7 Reasons to Come to Atlanta for The Preaching Conference
On September 19-20 several hundred pastors will gather in Atlanta for The Preaching Conference, a two day event designed to teach you how to turn a blank page into a message that connects. Here are seven reasons why you should come too.
1. Eat a popsicle from The King of Pops. I was introduced to these heavenly homemade popsicles a few years ago. Now, every time I see the rainbow covered umbrella around the city, I just have to stop. It might seem silly to come all the way to Atlanta for a popsicle, but the have a chocolate with sea salt one.
2. Visit the Coke Museum. The conference wraps up on Friday at lunch, which means you have plenty of time to visit the World of Coke and sample soft drinks from all over the world. If that’s not your cup of tea, you could always visit the Georgia Aquarium – home of the largest piece of concave glass in the world, or head to nearby Athens to see the Georgia Bulldogs tackle the boys from North Texas University at Sanford Stadium. Heck, Georgia Tech might even be playing a home game, though nobody really cares about that.
3. Meet pastors from around the country. I know how it is when you family gets together. It’s fun for a while, but then your crazy uncle starts in on the war stories and the seven Wilson kids start knocking over food tables. This gathering isn’t going to be anything like that. Instead, you’ll be in a room full of other like-minded pastors, who just want to honor God and preach the best messages they can.
4. We’re not going to ask you to sing. Don’t get me wrong – we love singing, and we think singing is important. But this two day event is about helping you become a better preachers. We’re not going to sing…we’re going to learn. And since we’re on the subject, we’re not doing any drama, spoken word, or art. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
5. Hear Dr. Crawford Loritts. You may not know Dr. Loritts, but I’m tellin’ you – he is one of the wisest men of God and one of the best preachers in our country. I heard him at The Gospel Coalition and he was the best on the stage. And that stage included some pretty heavy hitters. We heard from him on the Preach Better Sermons online event, and people tweeted his nuggets of wisdom like crazy.
6. Experience the Atlanta Traffic. Did you know Atlanta has one of the worst commutes in the country? It’s true. So how is this good news? We’ll, we scheduled the conference so you miss most of it. We will finish early on both days, and in plenty of time to get you home so you don’t lose your salvation on I-85.
7. Eat some great food. Creative Loafing published this list of the 50 best dishes to eat in Atlanta, so this is your chance to knock off two or three of them. I’ll be honest with you…I can’t pronounce many of those dishes. But that’s okay, because Atlanta is also home to The Varsity, the original Chick-fil-a, and about 623 Waffle House restaurants. From sit down to drive through, you’re guaranteed to get some good eats while you’re here.