You have to be careful when you sit alone in a public space… If you are not approached by a homeless woman or a Mormon missionary, you might be approached by an audio journalist!
I was coming out of a breakout session at Cross Con with an hour to kill before dinner, so I found a comfortable spot under the escalator to spend some quiet time in the book of Romans. Before long, a man with a mic approached me and introduced himself as an audio journalist, asking if he could interview me.
I went for a Moses/Exodus 4:10 kind of objection. “Oh, you don’t want to interview me. I’m not great at talking articulately… I don’t really have a story for you.”
“Everyone has a story,” he said. “Let me just turn on my mic here. What’s your name?”
And that’s how a random stranger got my whole life story. Why I came to Cross Con, my testimony, the trials and joys of coming from a huge family, even the backstory behind me naming my car Ursula. The questions kept coming and I kept talking!
Wait, what is Cross Con?
Cross Con is a massive Christian conference for 18-25 year olds held in Louisville, Kentucky. They had incredible speakers such as John Piper, David Platt, Shai Linne, and Trip Lee, but ultimately the call of Cross Con is for Jesus’ name to be made known. Their emphasis is the gospel, the local church, and God’s heart for the nations.
I went to Cross Con for the first time with my college Christian fellowship in 2025 (see my notes here), and I’m so grateful I got to go a second time! It was once again a beautiful time of worship, diving deep into the Word, and better understanding who God is.
These are my notes and takeaways from the conference. The great news for you is that all the sessions have been recorded and posted online, so you can listen to them for free!
Takeaway #1: God is still working.
Back to the Audio Journalist…
The first confession that came out (one of many) was about a time that I felt convicted.
On the first day of Cross Con 2026, we watched a video with testimony of a student named Finn. It hit hard.
You see, there’s a friend who has been on my mind and in my prayers for nearly a year. Deep down, I think he knows he needs God’s grace but he hasn’t accepted it. It’s discouraging to pray so long and see so little happen. Two minutes before I watched Finn’s testimony video, I was going through a mental argument with myself to stop praying for this friend and emotionally detach from my concern for his salvation.
But then I heard how hopeless Finn’s situation seemed after he fell away from the church, and I saw the friends, two twin sisters, who were praying for him. I was reminded that God still has the power to save my friend. I have to keep hope. I have to keep praying.
Wrapping up the Interview
After sharing this, the audio journalist asked about my testimony, and more questions after this, which is when I found myself sharing “my whole life story.” It was encouraging for me to reflect on how I’ve seen God’s grace through both the blessings and the biggest frustrations of growing up as the oldest of eleven siblings (and now thirteen…). That’s a story for another blog post, perhaps?
At the end, the audio journalist thanked me for my time, while admitting that he didn’t know if Cross Con would use this interview for anything or not. Fine by me either way. We didn’t exchange contact information, so I just hope the word gets to me somehow if my voice finds its way into a video or podcast.
This next takeaway is from the rest of my time at Cross Con.
Takeaway #2: The Bible is SO cool.
David Platt closed Cross Con with a session called “Living for the Global Glory of God,” taking us on a tour through the Bible, drawing these connections between creation, the temple, and the resurrection that I have never seen before. The Bible is so cool! I want to study it on a deeper level! This is the recording I most want to listen to again after Cross Con.
“Doctrine and Devotion,” an interview with John Piper, was another session that made me feel this way. Theology isn’t irrelevant—it’s life-giving.
One of my favorite breakout sessions was “How Can God be One and Three?” with Kyle Claurich. So many Christians whole-heartedly believe in the doctrine of the Trinity without knowing how to explain this mystery. The speaker shared this quote:
“For nowhere else is a mistake more dangerous, or the search more laborious, or discovery more advantageous.” – Augustine.
This talk was really clear and helpful in creating a biblical framework for my understanding of the Trinity, and beyond that, it showed me why it is so meaningful to study it.
What Do You Think?
Have you been to or heard of Cross Con? What takeaway resonates with you?
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