Radical Womanhood

Discernment: The Messages

The theme of this year's New Attitude conference for single adults and young married couples was discernment. The speakers were John Piper, Albert Mohler, C.J. Mahaney, Mark Dever, Josh Harris, and Eric Simmons. You don't have to exercise much discernment, however, to decide whether or not to download the conference messages. Firstly, the messages are free. Secondly, look at the list of speakers. You know it's going to be rich, deep material. So visit the Sovereign Grace Store to download one or all of the messages listed below:

Discernment (Joshua Harris)
Discern Your Doctrine (Mark Dever)
Discern Your Culture (Albert Mohler)
Discern Your Heart (C.J. Mahaney)
Discern the Graymatters (Eric Simmons)
Discern What Pleases God: Himself (John Piper)
Discern What Pleases God: Personal Obedience (John Piper)
Discern How to Apply (C.J. Mahaney)

And check out the Na blog for photos and reflections.

UPDATE: Our apologies! The high demand for these messages caused the store's website to crash. We hope it will be revived shortly . . . so if you can't get through now, try back in a day or two.

Free Stuff!

Awhile ago, I promised the semi-regular Happy Hour on Fridays--the notification of valuable free stuff on the web that should make you happy, happy, happy. Today's free notification is the message I heard many people say was one of the most informative and helpful at the recent New Attitude conference: Justin Taylor's "A New Kind of Christianity: A Look at the Emerging Church Movement." You can download it free from the New Attitude website.

Have a great weekend!

It's Better to Hear the Messages

I know I said I'd move on to other topics, but I want to add an important postscript to the New Attitude conference: The main session messages are now available to download from the Sovereign Grace Store. You can download the complete set at one time or pick individual messages.

I want to strongly encourage you to get these messages and not rely on my live-blogging summaries as sufficient. Live-blogging is meant to provide a taste of the event, not serve as the definitive summary of the teaching. At least here that's the case! I was doing my best to capture the event, but there were some statements or facts I didn't note accurately and had to correct later on. So I especially want to encourage anyone who takes issue with the teaching as summarized here to get the message and listen to it in its entirety before you comment or critique the messages.

These are the main-session messages. The breakout sessions will be up at the end of next week. Come back then to get the messages from Justin Taylor and Al Mohler that Josh urged us to hear.

Reflections on New Attitude (and Shout Outs to My Friends)

On the way home yesterday, we all learned that those nifty metal cases that we were given with the Na schedule and other pertinent info will set off the metal detectors. So many people had them in their back pockets or shirt pockets that the Louisville airport security people knew to tell us to take them out before walking through the detector.

I caused a number of people to have a good belly laugh in the airport Starbucks when I turned my head to greet people I recognized from my seminar and didn't see that the woman in front of me had stopped. I was waving hi, looking the other way, when I walked right into her. All I saw at the last moment was gray T-shirt, but it was too late to stop. What a class act! I only wish I could have seen that smooth move from the perspective of the people I was waving to! It still makes me laugh to think of it.

So here are some random thoughts as I process the weekend. First, props to Drew Garfield, who volunteered two nights in a row to walk me back to the hotel. It is immensely gratifying when men take active notice of things like this and ensure a woman isn't walking alone at midnight. That is an expression of the masculine benevolence that our pastors are constantly building into our guys. Props to him, too, for being willing to be included in Eric Simmons' sermon illustrations! Second, thanks to Phil and Nathan Sasser for lunch and personal theological instruction from the Dynamic Duo of Doctrine.

And let me not forget to mention the "reunion" dinner, as it were, of two of the original members of The New Attitude Band--Eric Hughes, who is still a pastor at Sovereign Grace Church in Chesapeake, VA, and Ted Slater, who is now the editor of Focus on the Family's Boundless webzine. Good times. Speaking of Boundless, it was great to meet Suzanne Hadley! Thanks for all the time you invested in interviewing our speakers. I can't wait to see the articles you write.

