Ligonier Conference (I)

From L.A. to Toronto to Atlanta to Orlando. I've had a busy five days! It is beautiful and sunny and warm down here in Orlando. I thought it was hot in Atlanta but it's definitely far warmer here. It has been a long time since I've been in Florida and I have to say, as I looked out the window of the airplane as we broke the clouds, my first thought was, "Wow. This state is flat!" Mel Duncan was kind enough to pick me up from the airport (or maybe he's just the low guy on the Ligonier totem pole) and to stop off for some lunch. I've met Mel a few times now and always enjoy his company. I met up with my brother-in-law who chose to make the drive from Atlanta to Orlando and we made our way to the church.

This conference is being held at First Baptist Church of Orlando, a church that is absolutely massive. The church buildings are built on a sprawling campus that also includes a large pond, a school and all sorts of other unlabelled buildings. I'm not sure what the official attendance is or will be, but estimates are ranging as high as 6,000. While some conferences seem to attract one kind of person, there seems to be a fair bit of diversity here. There are men and women, young and old, white and...well, mostly white. I've been surprised to see quite a few children and teenagers here as well.

The conference has begun with a "pre-conference" or sorts, featuring sessions by Ravi Zacharias, Al Mohler, R.C. Sproul Jr., and a speaker's panel with these three men and R.C. Sproul. The conference proper begins this evening at 7 PM and I'll be sure to bring you a blow-by-blow account as it unfolds. Don't forget that you can watch the free streaming video by starting here.

My brother-in-law and I both took a lot of photos and we'll see if we can get some of those onto the web site. Sadly, I have once again managed to travel without bringing the necessary cable to get the photos from my camera to my computer. But I'll try to figure something out.