I am blessed to be a member of Bethlehem Baptist Church, where my pastor is John Piper. His sermons and writings have made a lasting impact in my walk with Christ. He is a very humble man, even though he is an evangelical leader with an ever-growing influence. Desiring God is the ministry our church started to help spread pastor John’s writings and books. And for the past several years they’ve held a national conference here in Minneapolis.
I haven’t yet attended one, largely because it conflicts with my job schedule and I can’t afford it. But with Desiring God’s policy to spread sermons in print, audio and video formats for free, I get to enjoy them anyway. Here’s a run down on this year’s conference. I haven’t started listening yet, but I’m planning on downloading and listening to all the messages.
- This link will take you to the conference online headquarters with info about the speakers, and all the introductory videos, etc.
- This link will list the links for downloading all the messages or listening/watching them online.
- Here is a list of a series of blog posts at DG’s blog which summarize the 6 messages and 2 speaker panels:
- The Tongue, the Bridle, and the Blessing: An Exposition of James 3:1-12 by Sinclair Ferguson
- Panel Discussion – Piper, Driscoll, and Ferguson
- Words of Wonder: What Happens When We Sing? by Bob Kauflin
- How Sharp the Edge? Christ, Controversy, and Cutting Words by Mark Driscoll
- The Life-Shaping Power of Story: God’s and Ours by Dan Taylor
- Panel Discussion – Piper, Tripp, Kauflin, and Taylor
- War of Words: Getting to the Heart for God’s Sake by Paul Tripp
- Is There Christian Eloquence? Clear Words and the Wonder of the Cross by John Piper
If you did attend the conference, share your thoughts with us. In the meantime, I think I’ll start with Bob Kauflin’s message. I have great respect for his wisdom and insights, and he has written some of the best and richest songs I’ve ever heard.