Yesterday I somewhat jokingly said that I might live-blog the resurgence conference… I did actually stay up till 2am to watch Driscoll and Mahaney… but Adrian Warnock actually blogged it, what he calls “Remote Blogging”. So anyway, he’s put some notes up there… just watching JP now

Also… Adrian has set up a little competition, to guess what the most read post on his blog currently is… having seen the previous 29 most read posts, along with a little common sense and knowledge of how search engines and blogs work the answer to the question is probably going to be his post about the ‘Word Alive, Spring Harvest split‘… we’ll have to wait and see if I’m right…

UPDATE…

I was wrong, so I better have another guess… Adrian gives a clue that the post in question is about a Christian leader… chances are that means it’s a post about Mark Driscoll, probably his interview of him…?

UPDATE 2…

Hoorah! I won a copy of Vintage Jesus… saves having to buy it

The Resurgence conference starts today in Seattle (probably about 8000 miles away, maybe not quite that far… a long way anyway!)… would have been fun to go, but know matter, because of the wonders of technology I can sit at home and watch the sessions streamed live! Which means in theory I could live-blog about them… just one snag, we’re 8 hours ahead, which means I would have to stay up till 3am to catch the final session… maybe not.

I have a feeling that Jonathan Thomas of proGnosis is there and making a video diary which you can see on their Youtube page… so look out for those if they appear.

Came across this little guide, 40 tips for ministry, aimed at young pastors (by Craig Groeschel):

1. Life is short. Make every day count for God’s glory.
2. Don’t take yourself too seriously.
3. Ministry is a marathon, not a sprint.
4. Jesus cares more about the church than you do.
5. You can’t please everyone…so why try?
6. People will criticize you. Quit whining. Get used to it.
7. Three months from now, you won’t even remember most of the things that are bothering you today.
8. You can’t do it all. Stop trying.
9. God called you because He is good, not because you are.
10. If you blame yourself for the bad results in ministry, you’ll likely also take credit for the good results.
11. Become close friends with other pastors in your town (as many as you can).
12. Your kids will be grown before you know it. Don’t sacrifice them on the altar of ministry.
13. Your ministry isn’t your god. God is your God.
14. You know how to give and how to minister to others. If you don’t learn how to receive, you’ll burn out and/or die.
15. Studying for sermons doesn’t replace your personal time with God and in His Word.
16. Err on the side of generosity.
17. Believe in people that others overlook.
18. If you’re going to reach people that others aren’t, you’ll have to do things that others won’t.
19. Your integrity matters more than you can imagine.
20. Hire staff members that you like.
21. When you have a tough decision to make, but you know it’s right, make it immediately. (Like pulling off a Band-Aid: do it fast, and all at once.)
22. Hire slowly. Fire quickly.
23. You can’t change people. Only God can.
24. Don’t criticize others’ ministries. Yours isn’t nearly as perfect as you think it is.
25. Take care of yourself. Eat right. Rest. Exercise. Take time off. No one else can do that for you.
26. If you don’t take much time off, it’s because you’re proud, and you think you’re more necessary than you really are.
27. Don’t just delegate responsibility. Delegate authority.
28. Laugh frequently.
29. People will leave your church. People you love and trust will leave your church. Don’t take it personally.
30. When you suffer and hurt because of ministry, worship Jesus all the more.
31. Talk about Jesus every time you preach.
32. Be careful what you say. You’re being watched (and recorded).
33. Don’t return emails when you’re angry.
34. Check to make sure your microphone is turned off before you use the bathroom. Double-check.
35. Check to make sure your zipper is zipped every time before you preach. Double-check.
36. Love your wife more than you love the church. The church is Jesus’ bride, not yours.
37. Always be caught speaking well of others.
38. Compliment, encourage, and build up your staff and volunteers.
39. Hand write thank you notes.
40. Smile and look people in the eyes when you talk to them.

Next week is the Resurgence conference, Text and Context – Driscoll, Piper, Mahaney etc. hopefully there’ll be some audio to discuss then… but for now here’s MD on preparing to preach…

What does the scripture say?

What does the scripture mean?

How or why do we resist the word?

How does it apply to our mission – personal and corporate application?

Firstly, New Word Alive – which I am very excited about is a 7-hour car journey away, or an 8-hour LDV minibus journey! But the States is where it’s at for conferences really Resurgence, Desiring God, Gospel Coalition, New Attitude, Band of Bloggers, Together for the Gospel, Ligonier Ministries… and the latest one I came across is called Dwell, an urban church planting conference with Mark Driscoll, Tim Keller and CJ Mahaney (described as having more hair than pride!). Redeemer church and Mars Hill are the most ‘successful’ church planting churches in the States.

I do have a little pipe-dream to spend a month travelling round North America checking out some churches and conferences… maybe next year! However, I shouldn’t moan too much, the New Frontiers conference with Mark Driscoll this year is only a 20 minute walk from my house