We got home last night from Palm Springs and the Resolved Conference. My heart is full, and I have to confess that I don’t even know where to start in relaying the many details of the weekend. I feel so honored and humbled at the opportunity God has given me to sing with a band called Enfield every Sunday, but most recently at this conference. The theme of the conference was Heaven and Hell, and 6 speakers (Rick Holland, John MacArthur, Randy Alcorn, CJ Mahaney, Steve Lawson, and John Piper) passionately and eloquently enlightened my understanding of the Gospel and intesified my longing to love my incredible God and live in light of my eternal home. Here are some of the thoughts that most captured my heart this weekend:
Heaven is all good, because it is all God. — Randy Alcorn
God crushed His Son with the weight of our sin…to redeem and adopt us! God’s purpose does not conclude with redemption…it culminates with adoption. — CJ Mahaney
The greatest unkindness you can do to the Father is not to believe that He loves you. — CJ Mahaney quoting John Owen
Though the outlook may be bleak, the “up-look” is always extraordinary, because God is on His throne. — Steve Lawson
Resolved: To live life to treasure Christ. Resolved: To anticipate death, to treasure Christ better. Heaven is precious…because our Lord Jesus is there! — Rick Holland
Jesus Christ screamed the scream of the damned (“My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”) for us…so that we could sing the song of the redeemed in Heaven. — CJ Mahaney
Our weekend began on Thursday. After dropping Jack off with my sweet parents (sniff, sniff), we drove to Palm Springs (average temp: a balmy 108 degrees) and arrived at the Wyndham Hotel that evening, where we (along with the rest of the band) were treated to an incredible thank you gift from John and Lisa. We spent Friday in rehearsals and sound checks, and the conference officially began on Friday night. I think one of my favorite things about singing on stage (and it’s NOT the fact that my face was occasionally projected 10 feet tall on the screens…how scary is that?) was looking across the crowd of 3000+ people and seeing and hearing them worship the Lord together! It is what I imagine a tiny glimpse of Heaven to be. After the first session on Friday evening, there were 3 sessions on Saturday, 4 on Sunday, and 4 on Monday. Each day was packed full for us, and although I really wanted to blog about it each day, there didn’t seem to be a second. Well, there would have been if I had sacrificed my afternoon nap, which I did not choose to do…
Each day began with sound checks at 7:30 a.m., after which we spent some time in devotions (led by Gus) and prayer before the morning sessions began. It took some time to get used to the in-ear monitors (especially for me…my recurring quote of the weekend was “I am SO not a rock star.”), but by about Saturday night, I felt like it was starting to click, and I was able to relax and worship without being distracted. After the morning sessions, we had lunch (the band shared all our meals together, which was fun and bonding), and after a little break in the afternoon, we came back for sound checks, devos, dinner, and the evening sessions.
Ryan’s job was to be the backstage technical coordinator (at any given time, he was wearing anywhere from 3-5 headsets and or walkie-talkies), and he was also the band manager, making sure we were in our places at the right time and that we didn’t get stopped for pictures and autographs for too long on our way from the hotel to the convention center (ridiculous, but true)
Below are a few pictures I took…some of them are not too great in quality, but hopefully you get a taste of Resolved. If you want to see more pics by Lukas that are MUCH better quality than mine, or hear about Enfield’s newest CD, O For That Day, which was released on Friday at the conference, here are some links:
Resolved website (You can look at the entire photo gallery here, but just to warn you, there are LOTS of pics and it may take a while for them to load. It’s a little faster if you go to “order prints” at the bottom of the photo gallery page. Lukas got a great picture of Ryan and his headsets…scroll through Monday’s pics to find it)
Selected Pictures on Lukas’ blog (there are a few of Ryan and I on the Sunday and Monday posts, for anyone who cares)
O For That Day (Enfield CD)
The Wyndham Palm Springs Hotel
Stage Set-up (for those of you who saw the Resolved website before they changed it this weekend, the stage was designed to look like the website with the brick and cracked glass mirrors (“though we see in a glass dimly, we shall see face to face“)…super cool)
Finished Stage
John (band leader and lead singer) is on the left at the piano, David is in the background on the drums, Ryan F. is on the right playing the bass guitar (he composed much of the music and lyrics for the CD, along with David). We also had a string quartet that joined us for a few of the sessions…they were amazing.
Paul H. usually played the electric guitar, but I love this pic of him joining David on the drums
David and Ryan
Patrick played the acoustic guitar. Here he is playing one of his guitars almost like a dulcimer
Here I am singing. I wish one of the pics of both Lisa and I came out, but they were all blurry.
Lisa and I on the stage. I LOVE singing with Lisa!! (and John, too :) )
Some views of Palm Springs from our hotel
The Palm Springs Convention Center lobby
Ryan and I on the super cool retro couch in the Resolved bookstore
Enfield – I love these people!! They are talented, humble, and tons of fun. I feel so honored to be in this band.
I have so many more pictures and thoughts from the weekend, but this post is already too long, so I will end with this — here are the chorus lyrics to the title track from the CD:
O for that day when our journey has ended
All of our hope found in Heaven’s reward
When we will have the Messiah forever
And we will dwell in the house of the Lord!
Yes, we will dwell in the house of the Lord!
P.S. Resolved: June 2009. Palm Springs, CA.
When my anxious thoughts multiply within me,
Your consolations delight my soul.
Psalm 94:19
