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Reflections on the Tulsa Workshop

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Just some quick thoughts on the Monday after Tulsa…

  • People seemed to think that the level of teaching was high this year. (Not surprisingly, I heard this from people who didn’t attend my class) John Dobbs mentioned taking more notes this year than he had in a while.
  • People also felt that attendance was down. I haven’t attended enough to know, nor do I get to participate in enough to get a feel for it.
  • When attending a workshop as an exhibitor, it’s hard to attend many sessions. I heard Trey Morgan once, Amanda Sanders/Dusty Rush once and half of a Bobby Valentine class. That’s about it, as far as the Workshop goes.
  • I’m wondering how many groups find exhibits to be beneficial. Frankly, Herald of Truth does not get its money’s worth out of exhibits. Tulsa is one of the better places, but I still find myself spending most of my time reconnecting with friends at the booth.
  • Book sales at our booth were abysmal. The bigger book stores seemed to do better; I guess people like to do “one-stop shopping” when it comes to books. I do know that Boyd’s Books quickly sold out of Letters From The Lamb, so a few of those were sold.
  • One of the greatest benefits of workshops and lectureships is the chance to connect with old friends. I’m not brave enough to try and start listing; I’ll just say that it was a pleasure to visit with so many dear Christians.
  • I enjoyed visiting the Memorial Drive congregation on Sunday. I’d never been there before. Jim McGuiggan spoke. He’s a wonderful speaker, but I was especially taken by his gentle, loving nature as he spoke with people personally.

If anyone who was there wants to add anything, please feel free.

Tulsa Workshop

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Next week is the Tulsa Workshop. I’ve attended the workshop several times, but this is the first time that I will be teaching a class there. Admittedly, the invitation was for Herald of Truth, but I’m the lucky one who actually gets to go and represent our ministry. I’ll be speaking on evangelism. The class will be at 3 p.m. Thursday and will have the title “We Have An Enormous Amount of Telling to Do” (phrase originally used by my boss, Bill Brant, in a letter sent to churches).

In getting ready for this class, I’ve got an enormous amount of material to work through. I want to offer a mix of stories and practical teaching. Keeping it to 45 minutes will be a challenge, even for me, a guy who usually runs short rather than long.

I hope to get a chance to hear some of the other speakers. A number of friends of mine are speaking, as well as several men that I just enjoy hearing their thoughts.

However, besides teaching the class, I’m also representing Herald of Truth, and part of that is attending to our booth in the exhibit area. Besides our usual information about our ministry activities, we will also be offering our latest book, Hope For Life. I’m expecting some of the other sellers to have copies of Letters From The Lamb; if not, we’ll have a few of those for sale as well.

The bonus to being at the workshop, of course, will be the chance to see some dear friends that I only see at events like this. Whether they admit it or not, most people find that’s the main attraction for this type of gathering.

Hope to see you next week in Tulsa!

Tulsa Workshop

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I was in Tulsa, Oklahoma last week for the Tulsa Workshop (formerly the International Soul-Winning Workshop). I was sent by Herald of Truth and spent most of my time manning the Herald of Truth booth in the exhibit area. We were talking to people about the evangelism seminars we are offering now, promoting our book, talking with people about the TV spots and video testimonials we have available, and signing people up to receive our newsletter for more information in the future.

Being in an exhibit like that is always an interesting experience. When people walk by the booth of a non-profit, they often avoid making eye contact, afraid of being pressured for some kind of commitment (at least that’s my perception). We were actually more successful in making contacts than were several of the non-profits I talked to. However, the real benefit for non-profits is visibility. People see that your organization is still working, is still  creating new projects and doing new things. If a group is absent, the question goes around: Does (Organization X) still exist?

I got to do a few things as an author. I met with the booksellers that were carrying our books (there were three that I found), and I even did a book signing for one of them. I also got flagged down by someone as I walked through the exhibit area, asking, “Did you write this book? Would you sign it for me?”

The workshop was really enjoyable on a personal level. I got to meet lots of people that I’ve only known on the Internet. I’ll be brave and try to list some of them: Trent Tanaro, Al Maxey, Brian Nicklaus, Paula Harrington, Chris Gallagher, John Dobbs, Edward Fudge, Royce Ogle, Victor Knowles, Steve Tucker, Trey Morgan, Carl Feril, Doug Young, James Jones, Dusty Rush, Janice Garrison, Amanda Sanders, Darin Hamm, Gerry Parker, Wade Tannehill, Jamie Riley. I saw Bobby and Tamie Ross again, although I told them that it was more fun meeting them this time since I’ve gotten to know them on the Internet. I got to visit with friends from other non-profits that I often see at workshops: James Satcher, Jerry Hill, Calvin and Linda Henry, Jo Gower, Omar Corpus, Truitt Adair. I also saw a few people that I’ve known in the past but don’t see often: Sal and Margie Urrabazo, Kent Marcum, Diana Teel, Carlos Gonzales.

I’m sure I left out some people. Somebody might point out some I missed. I did want to say that the highlight of the workshop had to be Friday lunch. Some of us went to Casa Bonita (now I can say I’ve been there and never have to do that again). We had a group of about 20, and we had a lot of fun laughing and joking with our waitress. As we got ready to leave, Steve Tucker asked her if we could do anything for her. She laughingly said, “Pray for me,” then got serious as people pressed her as to what specific things needed prayer in her life. We had a great chance to pray for her and minister to her.

I didn’t get much of a chance to hear speakers or attend classes, but I still had a great workshop. I know that many people were blessed by their time there.