A Feast for the Mind and Soul
The History of the World Mega-Conference
by Allen Wolfe, August 3, 2006
We’ve all enjoyed those moments when we are leaning back in a great restaurant with family and friends after having sufficiently stuffed ourselves on our favorite dishes. Well, that’s what the History of the World Mega-Conference was like for me — intellectual meal after meal, day after day. The teachers offered such a diverse banquet of ideas that they gave me (and hundreds of other attendees) the frustrating task of choosing a single lecture during each time slot.
This History of the World Mega-Conference was, as the title indicates, a huge collection of power-packed lectures. But, the conference was much more than amassing knowledge. It was an experience that offered something to do every moment.
Days started early with breakfast with other eager-to-grow Christians. Days ended late after hours of fellowship, convincing me that these had to be some of the best people one could hope to meet. Some families took private excursions to the local vacation hotspots; other families joined together for leisure time at the hotels. I attended by myself but found a friendly face everywhere I turned. Several families invited me to join them for meals or recreational activities. Although the conference lasted for only a few days, the conversations started warm, and friendships developed quickly.
The speakers were also approachable. They welcomed questions in private and would converse as fellow brothers in Christ. Each teacher seemed to humbly command a justifiable tone of authority in the address of his subjects. The teachers presented a healthy challenge to the advanced student while keeping even the young acutely engaged.
The teachers of the History of World Mega-Conference emphasized God’s providential movement through major world figures and events. As Mary and Hannah praised: “He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree” (Luke 1:52); “For the pillars of the earth are the LORD’s” (I Samuel 2:8).
Each man who spoke underscored this theme: that as we look back on the records of human history, Christians are to see more than the extinction of animal species, more than battles, or shifts in social paradigms, or the prospering and demise of nations. If God is sovereign over the sparrow’s death and the hairs of our heads (Matthew 10:29-30), the Almighty is certainly directing issues of national and international consequence. “[H]e changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding...” (Daniel 2:21).
Praise the Lord for the tapestry of history that He has woven and is weaving in our day!