“Welcome to the buckle of the bible belt.”  That was our introduction to Dallas.  The venue was actually in Southlake, conveniently nestled between Fort Worth and Dallas, in a large old-school Methodist sanctuary gone mega-church.  Another great team on the ground did fabulous organizing work, everything from gathering grease for the bus to hooking us up with homemade goodies upon arrival (we’re getting spoiled… we even got to jump in a pool before the show!).

It was an energetic crowd with about a thousand folks from all over Texas, even a few that flew in for the presentation.  We were a little disappointed no one came on horseback, but we did have some Texas bicyclers! (By the way, we just saw a great story about some kids who decided to cut down on gas and started riding their horses to school, and went through all the appropriate channels to get hitches and feeding troughs installed — how’s that for ordinary radicals!).  We got to meet up with the lovely folks from Commonground in Shreveport, LA… beautiful people, and too many others to name.  
We got a little surprise visit from our friends Doug Pagitt, Mark Scandrette, and Tony Jones who are on their own little national revival tour, called the Church Basement Roadshow http://www.churchbasementroadshow.com/.  Check ‘em out!  Good times. 
We made some new friends – a doctor, administrator, and chaplain doing home-visits and truly practicing the “small things with great love” of Mother Teresa – visiting folks in their homes and helping to create a brilliant network of alternative healthcare options for the thousands of sisters and brothers who lack proper medical care here in TX.  Incidently, the female chaplain was a Reformed Catholic priest… it’s not everyday you meet a female priest (though we would like to!).  Another new friend, Todd Lollar is a hero… making a spectacle of his physical limitations (wheelchairbound), Todd started up a beautiful work among the homeless, and is a sassy preacherman – I even got to talk to his mom who works in Oklahoma City with victims of the Oklahoma City bombing, namely Bud Welch who lost his daughter but became one of the most outspoken voices of grace, befriending McVeigh’s family and arguing against Timothy’s execution (Shane writes about him in The Irresistible Revolution).

We also had several folks connected to the military in the Dallas audience, and many of them came and talked with us.  Over and over, we hear military families say “Thank you” for giving voice to many of the things they feel deeply but have not felt free to express.  One mother came up with tears streaming down her cheeks, and said she agreed with the things we are saying but has two kids in the military and isn’t sure what to do.  Indeed, the responsibility we have as peacemakers is tremendous – as we try to help carry the heavy burdens that so many military families live with every day.