Here are some photos I took today at chapel (Piper's message can be downloaded by clicking here). Thought I'd share them with you. I have about 20-25 that I will upload, granted that Flickr doesn't give me problems. Any SBTS blogger interested in using the photos in any posts is welcome to them. You can see more here.
8 comments:
Great photos. I've heard a lot of positive feedback from his message. My wife and a group from church drove an hour to be there. I'm going to listen to the audio on my way home today.
Alright. I think I have posted all that I was planning to upload from Tuesday (26 in all). I hope to take a few more on Thursday. All Piper pics can be found on the Flickr page.
It would have been sweet to get C.J., Dever, Lig, Johnny Mac, and Thabiti together on the front row . . .
I would have called it "Older, Still Restless, and Reformed."
Great photos. My wife was telling me the other guys were here too. Are they speaking on campus or just planning for next years T4G?
What did everyone think when he said, "Its hard to be a Christian at Southern Seminary." Does that mean he thinks many of us are not? What does everyone think?
Tony,
My guess is that they are planning on T4G 2008. They held similar meetings earlier in '05 for the frist T4G here in Louisville.
RE: Piper's message,
When Piper mentioned the "posh" statement again, I wondered if he remembered his message from '99. I seriously doubt he saw the blogs and YouTube video. I listened to it a couple of times as I noticed he had a little bit of apprehension about mentioning it.
When Piper made the statement about it being hard for Christians, you will notice that it brought about considerable laughter from the student body. That is not to say that he is incredulous, but rather I think we are just not accustmed to such passionate, provocative, heart-pleading truths like that. I thought about what Dr. Sills mentioned one time in missiology where he noted that the average SBC pastor serves in a church less than 250 miles away from his in-laws (my paraphrase). For me, the hardest thing is not to waste my life or cheapen it with trivial pursuits or valuing anything in life more than Jesus.
I recall Piper once saying that faith is saying that Jesus is better than what life can offer now and what death can take later. In our situation, we have a lot of what life offers now, which thereby also makes it harder to welcome death with ever-increasing joy. So the threat to authentic faith is challenged by a lifestyle which appraises things for more than what they are in view of Christ, in view of eternity, in view of His infinite glories.
Anyway, that's just my $.02. I pray for my soul, for my delight in Jesus, for my passion to be such that the opening of my hand would be a manifestation of the glad surrender of a grateful sinner who is utterly satisfied with all that Christ is for me in this life, and the life to come.
About the "posh" comments - It almost sounded like they were a diversion he wasn't planning on taking.
It seemed like some nervous laughter when at those points. I was just thinking on Monday that with all the paint flaking our seminary is not nearly as nice as he thinks. But the point is the same. Anything that draws your affections from Christ is dangerous.
I would be interested to hear more about mother-in-law driving distance.
I don't know Tony, there are probably some basements and closets that aren't so great, but all in all, what most folks see when they step on campus, it's nice.
And I think what I hear Timmy saying (correct me if I'm wrong) and I agree, that much of Piper's provocative statements yesterday were not so much intended to illicit laughter.
When he referred to Mohler's office space, somewhat hinting at the lavishness, it was not intended to illicit the laughter as it did. It was intended, I think, to be a kind confrontation, and to ask, how well are you suffering?
I personally need people to say this to me. I think we need more men like John Piper who would be honest about this type of stuff.
And about the in-laws ... yeah 250's a little too close for comfort. How bout 300? No, I'm kidding, they're good folk, but I understand and agree with what Sills said.
Excellent pics as always Timmy ...
I think the joke about all the offices really shows their friendship. Friendly counsel mixed with humor is usually more helpful to me.
His whole message was very rich and appropriate for our Seminary community.
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