Last week Christian Focus children's editor and author Catherine Mackenzie attended the March 2011 Children Desiring God Conference in Minneapolis, MN. The theme of this year's conference was holding fast to the word of truth, which centered around the authority of scripture and its importance. There was an excellent turnout with well over one thousand people in attendance. Speakers included John Piper, Russel Moore, David Michael, and many others. Below are a few of the key thoughts from the session messages:
It is important that we raise up a generation who will courageously take a stand for the truth. If not Jesus will not have anything to do with them. If Jesus will not deal with us we are lost. The willingness to take a stand for truth is inseparable from saving faith. -John Piper
You can train your children to be Satanists even in the Bible class if you do not drive them in every single text to Jesus Christ and to the fact that there was a hole in the ground in the middle east where a cold corpse lay and then dead heart tissue started to beat again and Jesus Christ rose from the tomb. .. and that now because of that for the child of God there is no condemnation. -Russell Moore
The most God-centered curriculum will not turn a heart of stone to flesh. The salvation of our children is in the hands of God. God calls children to himself. The Gospel saves. The message not the method saves. -David Michael
If you were unable to attend the conference, be sure to visit the Children Desiring God web site, where audio and video from the 2011 conference will be posted soon.