Advance09 Conference

This week is really crazy! Last week we were in TN to visit family, then we went to the Advance09 Conference in Durham, NC. VBS started the day after we returned, and I am trying to get ahead for a Georgia Baptist Convention RA Camp that I have to preach at next week in Warner Robbins. All that to say that I was planning on putting off this blog until next week...but

It was so good that I couldn't (not the blog, but the conference). It was a great conference, but unlike other conferences, where I usually go to hear one or two speakers, and endure the rest, all the speakers here were great. And usually I hear from God through the one or two that I go to hear, but this time God spoke through the conference as a whole. The speakers were all reading from the same piece of music. And their song was that as a church we must refocus our hearts on Christ!

The audio is up, and it free. You can download all the messages here or here. I really want to encourage you to get them and be encouraged and challenged. If you only have time to listen to one or two, here are my recommendations: 1) you must listen to Mark Driscoll's message on Idolatry, it is devastating. 2) listen to J. D. Greear's message on religion, I think the title is about revitalization, but it is really not about that. I must admit that I haven't listened to Akin's message or Piper's second message. I have downloaded them, but not listened yet. We had to leave the conference early to get home.

Subsequently, we also got to have dinner with our pastor friends (Barry and Missy and Scott and Kim) from Maine while we were there. Our fellowship was sweet, and it was definitely one of the highlights of our trip. And it is good to hear how God is continuing to move in Maine.

As I work on this week's message for New River, I cannot help but reflect on our week at the conference. I am preaching through our vision statement for our church these next few weeks, and God is so good to provide a revival of sorts for my own heart through this conference, as I prepare to preach. May God send the winds of revival as we hoist the sails at New River!

GSA Chaplaincy Training

This week I attended the Georgia Sheriff's Association Chaplaincy POST Certification Course. It was an opportunity for me to learn how to serve better at the Tift County Sheriff's Office.

To be honest, I anticipated a bunch of boring seminars about things that I already knew. As most of you know, I think way too highly of myself. And God keeps reminding me of that. But at the beginning of the week I sensed the seriousness and depth that this course could offer, and asked God to humble me and teach me much on how to be effective at my volunteer ministry; which I do to set a volunteer example, to meet and reach people outside my church circle, and because I love people (and I am really growing to love law enforcement people).

It was a great week. There were a couple of boring seminars, but by and large they were really helpful and interesting. It was a long week, draining with all the things that we learned. I think that I gained a better perspective about law enforcement and their world--a world which I try to be a part of, but seldom succeed.)

There were three main things that really spoke to me. First was all the wonderful people that I met there. It was genuinely good to get together with 23 other men from various denominations that can restrain all the denominational distinctives and come together for a purpose--to learn better how to minister to a distinct community that needs Christ. Second was the heart-wrenching presentation on domestic violence. It really broke me and helped open my eyes to the reality that goes on outside of my little world. And it came from a woman who survived it. Third was the three hour plus talk by Dr. Bobby Smith, a LA State Patrol Officer who was wounded in the line of duty in 1986. He was phenomenal! He shared his story and really challenged us to minister to each other and our families. It was worth the whole week just to hear him. I would recommend you hear him.

So, God truly blessed me this week, and has opened a unique opportunity to minister at the Tift County Sheriff's Office. Please pray for the 115 employees of this office, and their only chaplain. Pray that I would be ready to spend and be spent for them too, and that God will show Himself mighty and winsome through me there.

Also, turkey season begins here in GA Saturday morning (tomorrow), and I am so pumped! God is so good to me to allow me so many blessings, freedoms, and joys! And especially after hearing Bobby Smith, I don't want to ever take them, or Him for granted!

A Few Prophets Still Among Us

I went to the Georgia Baptist State Evangelism Conference on Monday and Tues. Overall, it was a great experience, although I had never attended a denominational event, and was a little leary about this one, I went anyway. I don't fit in too well with the "preachery" atmosphere at many of these things, and don't appreciate much of the cultural/traditional flavor of them. But this one was pretty good, mainly because of the speakers. I went to hear Dr. Alvin Reid and Dr. David Platt (pictured below).

Many of the preachers of our day and many of the ones at this event are very good at saying things that get "amens." They are good and working a denominational crowd. They are good at putting on a good show and being entertained by the token black preacher. But there are a few who are unafraid to offend the established leaders, to go against the grain of the culture, to say things that you don't say at conferences on evangelism, and to please their audience of One. These are my heros, mentors, and friends.

And I was not dissappointed! Dr. Reid did a wonderful job at delicately challenging the pastors their to be real and genuine, and to raise up disciples to Christ who will live genuine lives of radical faith. He challenged us to move away from institutionalism and hollow programs to missional living by creative engagement of unbelievers. He challenged us to raise the bar of discipleship among our membership and love people. He was very prophetic.

David Platt was phenomenal. He probably won't get invited back because of his message, but he delivered a blow to the common Southern Baptist understanding of evangelism that was much needed. He powerfully reminded us that we operate with much dependence on anything but programs and our own enginuity. He warned of being denominationally successful and spiritually failing because of slick manipulation and superstitious prayers. I was terribly convicted of my failure to depend on the Spirit to convert, and depend on the Spirit to open the eyes of the congregation, and to depend on Him in sermon preparation, loving my wife and family, basically, everything that I do. Sure, I always acknowledge my need for Him with my words, but at the core: do I really rely on Him for everything? Or do I just say that?

Oh God, please forgive my overestimation of my own sufficiency! Forgive my underestimation of my need for Your work in and through me! Forgive my lack of depence on You! Give me grace to live with this fresh reminder of how much we are to depend on You!

And I also got a good surprise in Josh McDowell's talk about reaching younger generations. He was great! Another prophet indeed. I pray that we are not sacrificing the future generations on the altar of our comfort and weakness in discipleship. God, spare us from complacency in these things too! We need You! Come Holy Spirit, invade our lives, convict us, break us, use us, not to do the things that we want, but the things that You want, and the way that You want them!

I do recommend that you get at least those three messages from the conference if you are interested in prophetic preaching...I am so thankful to God that there are still a few prophets among all the preachers! Pray to the end that God would raise up more from this generation. Blessings!