Goin' To Zhytomyr!!!

I will not be blogging for the next couple weeks as I am leaving LAX in a few hours for two weeks in Zhytomyr, Ukraine (check out where it is on Google Maps). I arrive Saturday morning and will be there until August 4th. Hopefully, I'll get to use a computer while I'm there, but who knows?

I will be speaking 24 times over the next 8 days (twice on both Sunday's, 4 times a day during the week with Saturday off) on what a church is supposed to be and do, and what church leaders are supposed to be and do...and that's just week one!

All of this is meant to equip the leaders in a local church who are putting on an evangelistic youth crusade the following week. I will be sharing the speaking duties with a friend from seminary so maybe I'll only speak once a day.

Please, please please pray for this church's leaders, me, the youth and that Christ would be exalted as the only sovereign Head of His church.

Free Sovereign Grace Songs

Go here (upper right hand corner of the page) to download a free song from Asleep in a Storm a new CD of remixed classics from Sovereign Grace Ministries.

Also, go here to download another free song from In a Little While another new SGM music CD, this one featuring songs written and sung by Mark Altrogge and his son Stephen.

Are You unChristian?

I was skimming this article about the evangelistic atheism of the last couple years when I came across this interesting new book coming out in October--unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity...and Why it Matters by David Kinnaman of The Barna Group and Gabe Lyons of the Fermi Project.

In general, while it's hard to argue with Barna's raw data diagnoses, I am quite weary of his "Adaptation," "Contextualization," "Christianity must change or die" prescriptions.

I'm Not Surprised, Just Disgusted!!!

The article notes, "The toys, based on biblical stories, include a 3-inch figure of Daniel in the lion's den, a 12-inch talking Jesus doll and 13-inch Samson action figure."

Is it safe to make Jesus a play toy and to put him and other biblical characters on the same level in a kid's mind as Optimus Prime, Spiderman and Jack Sparrow?

History Substantiates Bible...AGAIN

You'd think after at least a dozen decades of archeology confirming biblical history (yawn) that scholars would see this latest find that does it once again as old hat (Read more about it here and here):

Austrian Assyriologist Dr Michael Jursa made the breakthrough discovery confirming the existence of a Babylonian official mentioned in the Old Testament and connected to the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar.

The clay document is dated to the 10th year of Nebuchadnezzar II (595 BC) and names the official, Nebo-Sarsekim. According to chapter 39 of the Book of Jeremiah, he was present at the siege of Jerusalem in 587 BC with Nebuchadnezzar himself.

However, since most scholars, curators and reporters start with the presupposition that the Bible is more myth than fact, discoveries like this will continue to amaze and thankfully, put the fact that the Bible is true on the front page:

On hearing of the discovery yesterday, Geza Vermes, the eminent emeritus professor of Jewish studies at the University of Oxford, said that such a discovery revealed that “the Biblical story is not altogether invented." He added: "This will be interesting for religious people as much as historians."

This is a great quote to end with:

“Cuneiform tablets might all look the same, but sometimes they contain treasure," added Irving Finkel, Assistant Keeper in the Department of the Middle East at the British Musem. "Here a mundane commercial transaction takes its place as a primary witness to one of the turning points in Old Testament history. This is a tablet that deserves to be famous."

Repost: My Favorite Podcasts

In April, I posted on my favorite podcasts. I've changed this lightly and added a couple. I post it here to help a friend who just got a new Mac and wants to load up his computer with podcasts. Enjoy!

A number of you have asked what podcasts I subscribe to. Sadly, I subscribe to dozens, but only actually listen to a few. The others are treated as resources on topics that get stored in my podcast library for use when the topic comes up (like, stem-cell research, euthanasia, Mormonism, parenting, etc.).

I tried to find the "Subscribe to this Podcast" page so that if you click on the podcast's name that's where you'd go. Some of the best podcasts I've found are the following:

• Apologetics.com -- This in an apologetics radio show that airs in Los Angeles on KKLA 99.5 FM on Saturday nights from 12-2am. It's #6 in my podcasting Top 5 list.
  
• Capitol Hill Baptist Church -- This is the preaching ministry of Dr. Mark Dever of Washington D.C.
• Christ Fellowship Baptist Church -- Excellent Preaching !!! To subscribe, scroll down to the bottom of Dr. Steve Lawson's sermon download page. I download every sermon every week.
  
• Dallas Theological Seminary -- Many of the chapels are well worth listening to.
• Desiring God Sunday Sermon Audio & Video -- Excellent Preaching !!! I think we will look back with thankfulness and tell our grandkids about the ministry of John Piper. It also makes my Top 5.
• The Dividing Line -- This is the bi-weekly radio show of Dr. James White. I'm pretty sure you'll have to search for this podcast in the iTunes Music Store itself.
  
