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Posted At: 3:39pm by TripletTwo
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A mighty fortress is our God,
A trusty shield and weapon.
He helps us free from every need
That hath us now o'ertaken.
The old evil foe
Now means deadly woe;
Deep guile and great might
Are His dread arms in fight;
On earth is not His equal.
The Higher Things Conference "Dare to be Lutheran" began with these beautiful words reverberating in the gorgeous sanctuary of College Church on the campus of St. Louis University. I don't think there could have been a more appropriate (or Lutheran) hymn to start the conference, and I thought it would be fitting to use them to begin my first post.
Before I go any further I should probably introduce myself. My name is DoRena Stuckwisch, commonly known as Bean or Triplet 2. While all of the triplets are equally wild and crazy, I am probably the loudest and most obvious (and obnoxious) about it.
My father is a pastor and my mother is a very busy mother of my seven younger siblings and myself. I was homeschooled 2-12th grade, and now I am currently preparing to attend Indiana University in the August.
Originally I had been planning on giving a "play-by-play" of my experiences at the conference. After some consideration, I have now decided (at least for this first post) to leave the details to be described by someone else and I will just share some of my thoughts and opinions about each day.
"DtbL" was the third Higher Things conference I have been too (I also attended "Making Waves" in 2002 and "In His Face" in 2003), and it was my favorite! Each conference began with a beautiful prayer service, and (if I may borrow a phrase from the conference manual . . .) "each day was punctuated by times of hearing God's Word, prayer and praise." This aspect of the conferences has always been my favorite part, and this year especially so because of the location. Even my three-year-old brother, Justinian, was immediately impressed with the magnificence of College Church. As a choir member, I was blessed with the opportunity to spend additional time rehearsing in that space. It was worth the sacrifice of sleep. 
After opening Vespers on Tuesday the mob of Lutherans made way to the Busch center for the first Plenary session, followed by the first In-Depth and Break Away sessions. I attended the in-depth session "Comrades in Arms: Friendship, Dating and Marriage" led by my Dad, and "In the World but Not of the World" with Mollie Ziegler.
On Tuesday night it was really fascinating to look back over the day and see how neatly everything fit together. The readings and sermons, and all of the sessions complemented each other beautifully. When sitting in the last session of the day my mind kept referencing back to things I had heard earlier that fit with what the speaker was saying. I joked with my Dad that all of the pastors and presenters read the same book to prepare. 
In stark contrast with sessions I attended for college orientation, which all focused on the importance of diversity and embracing different opinions and beliefs, the conference sectionals kept a focus on Christ and the importance of sound doctrine.
The Word they still shall let remain
Nor any thanks have for it;
He's by our side upon the plain
With His good gifts and Spirit.
And take they are our life,
Goods, fame, child and wife,
Though these all be gone,
Our victory has been won;
The Kingdom ours remaineth.
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