Our family is attending a seminar this week called, Institute of Basic Life Principles (IBLP), in Charlotte, North Carolina.  I attended these seminars multiple times as a young girl.  My father was a pastor and each year he would take a group of people in his church to this seminar, and I would tag along.  At that time, these seminars were held in the big McCormick Center on Lake Michigan in Chicago, Illinois.

When my oldest two children, Becky and Matthew, were around 12 and 13 years of age, I took them to attend a week long seminar, also.  They both have good memories from this.  I think that these seminars made a difference at this critical age. 

I’ve always been meaning to get around to taking my next two teenagers to these seminars, as I view them as an integral part of their education of real life principals, contrasted to knowledge that is gained from text books.  This past summer, a month ago to be exact, all of the sudden, I realized, my third born is one year away from graduating, and my “meaning to get around to it” hasn’t gotten me there yet. 

I went on the internet and found that the IBLP seminars are only hosted during a brief time in the year around the country.  Mostly, they are held in the summer. When I looked at the schedule, I realized that I had already missed the seminar that was closest in location to me.

I talked to my husband, and although this was not an ideal time to take a trip, we chose the North Carolina seminar that is during August 10^th – 17.   So here we are.

So far, we have had a lovely trip. We stopped in Boonville, Kentucky, on the way down, to visit some of our campers and Pastor Keith Murray and his wife, Amy. 

There is something interesting about the IBLP.  There is something for everyone, no matter what season one is in life.  I got things out of this when I was a teenager that I have never forgotten.  I have taught many of these principles that I learned back then, throughout the years to all of my children.  Now, I am in a different season of life, and although I have attended the same seminar a multitude of times, I am still learning.  I am looking forward this week to share with you some of these things.