I'd also like to report that I was up and rocking at midnight Monday for the Telecast concert. What a talented group of musicians! They sound as good live as they do on their recordings. Lead singer Josh White is very good at weaving personal testimony and exhortation between well-crafted songs. Several people around me commented on how much they like his vocals.

However, better than all the people at the concert were all the people in the prayer room. A number of "prayer point" banners were set up inside a softly illuminated circular structure (they call this a boma in South Africa, if memory serves). These banners had Scriptures for each theme, accompanied by a selected prayer adapted from The Valley of Vision. It was a peaceful oasis in the midst of all the frenetic activity. (This would probably be a good time to plug the forthcoming worship project from Sovereign Grace, Valley of Vision, which is inspired by this book. It will be out, Lord willing, in mid-August.)

Personally, one odd highlight was seeing a number of young adults there that I once babysat. It is bittersweet to see children become young adults--and join me in the singles ministry. However, when viewed from an eternal perspective, it is a reason to rejoice. When I feel awkward about this, it's because I am not seeing life through Kingdom eyes. The fact that these young men and women are there and wholeheartedly participating is an evidence of grace, as we Sovereign Gracers like to say. But even if we use that phrase a lot, it's still not drained of its meaning. Psalm 145:4 calls us to proclaim God's works to the next generation. When the next generation is worshiping with us, it's cause to celebrate, not to be concerned. I have participated in passing the baton to them and it is more sweet than bitter to see them receive it and press on.

Finally, I want to make sure that Katherine Reynolds, the hard-working and faithful assistant to Joshua Harris, gets her 15 seconds in the blogosphere. In your service to Josh, you are showing numerous single women what it means to cultivate the qualities that will one day, we pray, bless a husband. Either way, it glorifies God now. Well done! (And a shout out to Paul and Ken from 9Marks for making this a much better photo than we had planned. And I don't care what the real story is, Paul. I'm spreading the rumor that when single men visit Solo Femininity, they are inspired to pursue a courtship. I'm overlooking how many other steps occurred in between. There's a link and I'm claiming it!)

Thanks for reading this and have a happy day. The New Attitude coverage is now concluded. Upcoming posts will tackle other topics!

The Family—Taking It Home to Your Local Church Community (Final Na session)

It's the final session of New Attitude 2006. Josh wrapped up the conference by going through various aspects of the prior messages and encouraging those present to take this experience home to their local churches and apply this teaching to their lives.

"I want to challenge you that regardless of how the band sounds, that when the worship ends you have the kind of passion you had here," Josh said. "Just be thrilled that you are worshiping Jesus and that God's Word is going to be preached....I want to challenge each one of you to be the kind of people down front each Sunday morning asking your pastor how to apply the message in your life."

He also had specific encouragement for the men and women present to continue to grow in biblical manhood and womanhood.

"Men, oh, men, LEAD. Lead in godly conversation and fellowship," he said. "You don't need somebody to come along and give you a title like Family Group leader for you to lead...You know what? You are going to do a bad job. That's okay, just keep practicing. Ladies, encourage them. Be patient to them, be a sister to them. Root them on. Look at your brothers not as what they are. [Laughter] Look at them at what they can by the grace of God and support them. [Applause.] I am so grateful that my wife does not look at me as what I am!"

His exhortation was to "go home and live the truth personally." Josh encouraged us all to listen to Justin Taylor's breakout session on the emerging church and Al Mohler's message on cultural discernment from a biblical worldview. And then to seek the input of others in our lives, the wisdom of our parents and pastors, in order to grow.

"There's no Christian life presented in the Bible apart from being connected to the people of God," he said. "Let's go home and let's live it!"

After a time of enthusiastic praise and worship, Josh concluded the conference with a prayer for relationships. He said the conference's main goal was to direct our hearts toward God, but he also wanted to give us the opportunity to meet each other. After many jokes on this theme, he ended with a heartfelt prayer: "We want to desire You more than life itself...We want to have hearts that long for You and are satisfied in You...But we also know You made us to be in relationship and we long for that...For those here that are in relationships, I pray that they would be marked by purity and sincerity...For those that are waiting upon You, would You remind them right now that You are the faithful God, that there is nothing that You can't do, that You are good and that You are always good? ...Lord, bless these men and women, every person here, married or single....And Lord we pray that if it be Your will, that You would bring us back in 2007."

