Last Sunday I had the unexpected opportunity to preach at Crossway Fellowship, the Sovereign Grace church in Athens, GA. As I told them, I was a stand in for the stand in while their pastor was away. It was a last-minute opportunity that I was at once excited and stressed about. I preached the 1 Peter message I preached in our church two months ago. In my view it was adequate not great, but the people were very encouraging and it seems that, in God’s providence, the text and message spoke into a number of people’s present circumstances, so I’m very grateful.
We had a wonderful time there. The people just blew us away with their earnest warmth and hospitality. The fellowship was rich and fun – it was as if we’d been there a long time. We left feeling full in a good way (and also full because of a fun lunch at Barberito’s after the meeting).
It was the first time I’d been in Athens in probably a decade. I spent a decent amount of time there for various reasons as a teenager, but not lately. It’s still a quintessential college town, but there is noticeable and significant growth (I’d heard that, but it was still interesting to see). It is not just a college town anymore. Keri had never been, so it was nice to show her around a bit – including driving around UGA and letting her see Sanford Stadium. (Football season is approaching fast and we all know who’s ranked #1!).