Shepherd's Conference (XII)

Some conferences end with a bang. They crescendo in a big song or a passionate call to action, the lights come on, and they are over. Others end less abruptly, sort of slowly fizzling rather than culminating in a bang. The Shepherds’ Conference falls into the latter category. John MacArthur finished his session last night and the conference was done. Or kind of. After he was finished the Soapboxes were opened for business and the speakers took their places on the patio, each speaking what was on his mind. And then it was done. Or kind of. Some people will stick around until Sunday, enjoy the worship service at Grace Community Church and then celebrate Lord’s Supper together in the afternoon. And then it will be done. For real this time.

It was a very good conference and I really did enjoy it. The more effort I dedicate to writing thorough and (hopefully!) accurate and well-written summaries of the sessions, the more this liveblogging begins to feel like hard work. So at the end of the conferences I tend to feel a little tired or worn out. But it’s a good thing. I continue to learn how to best liveblog and think I’m starting to figure it out. Now I just need to find ways of doing more “candid” writing, reflecting on things other than the main sessions.

I will not be sticking around until Sunday. Paul and I will find something to do for a few hours before heading to the airport for our 3 o’clock flight. Or the flight is supposed to leave at three. In my last three flights to or from L.A. (flights to and from Resolved and the flight to Shepherds’) the best Air Canada has managed is 1.5 hours late. The first flight was delayed because they could not start the engines (which makes you feel really good as a passenger), the second because they blew a tire and needed to get it replaced, and the third because it was ridiculously cold and the plane’s plumbing froze. I am hoping for better results today.

Assuming I get home late tonight as planned, I’ll be packing my family into the van tomorrow and driving down to Atlanta to spend a few days with my family. On Thursday of next week I’ll be hoping from Atlanta down to Orlando to take in the Ligonier Conference, so tune in then for liveblogging of what is sure to be one of the year’s biggest events (5500 attendees are expected to be there!). And, once the conference has wrapped up, we’ll be driving back home and hoping life returns to normal for a while!

Some of the most encouraging comments I heard this weekend from readers of this site were along the lines of “I’m praying for you as you finish up your book.” I would really, really appreciate your prayers as I cross the t’s and dot the i’s on this book. While most of the content is in place, there are still a few significant portions of the book I need to spend time on. And time is short. So I covet your prayers as the April 1 deadline approaches.

I will leave you with one amusing visual. This is a graph showing the traffic to my site over the past month. You won’t have any trouble telling how the Shepherds’ Conference fits into this chart. In particular, you’ll know just how much interest was generated by John MacArthur’s comments in the first session regarding eschatology.