Oxygen gathering

Singing, a photo by bobmendo on Flickr.

This week I spent two and a half days at the Australian Technology Park. Next door is Channel 7. And the reason I was there had nothing to do with technology or television. It was a conference convened by the Katoomba Christian Convention folks.

The speakers included two major folks: John Piper from the USA and John Lennox from Oxford in the UK. Piper is a pastor and has been for over 30 years. He lives in Minnesota. Lennox is best known for his debates with Richard Dawkins. He challenges the New Atheists.

The program included major speeches, great coffee breaks, time for lunch and dinner with encouragement for mixing with others, and electives that covered heaps of topics including family relations, discussion with other generations, and the Q and A session with Dr Lennox. BTW, he's a professor of mathematics at Oxford University.

For many the highlight was not the teaching, nor the fellowship, although they were both wonderful. The highlight might have been 2,000 folks singing together.

I enjoyed the music, the mix of old and new songs, the solid and sympathetic band, and the sound of the multitudes as one.

The Bible says, "And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy art Thou to take the book, and to break its seals; for Thou wast slain, and didst purchase for God with Thy blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. “And Thou hast made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will breign upon the earth.”
And I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels aaround the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice,
“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.”
And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying,
“To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.”
And the four living creatures kept saying, “Amen.” And the elders fell down and worshiped." (Revelation 5.9-14)

Join us, won't you? Let's sing!