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Resolved Conference (Reflections)
- 02/20/07
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Well, I made it home. Our flight was delayed for a few hours while the ground crew changed one of the plane's tires but we eventually climbed aboard and made our way home. In retrospect, taking the red-eye home was probably a bad idea. But at least I got home and am back with my family, even if I am dog tired!
I really enjoyed the Resolved Conference. It was far different from the other conferences I've had the privilege of attending. Though the speakers were the usual suspects, the audience was a far cry from most events I've been to. I thought I would jot down a few random observations (since random observations will be about all I can manage based on the three hours of sleep I've had in the past 24 or so).
This was a young crowd with the average age probably being only 20 or 21 (I'm not so good at guessing ages, but the average age couldn't be too much higher than that). I have said this already, but I find it both amazing and inspiring that 3,000 young people showed up (with hundreds more being turned away when the conference filled up) to hear nine expository sermons and to witness a panel composed of a bunch of guys much older than them. These young people seemed like they just could not get enough of the preaching and were both willing and ready to be challenged by God's Word. And they were.
The crowd was loud and enthusiastic! Gone was the muted restraint of the Shepherd's Conference and other similar events. These people liked to worship and liked to worship loudly. I am uncertain whether the loud music necessitated loud singing or whether loud singing necessitated loud music, but either way, the singing was boisterous and, well, loud! Despite the volume, the crowd was respectful and dignified.
The atmosphere was different from what I am accustomed to. There was a lot of attention dedicated to lights and audio/visual details. The conference looked great and, as a person who deals with web sites and other marketing materials, I was really impressed with what a good job the organizers did with extended the "branding" of the conference to all aspects of the event. They used the technology available to them to enhance the conference rather than to overshadow it or take away from it.
I was surprised, though perhaps I shouldn't have been, by the enthusiasm of the audience for the speakers. The speakers were liable to get swarmed if and when they ventured beyond the first two rows (which were typically off-limits for most people). I know that younger people tend to be a enthusiastic about autographs and photo opportunities and so on. But it still surprised me, perhaps, again, because typically young people wouldn't care so much for men like John Piper or C.J. Mahaney or John MacArthur or Steve Lawson. And yet they are. And I can't help but think that this is a good thing. These kids have certainly chosen well if they are looking for leaders to admire and to emulate. They could not do much better in choosing heroes. I'd be glad to see my children lining up to have their picture taken with men like this.
One of my favorite aspects of a conference is seeing various ministries in motion. I love to see the men and women of the ministries doing what they do and doing it for God's glory. I love to see them serve. I can't count the number of times I was asked if I needed anything, the number of times I was thanked for my contribution, and the number of people who were genuinely interested in me and those around me. Both humility and a clear desire to serve were evident throughout the event.
I was glad to see the conference begin and end with Bob Kauflin's wonderful song "Let Your Kingdom Come." I think this is a perfect song to end a conference as it takes the focus beyond the walls of the conference venue and to the world beyond. Rick Holland opened and closed the event with words about the local church, ensuring people knew that all that was said and done over the course of the weekend was designed to promote and assist the local church. Conferences come and go, but the local church is forever; the local church is the primary opportunity for ministry and service. I was glad to hear such an emphasis. It is easy to see conferences as isolated events involving just the people who were able to attend, but surely it is far more valuable to see them as opportunities to train and encourage people so they can go back to their natural contexts for ministry and service and teach others what they have learned.
