Good evening, y'all, from Memphis, Tennessee. No, I didn't get a chance to see Graceland today, but I'm hoping to be able to do that when I come back later this month for a presentation with the University of Memphis. CoCo member Jen Ross has promised to take me, so I'll be sure to report on that when I've visited.

First of all, let me tell you that I have the junkiest rental car ever this time-- a red Chevy Aveo. When Jen saw it tonight, she called it a clown car! But its small size isn't what makes it such an awful car. Besides the fact that I have to lock it from the outside when the door is open, I mainly hate this car because it doesn't have a CD player. Have you ever driven across the state of Tennessee? Do you know what the radio is like here? And tomorrow I"ll be in rural Arkansas. I started singing to myself at one point for entertainment, the radio stations were so bad. I was actually excited to hear the songs Footloose and Maggie May twice each on the six hour drive here from Louisville.

Tonight I was the opening act for headling moderator Rick Ufford-Chase, who stopped by on his way to the Covenant Network conference that is happening this weekend here in Memphis. Actually, I had an awesome turnout-- 15 young women for a presentation about women and the church. This group of young women, unlike groups I meet in most other parts of the country, seemed acutely aware of the limitations on women seeking to follow God's call into the ministry. I didn't even have to bring up issues of family versus work, the stained glass ceiling, and the discrimination that still persists against women in the ministry in the call process. One woman in particular talked about sharing her excitement over her call with a friend, only to be met with total and complete silence. It was obvious, she said, that he didn't affirm her. Others spoke up about the need for women to be bold in their understanding of Scripture and in interpreting their calls.

Jen told me that she was quite surprised by the turnout for this presentation (more people actually showed up to hear me than to hear the moderator-- probably the first, last, and only time that will ever happen). I don't think the good numbers have anything to do with me, though-- my sense was that women on this campus needed a place to express their questions about the Bible and their feelings about women's roles in the church. I'm hoping that Jen and some of the others might tap into that energy and form a group here.

I'm off to Lyon College in Batesville, Arkansas tomorrow to preach in the chapel service, and then I'll go visit some long-lost relatives in Black Rock. I'll try to post for you all before I leave Lyon, though!

So check back tomorrow for more adventures with Kelsey, Hagar the Cell Phone, and the little red clown car.

"God is our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in trouble." --Psalm 46:1

Kelsey