Last week, I had the unique privilege of being one of the bus drivers for our teenagers.  We drove 24 hours from Winter Haven to Clarks Summit, PA so that we could attend Teen Leadership Conference at Summit University.  I think my entire body is still shaking from our less-than-smooth bus ride.

I had never been to TLC or even on the campus of Summit University (formerly Baptist Bible College).  Minus the grueling bus rides, I found the week to be very refreshing.  The music and the preaching were both Gospel centered and soul-stirring.

Today I would like to share with you some of the lessons that I learned while at TLC.

1. I need to see the glory of Jesus everyday.  Coming face to face with Jesus is not just a one-time event that happens at conversion.  It needs to happen each day.
2. There is no trial in life quite like spending 24 hours on our church bus – twice in one week.  It is difficult to fully express this with words.
3. I need to be more passionate when leading worship.  Music is highly emotional.  I tend to be pleasant and boring.  Christ centered texts should stir our emotions.  Emotion is not sinful.  I need to stop being so ‘pleasant’ when I lead worship.
4. Spiritual growth will help protect me from grave moral failure.  If I am growing spiritually I will be much more able to say no to sin.  Often those who give in to moral failure stopped growing spiritual long ago.
5. If I am moving faster than God, then I am not following Him.  There are many times when I need to slow down and not be in so much of a hurry.
6. Social Media can lead people to view truth in an unbiblical way.  Facebook should not be my source for truth.  Truth is found in God’s Word.
7. Too often our lives are filled with so much noise that we are unable to hear the voice of God.  I need to have a place of both silence and solitude so that I can listen to God.
8. The Gospel frees us from fearing death because it frees us to hold all the pleasures of life loosely.  When I rightly grasp and understand the Gospel – everything else becomes less and less important.
9. Many of the best song texts were written long long ago.  I was surprised to learn that several of the songs we sang during TLC were simply old texts with new music.
10. Fire Hydrants in the north have tall poles attached to them.  I wonder if this is to help firemen find them when there is several feet of snow on the ground???  I am so thankful for winters in Florida!

Anyway, it was a great week at TLC.  Happy Friday!

Stephen