Details about the 2024 Conference

Transcript

Balancing the Christian Life Conference

Speaker 1 0:00

In this episode of Balancing the Christian Life I talk about the upcoming Balancing the Christian Life conference . Welcome to Balancing the Christian Life . I'm Dr Kenny Embry . Join me as we discover how to be better Christians and people in the digital age . So the summer is winding down and I've had several people ask me when the conference is going to be . Hal Hammons has been overseeing most of the development since I've been busy doing other things and I'm thrilled he has . Hal is a very good guy . If you're interested in the details of the conference , I'll save that for the last few minutes . To kill the suspense , I've moved it to October 10th through 12th . I'll explain why we shifted a little later , but I want to tell you why we'll have one at all .

Speaker 1 0:47

I suspect you know several problems of the internet . If you can't think of any , then let me help you . The internet often helps lonely people feel more lonely . It gives people the illusion of having friends without sacrifice . It allows people the opportunity to look virtuous by writing a comment supporting a cause without having to do anything more than type something on a keyboard or clicking , like Some people have called this virtue signaling , and I get it when you are able to align yourself with a popular cause without actually having to do anything . Well , that's a very popular thing to do . Likewise , when you have access to the world's knowledge in your pocket , you might feel like you know more than you do . The internet is great at illusions it gives you the illusion of having friends , the illusion of being loved , the illusion of being smart and the illusion of getting something done without costing anything . So in many ways , it is the ultimate in virtual experiences , with nothing to show for it . You can watch someone make a delicious meal . You just can't eat it because , well , you didn't make it . You can visit the wonders of the world without having to meet all those pesky people or getting tired along the way .

Speaker 1 2:10

I've called these legitimate criticisms of the internet the loss of context . An old student of mine , ryan Cummings , showed me a recent meme that I think perfectly summarizes the problem . It says we are drowning in information while we are starving for wisdom . In short , there's too much stuff and not enough direction . I think that's all true . The content on the internet is addictive like any drug . It invites abuse because the amount of content is endless . Most businesses on the internet make money when you give them your attention . Facebook , google , instagram , youtube , linkedin are all free because you and your attention are the product . If all that is true and I think it is should we simply ditch our smartphones and computers ? Should we warn others to stay away because some bad actors are not looking out for you ? Well , no , first of all , if you find yourself spending too much time on social media , then limit your exposure to social media . I have , and I'm glad that I am . But the drug analogy is helpful . Some drugs help us when taken the right way , hurt us if we consume too much and force us to needlessly suffer if we abandon them altogether . My consistent advice has been the online tools need to be intentionally used to help us . It's easy to criticize and difficult to build .

Speaker 1 3:58

The idea behind the conference is to build a community that uses the advantages of online stuff . Not a church , not an online congregation , but a way to make connections , which are , frankly , impossible any other way . I think there are at least three defenses we have for doing a conference like this . First , it allows us to talk about spiritual things with more people . I'm not looking for masses of people , but I am interested in looking for more than a half a dozen people around me that might be interested in participating . Before Jesus ascended to heaven , he told his disciples they would be his witnesses to the ends of the earth in the first chapter of Acts . Well , the internet gives us access to so many more people . Second , I think the conference is optimistic . It takes no creativity to tear down with criticism , but it takes courage to make something . If God decides to bless it , that's up to Him , but to me , this is worth it . The first chapter of James tells us to not merely be hearers of the Word , but doers . This is me trying something for a third time . I'm trying to build something I think builds each other up and allows us to get to know God better . I think that's a worthwhile cause and I'm thrilled to be a part of it . Third , the online conference gives us an opportunity to use these tools for their advantages .

Speaker 1 5:47

Online communication is , first of all , permanent . The content you make lives forever yes , I've heard that said in a sinister way , because there's always a way to see if you've changed your mind . But it's permanent is also an advantage . We can share a message and then watch it again , see if you understand something better the second time . It's ultimately a smart way to see if you understood something , if it bears repeating or if it's something that you would just like to hear again because it encourages you . It's also accessible . In a way , only online communication is no matter where you live , whether you talk in real time or watch the content after the fact . You can get access to this from your computer . You can watch it while you're listening on a walk or folding laundry . It's there when you want it to be . It can be shared with many or as few people as you wish . It's not like a physical book you check out of the library and have to wait until someone returns it . Digital tools can be watched by a few or by millions , with no pre-planning at all . Finally , online tools allow us to make friends , learn what others think and to talk to them directly .