(The photo of Josh is from an earlier session at New Attitude and is, of course, courtesy of the Na blog.)

The Mission—Reaching the World Next Door (Na Session Six)

What a full day! In addition to fruitful lunch and dinner meetings, I also spent the better of the afternoon with the enthusiastic women who attended my breakout session. I truly enjoy the Q&A time that inevitably follows a message. Thank you, dear sisters, for passing up an opportunity for a nap to listen to me. It was a treat to meet you and to talk to so many of you!

This evening I met a woman who is a missionary to Sudan on furlough. She was doing me a kind favor, but I was grateful to meet a woman who is ministering in such a difficult area. It was appropriate to encounter her right before Eric Simmons' message on evangelism. Eric is the pastor who leads our singles ministry at Covenant Life Church. His message tonight was energetic, humorous and passionate, which was a blessing to weary conference attendees. He had us cheering stories of God's work among unbelievers. It was truly a motivating message.

"Sometimes I think the most unreached people group is the one next door," Eric said. "Do you think of yourself as a missionary to the world next door? Do you just go to Starbucks or do you see yourself as being sent to Starbucks? Do you go to school or do you see yourself as being sent to your campus? Do you go to work or do you see yourself as being sent to your job?"

Eric said that Colossians 4:2-6 gives us three things to do as local missionaries: We pray, we live, and we talk. This passage reads:

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison-- that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

So, point one, pray for opportunities--every day, in every situation. "This point needs an asterisk underneath it: Pray for it at your own risk," he said. "Because opportunities will come at awkward moments. You're never quite prepared for them."

Then, point two, live. Live lives that glorify God. "Effective missionaries live a distinctly life among a specific culture of people," Eric said, urging us to write this down. "Verse five tells us to conduct ourselves wisely among people, making the best use of the time....I want you to sow the kingdom of God effectively--and here's how. Pick one. Meaning, pick one unbeliever in your life. If you pray for opportunities, God will give you opportunities to sow broadly in your community. I'm not saying be quiet and not sow broadly. But what I am saying is sow strategically in a friend. Pursue genuine friendships--don't make them your mission, make them your friend. Love, care, and serve them. You must enjoy them as a friend."

What is Paul saying in this passage? Your conduct must match your message. "We must live among the culture, but we must have a distinctly different life," he said. "Brothers and sisters, make sure that they get a glimpse of Jesus when they are around you."

Eric reminded us that our holiness and the fruit of the Spirit that is working in our lives is one of the most strategic and effective tools in evangelism. "Love, joy, peace, faithfulness, gentleness, goodness, and self-control, all these things will provoke people who are watching," he said. "But yeah, Eric, what about being relevant? That's a term that gets thrown around a lot in our generation. Truth is essential. Relevance is just a nice package. Godliness and fruit of the Spirit are much more important than being relevant."

To underscore that point, he pulled out the package his original iPod came in. He's had this package for more than three years, but he can't part with it. Lovingly and carefully, he showed us the great design he appreciates so much. Then he honed in on his point.

"Packaging is important, but if the people around you start opening the package and see nothing in you that's different, that's compromise," he said. "So how can you be an effective missionary? Have conversations with people about Jesus. But these conversations need to be marked by something. They need to be gracious conversations, not arrogant conversations. What is Paul saying in this passage? 'I want people to understand grace by the way you talk to them.'"

I wish I could tell all the great illustrations Eric used tonight. But I don't want to steal his thunder. Just get the message when it becomes available shortly. The stories about sharing Jesus in a saloon in Colorado and Michael Hartnett's response to a gamer's threat to "eat his soul" are priceless. We laughed, we cheered, we admired the boldness of God's servants in these stories. And we have the opportunity to do the same ourselves.

