Fred Winters’ Widow boldly testifies to Christ

I praise God for the hope and joy and peace we have in Him! And I’m thankful for Mrs. Winters boldness in testifying of her Savior.

~Donovan

HT: Justin Taylor and Denny Burk

True Spirituality

This video is funny! And convicting…

Vodpod videos no longer available.

               

As James 2:14-17: “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”

Let’s be sure our “spirituality” is true, biblical spirituality!

~Donovan

2009 Ligonier Conference Video

The 2009 Ligonier Conference was on The Holiness of God. The main session speakers were Al Mohler, Ligon Duncan, Sinclair Ferguson, Steve Lawson, Alistair Begg, Thabiti Anyabwile, D.A. Carson, R.C. Sproul, Robert Godfrey, Derek Thomas, and R.C. Sproul, Jr – an incredible line up! You can watch videos of the main sessions, free of charge, here (note that the scroll down menu shows only the sessions for one day – the tabs at the top of the menu allow you to access sessions from the other days. There are 17 sessions in total).

~Donovan

HT: Tim Challies

Aborting A Fetus Because It’s Not Yours?

“Would you abort a fetus just because it wasn’t yours?

The question sounds crazy. How could it not be yours? If it’s in your body, you must be the mom, right?

Wrong. Through in vitro fertilization, you can get pregnant with somebody else’s fetus. Thousands of surrogates already have. You can also carry an unrelated child using donor eggs and sperm. But these are things you’d have to sign up for. The scary scenario is the one you never expect: going through IVF and discovering, weeks into your pregnancy, that your doctor put the wrong embryo in your womb.”

These are disturbing times. Read the full article here.

Thanks to Dave Montgomery-Scott for pointing me to the article.

~Donovan

A Glimpse into Mercy Ministry in South Africa

          

I’ve been dialoguing with Josh Mack, a missionary in Pretoria, South Africa (his dad is the author and biblical counselor, Wayne Mack, who is also a missionary in South Africa now. Josh has co-authored a few books with his dad). Josh is pouring himself out in mercy ministry. What he’s facing is heart-breaking, and what he’s doing, by God’s grace, is incredibly encouraging… This is a recent update on his ministry:

     

The Centrality of the Gospel

     

From an essay by D.A. Carson on “The Biblical Gospel” (in For Such a Time as This: Perspectives on Evangelicalism, Past, Present and Future, ed. Steve Brady and Harold Rowdon [London: Evangelical Alliance, 1986], p. 83):

Pundits have often noted that many in the Western world have become single-issue people. The church is not immune from such influences. The result is that many Christians assume the gospel (often, regrettably, some form of the ‘simple gospel’) but are passionate about something on the relative periphery: abortion, poverty, forms of worship, cultural decay, ecology, overpopulation, pornography, family breakdown, and much more. By labelling these complex subjects ‘relatively peripheral’ I open myself to attack from as many quarters as there are subjects on the list. For example, some of those whose every thought is shaded green will not be convinced that the ecological problems we face are peripheral to human survival. But I remain quite unrepentant. From a biblical-theological perspective, these challenges, as serious as they are, are reflections of the still deeper problem—our odious alienation from God. If we tackle these problems without tackling what is central, we are merely playing around with symptoms. This is no excuse for Christians not to get involved in these and many other issues. But it is to insist that where we get involved in such issues, many of which are explicitly laid upon us in scripture, we do so from the centre out, ie beginning with full-orbed gospel proclamation and witness and passion, and then, while acknowledging that no one can do everything, doing our ‘significant something’ to address the wretched entailments of sin in our world. The good news of Jesus Christ will never allow us to be smug and other-worldly in the face of suffering and evil. But what does it profit us to save the world from smog and damn our own souls? There are lots of ways of getting rid of pornography. For instance, one does not find much smut in Saudi Arabia. But one doesn’t find much of the gospel there, either.

