Whirled Views with Dan Burrell

Its Saturday. In about 5 hours, Ill be having dinner with Steve Saint. I cant wait. Ive never met him before and hes speaking at my church tomorrow morning. Its been an exhausting week. I spent too much time blogging. I didnt have sermons to complete this week because of our Global Outreach Conference and we have guest speakers all day tomorrow. Next week, Ill be in San Diego with our Senior Class (Im the chaperone and the dad of a graduate not to mention the president of the school. Rank DOES have its privileges.) and well be visiting Shadow Mountain Community Church. (Ive never been there and Im interested in seeing the church where David Jeremiah is the pastor.) Thus, no sermons for two Sundays. I might explode. Thus I wrote too much this week. I have to have an outlet.

A few miscellaneous thoughts running through my mental mill for this day

I just read one of the greatest comebacks of all time in a discussion being held on Sharper Iron that dealt with Christians going to the theatre. It literally made me laugh out loud and then convicted me in one fell swoop. Here it is A Christian Professor at the UNLV told me that the when the Southern Baptists had a meeting there in Las Vegas in the 1990s, one Pastor said to him; “I can just feel the demonic presence here in Las Vegas.” His reply was; “must be something like what you felt in the South during the time of segregation and Jim Crow laws.” Many Christians have avoided places they thought were evil while practicing greater evil in their daily thinking and lives.

Speaking of Sharper Iron Ive gotta say I think it is one of the healthiest and most interesting places on the internet. Id love to meet Jason Janz one day and learn what makes him tick. Years ago, I was friends with his pastor, Les Heinz and remember being impressed with Les balance and spirit. Sharper Iron is not a place where youll always agree with everything thats posted and its not for the faint of heart who think that every challenge to ones own thoughts is worthy of offense. Its a place for spiritual provocation and civil debate and I think it is does a great service to fundamentalism (particularly for younger leaders of which I am no longer one.)

I love missions conferences (we now call ours a Global Outreach Conference.) Ours ends tomorrow. Im wasted and I dont even have to care the largest burden of putting everything together. But its a good kind of exhaustion. Sometimes, I find when Im tired, the Lord speaks best and clearest to me. Kind of like Im paying attention more. Im not nearly so self-sufficient at that time. Less prone to argue. More prone to shut-up and listen.

By the way, if you want to hear what Steve Saint has to say, you can watch it on our website live at 10:30 EST or you can watch it later in the week in our streaming video section of our website. Just go to this LINK.

I really enjoyed the updates by the SI bloggers from the Lansdale conference. Ive now put the conference on my conferences I want to attend list. I wish it wasnt so close to the Shepherds Conference which is where I hope to be next year at about this time. But I appreciated reading the notes of those who attended the Lansdale conference and it impressed me enough to make me want to attend. For what its worth.

I wonder if anyone else who preaches or writes for a ministry feels like I do after I unload a bunch of thoughts or study or a challenge. Sunday nights and Mondays are often times when I feel totally empty, bereft of reserves and more than a little vulnerable. I end up wondering if I said too much or too little, said it too fast or too intensely, communicated what was important and not what was simply interesting. Its like you have shed a tremendous burden and now you feel a sense of loss or even worth which leaves a melancholic taste in the mouth. I feel a bit that way after having disgorged some of my deepest and most private thoughts and concerns with Christian colleges. Theyve laid on my heart for years. I wish I could say I feel better having laid out this first wave. Maybe I will eventually. No regrets on raising the issues Ive raised. Just hoping someone heard my heart and not just the words.

Enough ruminations for this day. May each of us worship the Lord in Spirit and in Truth this Sunday.