Overload

The trouble with conferences is that I quickly get overloaded. There are so many wonderful doctrines taught, so many wonderful, significant, even life changing conversations that you need several days just to process the first day!  Then the second day begins.

I went to bed last night thinking of something I wanted to write about for the blog and right now can’t recall what it was. Of course, I only have about ten minutes to finish getting ready and get over there for day three.

One of the things God has been showing me is that a lot of other people are going through similar things to what I am and in some cases a lot worse so I feel ridiculous complaining about anything at all in my life right now.

Lessons have continued to be fantastic. I am going to download them onto my mp3 player when it’s over and just listen to them repeatedly, even if Pastor Joe does say we can’t convince ourselves of these wonderful truths.

Oh! I remember what I was going to write about… why we care so much what other people think.  Because we’re social creatures and we’re fallen… but I don’t have time now.

Anyway, yesterday I had a long conversation with Pony at lunch in an almost deserted bar that was awesome. Then we went to the “Ramada Meeting” (we don’t have tents out here) where I talked to Lorraine and Theresa (who found out midway through the proceedings that her littlest girl whom she’d left with her hubby and little boys back home in Northern AZ) had hit her head and been taken to the hospital. Talk about a distraction! She weathered it fine, though, and her daughter’s okay.

The meeting went well. We had a big group in the ramada next to us having a party, all sitting around at tables as they ate. They couldn’t help but hear. In case they didn’t understand English, Emelio Nana got up and gave the gospel in spanish. Faisal John also spoke — did a great job — and Tom Cotroneo finished up with some great points.

Then it was back to the hotel, some visiting with various dogs that had come along with their owners, and evening class. Challenging stuff. Still swirling in my head. Q& A afterward was without pizza because of hotel rules, but good nonetheless. Many questions on the matter of right pastor and can you listen to other pastors and what does it mean to submit to the authority of your pastor in the midst of also listening to other pastors.

One of the last questions was on how one can know who is your right pastor out of a number of excellent pastors? And a really good answer came from the audience — when the trials come, it’s the one you NEED to go to every day for answers, and the one from whom you consistently get those answers.

Okay, gotta go.

0 thoughts on “Overload

  1. Sandy Elder

    I read your words almost to the bottom and ZING…there it was; my dilemna being put into words. After 40 years with one P/T I’ve been bouncing around. They all say that it is imperative to choose one and stick with it. I KNOW that is true…but it is gnosis at this point for me. So, I’m still flapping around. I hope I’m not forced by adversity to get off the dime, so to speak. Thanks for taking the time to share the conference. Sandy

    Reply
    1. karenhancock

      how one can know who is your right pastor out of a number of excellent pastors? … when the trials come, it’s the one you NEED to go to every day for answers, and the one from whom you consistently get those answers.

      Sandy, I can say amen to this from my own experience. With Pastor Bob from the very first day I listened, I could not stop listening to him. Even though I had no desire at that point to even listen to another — I was still listening to Col Thieme — and had only put on one of his tapes because a friend had adamantly pressed me to. Once I heard the first lesson, I just had to hear the next and the next and the next. Pastor Bob just opened up all these doors and windows on things I needed to understand but hadn’t yet, questions I’d long had, and answers to things going on in my life right then. It was awesome. It’s never stopped. Kelli and I have conversations on Wednesday at lunch and that same night Pastor talks about the very same things… I have absolutely no doubt who my right PT is, and no desire to listen to anyone else, really, because I’m so excited to hear what’s going to be said next from the GBC pulpit (or even older lessons which I sometimes use for the days when no one’s teaching). It is such a huge God-thing! I mean it could not be clearer He is talking straight to me.

      Reply

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