Linda and I and a lot of people from our church family are in Green Lake, Wisconsin this week for a conference with J.P. Moreland and Chris Overstreet. J.P. spoke yesterday morning and evening. His first talk was on "happiness" - "Happiness is overrated." J.P. showed how the biblical & classical understanding of happiness changed in the 18th-19th centiuries to mean a personal feeling, rather than meaning a life well-lived, a life of integrity, purpose, and truth. the quest for "happiness" is never-ending and, oddly, the quest itself leads to more and more unhappiness. Hence unfulfillment and depression. The "American Dream" has been fulfilled, but as a people Americans are deeply unfulfilled. The conclusion? There must be something wrong with the "American Dream."
Last evening J.P. presented point #1 of his "Kingdom Triangle" idea, which is: Love God with all your mind. J.P. said this is his "life's message." This morning he'll give #2 (recovery of the Christian soul) and tonight he'll present #3 ("recovering the power of the Kingdom of God").
J.P. is an excellent speaker, a brilliantly gifted person who is able to take deep ideas and communicate them to us all. I think we're all loving what God has given us in just the first day!
