Shepherd's Conference ~ The First Day (Check-in)

I awoke this morning with the mixed feelings of excited anticipation and lethargic exhaustion. The little sleep I had the night before I left with the extra two hours of staying up due to the time change was catching up to me. I drug myself out of bed, showered, and joined the teaming masses of LA traffic streaming into "the valley" on a raining Wednesday morning.

I am so excited to be here this week. I got to the check-in table and the lady said, "Welcome to Shepherd's Conference! Can I get your name?", and I almost broke down weeping. The Conference last year was such a wonderful time of encouragement, worship, exhortation and admonishment! I stood there filled with the knowledge that once again God would use a short three or four days to change my life and my thinking, and that through the depth of the worship and teaching, and the breadth of the testimonies of the Lord's greatness in the men attending.

I do not have the time to convey it all at the moment, but I have already been challenged severely in my fidelity to Scripture and the elements with which I am engaged in "building" the church of God. I have had the blessing of hearing men who are here from Russia and the Eastern Bloc, from the Middle East, from Asia, From Africa, and from Central and South America. What a wonderful picture of glory!

Before my thoughts get too random I am going to sign off for the evening. I need to go sit with some coffee and allow the Lord to knead into my mind, heart and soul the "salt" that has been "rubbed" on my life today. May the Lord search me, know my thoughts and ways, and refine me in the process...