Steve Lawson is one of the most talent expositors (and truthfully, perhaps the most talented expositor) of Scripture I've ever had the privilege of hearing. When I take notes for his sermons, I often end up with 2,500 words or more. His teaching just resonates within my heart and mind. C.J. Mahaney has an amazing ability to draw deeply personal application. He never finishes a sermon without prodding the listener to examine his heart and to live a more godly life. John MacArthur is an exceptional teacher and potentially the most skilled Bible teacher I've heard. His knowledge and understanding of Scripture is almost unmatched. John Piper has the amazing ability to pursue theology to the ultimate. He pursues doctrine and theology for beyond the surface and does not quit until he has traced it to its deepest purpose, deepest meaning, and deepest application. As for Rick Holland...well, unfortunately I have only heard him speak one time so have little knowledge of his teaching ministry. However, from what was evident at the conference, he is a talented leader and one who garners the love and respect of those who serve with him. His desire to communicate deeply and personally with young Christians is obvious and his ability in doing this is shown in the lives of the young people who have been impacted by his ministry.
There is clearly a resurgence of Christianity among the Asian-American population. As John Piper said yesterday, God is clearly doing a work and is preparing to do a great work in and through these people. And I pray He does. I very much enjoyed meeting many of these people and rejoice in new friendships. (Here is what is no doubt a politically-incorrect aside, but I hope someone, and hopefully one of my Asian-American friends, can help me out. Why do Asians move in groups? We Caucasian folk tend to move and to hang out in twos; maybe threes. Asians seem to roam around in packs of six or eight or ten. What gives?)
The Resolved band is absolutely excellent. They are very talented and can do justice to a wide variety of styles of song. Rarely have I more enjoyed watching worship leaders worship. And in particular, I absolutely loved watching David Zimmer, the band's drummer, worship God. This is my favorite photograph from the conference as it just seems to say it all. The band had fun worshiping and had fun leading us in worship. They did a great job.
Lukas VanDyke is an extraordinarily talented photographer (and just a good all-around guy). He was running around the venue the entire weekend and was kind enough to post some of his best photos from each of the days at his site.
Jonathan Rourke is a superstar. He is a fellow Canadian who somehow ended up in Los Angeles and seems to do most of the behind-the-scenes work for the conference. He was everywhere and did everything. The dedication of people like this--the ones who sit behind sound boards, who record the audio, who run the bookstore and who coordinate speakers, schedules, and the million and one other aspects of a conference--these are people who get little thanks and are surely deserving of some.
And that is about all I can dredge out of my mind at this point. It was an absolute honor to be the conference this weekend, to meet so many like-minded brothers and sisters in Christ, and to receive such encouragement from them. Resolved 2008 will be held in June of next year and will be in Palm Springs (which, when mentioned, seems to produce gasps of "Ooo...it's going to be hot there" from people who know the area). It promises to be a great event and will focus on heaven and hell. MacArthur, Mahaney, Lawson and Randy Alcorn have already committed to the conference and there are several other invitations (i.e. John Piper) still outstanding.
The next conference on my schedule is the Shepherd's Conference. I will be heading back to Los Angeles two weeks from today. Thankfully I have what looks like a better flight schedule for this one!
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Comments (35)
Looks like Piper's attitude towards Asians has rubbed off on you. Good for you.
You asked why these Asian-Americans like to allegedly congregate in big groups. May I respond to this question, as a member of one of "these" people?
We are trying to consolidate our Asian faces into a larger amorphous mush that better reflects our "less satanic" faces.
"We are trying to consolidate our Asian faces into a larger amorphous mush that better reflects our "less satanic" faces."
An amorphous mush. I like that. :)
Wow what a conference!! It was my first time going and i was greatly blessed by it. i think this conference will be the best they will do for some time simply because of the main topic; "The person and work of Christ". it wasn't cheap flying from mobile, AL but it was well worth the teaching i recieved. i did miss the final day due to flight schedule home and i greatly appreciate your work to put these summaries up. So let me say thankyou.
p.s my brother (Alan) met you there and took a picture with you, i was curious if it was up anywhere?
i don't really get john lee's comment.... however, i've kind of noticed the same thing, tim. my ucla friends (almost all asian) "hang out" generally differently than my biola friends (almost all white). i still haven't figured out what is different, i just know that it, unexpectedly, is! but i like it. i like that there are so many differences and yet we all have so much in common - mainly, love for Christ. :]
I am 39 years old but I like to think I somehow blended in with the younger ones. I am confident you saw me and just overlooked me, trying to have much forebearance for my brother in the LORD. ;)
I was with a bunch of "Asian faces" and I took much delight in Piper's remarks about this being an "Asian conference" and his own "Satanic face". Actually, I openly wept and then laughed when Piper spoke. He had the ability to shoot God's words right through me. All the speakers were amazing. They all delighted me.
I share the Gospel in Juvenille Hall in the Bay Area. I found that Resolved.org was just as much for me as those hip-teenagers with the laptops taking notes and using WiFi there (that I blended in with of course, you could not tell me apart from them since I too had a backpack and casual clothes...hehe).
I hope Piper is around 10 years from now, as he waxed joyously of getting e-mails 10 years from now from Resolved peeps in 2007 saying "because of these sermons, I am out in Asia sharing the Gospel).
His cancer scare got me to sign up...I had to hear this man before God takes him home.
Man I ramble...I'll be quiet now and read the rest of your wonderous blog. What a blessing!
Hi Tim!
What a blessing... and what teaching we've been given. Thank you for blogging and taking notes, giving reflections... and for patiently talking to and taking pictures with your blog fans =)
I'm not sure why we roam in such big groups... I know a lot of people were coming with brothers&sisters from their home church, so maybe being in a new environment... and being together... provides... comfort? haha, making things up as I go along.
I was equally impressed and thankful for the service of Jonathan Rourke and the many many smiling servants at Resolved. Not to mention... Steve Lawson's expositions... the preaching by faithful men of God... WOW. God is good.
Looking forward to Shepherd's conference liveblogging!
Tim, thank you, thank you, thank you for you epistles, links etc.
I was planning to go to resolved this year (I am 50+) with my 17 yr daughter but we couldn't quite squeek it amongst other things on this side of the planet.
I will be over for Shepherd's conference though (a buch of us are coming) and will look out for you (the guy up front with the laptop?). Looking forward to another round of MacArthur, Mohler, Piper et-al.
Re 'Asians' My observation would be that most non-western cultures do it. I would guess it is the 'looking after each other', family/tribal thing. Africans do it, Pacific people do it. It is good.
"p.s my brother (Alan) met you there and took a picture with you, i was curious if it was up anywhere?"
Not that I know of. People generally snap photos with their cameras and I rarely see the photos afterwards! However, Bethany just sent the picture that she had snapped with me and it was great to see one! :)
Hey Tim! Hilarious observation on the asian american migration patterns! Perhaps you noticed a secondary pattern too: asian americans tend not only to migrate to destinations together, but they also tend to migrate to their destinations INCREMENTALLY.
I'll give you an example:
1. Loiter in one location deciding what to do (9 times out of 10 answering the question "where do you wanna eat?") while entertaining side conversations.
2. Someone get's impatient and the group moves without having made a decision on where to go, still engrossed in various conversations.
3. The group parks as soon as it realizes it hasn't decided on a destination yet. Go to step 1.
I guess it boils down to indecisiveness! LOL
keep up the great work Tim!
"Loiter in one location deciding what to do (9 times out of 10 answering the question "where do you wanna eat?") while entertaining side conversations."
Whenever I exited the venue there was inevitably large groups hanging around outside (though, to be fair, I think all races were probably represented here). And I figured they were probably figuring out where to eat... :) Cheap college kids and all...
To be honest Kevin, that is true of almost ANY group of college students, not just asians. I can think of countless times during the conference when the group i was with spent 20 min. deciding where to go eat then another 30 standing around to decide where to go next. I am just happy to see them there and excited for the teaching and preaching of God's Word regardless of how they loiter around.
I was so excited when they mentioned you were at the conference, Tim! I was in a little group of people from a small church in Arizona and Resolved was incredible. I'm still reeling from all that I learned. Thanks for covering it!
