Pastors' Conference In Siegen, Germany January 18-22

Calvary Chapel pastors from all over Europe met at this three day conference. This is one of the side rooms at Calvary Chapel Siegen.

In June 1990 Joanie and I started being missionaries in Siegen. Holly was born there. After we left for England in 1997, the pastors' conferences held there were a good way to stay in touch with our friends and with the church.

Four years ago we changed up the pattern by going to the Missions Conference in Southern California, then up to Seattle after that. It worked out great, but the side effect meant not going to Siegen, at least not in January. This was our first visit in four years.

One aspect of visiting Seattle is the Rip Van Winkle phenomenon: the changes one sees after a year's absence stand out in strong contrast. It was weird to experience that this time in Germany. We could see the changes in the Siegen city center. We could see it in our friends. I'm sure they could see it in us.

Thank God it is only a cosmetic difference. After all these years we still believe in Jesus, and that we are still thankful for our friendship. That is especially true of the pastors at the conference. We had great fellowship with one another, extended times of prayer and encouraging teaching.

After the conference ended we got on our way to the Düsseldorf airport with a short stop at Köln (Cologne). We visited the Dom (cathedral) and showed the girls some places we used to go when we would come out on a day off. One fun treat was buying them our favorite German cheesecake at the Metternich Bakery. Just as creamy and rich as ever. It's nice to know some things don't change at all.

Stuck In The Snow

"So much for global warming," said my next door neighbor on her way out her door. We have had snow in abundance since Wednesday. I had to cancel the Bible study that night. Today I got a call from Whitton School telling me the school is closed for the weekend because of the snows forecast. So we are nixed for Sunday as well. I wanted to have a service somewhere, but any other place would also involve driving in the snow, and that's the danger at this point.

Katie doesn't think it's a bad thing at all. She has a different perspective, of course.

Charles Spurgeon Advocated Expositional Preaching

I was amazed at these excerpts from Charles Spurgeon's Commenting and Commentaries (1860). He sounds a lot like a Calvary Chapel guy.

...

Nowadays since expository preaching is not so common as it ought to be, there is the more necessity for our commenting during the time of reading the Scriptures. Since topical preaching, hortatory preaching, experimental preaching, and so on - all exceedingly useful in their way - have almost pushed proper expositional preaching out of place, there is the more need that we should, when we read passages of Holy Writ, habitually give running comments upon them.

…

If you want to make full proof of your ministry and to leave no single point of revelation untouched, your easiest mode will be to comment upon Scripture habitually.

...

As a rule, I spend much more time over the exposition than the discourse. Once start a sermon with a great idea, and from that moment the discourse forms itself without much labor to the preacher, for truth naturally consolidates and crystalizes itself around the main subject like sweet crystals around a string hung up in syrup; but as for the exposition, you must keep to the text, you must face the difficult points, and must search the mind of the Spirit rather than your own.

…

You will soon reveal your ignorance as an expositor if you do not study; therefore diligent reading will be forced upon you.

…

I remember reading about someone who listened to Spurgeon, and this man said that he much preferred Spurgeon's expositions to his preaching! Don't you wish someone had written them down like they did the sermons?