I just returned from our 3-day "Follow the Christ!" district convention in Gainesville, FL. What a weekend! The program was packed full of useful counsel and timely reminders. Here are a few things I came away with:
- Less TV, more personal study - One speaker, British by birth, said they used to call TV "the idiot's lantern." I'm the worst about plopping down in front of the tube and forgetting about all the other stuff I should be doing. I'm resolved to watch only the shows/games I have to see from now on. I expect the increased study to be manifest in better preaching and teaching ability.
- Be more bold and fearless as a Witness - The speaker we had from Bethel made one powerful statement: "Everyone outside this arena will die, unless someone gets their attention." Too often I have held back out of shyness or timidity. I have to do better.
- Reach out to others in the congregation - I'm a nice guy, but I definitely tend to be an introvert. I need to be more outgoing, more helpful, more personable, and more approachable. There are many excellent examples of brothers with those qualities in my congregation, and I plan on imitating them more fully in the future.
There was also an overwhelming theme that the end is closer than we think. There was a lot of emphasis on creating circumstances in your life that let you pioneer, whether you are a young person getting out of high school, or a family head with a full-time job. I'm not going to speculate on specific time frames for the end, but the point came through loud and clear: higher education, promotions, retirement benefits, these things are going to be worthless very, very soon.