"Tonight we represent 218 churches, 38 states, and four continents. This represents a vast number of communities," he said. "And you get to represent a part in God's kingdom as a missionary with this incredible message of good news to a dying world. Isn't that incredible?"

The session closed with everyone breaking down in small groups to pray for ourselves, for our boldness to share the word, for opportunities to do so, and for the salvation of those we know. Then we sung "Your Great Renown," an appropriate response to such an inspiring message.

(This photo is from the New Attitude blog.)

The Power—Understanding and Experiencing the Holy Spirit (Na Session Five)

I didn't have the pleasure of hearing this whole message this morning because I was going over the notes for my message at this afternoon's breakout session. I say that with great regret, because Jeff Purswell, the dean of Sovereign Grace's Pastors College, was speaking on the broad work of the Holy Spirit and what that looks like in our lives. But I did get here for part of the message and can give you the closing highlights. I will DEFINITELY get this message, and I would encourage you to do so, too.

"I don't want anyone leaving here--oh, that would be a tragedy--thinking that the Spirit is somehow less with you, somehow less at work, than someone standing up here," Jeff said as I came in. "What a privilege it is to stand up here and to draw other people's attention to the miraculous in their lives."

Jeff's third point was that the Spirit's work is to be ongoing and continuous. He said that one mistake that charismatics make--and he would classify himself as a charismatic--would be to define the Spirit's work as only the dramatic or the explosive. Another mistake would be to only define the Spirit's work as something that happened in a point in time--a mistake that both charismatics and evangelicals can make.

"I don't want to minimize in any way those moments when the Spirit makes Himself evident and abundantly available for our help," he said. "We just don't want to confine the Spirit's work to those moments. Without minimizing those times, the emphasis in Scripture is not isolated experiences of the Spirit but ongoing appropriations of the Spirit."

Jeff had us look at Ephesians 5:17-20. It says, "Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

As he pointed out, the verb in verse 18 is ongoing--be continuously and ongoingly filled with the Spirit. It is a command. It is in the imperative. We can't ignore it. It means to come under the sway of God's Spirit, His values, and His dictates. "The Holy Spirit doesn't want to work in air strikes. He's going door to door. It's guerrilla warfare. He wants to occupy your life. He's not dropping bombs on you. He's taking control. And the way that happens is when we come under the gracious, wise, loving control of the Holy Spirit."

His fourth point was that the Spirit's work aims at our sanctification, mutual edification, and evangelistic witness. This has to do with what the Spirit is after--His goal. Or, you could say, godliness, service, and witness. "If you really want more of the Holy Spirit's power in your life, then you have to be about these things," he said. "If you do, guess what? You will experience the Spirit's power in ever-increasing ways, because it is precisely these things the Spirit is doing in our lives."

Then Jeff took us to Galatians 5:16. "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh." This is a promise, he said. Walking by the power of the Spirit ensures that the flesh is not gratified.

Though he did not spend much time in 1 Corinthians 14, he pointed out that the gift list there showcases how these gifts are to serve other people. "The very nature of the Spirit's work in our life is to drain us from self-concern and to embue us with others' concerns," he said.

We see this in Acts, where nearly every mention of the Holy Spirit results in godliness, service, and witness--in fact, it results in bold preaching of the Word. There's more to be said about the Spirit's dynamic in evangelism, but Jeff deferred to what Eric Simmons will teach tonight. But he did remind us of this important component: "You want fresh infillings of the Spirit? Then you share the gospel and the Holy Spirit will meet you."

Point number five: The Spirit's empowering work should include a noticeably empowering dynamic. "When believers encounter the Spirit, there is often a dynamic dimension present," Jeff said.

Sometimes, he said, charismatics can be too mechanical in mapping out the Spirit's work. But then some Christians can have a "crazy uncle" approach to the Holy Spirit. "Shhhh....we don't talk about the Holy Spirit here. He just kind of sits in the corner," he said, comically.

Then Jeff reminded us that the first-century church faced a culture much like our own, but they turned the world upside down. They did not veer from the Gospel. But they also experienced the dynamic power of the Holy Spirit which demonstrated the reality of the Gospel in their lives.

