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The conference today was a little more difficult for me to follow. First, the time change is catching up to me. Secondly, the material is very rich and each session is very long. The mind can only absorbed what the butt can endure.

John Piper has hit a home run on in each session he has spoken (another). His material is full of scripture and theological sound. Yesterday, I had the unique privilege to see two young adults who were in the student ministry I lead at First Baptist Church of Sugar Land. The church is now named The Bridge Fellowship. Matt Willert is the Pastor of Community at The Sanctuary in Richmond, Texas. Sheridan Henson (formerly Saylor) is the wife of Chris Henson who is the Minister to Students at Travis Oaks Baptist Church in Lago Vista, Tx.

It was extremely humbling to see students that I had invested in and know they are giving their lives to serve Christ. As we talked about former students they began to tell me of other former students who are now serving God around the world in church leadership. I began to well up with tears as I thanked God for the opportunity to have been a part of their lives.

What an awesome blessing to to re-unite with these folks and see how God is using them. I am so glad that God has allowed me the privilege to walk with people and be an instrument He uses to disciple others. Lord, keep me faithful, keep me clean and close.

I had a really strong day and the conference has been very good. I haven’t been to a conference in a while, I have spent most of my time on mission trips and doing school work. Both of these have been very beneficial for me personally and for the church and the ministries that I lead. But, there is really no substitute for conferences that feed you personally and for your calling.

Today, Mark Driscoll opened the day teaching about the centrality of preaching in the church. He showed from scripture how preaching and teaching are central to what it means to be a church. Driscoll gave a general overview of the Bible and how preaching is how God calls people to Himself. He went on to give qualifications for a true church: 1) exaltation of Christ as King, Savior, and Lord. He is more than an example for us to follow. 2) Observing the ordinances of the church: baptism and the Lord’s Supper, 3) utilizing church discipline, 4) preaching a pure gospel. These are the historical marks of a church that drove the reformation of the church. Much more to come from this session, just later.

CJ Mahaney spoke next and really challenged me as a pastor to be more graceful in difficult situations as a leader. The Lord really utilized this message to speak to me personally.

John Piper spoke during the evening session and spoke on “Why Scripture Matters.” The session was so full of meat that I am still chewing an hour later. I will try to post some thoughts on his topic at a later time also.

As soon as I find links for the sessions I will post them for you to listen if you desire. I am really thankful for the church allowing me the opportunity to attend this conference.

I am also thankful that Amy and the kids allow me to be away for this time of challenge. Pray for them while I am away. It is always a challenge for them for me to be away. Amy can more than handle it, but we love being with each other and we help each other with scheduling and accomplishing the daily tasks. When one of us is gone it puts pressure on the other one.

Thank you Amy!!!

We arrived last night at around 9:30 pm Smyrna time, that means by the time we found our hotel unloaded and found a place to eat it was midnight Smyrna time. Needless to say, I had to have an evening cocktail (Alka Seltzer) after eating pizza that late. It was the only thing open on a Sunday evening at 9:30 pm Seattle time in the area of town we are staying. Pat, Chris Brewer and my self just about fell asleep while eating.I have just finished a great cup of coffee and we are about to start a preaching and teaching conference at Mars Hill. I will post more after the conference tonight.

I am leaving today for a conference in Seattle, WA. I am excited to go that direction, I have never been to the coffee capitol. You can bet I will drink a little coffee while I am at the conference. I am going to the Text & Context Conference at Mars Hills Church. The whole conference is about preaching and teaching so I am really looking forward to learning more about communicating God’s Word.

The speakers are Mark Driscoll, John Piper, Matt Chandler, and CJ Mahaney. All of these men are good teachers and preachers of The Truth.

Pray for safety and for a heart to hear from the Lord. Also, pray I remember to drink some decaff every once in a while.

I have had the privilege of being married to Amy for seventeen years today. I can honestly say I love her more today than I did when we said “I do” on February 23, 1991.  (I really thought I knew what love was that day.) God has given me a great wife and best friend.
Amy, I love you.

Charles Sykes is the author of DUMBING DOWN OUR KIDS. The following is a list he created for high school and college graduates of things he did not learn in school. In his book, he talks about how the “system” may have created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and set them up for failure in the real world.

Rule 1: Life is not fair; get used to it.

Rule 2: The world won’t care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something before you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3: You will not make 40 thousand dollars a year right out of high school. You won’t be a vice president with a car phone until you “earn” both.

Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss. He doesn’t have tenure.

Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger-flipping; they called it opportunity.

Rule 6: If you screw up, it’s not your parents’ fault so don’t whine about your mistakes. Learn from them.

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren’t as boring as they are now. They got that way paying your bills, cleaning your room, and listening to you tell them how idealistic you are. So before you save the rain forest from the blood-sucking parasites of your parents’ generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers but life has not. In some schools they have abolished failing grades, they’ll give you as many times as you want to get the right answer. This, of course, bears not the slightest resemblance to anything in real life.

Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don’t get summers off, and very few employers are interested in helping you find yourself. Do that on your own time.

Rule 10: Television is not real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you’ll end up working for one.

(Dumbing down our kids : Why America’s children feel good about themselves but can’t read, write, or add. by Charles J. Sykes)

[http://mwkworks.com/lifesnotfair.html]

The past few days I have been very busy with some school stuff I am trying to complete.  My time has been limited on the amount I can give to blogging. I am attempting to keep up with a couple of posts a week so I can maintain consistency.

I would love for you to remember me in your prayer time. I need to stay focused on the task at hand and complete this project. When it is finished it will be a welcome addition to our teaching plan at church. I am really excited about what I am learning and what others are saying about the project. So… please pray that I will remained focused and diligent over the next several weeks.

My concept of “the nations” has been completely enlarged this week by what I know God has revealed to me through the Sacred Gathering. We have been called to be “global Christians”, not just “here” and not just “over there”, but all of this at the same time. We must think of where we “are” and who is over “there” simultaneously. Our entire life must live in submission that fact that Jesus has called each of us “to make disciples”. The “cause of Christ” must dictate every decision we make on a daily basis, whether it is what we watch on TV, how we spend our dollars and pennies, to where and how we spend our time. I have a lot of work to do in theses areas.

This video was used during the week, it was very challenging and motivating. I am very thankful for Jeff Lewis and his friendship. He has been very instrumental and used by God to open my eyes even more to the heartbeat of the Father.

We are in a few days of prayer, fasting, and worship as a church. We are asking God to show us what His desires are and to move us where He wants us to be for His glory His name. He is doing some incredible things right now in the lives of individuals in our church. I am excited to see what the next few years will hold for us.

Some our team preparing the food for lunch. A stew mix of sweet potato greens, assorted meats, rice, spices, and vegetables.

While the ladies prepared and cooked lunch, the men proceeded as normal (any country) we sat around and played checkers. The rules were a little different than here in the States.

A photo of some school children we met on a visit to a school in the city we lived in for a week. Very orderly and uniformed, 80-100 kids per classroom. Two sessions of school each day because there is not enough room for everyone.

By contrast, the village kids are free wheelin’ (as we would say in East Texas). Very little education of the formal kind.