I thoroughly enjoyed The Whiteboard Sessions. Huge props to Ben Arment for going after a dream and making it happen. Really loved the format. Each speaker had thirty minutes to share one idea. Always great to see friends like Perry Noble, Tim Stevens, and Vince Antonucci. They all rocked the house. And it was nice to finally connect with John Burke from Gateway Community Church in Austin, Tx and Darrin Patrick from The Journey in St. Louis.

Here are a few random things that really struck me yesterday.

Love Vince’s focus on “seeking and saving the lost.” It’s so easy to experience mission drift. He said, “If you aren’t close to someone who is far from God you may not be as close to God as you think.”

Darrin’s session on idolatry was so thought-provoking for me. He said, “An idol is the sin behind the sin.” They are the root sins or the motivations behind our actions. By the way, it is so easy for our gifts to become our idols!

I loved Perry’s focus on calling. “Jesus wanted you so he called you.” That is so simple yet so profound.

Tim’s focus on church being a place where people can ask questions really made me examine how we can make that more of a reality.

And I love the reminder from Mark Dever: “The church will win.”