This weekend it was a lot of fun traveling with CJ to North Carolina for the God Exposed Conference (9Marks) and to visit SovGraceNC. Throughout the weekend it was great reconnecting with friends at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, 9Marks, and the church. One unexpected treat was hearning a provocative summary of Churchill’s “alone” years (1932-1940) from the luminous Phil Sasser as he drove us around. Amazing!

Overall, I thought the GE conference went well. CJ’s Friday night message to pastors was excellent and instructive. I hope to have video of his message on 2 Tim 4:1-5 up on Vimeo as soon as possible. Nobody I know cares for pastors more carefully, more realistically, more humbly, and with more faith in God, than CJ. To hear CJ address pastors publicly is rare and always special. …

Returning to Maryland we were welcomed home with cool fall weather. This is my favorite season of the year, October my favorite month. This is mostly due to the cool wind the blows in (and partly because I despise pollen and cherish professional baseball). But the air is changing and I couldn’t be happier.

As the air transitions from heavy and humid summer air to the dry and cold air of winter, I am reminded of God’s faithfulness. Seasonal change should remind us of our heavenly Father. The seasonal shifts point us to the steady hand of God.

In Genesis, after the catastrophic flood destroyed the world, God made a covenant promise to Noah promising him never again to destroy the earth with a flood. Moreover, God chose to display his covenant faithfulness (in part) through the repetition of seasonal change. God promised Noah: “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease” (Gen 8:22). This promise of seasonal transition was—for agrarian ears—good news! The changing seasons would make possible an annual harvest.

So there are many reasons why I love the changing seasons and why I love experiencing the cool air of October. But one reason why I love to experience the change in seasons is this—it reminds us that seasonal shifts occur by the steady faithfulness of our covenant-keeping God. His goodness and generosity is as tangible as cool air of fall and the coming harvest.

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UPDATE: GE conference audio/video here.