Whiteboard Sessions - Mark Dever, John Burke, and Ed Stetzer

We're back from DC and we get back into the grind tonight, with our midweek student worship gathering. I am pumped because I haven't spoke to our students in a couple weeks...Ready to go tonight! But I also wanted to do some more reflecting on the Whiteboard sessions. Here are some highlights from the sessions with Mark Dever, John Burke, and Ed Stetzer.

Mark Dever - Pastor of Capital Hill Baptist Church in Washington D.C. and President of 9Marks Ministry:

• The church will win. There is no question about it.
• Our churches should be places where it is normal to love God and be growing spiritually. Everything else should be diverse.
• Church is not an event to be produced, but a community to be cultivated.
• We need to hold every member accountable to live like Jesus so his message is reflected.
• When we read Hebrews 13:17 our souls should be fed and terrified at the same time.

John Burke - Pastor of Gateway Community Church in Austin, TX:

• What got Jesus crucified was good, religious people addcited to self.
• Too many times we labor to sell a spiritual product that we are not drinking deeply from ourselves.
• The way we love God is by responding in obedience.

Ed Stetzer - Church Planter and Director of Lifeway Research

• For most of us, ministry will not look like what we see at a conference. Conferences are like ministry pornography - something we will never have.
• Don't be afraid to say to God, "I don't get it."
• Too many times we teach a gospel that doesn't last through the first tragedy that comes people's way.
• Saying "I don't know" is not a sign of spiritual immaturity, but rather a sign of maturity.

I've still got two speakers to blog about from Whiteboard - Perry Noble and Vince Antonucci. These two were my favorite sessions, so they are definitely coming...It just may be toward the end of the week.