We just finished up a two day urban church planting conference in Manhattan...a great few days connecting with some Jacob's Well guys and meeting some men from the Acts 29 network. The event was held in an old cathedral (now a Unitarian Universalist church) on 76th avenue right adjacent to Central Park. New York is a great city and we enjoyed staying in NJ and feeling the commuter lifestyle taking the trains into Manhattan. Spending time with five of the single men who are a part of the Jacob's Well team was the main highlight for me. The teaching at the conference was great and sitting in a cathedral setting at tables was a cool vibe.
Mark Driscoll was passionate, Tim Keller genius-like, Darrin Patrick helpful, Eric Mason off the chain with theology, passion and a tight flow...and Ed Stetzer managed to offend just about everyone (Methodists, Presbyterians, Baptists, Unitarians...brought helpful kingdom theology and made me laugh out loud). CJ Mahaney humbled us in a exhortation to watch both life and doctrine - an ever present need for pastoral ministry. I don't ever want to get in any cults of personality or become fanboys of guys I respect...I find that goofy and strange. Yet I am thankful for these guys' faithful ministry. Apparently audio/video will be up at some point at www.dwellconference.com - I recommend checking that out.
On the family front Kasey joins me in NJ today to finish (we pray) our house search. We are thankful for the quick and profitable sale of our home in Tennessee and hopeful that the other part of the equation - namely, having somewhere to go, will come together in due time.