Vacation Details
Been a while...I realize this. OK, I am going to try to keep this more updated.
I just got back from a "vacation." I don't get many of those, and this one was especially enjoyable and relaxing.
I went to the annual Highlands Study Center conference in Abingdon, Va. and afterwards stopped by my sister's in Raleigh, NC for a couple of days.
I have been wanting to visit the Study center for a few years but it never worked out that I could get away. Well, I decided this year I was going, even if I had to walk. Well, thankfully, I didn't have to walk; in fact I bought a new (well, "new-to-me" anyway) car, so I drove. Thirteen hours in the car up there was splendid, just the Lord and me, singing and praying to Him as I drove. But by mile 600, I was so ready to be there and out of the car!
Abingdon turned out to be one of the most charming places I have ever seen. I love history and there was no short of it there. I spent some time at the Martha Washington Inn and Barter Theatre. I got to stroll along Main Street for a while, just taking in the sights and breathing the cool mountain air.
The conference began Friday evening. Of course RC Sproul Jr. spoke, along with his guests-RC Sr., Doug Phillips and his father Howard. The overall theme was "Honor", but Doug's messages really moved me, sometimes to the point of tears. I came away so convicted about the attitude of my heart at times, especially in regard to honoring my parents. Although I may honor them on the surface, many times my heart does not.
As a kid, I remember rolling my eyes and giving a big dramatic sigh, as if they just had no clue. I may not roll my eyes or heave a huge sigh outwardly, but I most certainly do inwardly. Heavenly Father, please forgive me and give me a spirit of honoring not only my parents, but all other authority, especially Yours.
OK, back to Friday. I had been praying for a few weeks prior to meet people who I could connect with and possibly get to know while I was there, since I would be going solo. While I was sitting there in my seat in between breaks, a lady behind me tapped me on the shoulder and asked if I was by myself. She introduced herself as Valerie and invited me to join her and some other folks for some game playing later on that night. Well, the Lord sure did answer those prayers!
I met a few other ladies, their husbands and children and we played games until about 1am. We talked about a wide variety of things, laughed and had fun. I dragged myself back to my hotel just to get back up in a few short hours.
Saturday's messages were just as awesome as Friday's; however, the one that I loved the most was RC Jr's "Delivering the Kingdom to the Father." The Wedding Feast of the Lamb. The New Jerusalem. Heaven. Events and times that many times I fail to look towards. Things and places as we know them now will oneday be destroyed. All of our material possessions, our silver and gold will perish, things that we hold on to dearly will rot. So, why then do I have a hard time relinquishing? On that day-the beautiful, glorious, awe strickening, unfathomable day of the Lord, all things will be forgotten except seeing my Lord and my God as He truely is, seeing Him through a new, unblemished set of eyes, beholding the likeness of His face and placing my fingers over His scars. In a place where "Jesus feeds me" (thank you RC Jr for that phrase that I can never forget.)
I just got back from a "vacation." I don't get many of those, and this one was especially enjoyable and relaxing.
I went to the annual Highlands Study Center conference in Abingdon, Va. and afterwards stopped by my sister's in Raleigh, NC for a couple of days.
I have been wanting to visit the Study center for a few years but it never worked out that I could get away. Well, I decided this year I was going, even if I had to walk. Well, thankfully, I didn't have to walk; in fact I bought a new (well, "new-to-me" anyway) car, so I drove. Thirteen hours in the car up there was splendid, just the Lord and me, singing and praying to Him as I drove. But by mile 600, I was so ready to be there and out of the car!
Abingdon turned out to be one of the most charming places I have ever seen. I love history and there was no short of it there. I spent some time at the Martha Washington Inn and Barter Theatre. I got to stroll along Main Street for a while, just taking in the sights and breathing the cool mountain air.
The conference began Friday evening. Of course RC Sproul Jr. spoke, along with his guests-RC Sr., Doug Phillips and his father Howard. The overall theme was "Honor", but Doug's messages really moved me, sometimes to the point of tears. I came away so convicted about the attitude of my heart at times, especially in regard to honoring my parents. Although I may honor them on the surface, many times my heart does not.
As a kid, I remember rolling my eyes and giving a big dramatic sigh, as if they just had no clue. I may not roll my eyes or heave a huge sigh outwardly, but I most certainly do inwardly. Heavenly Father, please forgive me and give me a spirit of honoring not only my parents, but all other authority, especially Yours.
