STS Has Left the Building

Our weekend conference is now history—at least as far as an event. The fact is that the fellowship, renewal and challenge will continue to impact us for a long time to come.

Our over all theme, The Vital Signs of Grace, was powerfully dealt with by clear, direct teaching from John Verstegen, Alex Kurz, Ted Fellows, Rick Jordan and Matt Walker. They were “spot on” with every message.

I was able to teach for over five hours during the daytime sessions on Saturday. Amazingly, my strength held up—although I was “wasted” by the time it was over! It is so fantastic to have so much wonderful help that I had little else to do but rest. The saints of Shorewood are champions of service!

In the morning we covered material related to understanding the times in which we live and how to prepare for the future ministry we all will be facing. The application of Paul’s Ministry Model takes a wisdom that comes only from an understanding of the Word rightly divided—which gives us a clear grasp of where we fit into history, the church as a whole, and the current culture in which we live. Frankly, this is an area I have never heard discussed in other grace circles or preacher-gatherings. Yet, as we say, it is vital to having a relevant ministry for the message of grace we proclaim. We simply must minister to the questions of the hour in which we live—and into which our world is headed—rather than the questions of past eras that don’t relate to our times. Understanding Paul’s apostleship to the nations is key to this understanding—and one reason why the church at large is so adrift when it comes to actually being relevant to our world.

Brother and Mrs. Roy Lange were big hits. It is obvious that Brother Lange’s health isn’t as good as we would wish, but his spirit is high and his graciousness unabated. Even though his doctors told him he could not preach, I reminded folks that he could talk! So we managed to let him “talk a little,” both from the pulpit as well as in conversations. Roy and Arlis attended every session and were in constant conversations/discussions. I got a steady stream of thanks from men grateful they were able to spend time with the Langes. We got them to O’Hare Airport this morning for their flight home. The spirits of the Langes and Jordans were very high!

The rest of today is being spent in getting some of the paper work caught up (read that: paying bills!) and then resting. Cynthia is bushed! She has always been able to work rings around me. Years ago I gave up trying to keep up with her! I was touched Sunday morning to watch our six year old twin granddaughters greet grandma with hugs and kisses and see the fatigue simply melt from Cynthia’s countenance as she held and talked to them. Jody and the girls took Uncle Rick to the airport after he preached Sunday morning. Grandma spends most Tuesday’s with them, so she’ll have a great day tomorrow. Today, we are simply trying to rest and get our bearings back! My endurance level is slowly increasing over time—but I still take much too long to rebound, and, besides, I don’t get to spend Tuesdays with the grandkids!

Maranatha!