I had the opportunity to travel to Nebraska this week to attend the “Connect” conference with the other Berean pastors. I had a bit of an adventure getting there. My flight left Medford last Sunday afternoon around 4pm. I was scheduled to have a connecting flight in San Francisco before flying on to Denver. There were flight delays and maintenance issues with the plane. I finally arrived in Denver with “bleary eyes” around 2:45am Monday morning. The conference was scheduled to happen in Ogallala, Nebraska which is a 3 and a half hour drive from Denver. After a sleepless night on the plane I didn’t think I could make the drive to Ogallala. I found an inexpensive motel and slept from 4-7:30am. I arrived at the Ogallala Berean Church around noon. It was fun to see Phillip and Corrie Johnson and family. They had been vacationing in Utah and decided to put the “Connect” conference at the end of their itinerary. Pray for Corrie. She jumped in a swimming hole with her kids and bruised her feet on some rocks. They began driving home after the conference. Many of you participated in the “Connect” conference last year in Weed. John Holmes was our speaker last year and he spoke again this year. John was a professor at Grace College of the Bible in Omaha, Nebraska. He now pastors a Berean church near Omaha. He had some keen insights on how technology impacts our ability to focus on God and rest in Him. He talked about wisdom, anxiety and resting in God’s grace. The messages were helpful. Bryan Clark is on staff at another Berean Church near Omaha. He has written a book called, “God Is Not Like That”. His father was a musician for the Billy Graham association and did music for some of the crusades.  Unfortunately, he contracted rheumatoid arthritis and was bedridden for many years before he died. Bryan never remembers his dad not being in bed with this horrible affliction. Bryan talked about our experiences with suffering and loss and how they impact our perception of God. His point was that we filter our perceptions of God through our earthly experiences and decide what we think God is like. We are often wrong in those assumptions. Bryan’s book affirms that God is better than we think. I enjoyed Bryan’s presentation and hope to read the book soon. The conference ended just before noon on Wednesday and I drove back to Denver. My flight went directly from Denver to Medford and I got home around 11:30pm. It was a good trip but it is always nice to get home.
God Bless You
Pastor Drew