As you can see, I didn't do a good job of live-blogging the Resurgence conference.  I'm not sure that was my goal anyhow.  But right now, I want to type up a few statements of reflection on the great conference Luke, Scott, and I went to in Seattle this past week. 1. The line-up of speakers was amazing.  Piper was Piper.  C.J. Mahaney, a late edition, gave a super sermon encouraging pastors to see the grace of God in their congregations.  Jim Gilmore, a well-known business speaker and a devoted brother, gave two great talks about the "experience economy" and "authenticity" and how they should be displayed first and foremost in the church.  Matt Chandler is a gifted preacher.  The main drum he beat was the calling to be missional, carrying the gospel, in overchurched, Bible-belt cultures.  And Driscoll was amazing.  His sermon calling pastors to preach and to do it in the church is an address you must hear.  On the last day, he decided to forgo preaching another sermon, and he opened things up for Q and A, even bringing in his wife for the last portion.  This was a fine slate of heavy-hitters.

2. The fellowship was encouraging.  I had the opportunity to reconnect with a great seminary buddy, David Stone, who serves a church in eastern Washington.  Luke and Scott went along, and we had some great times.  I was able to connect with a bunch of Acts 29 pastors, which was super.  There were more than 1200 people there, and most of them were under 35.  They were Bible-thumping, John Calvin loving dudes who want those around them to love Jesus.

3. Mars Hill was impressive.  I was most impressed that the church was incredibly simple.  It is a remodeled warehouse that now holds more than a thousand chairs.  There was no Starbucks inside or anything ridiculous like that.  They clearly went all out on technology stuff, but the building itself was very warm and comfy and simple.  But it was decorated and equipped in such a way as to be appealing to an artistic, tech-savvy crowd.

4. Seattle was beautiful.  We had 50 and 60 degree temperatures the whole time with lots of sun, which is apparently unusual this time of year.  The restaurants and sights were great.  Luke's brother Jason, and his girlfriend Kathy, were very hospitable to us.  I can't wait to get back to Seattle and take more guys with me.

The 2008 Resurgence Conference was even more than we hoped.  The Acts 29 movement, I'm convinced, is gaining momentum and will be used greatly by God to reform His church in America in the next hundred years.  Be encouraged.