three days straight was awesome! We were blessed to have many great singers and musicians to lead us in worship as well as great preachers leading us through great passages. As I looked over the room full of mature believers being challenged by preachers of God’s Word, I thought… Senior Adults might be retired teenagers, but they will never be retired Christians.
I know what you are thinking, I didn’t see you Wednesday night with an airbrushed t-shirt on like last year, so what did I take away from the trip this year? And to that I say… Well, LOTS of things, but one thing that kind of sticks out and something I keep thinking about is… I hope that as I am growing older that I will always, like Ralph and ALL of our group, live life with excitement and joy like I’m young man and worship God with reverence and passion like I’m a mature Christian.
Posted by Kevin Lewis
Leave a comment:
