Return to the Mother Mitt

After the Fourth of July, Jess and I had the opportunity to return to Grand Rapids, where we both went to school. Rob Bell was hosting a preaching conference, so it gave us a good excuse to hear some interesting teaching, see a city we really love, and to spend a little time away from almost all the kids (Elliot came with us). The conference was really thought-provoking, and it provided me with a lot to work with as I return to pastoral ministry. The coolest part - at least for us - was that we got to stay in the Amway Grand Hotel in downtown GR, which was something that felt completely unattainable for us when we were Calvin students. I guess we can check that off of our list.

Grand Rapids is a really neat city. The people are really independent, and you see a lot of young entrepreneurs trying to make a go of it. The downtown area continues to see some (slow) revitalization, but there's a coffee shop there now called MadCap Coffee, which roasts its own beans and makes an amazing cup of coffee. You can see the picture below for Jess' morning cappuccino. We also got a chance to try the Cherry Deli, which is close to where we used to live. They, like everywhere else in Grand Rapids, served boxed water. Interesting.

We ended our time by taking Elliot to see Calvin College for himself. I doubt he'll go there some day, but it was nice to see a place that was so formative for us again.