OK, back to Friday. I had been praying for a few weeks prior to meet people who I could connect with and possibly get to know while I was there, since I would be going solo. While I was sitting there in my seat in between breaks, a lady behind me tapped me on the shoulder and asked if I was by myself. She introduced herself as Valerie and invited me to join her and some other folks for some game playing later on that night. Well, the Lord sure did answer those prayers!
I met a few other ladies, their husbands and children and we played games until about 1am. We talked about a wide variety of things, laughed and had fun. I dragged myself back to my hotel just to get back up in a few short hours.
Saturday's messages were just as awesome as Friday's; however, the one that I loved the most was RC Jr's "Delivering the Kingdom to the Father." The Wedding Feast of the Lamb. The New Jerusalem. Heaven. Events and times that many times I fail to look towards. Things and places as we know them now will oneday be destroyed. All of our material possessions, our silver and gold will perish, things that we hold on to dearly will rot. So, why then do I have a hard time relinquishing? On that day-the beautiful, glorious, awe strickening, unfathomable day of the Lord, all things will be forgotten except seeing my Lord and my God as He truely is, seeing Him through a new, unblemished set of eyes, beholding the likeness of His face and placing my fingers over His scars. In a place where "Jesus feeds me" (thank you RC Jr for that phrase that I can never forget.)
Labels: conference, doctrine, friends, Heaven, Highlands Study Center, honour, prayer, RC Sproul, RC Sproul Jr., reformed, the Church, vacation, worship
posted by Dessie aka Dixiegirl 4 Him | 5:28 PM
3 Comments:
SOUNDS LIKE A GREAT WEEKEND.
Hi Karen Marie,
I did have such a great time and I came away with so many things to apply to my life.
There was only a few little reference made to all that took place a few months ago. One thing that I realised is, there are many people out in cyberland who really don't know all the details and only form opinions based on the bits and pieces they have heard or read. One thing that I brought away from the conference is that the kind of RC bashing that has taken place has been very dishonorable. People have aired their dirty laundry on the internet when it rightfully should have been kept a private matter. Let's just look at it this way-would you want perfect strangers you have never even met before knowing about any sort of "discipline" or being confronted by your elders, or anything else of a personal nature? Most of us wouldn't. I seriously believe that when someone leaks a little bit of info to just the right people, they are only covertly trying to get something started.
RC Jr. is an honorable man from all I have heard him say and from what I have read. Nobody is perfect, we know that and he's no exception. But I can see a genuine heart in him for letting truth be known even if it's truth that might not be popular.
I highly recommend that you go to the next one. You won't regret it. I think the "run around" your husband got wasn't them trying to cover anything up, but rather trying not to add to any of the chaos brought on by so many others. From what I understand, they have made peace where peace needed to be made and repented of anything they may have done to cause others harm (we all are guilty of that, and it's usually unintentional that we hurt somebody.)
Hope this has helped. God bless.
Soli Deo Gloria,
Dessie
Karen Marie,
Thanks for posting. Please do not presume that I am naive. You do not know me, my mind, or my heart. By the same token, you do not know RC's heart either. It is not up to you or me, or anybody else to say whether or not he's repented. He repented publicly. And he has done whatever things he's capable of to make restitution. THAT shows more honour than you give him credit for.
I said "nobody is perfect, we know that and he's no exception", well, I'll take it further. Not are we human beings ALL imperfect, we are ALL DISHONOURABLE!!! Nobody honours those to whom honour is due as they should. Fill in the blanks with anything you can think of that is dishonourable, and I can pretty much guarantee that all of us have had participated on some level of said dishonour.
Let's just take this for example...suppose a young woman commits the sin of fornication, becomes pregnant and then covers up that sin with the sin of abortion. The woman through Christ's grace and mercy comes to repentance. A couple years later marries and has a child. Is she going to be a bad mother? And will she be a "hypocrite" if she tries to teach another young woman to be a good mom to her child?
So, I know the sins in this example are not the same kinds of sins RC is accused of. But in a way, they are.
There are many godly things about RC's life, family, and teachings. These things are evident and cannot be denied. So, there are also some things that are sinful in his life as well, and these things too are evident. I can say the same exact thing about myself and about the few very close friends I have. And, if I were a bettin' lady, I'd bet my next paycheck that we could say the same about you. This description fits every human being that ever lived since the fall (well, that would be ALL, except of course, Jesus.)
Our LORD is bigger than any sin we can think of or commit and His forgiveness is wider than the east is from the west.
Thank God for this! By this we can stand before Him as righteous because we have been given His righteousness. While our own unrighteousness stinks, we can still by His righteousness continue to proclaim the Gospel, even if we are wiping the mud off as we proclaim it!
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