Where have all the Cowboys gone?

Pastors Conference at Moody Bible Institute........... (breathe deeply) It has come to be one of my favorite things about working here over the summer. All the khaki's and cheesy jokes the world can contain, are RIGHT HERE this week.

I ate lunch in the Commons everyday this week hoping to spot my future husband but the way registration is set up this year; they just don't make it that easy. Registering by last name... tsk! That is so 2009. I propose that next year's registration be something more like this: "Single pastor's under 40 who think Arrested Development is funny" here and "Everyone Else" here. Maybe they could also have a speed dating event... hahahaa. OK, now my imagination has officially gone wild. Reigning in the horses. :)

So in all this "Pastor Watching" I have noticed a few specific types of Pastors.
#1. Hipster for Jesus
Cargo pants, tousled hair, track jacket and square rim glasses. This pastor tanned and in his 50's is easy to spot with an ambitious youth pastor right on his heels and a book about the emerging church under his arm.

#2. Biker for Jesus
These are the guys in jean and leather; usually a little hairier than the others and real heavy duty work shoes. The ones who come with a cooler of food, 3 cubes of soda and 2 cases of Dinty Moore soup. mmmmmmm... Beefy!

#3. ALUMNI for Jesus
I laugh at these guys, but I know that someday all too soon it will be me. So I laugh still, but with humility! :) They ask everyone if they attended MBI trying to make connections and be able to legitimize their time here by knowing someone that another pastor knows who went here. They are the ones who give private tours of campus of all their favorite spots and begin far too many sentences with "When I was here...". They start laughing for apparently no reason while walking through the plaza because they had a memory of their flag poling or some such thing that only "Moodies" would understand. They pretend they are lost while secretly visiting their old room and pause in reverence at the back of Torrey Gray every time they enter.

#4. Farm Fresh for Jesus
These are a great majority of the men here this week. The ones who come from a small town in the Midwest who are so excited to be a part of DL Moody's legacy and will tell their grandchildren about this week for years to come. They are ordinary men who only drink their coffee black and like their breakfast big.

#5. Joggers for Jesus
This type is tricky because sometimes the "Farm Fresh" Pastors try to pose in this role. They get out their swishy athletic pants that they usually wear to a game and go for a run in the city instead. On the way back they breathe more deeply and sweat more heavily and stop for an Egg McMuffin to celebrate their accomplishment.

The real Jogger type though is the social elite of the Pastors group. You know them... the popular kids from High School you love to hate. The ones you now can't hate because they are Pastors... the ones who eat Kashi and sip beverages. The ones who run marathons on Saturdays and preach on Sundays and carry a briefcase every other day. The ones who only use Macs and are looking for a coffee bar in the auditorium. You know the ones.

OK, I know I am making terrible fun of these men, but I really do love them! I love that they serve God so faithfully. I love that they put in so many hours for others. I love that they put their family life on display for everyone's critique and sacrifice for them anyway. I love that they smell so wonderfully of sweat and cologne. I love that they preach the truth to each other. I love that they get to come here and rest awhile. I love that they have fresh material to take home to their churches- Bible truth and jokes! I love that they cherish this place and the speakers and their gift bags so much. I just love them!

I did find one cowboy this week... there is a new street performer on Michigan Avenue these days. His cowboy outfit is complete with chaps and spurs. He lassos his rope and hollers "Giddy up!" It's good to know there is at least one still out there!