Last night, Randy Harris shared how common it can be to run into acquaintances in unlikely places.  He related a story that occurred while he was a professor at Lipscomb, encountering a former student on a shuttle bus in Washington D.C. 

A similar experience happened to me.  This morning, while sitting and talking with a friend at Barnes and Noble, we were pleasantly surprised by residents of Australia who had attended our Praise & Harmony workshop in Gosford, (near Sydney) only a few weeks ago.  Who would have thunk it?

Time to sing, "It's A Small World After All . . ."

What a way to conclude Summer Celebration and ACAFEST last night as thousands of people gathered on the campus of Lipscomb University for the finale of activities.  The South Side Singers of Rogersville, Alabama, brought the house down with their unbridled joy, setting the tone for the evening.

The congregational singing was stunning, with all ages joining in a seamless collection of standards and contemporary songs; upbeat and meditative songs with an emphasis on the joy of the Lord.  Randy Harris presented a message encouraging God's people to "party."  (One of his points was how Jesus was the type of person who was invited to parties and people wanted to be around.)  After the message, Acappella provided a high-energy outdoor concert, as I got to hear our son, Anthony, singing with them (my first time to hear him in concert with the guys.)  It sounded as if he'd blended with the group for years!

After the national anthem, the fireworks display was about as good as it gets.  What a great evening! 

The ACAFEST classes were well-attended with enthusiastic participants.