I'm in Hawaii

I just flew into Kauai today. I wish I could say I'm here on vacation, but I'm not. I am doing my grandparents funeral and grave side services this weekend.

I'm not looking forward to this at all. I still miss them both terribly. I think about them every day, and being here does help since I've been here 5 or 6 times and eveyrwhere I look is a memory with them.

I say all that to say, please pray for me. My uncle ran an ad in tomorrow's local newspaper for the service so many could show up. Please pray that my presentation of the gospel in both places will be clear, accurate, passionate and persuasive. Thank you.

Willow Creek Repents?

I just read this very interesting article about Willow Creek, one of the 2 or 3 most influential churches in America over the past few decades, and what they learned from a massive research project they did on their own ministry philosophy.

Eva Cassidy

When I went to Germany for a month in 2001, I roomed with a friend who bought a CD in a local general store by a singer I'd never heard of named Eva Cassidy. He played it over and over again, and I cannot thank him enough for doing so because I absolutely fell head over heals in love with her voice.

I got home and instantly went out and bought the CD and played it to death.

You can find out a lot about her here, here and here. Briefly, she died of cancer in 1996, but I found out just recently that there was an amateur video made of a concert she did in a small venue and most of the clips are posted on YouTube.

Above is my favorite Eva song, and if you like it I recommend you buy the aforementioned CD, called Songbird. You will thank me forever for introducing her to you.

Together for the Gospel 2008 Ads

I saw this ad for T4G today. The others are funny (which I currently can't find online or I'd give you a link for them), but I thought this one was hilarious.

Dawkins' God Delusion

This article says Archbishop Rowan Williams gave the same assessment of Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion as my friend and mentor and president of the Apologetics Information Ministry Craig Hawkins gave it on his radio show last night, Living By The Word, namely, that Dawkins is a good scientist, but a bad philosopher.

Christian Persecution in Egypt

Radical Islamic lawyers join the government's opposition of a newly converted Christian from Islam in Egypt who's life has been threatened for this. Read more about what this brother and his wife are facing here.

CJ's Favorite Book on Ministry

About a year ago Christianity Today gave their list of the 50 most influential books on the evangelical movement.

Well, many disagreed, and below is what C.J. Mahaney said should've been the top 10 of the 50 most influential (notice how it's really 14!):

1. The Cross of Christ, by John Stott
2. Knowing God, by J. I. Packer
3. The Holiness of God, by R.C. Sproul
4. Fundamentalism and the Word of God, by J.I. Packer
5. Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, edited by John Piper and Wayne Grudem
6. The Cross and Christian Ministry, by D.A. Carson
7. The Trilogy (The God Who Is There; Escape From Reason; He is There and He is Not Silent), by Francis Schaeffer
8. Competent to Counsel, by Jay Adams and Instruments in the Redeemers Hands, by Paul Tripp
9. Systematic Theology, by Wayne Grudem
10. Showing the Spirit: A Theological Exposition of 1 Corinthians 12-14, by D. A. Carson, and God’s Empowering Presence: The Holy Spirit in the Letters of Paul, by Gordon Fee

I put all that here to say that his favorite book on ministry, Carson's The Cross and Christian Ministry, is on sale here for 50% off!!!

Second Wedding This Weekend

Hi Everyone!!! I'm performing my second wedding as a young pastor. :|

I'm doing it for my good friend's who I've known for 25 years--having met in kindergarten.

I'd really appreciate your prayers. Neither the bride or the groom are Christians, but I think I'm obligated to preach the Gospel anyway since regardless of what anyone believes, marriage is a picture of the Gospel, and if you've got a captive audience that has to listen to you...

So, crafting the sermon today has been interesting. Please pray that God will be honored, and that my sermon and my officiating of this wedding will be done in such a way that the Gospel is presented wisely and winsomely.

Have a great weekend, and thank you for your prayers in advance.

Palestinians Murder Christian

Read here about the murder of Rami Ayyad, manager of a Christian bookstore operated by the Palestinian Bible Society in the Palestinian territory of Gaza.

Turkey: Leads on Murderers of 3 Christians

I posted earlier this year about the murder of three Christians, the men pictured above, in Turkey here.

I found out here that they have some suspects from inside the Turkish military who may be responsible for their gruesome torture and murder.

Pastor Necati Aydin, 36; Ugur Yuksel, 32; and Tilmann Geske, 46. Three more the world is not worthy of.

Preacher Murdered by Hindus

For being humanly responsible for the conversion of three families from Hinduism and to Christianity, Ajay Topno was murdered (read story here).

"Topno left his house on September 16, telling his wife that he was going to Sahoda village, but he never returned."

The world is not worthy of men like Ajay.

10 Christians Slaughtered...

In Northern Nigeria Muslims destroyed 9 churches, displaced some 500 Christians, injured 61 and slaughtered 10. Why? "Muslim high school students claimed a Christian student had drawn a cartoon of Islam’s prophet, Muhammad, on the wall of the school’s mosque" (see the rest of the story here and here).

Jonathan Edwards Sale!!!

In honor of Jonathan Edwards' 304th birthday (today, Oct. 5th) Desiring God is selling all of their Jonathan Edwards' stuff for 30% off here.

Big Mac vs. 10 Commandments

Americans were found to be more familiar with the ingredients of the McDonald’s Big Mac than the Ten Commandments.

See for yourself here.

The Best Biography for FREE!!!!!!!!

Christianaudio.com gives away a free audio book every month. Most months are good; this month is phenomenal!!!

One of the best, most impacting (see my blogs about it here and here) books I've ever listened to and never finished is the one they're offering free here: Jonathan Edwards' classic, The Life of David Brainerd.

If you have not read this book, I HIGHLY recommend it. I pray that I'll have half the love and devotion to Christ, insight into my heart and zeal for the gospel that this young man did. This and much more pours out of every page of his Life.

If you usually let these pass by, do yourself a favor and don't let this one. Download and listen to this treasure and you'll never be the same again.

2007 DG National Conference

In Minneapolis this weekend Desiring God hosted its 2007 National Conference. The theme was Stand: A Call for the Endurance of the Saints, and the speakers included John Piper, John MacArthur, Jerry Bridges, Randy Alcorn and Helen Roseveare.

If you're interested, the conference audio us available for free here.