In October, our family was treated to a free weekend in Ocean Isle, North Carolina. The pretext: I was asked to be the speaker at our church’s Young Adult retreat. Of course I was bowled over by the invitation– and not only because it implied that I might no longer be a young adult myself.
I spoke three times, for about half an hour each over the course of two days. I talked about the Kingdom of Heaven and our expectations of it, as opposed, perhaps, to what God seems to be about in His Kingdom. I enjoyed the speaking immensely in every aspect: the preparation, the delivery, the conversations it engendered among the retreat-goers, and the conversations they raised with me. 
The experience taught me that I am an inexperienced retreat-speaker and that I can’t begin to answer many of the questions people have. It also taught me that I would welcome opportunities to speak again. I enjoyed so much the interaction with the young adults, most of whom I did not know before that weekend. And I learned again– as if I didn’t know it already– that a lovely portion of God’s 
kingdom lies along the North Carolina shore. 