I, too, was very impressed by the integration of technology during the conference (lights, videos, sound, etc.), in a way that undergirds the Word of God, rather than squeezing it out. It was evident that these things were being used to bring attention to the Word of God and the Gospel, rather than the wisdom of man; very much in tune with the teaching of the conference itself.
And I wholeheartedly agree about Steve Lawson. One of my favorite stories about the man: when he was pushed out of his old church a few years back, his last message was Psalm 93, The Lord Reigns. He preached, walked out of the church with his family and a good portion of the congregation, got into his car...
...As they were leaving the parking lot, the car stopped, Lawson stepped out, dusted off his shoes, got back in and drove away, rejoicing (Acts 13:51, 52).
Steven - That is a really powerful story. Lawson told it at the Shepherd's Conference last year and it was amazing to hear. I'm sure God has blessed his faithfulness in leaving the church in the way he did.
Would it be inappropriate to ask what happened in Steve's old church?
Tim- Thanks so much for Blogging Resolved. I was the guy with glasses and a pregnant wife that sat next to you guys in pretty much every session.
Hey Tim,
Thanks for getting the contents of the message out to those who couldn't attend it. I'm sure they appreciate it, and I'm sure I'll find it handy for going back over - in short form - what was said and done this weekend.
One thing I thought was great was all of the theater staff who got to hear the messages, especially Rick's on Friday night. The rest of the conference most of them seemed to stay out in the lobby areas, but on Friday night I could not have been more excited to see all those people standing, watching, and listening as Rick proclaim the gospel of God. Let's all keep them in our prayers.
I will also be at Shepherds Conference in a couple of weeks and am looking forward to reading your thoughts on that.
By the way... I'm sure it's a mere matter of providence that brings you out to sunny SoCal for two winter weekends in a month... right? :)
"By the way... I'm sure it's a mere matter of providence that brings you out to sunny SoCal for two winter weekends in a month... right? :)"
Well, it's a tough gig, but someone's got to do it!
Hi Tim,
Thanks for your service and kind words (I am one of the guitar players from the band). Your notes from the conference have been a tremendous resource for me as I reflect on the weekend. It was a pleasure to meet and serve you and your friend Joshua during the conference.
Thank-you for coming and providing this resource for us all.
Indeed, Resolved was a great time of true biblical fellowship, praise, and worship through the casual activities, a God exalting band and world class preaching! I had high expectations for this weekend and all of them were exceeded. The methodical and contextualized conference was an encouragement to my soul... Sunday morning’s messages, in my humble opinion, made the weekend! Praise the Lord for such committed men of the Word. May those who attended not merely be hearers of the Word but doers as Rick challenged each of us to be in out local churches!
Thank you, to each of you who served us so well!
"Why do Asians move in groups? We Caucasian folk tend to move and to hang out in twos; maybe threes. Asians seem to roam around in packs of six or eight or ten. What gives?"
You know, this is an interesting observation now that you mentioned it. I may be the exception to this observation. I usually prefer to hang out in twos or threes. I'd generally would congregate in large groups if I came with a large group. Perhaps, it's because I was born and bred in the Southern Californian culture. Cultural values may be a factor in this. Asian cultures tend to have more of the family emphasis and social belonging rather than the American individualism. Even in my experience with the Asian-American churches within the U.S., things are usually done collectively rather than independently.
I agree, Jonathan Rourke is a superstar, but didn't you mentioned to me that John Piper is somewhat of a superstar among this younger generation? Glad to know you enjoyed the conference.
"didn't you mentioned to me that John Piper is somewhat of a superstar among this younger generation?"
He is. He has garnered the respect of just about every conceivable group of Christians...
