And suddenly, we were back home ...

I tell ya, there's just no way to stop time from rushing forward. I've been home from Conference for a week and still haven't had time to post anything on the blog about it. I need to go back to working two jobs; it seemed I was more rested back in those days. :-)

Anyway, the 2008 Sovereign Grace Bible Conference went better than anyone could have predicted. To quote Elder Spotts, "God has kissed this conference." We all arrived a little off-balance and tenuous, wondering how things would go without Elder Ward at the center of it all. As it turns out, everything went terrifically. The preaching was solid, the teaching was spot-on, the music was lively-as-ever, and the fellowship was superb. We really couldn't have asked for much more.

One of the most gratifying aspects of this year's conference was how cooperatively the preachers worked to guarantee that the conference would continue long into the future. I mean, we're baptist preachers because we all have a rather fierce independent streak. But, when the elders gathered twice this week to discuss the business at hand, there was a tremendous spirit of unity and solidarity of purpose. So, by God's grace, next year we'll gather for the 26th anniversary.

Andrew and I have been working diligently on converting the messages to mp3 (as well as constructing video clips) for the conference website. You should start seeing those additions very soon. You can visit the conference site here:

www.sovereigngracebibleconference.org

And, just for fun, I dropped a video on YouTube this week. As you may recall, I was tapped to play drums last year and, after years of letting the dust settle on my sticks, I got up and pounded away like a man attempting to deny his besetting age. This year I came prepared. Although I was no more practiced, I brought my own stick bag. After adjusting a few cymbals, tuning a few drums, and moving things where I could see Michelle (the amazing organist), we were off and drumming. By Wednesday, it was actually fun ... although I did wake up daily with sore thumbs.

On Thursday evening, Barney asked me to sit-in with the youth choir and play along. Despite the fact that it was a medley of four songs with varying tempos and time signatures, and despite the fact that I had no rehearsal, I threw caution to the wind, positioned myself, watched Barney like a hawk, and grooved my way through the evening. For a moment there, I almost looked like a real drummer ... and Megan caught it on her video camera from the balcony.

Here's the video: