Due to prior commitments, those being two 8 pm NIT basketball games that Alabama played in Monday and Wednesday nights here in Tuscaloosa, elders meetings, and my wife’s bunco party (from which I was excused ( = evicted)), plus ElderLink, this is the first night I’ve been home before 9:30 — if at all — in nearly a week. I returned to 462 emails! (I just might be a little slow in responding.)
ElderLink was, as always, excellent, but this time was especially excellent. The lessons were extraordinary and the fellowship was encouraging. I ran into readers of my books and blogs everywhere I turned! It was very gratifying to meet so many readers.
Alan Rouse tells me that he’ll shortly post a summary of the proceedings, as he does every year. Alan does a great job of that every year. So I’ll wait on him to do so and then post a link. Over time, I’m sure I’ll make use of the much of the material as we go along here.
It was really, really good. Some elders were there on the sly — because their congregations wouldn’t tolerate an elder attending an ACU-sponsored event. Others were there with their ministers. Many brought their wives (which is good, because hymns sound really funny when there are just tenors and basses!) And the North Atlanta congregation hosted us in impeccable fashion — great food, greeters, decorations, etc., etc. They even had little Snickers bars for us at the late afternoon break.
One of the biggest problems in the contemporary Churches of Christ is a lack of elder training, and ElderLink is a great seminar specifically designed to meet that need. ATTEND! Take your wife. Take your preacher. And take lots of notes!
PS — While I was out, the good people at Theobloggers fixed a bug in the transition to a new server that kept readers from downloading .pdfs of my books. That bug should be fixed now. Of course, the site is down for maintenance as I’m typing — to deal with other bugs. But when the transition is complete, you should have a much faster site, and it’ll be easier for me to add new features. Please let me know as you find other problems.
NIT ??????????????
Beware of people who feed you Snickers, they may be looking at feeding you to the sharks.
Sorry, couldn't resist that. 😉
Glad you had such an awesome encouraging time. What is ACU? And why do some frown on it?
For those not familiar with Loribelle's Snickers/shark reference, check out
Loribelle,
ACU = Abilene Christian University. It has been a leader in moving the Churches of Christ out of legalism — which has caused it considerable criticism.
UK Dave,
Sorry. I forgot that not everyone on the planet is familiar with the details of American college basketball.
The 2011 national champion college basketball team is determined through a three-weekend tournament sponsored by the NCAA — the governing body of American collegiate sports.
This tournament is a US national passion — much bigger than the NBA (professional basketball league) finals.
I live in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, home of the University of Alabama and have season tickets to UA basketball games.
UA's basketball team didn't quite make the NCAA tournament, and so was invited to a consolation tournament, called the National Invitation Tournament or NIT. It's not nearly as prestigious as the NCAA tournament, but the players and fans enjoy it.
Alabama won its first three games, and it will play in the semi-finals in New York's Madison Square Garden Tuesday night. I will not be doing much blogging Tuesday night.
Jay,
UK Dave is for University of Kentucky Dave. Even at that, I'm unfamiliar with the NIT.
UK Dave,
http://www.bigbluehistory.net/bb/statistics/gamen…. Kentucky was in the NIT in 2009, losing to Notre Dame in the third game. You must have repressed that awful memory.
Jay:
I saw this and decided to comment:
"Some elders were there on the sly — because their congregations wouldn’t tolerate an elder attending an ACU-sponsored event."
Are you encouraging and supporting the actions of "on the sly" elders? Elders who were choosing to be other than children of light, and open with brothers and sisters? Something is amiss in that. Paul challenges deception in Ephesians.
In Christ,
Bruce Morton
Katy, Texas
Bruce wrote,
Bruce,
I merely reported what I saw. But your point is well taken. And Paul should not have fled Damascus in a basket at night (Acts 9). As a child of light, he should have manned up and walked out of the city gates in broad daylight.
(Yes, I'm being facetious. But not sarcastic. http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=35937845873…
Being serious now:
The elders were desperately seeking to obey the command of 5:10 — even though members of their church, including fellow elders, would try to prevent them from doing so. You can't decide with whom to be partners until you first investigate competing truth claims and decide who is really right.
I commend their courage in seeking to hear what the teachers at ElderLink had to say. I pray for their continued courage and that God will give them a Spirit of discernment to know how to deal with very difficult situations back home.
I'd just like to add, that the Lord tells us we are to be as shrewd as serpents and as harmless as doves. I think that would qualify.
And I believe there is a principle here
Romans 14: 22The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves.