Category Archives: Current Events

T4G Tuesday

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Well, my old friend and roommate, Ron Giese arrived just after midnight last night. we chatted for well over an hour before turning in. Christian friends, especially long standing ones, are precious gifts from the Lord!

The day started at 7:20 AM, but our special breakfast plans were thwarted (a local Papa John’s advertised “breakfast pizzas” delivered to the hotel) when no one answered the phone.

SESSION ONE — Ligon Duncan…
There is a growing suspicion and disdain for doctrine in American evangelicalism. Yet, Duncan says, systematic theology is necessary, important and unavoidable in Chrisitian living and ministry. He went through several NT passages to show this connection.

One reminder he mentioned was this: People do systematic theology all the time in our churches, when someone asks a question such as “what does the Bible say about ____?” (any topic works, such as ‘angels’ or ‘vocarions’ etc) The answer will be one form of doing systematic theology. Whether the answer is a good one (or not) depends on one’s grasp of the Bible.

At another point, as he taught from Acts 18, we learned that refutation of false doctrine actually encourages the brethren! This encouraged me, since we’ve invested several Sunday nights at CPCC on the series, “Critical Concerns for the Church.”

After the panel discussion we broke for dinner. Enjoyed some fish & chips in Louisville.

SESSION TWO – Thabiti Anyabwile on our Identity in Christ.
Very powerful stuff. (more soon).

Monday, Monday

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I have arrived in Louisville, KY, for the conference, after two flights — and a tearful farewell.

Less than an hour before I had to leave for the airport, our i year old little dog, Jenny, ran from the house right into the street — where she was struck by a neighbor’s car. She died within 10 minutes. Our son Daniel was playing in the front yard, and was first on the scene. He bravely tried to carry her out of the street. (Later he would share that he could tell her bones inside were broken). I laid Jenny on the grass as she breathed her last. She looked like she was asleep. Most of the kids came to pat her and say goodbye. Our friend and vet, Dr Mark Johnston, took care of arrangements for us and I made it to the airport in time.

The flights were fine — but my heart and mind were with the kids back home. I was able to have long stretches of quiet, and even caught a sunset from the plane over a blanket of white, puffy clouds stretched completely across the horizon. Magnificent!

I’m sharing a room here at the conference with an old friend — one of my ‘oldest’ friends, going back to my teens — now known to the world as Dr. Ronald L Giese, Jr.! Ron was a professor of Hebrew (and other stuff), but now serves a large church in the southwest. It’s been almost 10 years since we’ve seen each other. (I hope my snoring doesn’t end our friendship; Joe Meadows knows how bad it can be….!)

I will try to post each day on what is happening here, and hope it is some benefit to you.

Pastor David Bissett