Point number six: The Spirit's empowering work meets us as we passionately seek God and dependently serve God. God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. He gives Himself as the Holy Spirit to the humble.

So how do we transition from profession to practice? "We don't want to be orthodox in our profession but marginalize our practice," he said. "The Bible wants us to be precise, but the Bible also commands attitudes about the Spirit. It enjoins us to postures of heart. It imposes upon us attitudes. I'll try to sum it up in three words: desperate, grateful, and hungry."

This was a HUGE hunk of meat to chew on. I can't wait to hear it in full and then hear it again and again. There is much here for personal application. In closing, Josh asked us to think through those three points of application--being desperate, grateful, and hungry--and ask those over lunch where we could grow in those areas.

I'll return, Lord willing, after lunch and the breakout sessions.

(The photo of Jeff is from the New Attitude blog.)

The Cross—A Meditation on Jesus' Atoning Death (Na Session Four)

Tonight's main session started with two standing ovations. The first was when Josh introduced C.J. Mahaney. As C.J. came up to the platform, the audience began to rise to their feet--a recognition of all C.J. has already invested in this group through various aspects of his ministry. C.J. initiated the second standing ovation, when he asked Eric and his wife, Lisa, and Josh to stand so that we could express our appreciation to them for reviving New Attitude and the hard work they've poured into it this year. As C.J. is always faithful to say, Josh is his favorite senior pastor. "Thank you, Josh, for bringing me so much joy as I play the back nine of life," he cracked, as waves of laughter broke over the audience.

C.J. started by reading part of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, where Aslan was resurrected from the dead and Susan asks what is all means. Then he segued into an exploration of Isaiah 53, which he says is the gospel in miniature. It was Isaiah 53 that the Ethiopian eunuch was reading when Philip overheard him on the road to Gaza. From this passage, C.J. extrapolated three points:

1. The Appearance

One of the first things we learn from this passage is that we would not recognize the Savior as He would not be attractive to us. "The One sent to save us was not particularly impressive to us," C.J. said. His birth and background were not promising, and neither was His appearance.

2. The Reality

God's gracious self-disclosure begins in verse four. Here we encounter divine reality and the promise of the Messiah, C.J. said. We find here that He suffered for us and because of our sins, and He suffered as our substitute. Ten times in three verses (four to six), we encounter the personal pronouns of I, we, or us. He suffered for us. Note also the numerous references to our sins. "This is the part that we play in this drama," he said, referring to our sins. "And did you notice this passage is written as though we were present? That's because morally, we were present." Then he quoted Luther: "We all walk around with His nails in our pocket."

C.J. spent the most amount of time on this section, preaching passionately. "We are gazing upon the just punishment for our sin and we are gazing upon the One who said, 'I will die for them. I will endure righteous wrath for them so that they might know forgiveness of sin, freedom of fear of future wrath, reconciliation with the Father through my sacrifice, and eternal relationship with the Father through My sacrifice.'"

As he expounded upon this point, those assembled responded in spontaneous applause of gratitude.

3. The Significance

C.J.'s final point was delivered with the most passion. You could hear the air-conditioning blowing through the room as the riveted listeners sat in rapt silence. No one was fidgeting, no one was whispering. "In this passage we find the Father's love displayed in a most unexpected way and in an unexpected place," he said.

Verse ten reveals that it was the will of the Father to crush the suffering servant. "So when you are tempted to doubt God's love for you, I would appeal to you to consider God's love for you in Isaiah 53. He crushed His son. He crushed him!" he said, through tears. "He bruised Him. He punished Him. He disfigured Him. He crushed Him with all of the righteous wrath that we deserved. That's what the Father did, so great was His love for sinners like you and me!"

Then he quoted Charles Spurgeon, who said that if we are not convinced of God's love for us, we need to "dwell where the cries of Calvary can be heard." Then he invited everyone to close their eyes and listen to the cries of Calvary.

• "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."
• "I tell you the truth. This day, you will be with me in paradise."
• "Dear woman, here is your son."
• "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
• "I am thirsty."
• "It is finished."
• "Father, into your hands, I commit my spirit."

In conclusion, worship is the only appropriate response, C.J. said. After a prayer of adoration, the band joined him on stage to sing the chorus of "The Wonderful Cross," which was immediately followed by "Jesus, Thank You."

What a day. So much truth imparted to us. So much to consider and meditate upon. So much to study. And there is still another full day ahead of us. Praise God!

(This photo of C.J. came from the Na blog. Check it out. They have much better shots than what I get with my tiny digital camera!)

The Life—Applying the Gospel to All of Life (Na Session Three)

We're back with the afternoon session, which features Mike Bullmore. We all hustled through lunch to get back here. I spent that time with Chris Hwang and three of his friends from Northwestern University--Mike, Hanell, and Christina. Chris had a specific agenda in mind for our lunch discussion and led it well. We could have been there all afternoon as we discussed masculinity and femininity in light of Scripture. I am much encouraged to encounter young men living so purposefully. This is not to diminish the purposefulness of women, especially those women at lunch, but there is a tangible benefit for groups when men are others-focused and leading a group to a particular outcome or goal. It's actually a lot more peaceful.

(Oh, and let me not forget to pass along a little tip about a trend I've been experiencing here. It doesn't matter how heavy your purse is, few men will be willing to carry it. But if you pack all that stuff in with your computer bag, men are more than willing to carry it. It's making me rethink my strategy. It's strangely exhilarating to be untethered from all that baggage, however briefly!)

But back to Mike Bullmore. His message was about the value of applying the gospel to all of life. "Apart from the gospel, independent of the gospel, you can take all those rich wonderful promises of the Gospel and if they are not connected, they won't stick anywhere," he said. "But if you make the connection with the Gospel, there is now something that gives great foundation and great power in your life."

His three main sections addressed the Gospel, Gospel truths, and Gospel conduct. Then he applied those ideas to three areas.

1) Examine your own life first. Pick an area for change. "Are you cultivating a deep, personal understanding of the Gospel? Are you faithfully reading God's Word with that purpose in mind? " he asked.

For those who aren't clear about the Gospel, Bullmore urged deliberate study. "Kill fuzziness! Don't let it go on," he said. "Get clarity and watch as, with the help of the Holy Spirit, that clarity produces conviction and then actual holiness in your life."

For example, to demonstrate this, let's talk about facing suffering. Without an understanding of the gospel, you are either confused by suffering or depressed by suffering. "The Gospel helps us to see suffering differently. Jesus redeemed us through suffering," he said. "If you ignore the cross and its purpose, suffering will be really hard on you."

2) Let Gospel connections inhabit your conversations with others.

"I am finding in my own care for people that so much confusion and so much suffering is actually connected to a failure to make a connection to the Gospel," he said. Not a self-righteous or artificial insertion of these things, but a humble infusion of this truth throughout your conversations with others. He focused our attention on Isaiah 50:4. In that verse Isaiah talks about the fact that morning by morning he puts himself before God so that God can instruct his ears, in order for Isaiah to have a word for the weary.

3) Remember the greatest good of the Gospel is that God gives Himself to us. Salvation is not mainly the forgiveness of sins. The main thing is fellowship with Jesus. Forgiveness gets sin out of the way so that we can have this fellowship with God.

I didn't do this message any justice, really. I think I will say this after every message, but really...just get the audio version. Live-blogging requires the ability to hear, process, and type while still hearing and processing the next sentence. I'm not always doing all three well. And my experience here has made my respect for Master Blogger Tim Challies go up tenfold! (I'd say a hundredfold, Tim, but then I'd be going over the top.)

We're now on dinner break and will be back in the evening for a meditative message from C.J. Eric just exhorted us to come prepared and with quiet souls and hearts. When C.J. is done, Voice will be shaking us up with a concert.

(Mike Bullmore's photo is courtesy of the Na blog. Thanks, guys! Great photo work!)