Hey i know it would have been near impossible to really do it justice but i think it would have been interesting to read your blog on the Panel Discussions. Because of that panel discussion now every time i see someone from Resolved or when i see Dr. Lawson we will give that same little fist pound that had everybody rolling on the floor laughing. (Last comment i promise, if i have more to say i'll just start my own blog. B-D)
Are these sessions available for purchase/download? I would love to listen to these with my teen-agers.
Thanks, Tim for some inspirational blogging.
"i think it would have been interesting to read your blog on the Panel Discussions"
I find panel discussions near impossible to summarize. I'll see what I can do in upcoming conferences...
"Are these sessions available for purchase/download? I would love to listen to these with my teen-agers."
They will be. I'll put a link on the site (probably in A La Carte) when they are available.
These young people seemed like they just could not get enough of the preaching and were both willing and ready to be challenged by God's Word. And they were.
It's funny where we find hope for this world isn't it? Wow...
Josh
"...the word of God is not bound."
--2 Timothy 2:9
"Why do Asians move in groups? We Caucasian folk tend to move and to hang out in twos; maybe threes. Asians seem to roam around in packs of six or eight or ten. What gives?"
Well, I have a few theories about this one, because while I am Asian, my boyfriend is white, and he asked this EXACT question. He had the privilege of traveling with all 17 of us in our huge pack this weekend :) While it may not be an exact science and most people have probably not thought that much about it, this is what I think about this...
I think Asians have a greater sense of community. My grandma makes the joke that Asians also talk so loud because they used to have to yell from village to village. Don't get me wrong, I think Caucasians can create community also, but is a whole different type of community. While I may not ever call my friends my family, when I think about it, they are. Asians to a large extent don’t do the whole single family unit thing (I am generalizing and I am sure there are exceptions, but this is what I’ve seen). A lot of Asian people don’t ever move away from home – all of my aunts and uncles live within 45 minutes of all the rest of the family and the one family that does live in Southern California is still considered “too far away.” We are born and raised believing that family and a good work ethic are the two most valuable assets one could bring into their adult life. I think about the friends that I attended Resolved with and we have been lifelong friends – I am older by a little bit than most of them and I can remember being in tiny tots (that’s the toddler) class with them and growing up together in church. Also, another factor is that many Asian churches in the Bay Area were started by or associated with an organization called Chinese Bible Mission (CBM) and teenagers in churches from Sacramento to San Mateo and everywhere in between attended a summer camp together. That is how some of those relationships were formed. Then they all end up at UCLA, UC Davis, etc. and they realize that they know someone that I know that knows someone else that they know and its one big connection between us. The Asian American Christian Community used to be VERY small so a lot of our parents know each other too. It is more than the friends we have made – I think a lot of our friendships could be rooted to the friendships of our parents, even though we are all in different parts of the state of California now. I mean, I walked into Resolved the first night and saw friends I hadn’t seen since I was in high school (I’ve now been out of college for a year) – I saw friends from college, sure, but it wasn’t the same amount of energy and excitement. So the extended community is part of it...
The other part of it is that we like to bring our friends along to things. The group that came from my church started out with 3 girls talking about going to Resolved and it expanded to the rest of the girls that we consistently have sleepovers with (again, the girls that I’ve grown up with) and then our guy friends from church and then 17 of us just kind of ended up there I guess. We did everything together that weekend because when we’re home we do everything together as a big group too. For sure there are groups within the big group who are closer to each other than others, but when it comes to birthdays or sleepovers or what not the whole group is invited (well, the boys aren’t invited to the sleepovers – but then, a lot of the boys are our literal brothers too). The whole concept of “getting coffee” or having dinner with just one other person that was not of the opposite sex was pretty much a novel idea to me when I got to The Master’s College and I’ve got to say that coming back to the 17 person group is refreshing most of the time. It comes with its own challenges for sure: waiting for tables at restaurants, trying to get people to move along to get to where we’re going, but it is how we have always done things. When my family went out for Chinese New Year a few weeks ago there were 22 of us and we were definitely not the largest group in the restaurant.
