Bible Conference Report

It was like a big family reunion
It’s Tuesday morning, April 26, and Deb and I and all our crew—ten in all, not counting the little ones—are safely back home from San Diego, California.
Deb and I were so tired that we slept 11 hours last night. At those meetings with about 300 in attendance, I spoke over 20 hours in three and a half days, teaching verse by verse through the book of Hebrews. When we found out that there were going to be so many children, we decided in advance to do something special for them; so we asked Greg Rozeboom and his wife Katie to set up a program for the kids. They went all out, preparing Bible lessons complete with original coloring books, skits, drama, visual aids, and even included a live goat, snake, bird, and other assorted oddities.
They worked for a month, practicing the drama and making costumes. Our daughters, Shalom and Shoshanna, and their husbands, Justin and James, also joined in as part of the children’s program. Our daughter’s cousin, Elizabeth, was also a member of the children’s program crew, as was Clint, our resident graphic artist and typesetter here at No Greater Joy. And then, there was the lovely and talented Christie Wettstein who also assisted with the children and played the piano for our congregational singing.
Between sessions, families played kickball and ran relay races with their children. At meal times, the beautiful grounds was filled with families sitting on blankets having picnics together. After spending part of five days with so many godly families, everybody seems so much like family.
In those five days, I never saw a single incident of unruly children; every child was respectful and obedient. It was a tremendous testimony to the concept of Christian family.
Deb and Shoshanna took one afternoon to speak on Herbs and Natural Healing. I had one session on Husband and Wife Relationships, one on Training Older Children, and another on How to Study Your Bible. Deb spoke to the women on obeying their husbands. And, at the request of the men, we squeezed in an additional session on The Gap Fact, The Nature of Angels, and The Sons of God and the Daughters of Men Producing Giants.
But the heart of our coming together in California was the study of the book of Hebrews. I have taught it many times, but never in such an intense and compact manner. It was a fresh, tremendous blessing for me to review this marvelous book and teach it to others. There were at least a dozen men and women who came to know for certain that their sins were washed away in the blood of Jesus Christ. Many people came to us personally afterwards, and some even stood to testify of their new-found understanding of the finished work of Christ. They laid down their dead works and embraced the promises of God, confessing their assurance of eternal life in Christ alone.
We hope to do something like this again in the future. If you know of a good campground, resort, or state park, with a large airport no more than one hour away, let us know. It must be equipped with a conference room to seat at least 300, and an additional room in which to carry on a children’s ministry. Additionally, it should have facilities that provide recreational opportunity, easy access to food, and all at an affordable price. If you know of such a location, send us the details. It can be anywhere in the United States.