CDesiringG!

we left Thursday at 3:30 am...returned Saturday at 1 am(ish)

what is up with the bent wing?

Chicago airport :)









John Piper. Gold. Pure, humble, genuine.

This was the first time I heard JP in "real" life. He has a way of speaking the truth with tremendous authority and peace all at the same time. He asked some questions about heaven...will it be a hall of mirrors where you like what you see? or all mirrors GONE and God magnified FOREVER? He said that the main way that God loves us is by doing whatever it takes to make our heart a place where His glory is made known...for our enjoyment...the deepest and longest satisfaction. If you make much of God because he makes much of you...you are making much of you. We need to teach our children that our joy comes from reflecting God. God rescues people from self-centeredness. Our highest pleasure is the glory of God. There was much TRUTH packed tightly into such a short time.
I have tons of notes and am not sure how much you all would be interested in...so here's the shortish recap. It just so "happens" that from start to finish there was a running theme of "suffering" not being a "mistake"...I have been reading/listening to downloads by Paul Tripp for the past semester, so of course I was thrilled to be able to attend both of his seminars as well as main session. In "The heart of Conflict" was review of some of the stuff I've been getting. If we had the choice to write our own story, we would more than likely choose the trouble, pain free version. We get angry, have conflict much due to the fact that our life is not going according to our own plan. People and stuff get IN THE WAY!. God's purpose is that our faith be refined. He will take us where we did not intend to go. True righteousness will not be until we get to the end our "ourselves" This is the theology of uncomfortable grace. "Christ WILL undo you. He is a Messiah who will rescue you from you and introduce to you the delight of living for something that is bigger than you." My fav. session was "Beyond Access: God's Delight in Disabilities". Please check out www.hopeinGod.org for more on this ministry. This session was not just a presentation, but truly an hour and 1/2 of testimony and face-to-face courage/hope giving...of having moved from anger and frustration toward God for putting disability in their life to humble faith and moment by moment fierce perseverance. THIS was FAITH, DOCTRINE, LOVE in its most genuine form. "Because God is good, some of his creation will live with a disability"...WHAT? Yes. Disability is on purpose. Not a mistake. Did you realize that disability is "normal" in the Bible? ...and think about this, Jesus said that it is actually BETTER to be disabled than to sin (see Matthew 5:29). God IS glorified...when his people behave in ways that demonstrate they trust God in all circumstances, including how they serve those living with disability...when his people intentionally prepare all those in his church to use their gifts to proclaim his name (able bodied AND disabled)...when his people are "sorrowful, yet always rejoicing" and courageously go to the dark places where suffering people live. How do we do this? I mean practically?...
just other quotes and stuff..Paul (the) Tripp (with all respect). He is a bold and direct truth say"er"/character. The material he presents in my experience is always practical and to be eventually digested...sometimes to be received with a "tums" before or after. (that is just how I feel.) Not all truth is easy and I appreciate his honesty to the Word and the body of Christ. (eventually). Read/listen to anything by Paul Tripp is my recommendation.
"Your Redeemer will not share your heart. He did not die for you to be your part time lover." Paul Tripp
"you can not give away that which you do not have. Your ministry will always be shaped by the condition of your heart."
"nobody gives grace better than the person who is convinced they need it most." "people and circumstances are not the cause of your anger, rather the occasion on which your heart is expressed."
"Barack needs to give glory to God or he may be eaten by worms one day..." John Piper :)

These baskets in each ladies room, were full of any and everything a girl could need at the conf. I'm talking about speaking the practical language of "love" here. :)

one likes it hot and one likes it cold. The coffee, that is.

love this little birdie nest right outside the mall of America :)

at this point, although it was wonderful to have a "child-free" weekend I was starting to be ready to go home and wished Charis and Hannah could be there. They would have loved the kid stuff.

God's beauty is EVERYwhere! indoor fragrant in living pink right outside of the American doll store :)

ok. We were not just "silly-tired"...SW is known for having high air comedy...we were practically rolling in the aisles. That funny. (and I guess an all you can eat peanut/pretzel buffet...they just tossed the bags to us and told us to help ourselves to as many as we wanted...WHAT? Perhaps that is cause for the previous delay, and why a stewardess was assaulted. Could it be someone threw the snack food back?...oh my goodness. Certainly more information than I needed to know.)