How Much Would It Cost Me to Attend Ligonier?!?!

A few days I ago I received a flyer in the mail for the 2016 Ligonier National Conference. It is addressed to "Pastor and Mrs. Eric Carpenter." I guess they don't realized that I resigned from professional pastoring five years ago. That's probably because I haven't attended a Ligonier conference in five years either.

As theology conferences go, Ligonier is a good one. The line up of speakers is usually excellent, and the topics are both interesting and relevant. This year's focus - the Gospel - could not be better. Part of me would really like to attend. However, since I'll be working I won't be going (when I attended Ligonier conferences in 2009 and 2010 I was employed as a salaried pastor; thus, I had all sorts of free time to travel to Orlando for a few days).

If I had the time, just how much would it cost me to attend? Let's do the math.

If I registered right now it would cost $169.00. Prices increase as the conference approaches.

The Meal Plan for four meals is $59.00.

The cheapest hotel reservation is $79.00. However, with taxes included the cost would rise to close to $100.00. The schedule calls for two nights; total hotel cost equals $200.00.

Gasoline cost from Savannah to Orlando and back would be somewhere in the vicinity of $100.00.

Meals to and from Orlando would be about $25.00.

The cost, then, for me to attend the 2016 Ligonier National Conference would be a whopping $553.00.

That is a lot of money.

Of course, when I last attended Ligonier I was a pastor; therefore, I let the church pick up the tab since it was part of my monthly expenses. That means that hard working people back home in Savannah shelled out hundreds of hard-earned dollars for me to sit and listen for three days. It was a good deal for me.

Did I forget to mention the books? Like most conferences, Ligonier has a large room full of theology texts, all for sale. These go on the pastor's expense account, too.

Something is not right with this picture.

The Reformed Tendency to Create Superstars

What is it about Reformed folks and the tendency to create superstars?

I write from "inside the camp" of the Reformed, if by that we are talking strictly about God being sovereign over salvation (I reject the Reformed view of the church; no surprise there).

I've compiled a short list of some of today's Reformed superstars: John Piper, John MacArthur, R.C. Sproul, Al Mohler, Sinclair Ferguson, Alistair Begg, C.J. Mahaney, Timothy Keller, Thabiti Anyabwile, Mark Dever, Mark Driscoll, David Platt, Matt Chandler, Kevin DeYoung, and Josh Harris.  There are several more.

Thinking Outside the Reformed Box

About seven years ago I began to embrace the biblical truth of God’s sovereignty over salvation. Prior to that, I had always believed that man has free will and therefore ultimately makes the decision about whether or not to surrender to Jesus Christ. After searching the scriptures for several months in 2003-2004, I came to see and love God’s sovereign choice in salvation.

I still love the doctrines of election and predestination. I also continue to embrace the Doctrines of Grace and the 5 Solas of the Reformation.

Something else has happened to me, however, during the last few years. I’ve realized that in this country amongst the Reformed there are certain topics that dominate conversations. There are also certain topics that are basically ignored. This is not healthy or balanced (and it's especially dangerous and prevalent among seminary students).

Back Home

We arrived safely home a few hours ago. I was again reminded of the providence of God. On the way, we drove through five separate thunderstorms. Any of these could have sent us off the road, but God brought us through them with little problem. Additionally, we were almost driven off the interstate by a distracted driver who decided to wander into our lane. Our tires hit the shoulder at about 70 or so miles per hour. It was quick, but also frightening. God, again, preserved us. We thank Him for His great grace.

As for the 2010 Ligonier Conference in Orlando, I guess the best way to sum things up is this: mixed emotions. I'll blog more on this over the next few days. For now, let's just say that the academic/intellectual side of the teaching was great. However, the application/missional aspect was lacking. I love Reformed theology, but after a while it can get old and dull unless we discuss how to impact the world while depending on God's sovereignty.

The time with my family was great. I thank the Lord for that.

We had no internet access for our time there. That made for a nice, forced mini-break from blogging.

Heading to Orlando

I'm excited to be traveling to Orlando with my family to attend the 2010 Ligonier National Conference. We'll be gone for the next few days. I'm excited for two reasons. First, the lineup of speakers and topics seems excellent. Second, and more important, we get to spend a few days together as a family. I'm looking forward to the time together more than I am to anything any of the speakers has to say. As a bonus, the music is excellent.

