CaseyJones1979

I just recently returned from the Desiring God National Conference in Minneapolis, MN. This was actually one of the best conferences that I have ever been to. I know this is a lot because I have been to several conferences over the years. The theme of the conference was "The Power of Words and the Wonder of God." As soon as I saw the title through the Desiring God information I received, it struck my attention. I figured since I am a preacher of the gospel that this kind of conference would be good for the soul. Sinclair Ferguson begain the conference with a sermon from James 3:1-12. He preached his sermon dealing with the text and then from the perspective of the whole book and then from the context of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In the morning session Bob Kauflin spoke on the subject of "What happens when we sing." The most challenging thing from his discussion was when he said, "It does not matter your style, only that you have a song to sing!" What is our song? In pastoring a church with predominately elderly folks, I wander sometimes do we really know what we are singing? Do we really know what this gospel is that we are proclaiming? I trust we do. Next Mark Driscoll talked on, "Christ controversy, and the cutting edge." He had four points, 1. Feed the sheep, 2. Rebuke the Swine, 3. Shoot the wolves, 4. Bark at the dogs, 5. Pray for the Shepards. This was a very challenging message because as a preacher I sometimes wonder how far I should go or can go. The last evening session was Paul Tripp. His basic message was "I am my greatest communication problem!" How true this is, that we as fallen creatures have this problem in our hearts that only the gospel can redeem. Finally, during the morning session, John Piper talked on is there any eloquence in christianity? He basically said yes, as long as it points someone to Christ and not to us. Preaching from 1 Cor 1:17 and 2:1 he gave several benefits to using eloquence in speaking the gospel.
Perhaps the best thing about the conference is the same thing I find everytime I go to a Desiring God event. It is the hospitality of the staff. These are some of the kindest and most servant hearted people you will meet. When they say that they are there to serve you, they mean it! I look forward to the Desiring God pastors conference in February with Mark Dever, Matt Chandler, Michael Oh, and John Piper. If you are a pastor reading this and you can by any means attend the conference, please pray about going. No matter your theological positions you will be greatly blessed by such a wonderful time in the Lord.

For His Kingdom,
Casey