by Phil Auxier
…from Matt Perman…
Negativity is all a matter of perspective. Negative people can make any situation, no matter how great, seem like the end of the world. And positive people can make any situation, no matter how bad, seem great.
Well said and the post gives an incredible example of what being positive can do.
by Phil Auxier
In my SS class, we are using Paul Tripp’s What Did You Expect?
While I was out at the Pastor’s Conference, I started showing Piper’s Marriage Series from 2007 entitled, Marriage, Christ and Covenant. Here are the two sermons we watched:
Staying Married Is Not About Staying In Love, Part 1
Staying Married Is Not About Staying In Love, Part 2
by Phil Auxier
Today’s sermon, Gospel Suffering from Colossians 1:24 is now online. Thought we had a good morning. I was really stirred by the passage and the call to join Christ in suffering. Like I confessed this AM, I have a hard time embracing suffering for the Gospel because I don’t want the negative. This running after convenience is missing what the NT says is the norm for believers. Any applications stick out to you?
by Phil Auxier
Here’s the video that kicked off the 2010 Pastor’s Conference I just attended. Profound!
by Phil Auxier
We are in KC today. We left the conference yesterday and drove in here. Ate some nice BBQ and visited with some old friends. Here’s the recap from yesterday:
We got up for a session called “Morning Devotions” with Paul Tripp. He masterfully encouraged us to be ambassadors for Christ in our families and churches (from 2 Corinthians 5:14-21).
The AM session featured the US Director of Frontiers, Bob Blincoe (Notes, Audio, Video). This session was a highlight for us. What stuck out was his phrase (borrowed from Dawson Trotman): “If you can’t see far ahead, go as far as you can see.” He related this to God calling him to serve in a missions context. Oh that we would have faith to go where we can see and beyond.
The conference wrapped up with a Q & A (Notes, Audio). There was some amazing interaction between the panel. Good stuff, really.
Our hearts are full and we look forward to getting back later today.
by Phil Auxier
Today was the busy day at the conference. I started off with a breakout session featuring David Michael of Children Desiring God, which helped reaffirm my passion for training the next generation. I had a chance to visit with David and he was encouraging about things our church is doing to help children prize Jesus.
The 1st AM session featured Eric Mason from Epiphany Fellowship in Philly. (Notes, Audio, Video) His message was to pastors on having joy in suffering, especially as it relates to sanctification. It was a compelling call to this end.
The 2nd AM session was Sam Storms giving the foundations of Christian Hedonism (Notes, Audio, Video) I think what stuck out to me there was the reminder of God being the fountain of all joy.
After lunch, Piper gave his biography of C.S. Lewis (Manuscript, Audio). There were lots of zingers in this talk. Piper showed why he appreciated Lewis so much in his summary: he had an awesome experiential joy and a determined hold on objective truth.
After Piper’s talk, I was able to sit down with Matt Perman, Director of Strategy for Desiring God, and talk about vision planning, BHAG’s, and other things related to being organized and leading in terms of big picture direction. There were lots of practical helps in this time.
Finally, after supper, we were back for Sam Storms final session: Killing Sin with Christian Hedonism (Notes, Audio). This session got practical, again encouraging us to have joy in suffering. The session ended with Bethlehem’s Elders and Pastors praying for individual needs of the pastors present. Very meaningful.
Back at hotel, we are working to prep to leave tomorrow.
by Phil Auxier
The conference kicked off with a video of a old guy playing with toys in a little kids play room with the quote from C.S. Lewis’ Weight of Glory about how we are satisfied with childish things while infinite joys await us.
From this, we sang about God being our Rock and Savior. We declared in song how Jesus is our Joy.
Sam Storms came and brought us a message from 2 Corinthians 1:23-24. The thrust? At the heart of pastoral ministry should be a passion to glorify God by shepherding others to find their joy in Him. This is the path that brings God the greatest glory. This message laid the foundations for Storms’ messages to us tomorrow. It was a deep way to begin, but helpful for establishing a foundation.
by Phil Auxier
I texted a couple of people about this, but Desiring God is live-streaming this conference.
Here’s the link for the live-stream page.
(They also told us that messages should be available for download 1 hour after they are given.)
by Phil Auxier
We attended the Pre Conference Seminar with Paul Tripp. Desiring God has posted notes from both sessions on their blog (Session 1 / Session 2).
Bob thought that what stood out to him was how he was able to relate every problem an individual or pastor would have needs to be brought back to the Gospel. He also appreciated Tripp’s sense of humor. And thought Tripp’s strength, real-life illustrations, were helpful in his communication of truth.
I thought that this session was personally convicting in many ways. Tripp was relentless in helping us see our hearts in ways that we maybe haven’t seen them in the past. He did this masterfully for all of us in that room. Question after question and example after example helped us see our hearts and how ministry temptations must be fled from for the help that is offered in the body of Christ.
I would encourage you to read through the notes from this session.
by Phil Auxier
Today, at 1PM, we will be taking in the Pre-Conference Seminar here at the Desiring God Conference for Pastors. The speaker is Paul Tripp. Here’s a preview of what Tripp will be presenting…
For all of the excitement and privilege of ministry in the local church, it is important to remember that ministry with, to and for the Body of Christ is accompanied by a unique set of obstacles and temptations. Successful, God-honoring, productive ministry in the church is never just a matter of mastering the requisite body of information and possessing the right set of skills. Ministry in the local church, whatever it is, is always shaped by the condition of your heart. What are the issues that are at the heart of ministry struggle and failure? What are the protections that need to be built into the life of everyone who is active in ministry of any kind? How do we assure that the message of the transforming grace of Jesus Christ is not only operating in the lives of those being ministered to, but in the one doing ministry as well?
The schedule shows 2 sessions:
Session #1:
Title: The Pastor: Who Do We Think He Is Anyway?
Session #2:
Title: The Pastor: Not Yet Perfect, Still Under Attack
After this conference, we will register, grab some dinner, and prep for the evening session with Sam Storms. If I get a chance, I’ll update everyone later.