Alice is looking forward to it, too.

If you cannot attend, I encourage you to watch some of the live webcast.

The Blessing of Music at T4G

Bob Kauflin of Worship Matters has written an encouraging post about leading the music at T4G.

In particular, I appreciate what Kauflin says here:

"Singing is a powerful way to express and deepen our unity in the gospel. While I’m sure that differences in opinion, perspective, and doctrine existed among the 7000+ attendees at T4G, hearing our voices as one declaring our dependence on and gratefulness for the person and work of Jesus Christ highlighted the fact that we were there to celebrate HIS greatness and faithfulness, not ours."

The music at T4G was an unexpected blessing for me. While I knew we would be singing, I had given little thought to what it would be like to sing praises to God with 7000+ other followers of Christ.

It was wonderful to stand next to people who I don't agree with on everything and still feel united with them in Christ. Music, if God-honoring, seems to have a unifying effect that goes beyond words. I suppose this is because it stirs our affections in a unique way.

I thank the Lord for His blessing of music and song.

Psalm 96:1-3, "Oh, sing to the LORD a new song! Sing to the LORD, all the earth. Sing to the LORD, bless His name; proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples."

Headed to T4G 2010

I'll be spending most of this week in Louisville, KY attending the Together for the Gospel 2010 Conference.

I'm looking forward to this conference for two reasons. First, several of my favorite authors and speakers will be present. In particular, I'm happy to hear Al Mohler, John MacArthur, John Piper, and R.C. Sproul.

Second, the fellowship will be great. I'm attending along with three men from Ferguson Avenue Baptist Church here in Savannah. Also, my friend Micah Thornton will be with us. Since we will be on the road for a total of over 20 hours, we'll have a lot of time for good discussion.

An added bonus - lots of great books!

I've decided to not take my computer. I don't want the hassle or the danger of having it stolen. Therefore, I doubt that I'll be blogging before next Saturday.

Have a great week!

Registered for T4G 2010

I just registered for the 2010 Together for the Gospel Conference. I know it's almost a year away, but I'm already looking forward to it.

This conference is entitled The Unadjusted Gospel. The T4G website says of the conference, "The good news does not adjust. It’s always the same and it’s always good. Jesus Christ, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever, proclaims a message that’s the same yesterday, today, and forever. So should we."

I'm anticipating each of the conference presenters. The lineup is Thabiti Anyabwile, Mark Dever, Ligon Duncan, John MacArthur, C. J. Mahaney, Albert Mohler, John Piper, and R. C. Sproul.

I'm also looking forward to riding to the conference (in Louisville, KY) with a few other Savannah pastors of the Reformed Baptist persuasion.

If you are interested in learning more about T4G in general or this conference in particular, click here.

Holiness of God Conference Video Now Available

Video is now available from the 2009 Ligonier National Conference on the Holiness of God. Click here to watch.

Although we enjoyed all the speakers, there were a few that stood out. I highly recommend Sinclair Ferguson (on Friday and Saturday), Alistair Begg (Friday), D. A. Carson (Friday), and Derek Thomas (Saturday).

The Question and Answer sessions from Thursday and Friday were also very interesting.

Going to the Holiness of God National Conference

Early tomorrow morning, Alice, Caroline, and I are leaving Savannah to drive the 4+ hours to Orlando, FL. We are all excited about attending the 2009 Ligonier National Conference, which this year focuses on the holiness of God.

I have admired R. C. Sproul for several years now and love his book entitled The Holiness of God. That book helped me see aspects of God's holiness that I had never thought about before. I highly endorse it to all Christians (Chosen by God and The Truth of the Cross are excellent as well).

The lineup of speakers is fantastic. In particular, I am looking forward to hearing Alistair Begg, D. A. Carson, Sinclair Ferguson, and R. C. Sproul. I highly repsect them all as theologians and men of God. In case you are curious, the schedule looks like this.

For those of you who cannot make it to Orlando but would like to hear the speakers, you can follow a live webcast.

As a bonus, we are going to be meeting up with some friends from seminary who will also be at the conference.

We thank God for this opportunity for growth and refreshment.

Less than 3 Weeks to Go

Alice, Caroline, and I are attending the Holiness of God National Conference in less than three weeks. We are excited because we have never attended a conference like this before. Please let me know if you are planning to be there.