Well, its taken me a while (a day of reflection for each day of the conference, it turns out), but here are some of varied highlights for me from New Attitude ...
- Spending some special times in the morning alone with God, sipping chocolate milk and eating semi-ripe tropical fruit while looking out onto an amazing sunrise ... I really enjoyed spending time reading some Psalms and Proverbs, talking to God about what I had read and the day ahead ... trying to process some of the things that I had learned the night before (thanks to a general sleep-deprivation, this was usually a task in itself).
- Watching, in a space of five minutes, Stephane talking with people sitting behind, in front of, and around us ... chatting and laughing like old friends. I don't know how he does it - is "magnetic personality" a thing you're born with?
- Spending time with some of my favorite people to spend time with - my good friends! You guys are pretty much the best college and careers group around ... you each are amazing examples of warmth; close-knit friendships; laughter; interesting conversation, sometimes ridiculous, sometimes profound; you care for each other in so many different ways; you each are passionate about God ... I could go on and on. It was amazing to spend some *intense* four days with you all.
- Seeing lots of old friends from Covenant Life who I haven't seen in a year!
- Seeing and listening to John Piper live - first time! Just about every book of his that I've read I have loved, so it was great to hear him in person. His second message was particularly helpful for me, showing me that God loves obedience which makes me more a debtor to grace than the day before. I have often thought of obedience as a "payback," a grateful response to what God has done. Instead, Piper pointed out that obedience that pleases God keeps utilizing the endless storehouses of grace which Jesus purchased for us when he died for us! Are my works - is my life - defined by a humble and sincere obedience which relies solely on the grace of God, each good thing that I do pointing not to me but to the riches of God's mercy and grace? Great message!
- Realizing that our C&C group has some pretty talented artists ...
- Watching godly men - Josh Harris, Eric Simmons, Mark Dever, Al Mohler, Bob and Devon Kauflin, John Piper, and especially CJ Mahaney ... the way they lived their message of cross-centeredness, their affectedness and passion for Christ.
It seems that whenever I hear, and especially see CJ, I learn so much from not just what he teaches but also from who he is, how he teaches, etc. Last year, for example, I was struck by CJ's emotion and gratefulness, sorrow and joy, as he preached a moving message on Isaiah 53. I went away from last years's conference wanting to emulate him in this regard - to spend more time at the foot of the cross, absorbing the truth of God's grace, listening in sorrow to the cries of Calvary and in joy to the triumph of the resurrection. This year, the same thing impacted me again ... and also other small things - his self-depreciating and sincere humor (not taking himself too seriously), his commitment to encouragement, his passion for the lost to hear the Good News ... In fact, these things characterize all the leadership there! I will never be a CJ, or a Josh Harris, or a Bob Kauflin, and certainly not an Al Mohler ... but I am thankful that God lets me see and hear and observe godly men like these, and for giving me a dad and a pastor like them, so that I can learn from them and try to imitate them (Philippians 3:17). They make a difference!
- The food ... such as the Pub, with its amazing British decor and the best crab-stuffed, molten-cheese-topped mushrooms I ever had ... late night pizza that never came ... fancy Italian dining ... and an indespensible pina colada at midnight on the road-trip.
- Watching the most one-sided poker game I have ever seen ...
- Enjoying an impromtu and very humorous panel discussion among Josh Harris, CJ Mahaney, Bob Kauflin, and Eric Simmons.
- Glimpsing some of the untold talent of our conference leaders for dancing.
- Bob Kauflin's prophetic songs.
There are a ton of other things I could mention ... but for sake of space (and sanity) I will stop here ("Hallejuah"s erupt throughout the readership).
Thanks for reading, and for those of you fellow Na-ers, thanks for the memories!
One last thing before I go. I believe my brother has posted some new songs on his purevolume page ...
3 comments:
one sided poker game. o my. you all are just never going to get over that game, are you? lol (just kidding............)
Great post - you really summarized pretty much the best moments of the conference!
And ya, I think Stephane was born with the magnetic personality thing.:-)
Em
*fails to see how the pizza-that-wasn't could be a good food memory*
I am currently experiencing some curiousity as to whether or not I count as a C&C... and if not, when? As a sort of cosmic question thing.
Em: Thank you!
As for the game, well, lets just say its a good thing you were playing with UNO cards ... haha.
I think our group should do a game of Monopoly sometime. It may be one of the easiest games for a person's darker nature to emerge ...
Giv: Only one thing remains until your complete initiation into the hallowed order of C&C - you must sing at the top of your lungs the winning songs from each of the last four seasons of "American Idol" (horrible, I know, but remember, its through "many trials and tribulations that we enter ..." wait ...).
No, you're an authentic and utterly current C&C. Welcome to the club!
As for the pizza, it would be a better anticipation-of-food-that-could-have-been memory.
As for the pizza
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