Conference

The PennDel Ministry Network just completed the annual conference at Calvary AG, Roland Coon, lead pastor, in Dover, DE. The people of Calvary are such sweet servants! I am sure they ministered effectively to all those who attended.

My thoughts today are reflective. Besides the business that necessitates members of an organization coming together from time to time, why do we travel all those miles, spend all those dollars, and take all that time in order to gather together in one place.

1. It seems to be something built into the fabric of human experience. People need people. The question is not if people come together, but what venue will draw them? To navigate this journey, we need each other. Are we dependent children? No, we are interdependent on one another and on the Lord. Doesn't the writer of Hebrews instruct, "Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together."

2. From time to time we require times of spiritual refreshment from the presence of the Lord. The Spirit of the Lord was so evident during the services in Dover. What a wonderful opportunity to follow the Lord's instruction when he told his disciples to come apart for a time.

3. Learning has become a life-long goal for me personally. I learned some things this past week that I would have missed had I not journeyed to Dover to share with my fellow travelers. Zollie Smith, Randy Hurst, and Mark Batterson taught me much about the ministry and life together. Several conversation proved encouraging and enlightening as we shared in the halls and hotel corridors.

4. Worship is so life giving. The musical expression of those who led the time of adoration and praise enriched my life and provided the atmosphere where God could penetrate my veneer and transform my life through the renewing of my mind.

5. The newly Ordained, newly credentialed, and the Jubilarians (those ordained for 50 years) reminded me of the significance of the call to ministry as well as the challenge to remain faithful to the one who placed that call upon my life over forty years ago as a youngster in high school.

The Navigation of this journey is not easy. It is a marathon, not a sprint. The conference was a reminder that we are "Better Together" because where there is unity, there the Lord "bestows his blessing, even life forevermore." Psalm 133.