Higher Things - Day 1

Well, the Higher Things - Nashville conference began today. Yesterday was our main travel day, leaving early, winding through Virginia picking kids up, and then driving most of the way here. We stopped about 1.5 hours east of Nashville for the night.

Seven Athanasians squashed into our van.

We got on the road early again this morning and were able to check-in before lunch. Everything went very smoothly. The opening service was great, as usual, though the sound system could have been better. Then we had the first plenary, dinner, Evening Prayer, and the first breakout sessions.

Plenary room.

The only complaint I have has nothing to do with Higher Things and everything to do with Vanderbilt. The campus is huge, difficult to navigate, confusing, and they put us in buildings at far ends of the campus! Check out the map:

I realize it is too little to read, but here's the gist: the big red building at the lower left is the fieldhouse, where all the worship services are. The red building on the lower right are the dorms we are staying in, and the red buildings at the top of the page are where many of the breakout sessions are held. The light blue buildings in the middle are an enormous hospital complex. The distance from the dorms to the fieldhouse (I was told) is about a mile, which means the distance from the fieldhouse to the breakout buildings would be around the same. And that's if you could walk a straight line - but you can't! Nothing here is straight or easy. As a result, things are starting late and there is frustration trying to navigate the campus. 

Hopefully we'll do better tomorrow! We are going to hear one of our seminarians, Vicar George Fields, present his breakout session tomorrow, and then I will teach one in the evening as well. Right now it's time to catch up on some e-mails and then turn in. We're all pretty tired.