Together For the Gospel Conference

It's been a busy couple of weeks. My wife and I had the opportunity to get away for a couple of days during spring break.
The highlight of this week has been that I had the opportunity to attend Together For the Gospel conference with a couple of friends. I'll probably be writing a couple of blog posts on the things that were highlights for me. Tim Challies does an excellent job reporting the details of the conference over at his blog here.
For me the most challenging and encouraging messages were those by John Piper and R. C. Sproul. More on those later. Also, I was tremendously encouraged by the singing. All of the songs were uplifting and God-honoring. I and many of those around me had never heard one particular song that we sang. Afterward we looked around at each other as if to say, "Where did that come from?" The song was by Isaac Watts and was entitled How Sweet and Awesome is this Place. The original title used "awful" instead of "awesome".

Here are the words for your consideration and meditation:

1. How sweet and awful is the place
With Christ within the doors,
While everlasting love displays
The choicest of her stores!

2. While all our hearts and all our songs
Join to admire the feast,
Each of us cry, with thankful tongues,
Lord, why was I a guest?

3. Why was I made to hear Thy voice,
And enter while there's room;
When thousands make a wretched choice,
And rather starve than come?

4. 'Twas the same love that spread the feast
That sweetly forced us in
Else we had still refused to taste,
And perished in our sin.

5. Pity the nations, O our God!
Constrain the earth to come;
Send Thy victorious Word abroad,
And bring the strangers home.

6. We long to see Thy churches full,
That all the chosen race
May with one voice, and heart, and soul,
Sing Thy redeeming grace.