SPEAKING OF INDIA ...

Okay, you might not have been, but I was. Just got off the phone after a lengthy conversation with a very helpful Delta agent, making arrangements for my visit there next February. That will be a very special trip for several rerasons -

1. Gill will accompany me - her first taste of that great country. She is heavily committed to our outreach in South Africa and makes that her focus. We often go our separate ways - her to SA and me to Mumbai - but next year will be different.

2. I will be speaking at the 25th Anniversary of Covenant Blessings Church, the great congregation we partner with over there.

3. I will be teaching the Purpose Driven Church principles to a conference of key pastors, with the potential to influence 2,000 churches.

I booked early as we will be using frequent flyer miles and have enough to go business class, which will be a blessing on such a long journey. The problem is, the airline allocates very few seats for business class freebies and they are already taken on the best flights (like the one direct one a day!).

So it will be a dog's leg of a journey to Chicago, Paris and then Mumbai. The return trip features a 5 1/2 hours layover in Paris (which is longer than any mortal should ever have to spend in France!). But I figure a longer journey in comfort is better than a regular one in the cattle class.

So I'm wired. Training pastors is a tremendous privilege and responsibility. I guess I'd better learn something myself between now and then so that I have something to say!!!