t4g - Day 3

Well, back to the carousel...at least that's what Mahaney called it today. Well, first, John Piper gave his usual fire-breathing encouragement for us to stop being a bunch of American idolaters. Hope everyone took it well. Actually, to be specific, he went through six texts in Hebrews that call us to radical Christian sacrifice, or going to gain Christ "outside the camp," so that when the world sees us, they actually see that we're different. Only the biggest possible vision for His supremacy actually brings glory to Him! Seeing this is why we all love Piper so much. Mahaney though was downright convicting to me. Especially the first of his three points: Greatfulness to God communicated to the sheep by my identifying "evidences of grace" in them. I already knew about this lingo within Sovereign Grace, but had somehow neglected the so obviously contageous effect that this joy has on an entire ministry. That has to change in me. While I was chewing on that on my way back to the hotel, we turned around to hold the door open for the guy behind us--it was Piper. We just chatted (actually, mostly me chattering, but it was good to meet him in person) for about a minute. I can say that both he and Mahaney exude a Spirit-filled, down-to-earth reality to them that this movement would do well to emulate...not in a cheap mimicking way, but in being moved by what moves them. God made us all totaly different and that's good. Which, by the way, I would hope that the 5,000 plus hearers of these 8 men do not so much compare them to each other, or demand that they score sectarian points for them or become for them some consumer event, but rather see in them a glorious God who has given us eight unique and edifying angles in a prism through which to see how ministers of this "young, restless, and reformed" army are to conduct themselves back home. But bloggers will be bloggers, and so there will no doubt be that mindless and counterproductive yapping. For us, we return to Boise, to the carousel. But if we believe what we just heard, there can be nothing "ordinary" about it.

t4g - Day 2

I feel fed. Mental exhaustion is not in my vocabulary. We could have had four more sessions today, and I'd be on the edge of my seat, but it is my whole soul that is stuffed. First, John MacArthur talked about the doctrine of total depravity and Mark Dever followed up with five popular ways that the gospel is added to, or "improved" upon. When we broke for lunch, I couldn't help but hear much conversation that revealed the value of this conference. A lot of "Wow, never thought of that!" or "Hey, do you believe that?" or "No, I think what he's really saying is..." In other words, there's a lot of people here who are not quite where we're at--and that's reason to celebrate, since pastors are being won over to what R. C. Sproul calls the Reformed faith.

Incidentally, his interchange with C. J. prior to his talk was hillarious! Everyone there may have a sense of humor, but clearly R. C. and C. J. are the biggest characters by far. As to Sproul's talk, it was moving. It was second only to Piper's '06 message. He talked about the curse motif in the biblical doctrine of the atonement, and wrapped it up with one of the most profound (yet clear) demonstrations of the gospel any of us have ever heard. Al Mohler wrapped things up tonight with an explanation of why they (you know who 'they' are) hate the substitutionary aspect of the atonement so much. It started off a bit slow from my perspective, but he gave a good survey of atonement theories and categories--theological, moral, biblical, and cultural--for the opponents' objections. The panel discussion which ensued from that was the best, though probably a bit thick for the "average pastors" to which C. J. refers. By the way, I met him afterwords and thanked him for being a long-distance pastor to so many of us. I also sat next to a fellow Covenant Life leader Gary Ricucci who wrote a marriage book which my wife and I have read. You get the vibe from the Sovereign Grace guys that they're just really excited to serve and humble. Good stuff.

And, yes, more books....a lot more. I hope we get all these things on the plane.

t4g - Day 1

Today in Louisville, I experienced the Holy Spirit in a way that I honestly had not in several years. One result is an increased joy and conviction together. Before arriving, I was excited on a sort of horizontal level--people to see, places to go, food to eat. But today was truly special for me, as I was part of 5,000 men singing at the top of their lungs: A Mighty Fortress is Our God, It is Well, O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing, and All Hail the Power of Jesus Name. I have never been part of anything even vaguely like that.

As to the messages, J. Ligon Duncan gave a message that I wish everyone from the rising generation could hear. The theme was the value and the inevitability of systematic theology in the church. He was followed by Thabiti Anybawile giving a stirring talk on the myth of race (as biological) and that the gospel is at stake in how we live out the unity that we have in Christ. Both messages were phenomenal. As a sidenote, I walked away with a dozen new books, and there should be some more giveaways tomorrow. It should be good: MacArthur, Dever, Sproul, and Mohler is the order tomorrow. I better get to sleep.

The Well - One Year Later

I haven't blogged in four months. It's been a year since I went to the Acts29 Bootcamp in Vancouver to be assessed for church planting. We got recommended and, as of today, we are an official A29 church with a spot on the map!

Next week, a few of us guys are headed for Louisville for the Together for the Gospel Conference. The theme is the importance of the content of the gospel. Perfect. That is exactly what I want to hear Sproul, Piper, Mahaney, et. all talk about! I'll try to remember to blog from there.

As far as books being read recently, several Galatians commentaries due to starting our expositional series on that book: Luther, Calvin, Henry, Machen, Fung, Ryken

I'm half-way through Emerson Eggerichs' Love & Respect and half-way through Jerry Bridges' The Gospel for Real Life. Both very helpful.