The Story—Understanding the Story Line of the Bible (Na Session Two)

After last night's message concluded, everyone headed to Community Groups--another important component of the conference. The Community Groups are led by pastors, which then break down into smaller Family Groups of about a dozen people. These groups are where "truth collides with daily life," as the Na brochure says, and gives the conference participants a time to get to know one another a little better. This was followed by the opening of The Neighborhood, the location of the bookstore, hangout room, art gallery and prayer room. The art gallery is new this year. A small group of artists spent months chewing on the truth of regeneration and what's on display is the fruit of that meditation. The hangout is full of blow-up furniture that resembles a 1970s basement, a fun environment for conversation.

It was a long day, but there was still one more event to attend before turning in. A few of my friends organized a Midnight Special, a mixer drawing friends from Sovereign Grace churches across the country (Orlando, Knoxville, Raleigh, San Diego, Miami, New Orleans and others). It was a late night, but well worth it to see far-away friends and meet new ones.

So today is the first full day of the conference--and a lot is on the schedule. This morning's main session was led by the father-son team of Bob and Devon Kauflin with Covenant Life's 1Band, the singles ministry band. The songs were a mix of hymns and contemporary worship songs, but all were sung equally enthusiastically. If anyone is sleepy here, it's hard to tell.

Sitting just a few feet away from me is David Altrogge, better known to Na participants as Rudy--star of the Drowning Melville video series. It's funny to watch people walk down the aisle, spot him, and do a double-take. His sister confessed to me that some people have been asking him for his autograph here. I know David would never tell me this, so I'm so glad for these important tidbits gleaned from standing in the ladies room line!

After worship, Eric Simmons ended the announcements by asking the men to demonstrate biblical manhood in some specific ways. He urged the men to serve the women by drawing women out in conversation and by walking them to and from the convention center. Josh chimed in by saying that talking to a woman is a good way to get to know one, and not to leave here with any regrets.

Then C.J. bellowed from the front row, "Let the courting begin!" (Amen!! That's why I appreciate C.J. and his fine leadership!)

A side note here, at some point I'd like to write a piece in praise of gentlemen. There are few things women appreciate more than a man who demonstrates such courtesies toward women. I can testify that so far here, I've seen this kind of care in a variety of ways and I'd like to give a shout-out here to the aptly named Noble and his faithful sidekick, Kyle, who walked me back from the midnight mixer to my hotel last night.

You may be wondering why I'm giving you so many ancillary details and not getting to the meat of the session this morning. Well, that's because Mark Dever is preaching an overview message of the entire Bible. As soon as I heard that, I knew there was no chance I could capture his fine teaching. I have both of his overview books on the Bible and they are each at least three inches thick. So I recommend you do both of these things: 1) Order this message when it becomes available on the Sovereign Grace Store, and 2) Buy Promises Made: The Message of the Old Testament and Promises Kept: The Message of the New Testament (reviewed here).

I can say this, though, it's not an overwhelming message to listen to. Mark has an obvious love for the Word and an obvious passion that God's people understand it. I've heard him given similar messages at a variety of conferences, and he is skilled at adapting his teaching to the audience--be it pastors, a local church, or a conference of young adults like this one. His three sermon points are: A Particular History, A Passion for Holiness, and A Promise of Hope. Mark is spending most of his time this morning explaining an overview of the Old Testament because he believes it will do the most to help us understand the New Testament.

"What the Old Testament will teach us, more than anything else, is that our greatest hope is this Messiah," he said. "The New Testament is the story of how all these promises made by God were kept--and the difference that makes to you and our own disappointments and our own hopes."

Because Mark is gifted both as an evangelist and a pastor, he often stops himself to explain a concept, a phrase, or an address in the Bible. He does not teach as thought everyone in the room has been a Christian since the cradle. As a result, this meaty message is good for everyone. Every sentence is thought-provoking but it is not so dense that new believers will be lost. In fact, new believers probably would benefit the most because of the beautiful tapestry that he presents as he shows how the Bible is woven together from disparate parts for a cohesive message.

Time for lunch! More later...