Christ, the Cubs, and Conversion

Well, I was encouraged to blog more by my brother, so I will do my best. As I sit here listening to the Cubs, I can't help but smile at the blessings God has poured out, particularly through my church. The Cubs seem to disappoint without fail as often as I am encouraged by Christ and the church. God has been so good recently and has encouraged me with several good books. I am currently reading through Mark Dever's 9 Marks of a Healthy Church and just finished my papers on Conversion and Evangelism. Here is an excerpt:

"Perhaps the shelter of their family or the comfort of a nice church culture has lulled [youth] into a sense of peace about their own eternal state when there should be no peace at all. All I have to go on is the fruit I see. This makes it difficult to really get to the hearts of students. Many of them appear to be genuine and do all the right things. I am grateful for the impact the Lord has allowed me to have on their lives, but my goal has to be confirming in their hearts what true conversion is. The more they understand, the more they will be able to tell if they are truly converted. Beyond that, I can do nothing but pray and trust the Lord to work through His gospel."

God has challenged my heart to not focus so much on results but to focus on getting the gospel right and let Him do the rest.

Other than that, things are moving right along. As usual, I haven't found a speaker for summer camp yet. My list is down to Josh Harris and C.J. Mahaney, but we'll see who God brings. I'm looking forward to the New Attitude conference in May. The lineup of speakers looks challenging and I hopeful as to what God will do in my life and in the lives of the students that are coming with me. The big things this week are teaching on God's sovereignty in Men's Bible study on Saturday and leading worship for the main services on Sunday. I'm pumped about both of those opportunities. That's it for now...