salt the planet

The conference has been fantastic. I really enjoyed the way that they started off the worship on Monday evening. David Crowder began onstage by himself playing Come and Listen on guitar. Then Chris Tomlin joined him and sang a few songs. After that, Charlie Hall came out and then Matt Redman joined the three of them, all singing and playing acoustically while a cellist and pianist played behind them. It was a very reverent way to approach God in the beginning.

Louie Giglio spoke about the idea/vision/theme behind Passion, which comes from Isaiah 26:8. A great reminder to me as I recalled my first taste of the movement back in 2000.

On our way out of the conference center the last two nights it has been amazing to look up 5th avenue in Nashville and see nothing but people literally filling the street for as far as I can see. It has given me reason for pause, looking forward to the coming kingdom. I imagine all of us filling its streets and moving the same direction: toward Jesus.

John Piper spoke yesterday morning on Jesus' suffering as the integral part of the glory of God, which is the reason for the existence of the universe, since it is the centerpiece of God's glory. The phrase he used will require a lot of chewing for a long time: "We are talking about the greatness of the glory of the grace of God supremely through the suffering of His Son." One of the thoughts that stuck with me was that Jesus suffered all his life from the absence of glory shared with the Father. That is suffering I can never understand but only be thankful for.