Speaker 1 7:13

As I said , the conference has changed from early August to October 10th through 12th . The reason for that was primarily me . This year . I didn't have time to organize the conference as early as I needed to Further the platform I used for the first two conferences . Hoova is excellent software , but its price went up considerably for the first two years and I simply couldn't afford to continue with them , which meant I had to choose a new software platform . I still love Hoova and they were really good to us , but I'm just too small for them . I'm using new software this year called AirMeet . I'll have details about that next week as well as how to sign up for the conference , but I think AirMeet is simpler software and I think it will be a better experience for you .

Speaker 1 8:06

Airmeet isn't free and I'm going to ask for your help to find sponsors . The first year of the conference , I cleared a little money to pay for the second year . The second year I lost money and this year I hope not to , which is why I want to get some sponsors . So if you know someone who would like to sponsor a track , please let me know . I am happy to talk about sponsorship with anyone interested . Like last year , I plan to have an option for people to financially support the conference by donation , but I also plan to allow anyone to attend the conference without charge . You will need to sign up for the conference prior to attending , but if you'd like to donate $50 , that would be much appreciated and welcome .

Speaker 1 8:57

The theme for this year is Citizens of Heaven and corresponds with Hal Hammond's podcast . By the way , hal is our featured keynote speaker for the first day on Thursday . As of right now , we have nine tracks each with about eight speakers . Yes , that's a lot of speakers . The people heading up the tracks include Mark McCrary , cindy Dunnigan , mark Dunnigan , hal Hammond , sean Highfill , steve Wolfgang and Miles Hester . One of the tracks new this year is a Spanish-speaking track . This was a recommendation from Sean Highfill and I was happy to try it out . This year , steve Wolfgang is putting together discussions about Galatians and I know he will have excellent material because he's got some excellent speakers like John Weaver , nathan Ward and even my father-in-law , dan Petty . The speaker grid should be available next week , as well as a website to sign up for the conference , but for right now , you need to know the date has changed .

Speaker 1 9:59

Another change from last year is something I need to apologize for . We had three tiers last year , two of which included a conference book . Well , the conference book ended up being a bigger problem than I anticipated . In short , I dropped the ball on that . I've reached out to those who paid for a conference book at both levels and I have refunded what they paid . If you were one of those and didn't receive a refund , please contact me immediately and I'll refund you immediately . There were four of you I could not contact . Because of that . I'm not going to try a conference book for this year .

Speaker 1 10:38

Putting this together isn't easy , but I want you to hear this from me directly . As long as I am able to do the conference , I will . I was talking to a friend and he asked me if I should just hand it over to someone else . I'm not against that , but I also don't know anybody who wants to take it on . Let me be clear I couldn't do this alone . I never have . Good friends have done hard work to make this work . For example , this year , the efforts of Hal Hammons have been largely responsible for getting this started again , and he has been incredibly instrumental in the first two years as well .

Speaker 1 11:18

But because I'm not doing this for a congregation , as a preacher , because I'm not a college or an institution , I don't feel like there's any conflict of interest or any blurring of lines . I'm a guy with a microphone and a podcast who wants to build a community of Christians interested in talking about spiritual things . For a few days , I'm trying to illustrate what using online stuff well can look like , like everything I've done for the podcast . I hope this is helpful for you and it helps you live a better , balanced Christian life . I am happy to support anybody who has a similar interest and a similar goal . So that's what we know about the conference at this point . It will be October 10th , 11th and 12th . I have a website where you can sign up for it next week , as well as an overview of all the speakers that should be speaking at this conference .

Community Building at Christian Conference

Speaker 1 12:22

The thinking behind the conference is it is both presentations that you'll watch and listen to conferences . It is both presentations that you'll watch and listen to , but also an opportunity to talk with other people and to make friends . I remember as a child going to the Florida College lectures and there was a large part of the reason that you went was to hear the content and a larger reason to go and meet the people and see people that you know and love , and a larger reason to go and meet the people and see people that you know and love . That's what I want this to be , as well as for next week . I had a recent conversation with Andrew Roberts about why we focus on acapella music . I thought it was a great conversation . I also plan to talk to organizers of the conference . So you know what we plan and what will happen this year . So until next time , let's be good and do good .