We arrived in Muscle Shoals, AL at about 8:30am Thursday morning. We were all fairly tired, stiff, and stinky. Our first stop upon entering the city was to get a picture in front of the town sign, in which we were met by the 35 degree temperature. We then rolled over to the church and drove through the parking lot. Lastly, we made our way to an RV park where we were able to all take showers and get cleaned up before the conference.

Since we’ve been here, the Lord has blessed us so much; not only by the faithful preaching of the Word, but also from the faithful brothers that we were able to meet. One guy named Dave has come from Iowa. It is only within the last six weeks that the Lord has opened his eyes to the truth of God’s sovereignty in salvation and he describes it as if he’s been saved all over again. He is on fire, hungry, and has come to be a truth-sponge. The mutual encouragement is a gift of the Lord. There are several others that we are meeting and we are trying to video their stories so that we can share them when we get back.

In one sense, we have been experience evangelical culture shock. The people here believe the true doctrine of Scripture, but they run in different circles than to what we are accustomed. It is refreshing to see the similarities in their doctrine and the differences in their methodology. The church here is thriving and is cultivating a congregation that loves the Lord and consequently loves the church and their families. We have been so warmly received, which may be part of the Southern culture but seems to flow out of their love for Christ.

I had the chance to talk to a young 18 year old, named Dustin, about his experience in student ministries. He was not only knowledgeable about the way things are done, but he was deeply convinced of the truth which drives the methodology.

Most of the people that we have talked to have come to an understanding of God’s sovereignty. They have a passion for the Lord because their view of God has been so magnified.

In regards to the sessions, Conrad Mbewe took us on a journey to see afresh the helplessness of mankind to seek after God. And we as believers need a biblical understanding of our depravity if we are to truly run to the cross in repentance on a daily basis. The gospel diamond shines brightest against the black velvet of the wickedness of man.

This morning, we heard from Jeff Noblit and Jonathan Sims. Brother Jeff laid the theological foundation for the other messages, in that he gave a biblical survey of the doctrine of repentance. I found it helpful that he distinguished between flesh wrought repentance and grace wrought repentance. The repentance that a believer exhibits is only a gift from God and evidences His work in our hearts. Brother Jonathan passionately delivered a message on the necessity for true Christians to always be repenting. He emphasized the importance for us to be constantly looking back to the place of repentance.

We are now looking forward to hearing the word of Christ through Brother Paul Washer’s sermon this afternoon.

P.S. It’s a whole different world over here in Alabama. We aren’t in Kansas anymore.

Tonight, at 10pm, I will climb into an RV with seven other guys to drive 30 hours across nine states to attend a conference on The Wonderful Grace of Repentance in Muscle Shoals, AL.

We are going to hear some soul-stirring preaching and enjoy some sharpening fellowship along the way. I am looking forward to listening to some messages on repentance before we get there, so that the Lord will break my proud heart through the repeated barrage of the Word.

But I don’t need to wait until then. He is already at work. In reading, A Call To Spiritual Reformation by D.A. Carson, the Lord opened my eyes to sin in my life and I have the opportunity to repent now. I was humbled by the realization that I was going about my life trying to do things with 100% of what I’ve got. This attitude is not necessarily wrong, but when I think that my best before Him can only be my 100% effort, then I’ve got an unbiblical view of perfectionism.

I proudly think that I am capable to give 100% at seminary and 100% in ministry and 100% in home life and somehow keep these all in balance. The reality is that I have not been able give 100% in any of those arenas and it has only brought unnecessary shame and frustration. But I think the Lord has used that frustration to realize that I can’t do it. I’m limited. I’m only called to do my best in the sphere that God has placed me in and that may mean that I step in and work hard and then leave the results to God.

No matter what I have on my plate, no matter what the circumstances, I must cry out to the Lord in humble dependence. I have been guilty of idolatry – wanting to see myself succeed, rather than see Christ magnified through my inability and weakness. I was trying glorify the slave rather than glorify the King. May God give me the grace to repent.

I’m am going to try to chronicle our trip across the US, so look for imminent installments on the road to repentance.

The healthiest people in the world are the people who self-forgetfully are enraptured with great things outside themselves. -John Piper

If you do not take time to examine your own heart, mind, and conscience from time to time, in the light of God’s Word, and deal with what you find, you will become encrusted with the barnacles of destructive self-righteousness. – D.A. Carson