Today was a good but long day at District Conference.  It’s nice being here because I have a nice strong and fast internet connection (and reliable) at the hotel.  Being at District Conference is sort of like being at a family reunion.  There are some on our district that we only get to see a few times a year.  District Conference is one of them.  I love the way our conference is structured here.  There is plenty of time for worship and teaching — which are nice because I’m not in charge and I can worship with abandon.  I got to meet a couple members of the praise team tonight — wonderful people.  I spent the day catching up with friends and aquaintences as well as doing the usual business of conference.  As you can see I’ve posted short summaries of the various devotionals, and messages from today.

This evening was our district ordination service.  Last year the ordination service became the main event on Monday night after years of being squeezed between business and worship.  The Parkway (Roanoke) worship team did a great job.  Love the new song “No Sweeter Name.”  The praise team has a great attitude and I enjoyed talking to them after the ordination service.  One the things that I love to do — that I have been doing over the last couple years is renewing my own ordination covenant during the service.  It helps remind me of what I “signed up” for in the Summer of 2005.

One of the more powerful times in tonight’s service came during the reading of the Epistle of Ephesians — “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for the works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”  As this scripture was read, I underlined what I have bolded above.

There are two questions that stood out as well:

Is is your sincere conviction that you have been called of God to the office and work of a minister, and are you persuaded that you ought to fulfill that call by serving as an ordained minister in The Wesleyan Church and among God’s people everywhere?

My answer:  It is my sincere conviction

Will you with diligence minister the doctrines, sacraments and disciplines of Christ, being always ready to challenge strange doctrine which is contrary to God’s Word wherever it may arise?

My answer: I will as God enables me.

It was a great service and a great reminder of what we have been called to do.  Now it’s time to say goodnight — There is a great work that needs to be done — but we also need to get our rest.  Blessings….