T4G Louisville, KY

Kelly, Richard, Bob Hoke and I are in Louisville for "Together 4 the Gospel 2010". Kelly and I came for the last conference in 2008. That was Kelly's first conference and she got hooked by the same high level of teaching and equipping that hooked me on these conferences over 8 years ago.

Bob and Richard flew in today, out of BWI to snag a super low fare. Kelly and I left home Sunday afternoon, stayed in Beckley, WV last night and drove the other half this afternoon. We really enjoy traveling together. Those long drives are filled with talk and sharing. We can go for many hours without a radio or iPod. When we're ready, we always have a huge assortment of teaching, audio books and music to enjoy.

Once again, I booked our room on Priceline and got a really fantastic, Super 8 type rate at one of the nicer hotels downtown. When we got here, they gave us an upgrade to the Concierge level with free breakfast and dinner each day It seems every time Kelly and I attend one of these, God chooses to bless us in this manner.

Tomorrow the conference begins. T4G is an association formed by Ligon Duncan, Al Mohler, C.J. Mahaney and Mark Dever. They'll be speaking but we'll also get to hear John MacArthur, R.C. Sproul, John Piper, Thabiti Anyabwile and Matt Chandler. What a powerhouse line up! We're hoping to run into Colleen and Barrett Craig while we're here.

This year's theme is "The Unadjusted Gospel". The teaching will be devoted to the necessity of preaching a pure, undiluted and Scripture based Word on Sunday mornings. This is right up my alley!

As much as I love preaching and teaching, these conferences give me an opportunity to sit still and be fed as well. I always come back exhausted after three or four long days, but charged up and eager to share the things I've learned with our church family.

We work very hard to choose the conferences we attend. We avoid the flashy-lots-of-down-time conferences that seem more like vacations than meetings. And, we gravitate toward the ones that are jam packed with sessions, seminars and discussion groups. I have to admit, these conferences have been a blessing. They, along with the grace of God, have been formative in my development and learning. They have also had a huge impact on our church.

Pray that we might be attentive, willing and eager students. We'll be home Friday!