And the third, non-serious reason is that Asians are smaller than most people, and as a result more vulnerable... and they always say its safer to travel in packs. :)
Hi Tim! I just wanted to join the chorus of thanks for your live-blogging service. . .I have been lurking since last year during the Shepherd's Conference when I was serving and couldn't get in to hear the messages, and have frequented your blog ever since!
Again, thanks for live-blogging Resolved as I missed some of the sessions while volunteering--it is much appreciated by us all! Looking forward to reading about Shepherd's!
Hi Tim,
I'm Korean and I personally like being in big groups. Thanks again for your notes on the conference. I was in a Motel of 9 people, normally for 4 people so we could all save money. We didn't sleep very well the first night because this one guy snored like no other that I even recorded it with my camera. So, I found myself struggling to stay awake during the messages and missed a good chunk of it. I'm surprised you were able to get all that down with the amount of sleep you got.
By the way, what kind of computer do you use?
John
"By the way, what kind of computer do you use?"
I use just about the cheapest Acer laptop I could find...
Asians do move in groups. I have pastored in Taiwan now for 9 years (I am an anglo-American) and my wife is Taiwanese. It is the socio-cultural factor. Westerners value independence for a lot of reasons and Asians value strong community. I have pastored international churches here and when I have taken mission trips with church members almost always the westerners in Church go it alone while the Asians stay together in groups. No mystery about it its just plain old socio-cultural factors that play in.
Can we get the mp3s on the conference somewhere? Would love to have them.
Peace
Ps. Charles
You can download John Piper's messages (for free!) if you go to http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/.
Just scroll down to "Resolved Audio". They are pretty faithful about getting up all of his messages immediately following his speaking engagements.
Hope this helps!
Thanks for this. What a small world it is indeed. My wife and I are friends with Jonathan Rourke's sister so it was quite a surprise to hear you mention him.
I wonder if CJ Mahaney will ever break dance on stage.
Sorry, just had to wonder that out loud.
"Heaven is Christ Centered and quite blaring about it."
I think I may think about going to Palm Springs in 160 degree heat next year even if he does not break dance. His sermon on Isaiah 53 amazing. Actually, all sermons were amazing.
But even the young man who had cancer who got on stage...what he said about letting God into all areas of his life "even the dark places" really made me feel convicted about some things I really should not be doing (going to VEGAS to gamble). I just told my girlfriend I won't be going there to gamble anymore, seeing concerts & convections are ok though. Hey, would not VEGAS be a good place for Resolved? just a thought. ;)
A gal in my small group was saying the same thing tonight too, that she ended up letting go of fretting over her marriage plans stressing her out after hearing the young man talk about the "dark areas in his life". And he was only on stage for 15 minutes!
Had to say this...and now I too will try not to post again!
:)
PS: Thanks so much for the coverage of the Resolved.
I am a 16 yr old boy from California and I just wanted to add my 2 cents.
I went with some of our church for the confrence, and boy was that confrence amazing. Even after almost a week later I am still sharing what I learned at the confrence with my mom. God really provided for me since my mom ( I Come from a single parent home) couldn't afford it. So I was kinda bummed I might not make it. But, some one from the church paid for me to go. I am still thanking God for him being so good to me even when I was bummed that I might not be able to go. But, man C.J. and all of them all taught me something different that I didn't know.
One of the things that stuck out to me the most was, I think C.J. Mahaney said it. Was that when Jesus was in the garden asking God to take this cup from him and God didn't answer. So, Jesus asked again but God still didn't answer. And Jesus wasn't so much afraid of what physical pain he would be in but, how God was going to bore down His full wrath on him. That wrath should have been for us but God sent down His only Son to be "CRUSHED" in our place. The whole confrence was such a good experience for me.
Thanks for being such a loyal blogger Mr. Challies.
In His sovereign will,
Jared B.