The point is that in all our efforts to address painful and complex societal problems, we must do so from the centre, out of a profound passion for the gospel. This is for us both a creedal necessity and a strategic choice. It is a creedal necessity because this gospel alone prepares men and women for eternity, for meeting our Maker—and all problems are relativized in the contemplation of the cross, the final judgement, and eternity. It is a strategic choice because we are persuaded that the gospel, comprehensively preached in the power of the Spirit, will do more to transform men and women, not least their attitudes, than anything else in the world.

HT: Justin Taylor

In a similar vein, Carson makes these comments in “Basics for Believers: An Exposition of Philippians” [Grand Rapids, MI, Baker Academic], pp26-27:

                         

Why Children’s Ministry?

Ministry-to-Children.com lists 68 Reasons Why Children’s Ministry Matters (click to see the full list). Click on the links below to see the reasons given in specific categories: 

• 14 Ways Children’s Ministry Helps Kids
  
• 8 Ways Children’s Ministry Helps Families
  
• 24 Ways Children’s Ministry Helps The Church
  
• 8 Ways Children’s Ministry Helps Everyone
  
• 14 Ways Children’s Ministry Helps Kid’s Learn

Of course, some points are better than others, but it’s a list well worth reading through. Let’s be faithful in nurturing the next generation, that they may know the supremacy of Christ and walk in the truth.

~Donovan

Loving Christians who struggle with homosexuality

We’re all different. This is seen in our strengths: one is athletic, one is “artsy”, and another is mathematical. One is “task oriented” and another is “people oriented.” And it is seen in our greatest struggles: one is prone to anger, one has to fight off laziness, one struggles with strong temptation to alcoholism, one has a difficult time with gossip, one fears man and longs for the praise of his peers, another struggles with lust, and another, with homosexuality… None of these tendencies make the related behaviors excusable. Sin is sin. But the born again Christian is commited to repentance – to turning from sin and pursuing the life God has called us to…

This article, written by a Christian who struggles with same sex desires but is committed to battling them, is well worth the read. Don’t be put off by his terminology – when he refers to “homosexual Christians” he’s referring to people like himself, who struggle, but are commited to turning from those sinful desires. As he explains in his article, these people, like all of us, need the church: the loving, supporting, faithful, compassionate help of other Christians. Will we be that for each other? We must! It is what God calls us to.   

Read the article here.

 ~Donovan

HT: Justin Taylor

“What He Must Be… If He Wants To Marry My Daughter”

I’ve mentioned Vodie Baucham on this blog before… he’s always great food for thought, always presents his views unashamedly, and though you probably won’t always agree (and might find your feathers a tad ruffled here and there), he’s bound to challenge and convict you, and sharpen your thinking. 

His new book, “What He Must Be… If He Wants To Marry My Daughter” was already on my “to read” list. After reading a review of it this morning, I’m looking forward to it all the more. I’m anticipating finding it a phenomenal tool both for parents striving to prepare their sons for manhood and/ or striving to help their daughters develop a clear portrait of what really matters in their choice of life partner, and a very helpful read for young men and women as they prepare for life and the prospect of marriage as well… 

To read the review I just read (by Frank Turk, of the “Pyromaniacs” blog), click here. This man is not easily impressed, but he’s very enthusiastic about this book. Here are a few blurbs from his review:

“… get into this book and grab a robust view of the role of a husband and a father — both from the perspective of what you personally ought to be in your family, and what you ought to seek out in and mentor into young men who think they want something to do with young women, especially the young women in your family.”

“This is a book about reclaiming the role of men in our families, our churches and our society — and I say, “Lay it on, my friend!””

“… it is a deeply pastoral book — seeking to make disciples of men, to be doers of the word and not just hearers only. Read this book, and then read it again, and then tear out the chapters and make little booklets of them so you can share them in small groups, and then start teaching this stuff to your sons so they can be this kind of men. And then teach it to your daughters so they kind find these kind of men.”

“This book is worth every penny, and you will read it more than once.”

~Donovan

Letter to a Grieving Friend

Pastor James MacDonald wrote this letter to a woman in his congregation who had just lost her mother. It is a wonderful example of godly, loving encouragement given in a time of pain, and is well worth emulating. I’m confident the rich biblical perspective will bless you. Read it here.

~Donovan

HT: Tim Challies