• Grace To You Video -- Like, Dr. Piper you'll tell your kids and grandkids about John MacArthur. The video podcast subscription is on the right and it takes a while to sign up, but it's well worth it.
• Issues, Etc. -- This is a conservative Lutheran call-in talk show that always has top notch theological and cultural analysis of current trends in the world and in evangelicalism. This is in my Top 5.
• The Master's Seminary Chapel -- I attended most of the chapels from 2002-2006 and most of the preaching is excellent, especially Dr. MacArthur, Prof. Alex Montoya, Dr. Jack Hughes and many, many, many more. Also, they've uploaded the Faculty Lecture Series' on topics like the Emergent church, the New Perspective on Paul, Open Theism, The Rapture, etc.
  
• Ravi Zacharias -- Ravi is an excellent communicator who blends apologetics and evangelism in a wonderfully passionate and engaging way. This link is to both of his podcasts. This is also in my Top 5.
  
• Stand To Reason -- This is podcast of from the radio ministry of Greg Koukl who hosts a Christian call-in Q & A show that originates in Orange County and airs Sundays from 3-5pm on 740 KBRT. Definitely another in my Top 5, probably my #1.
• The Al Mohler Radio Show -- Another in my Top 5 for listening . The link has the podcasts for his radio show and his Sunday School class on the right hand side of the page.
• Southern Baptist Theological Seminary -- Al Mohler, the school's President, speaks regularly, but in the last year so has John MacArthur, C.J. Mahaney, John Piper, Mark Dever, Bruce Ware, and countless other well-loved teachers.
• The White Horse Inn -- This is a half hour round table discussion of current cultural and theological topic by really smart reformed guys, Michael Horton being one of them. The podcast subscription is on the right and it takes a while to sign up, but it's well worth it if you do.
  

While many I subscribe to didn't make the list (like the podcasts for Focal Point Radio, Covenant Life Church, Mars Hill Church, Alister Begg's Truth for Life, The Narrow Mind, The Dennis Prager Show to name a few others), I'm always looking for a good podcast, as you can see.

Please, please, please post any that you'd highly recommend to check out in the comments. Thank you in advance.

Free Jerry Bridges Audio

I found this website where Jerry Bridges did four sermons on Trusting God Even When Life Hurts. It took me a while to find out where to download them, so I'll save you the hassle and give you the instructions here.

If you click on the link above, you'll be taken the Grace Bible Church of Olive Branch, MS website. On the left sidebar near the top, click on "View Sermons & Other Videos." From here, you can either watch Jerry Bridges through streaming video (on March 30-April 1), or you can click the "Mp3 Format" link at the top of the page. Right in the middle of that page you should see a chart with his four sermons ready to download.

2007 Gospel Coalition Conference Audio

Slowly but surely the audio and video of Dr. Don Carson, Dr. John Piper, Tim Keller and others from the 2007 Gospel Coalition Conference is making its way online here.

Still Indulging in Indulgences

If you thought the Roman Catholic Church was done with indulgences after the Reformation, think again.

E.M. Bounds Free Download

This month christianaudio.com is giving away E.M. Bounds' classic Power Through Prayer.

Follow the directions here and you can download this audiobook for free.

Happy Birthday Calvin!!!

John Calvin was born July 10, 1509 in Noyon, France, making today his 498th birthday.

And, yesterday in 1925, the Scopes Monkey Trial began in Dayton, Tennessee as John Scopes was tried for teaching evolution to his students.

Dr. Harold O.J. Brown (1933-2007)

One of my professors and one of the kindest men I've ever met, Dr. Harold O.J. Brown, was brought safely to heaven on Sunday.

I had the utmost privilege of spending a month in Germany to study the Reformation with him, his wife Grace and many others from RTS and TEDS in July 2001 (this is a study tour they take each year). We arrived in Prague and studied the pre-Reformation, especially John Huss, then drove to Wittenberg where we spent three weeks studying the Reformation while taking short trips to Berlin, Halle, Dresden and the Wartburg castle where Luther translated the NT into German. The trip ended with a few days in Vienna touring museums and castles before flying home.

I have never been the same after that trip, and that has little to do with the information I learned. It was one of best trips I've ever taken and one of the best things I've ever done because of the deep fellowship and godly examples of the people I studied with, especially Dr. and Mrs. Brown.

Please take the time to read this statement from Care Net, a ministry he started for women contemplating abortion.

Royal Family Kids' Camp

Please pray for me this week. I will not be blogging because I will be up at the Pinecrest Christian Conference Center for Royal Family Kids' Camp.

I love this James 1:27-type ministry. This is my 12th year serving two boys ages 7-11 from the Orange County Child Protective Services.

Please search the site above and give to this ministry, or even look for a church in your area where you can serve abused and neglected children with the love of Christ.