Louisville Road Trip Recap

It’s always hard to write recaps of big events—so much happens and there is only so much space to write. So, in order to make the reading light, here are my top highlights of my trip to Louisville. As already stated, I went to the New Attitude conference with my brother and sister-in-law, and made a whole host of new friends along the way!

1. By far, my number one highlight is Beth White. She graciously allowed Em and me to stay at her house, and she carted me around everywhere. It was like we were old friends, who just had not met yet. And I must say she is the funniest person I have met in a long time. Now we just have to convince her to come back to the great state of Minnesota for the DG conference (she has a love/hate relationship with our state).
   
2. One of the beneficial things about a vacation is it makes you think about things you normally don’t have time to think about. The Lord really convicted me about areas in my life that need work, and I am grateful for that. I also realized our need for rest. We easily suppress our fallenness in our busyness.
   
3. CJ Mahaney’s message on “Idols of the Heart”. If you have never heard it, try and find it. It’s amazing.
   
4. Finally seeing Southern Seminary’s campus. The pictures don’t do it justice. It’s gorgeous.
   
5. Becoming aware of the fact that I am a Four-Point Calvinist. Not convinced, just aware—there’s a difference.
   
6. Steak and Shake—I missed it in my absence from the South, and I know it missed me. It was a great time and good food.
   
7. The Christmas Tree Story—oh so funny.
   
8. Realizing how thankful I am for my pastor and my church.
   
9. Making new friends.

Even though it was a great time, it’s good to be back. I missed my roommates, and they are glad to be reunited with the beloved straightener. God so used this time off to shape me, teach me, and convict me of so much. I could write so much more on resting, but I’ll save that for another time. I would like to say though that rest is so important if for no other reason than that God commanded us to do it. We realize our sin when we stop and actually think about what we are doing and why we are doing it. In our finiteness we are confronted with our desperate need for Christ. When we don’t slow down it can be great spiritual peril to our souls. Vacations are great, but not because we get to waste time and feed our craving for self-exaltation. Vacations are great because we are able to stop and think about our Christ, minus the crazy schedules of our every day lives. Even though my trip was different than I planned it to be, it was a good and needed difference, one that gave me a host of new friends and a set of “New Years’ Resolutions” in May.