10 November 2009

CMLC at Kilchzimmer

One of my new responsibilities in the Education Department are the 3 Children's Ministry Leadership Courses (CMLC) that we have at Kilchzimmer each year. Samantha supports us as registrar - processing applications, answering students questions, giving administrative help to the visiting teachers, etc. Martha is the CMLC supervisor and deals with the day-to-day running of each 12 week course - caring for the students, meeting regularly with visiting teachers, organising classes, ensuring the smooth running of the course and harmony in close community life 'up on the hill'.
This week I am teaching again in the German class and enjoying very much the interaction with the students. I consider it a real privilege to be allocated time to invest in training future CEF workers and those who will go back to their churches to 'teach children more effectively'. Through illness I have had to organise replacement teachers at very short notice and I even had to jump in and teach some extra classes myself.
Please pray for our 33 students who will be with us until 18 December (DV).

20 October 2009

CEF Central European Leaders Forum

Around 35 CEF National Directors, committee members and Kilchzimmer staff have gathered in Crivenica, Croatia for the Central European Leaders Forum. We give thanks to God for His protection on the 11 hour journey (I just lost a wheel cap while still in Switzerland). Some fo the Romanian team drove almost 24 hrs!
The countries belonging to this area are mostly represented here. They are Albania, Bosnia Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia.

Gerd-Walter Buskies opened our time last night with a message challenging us to be both biblical and significant in our ministry to children.
Barna Kovac started the day by leading our prayer meeting before breakfast. Then we had a rousing message from Roy Harrison from 2.Tim. 2:1-10. Gerd-Walter then spoke on the theme of “National Committees and National Leaders hand in hand together”. I will be speaking this afternoon about developing Youth Challenge in these various countries and about leadership integrity on Thursday morning.
There are about 10 different languages spoken in this group, so everything is being conducted in English with some simultaneous translation taking place throughout the room. Thank you for praying for us.

11 October 2009

10 year Bible College reunion


At the end of September, we visited our Bible college again for a 10 year reunion since graduation. From those we shared the 3 years with, some are now serving as missionaries in various parts of the world like Lithuania, Paraguay, Ukraine, Switzerland, Austria and of course in local churches in Germany. Some got married, had children, relocated, etc. It was so good to see those who could make it along including our year teacher who married us a few weeks after graduation (far left).

10 October 2009

Eastern European Leaders Forum - Moscow

I have just returned from a very profitable visit to Russia where I was able to meet with leaders representing 11 countries from Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Many of these brothers and sisters are working in sensitive situations, facing imprisonment for their CEF activities. Through my seminar, I presented the need for developing a teenager ministry and was able to follow this up with many private conversations. Many of the workers shared how the training and literature they have received has been put to good use. We were also able to make provisional plans for future JYC instructor courses. Many countries want to develop this ministry and are looking to us for help.
Photo: Speaking at the forum with my interpreter, Olga from the Ukraine (she did an excellent job!).

Parallel to our forum, the Russian workers were holding their staff conference. Together we profited morning and evening from the Bible messages from the CEF International president, Reese Kaufman.
Photo: Reese Kaufman preaching to both groups

22 September 2009

Against Music*

Greg Gilbert is not against contemporary praise and worship, but in this excellent article he puts his finger on something that many believers have fallen prey to without realising it.

"I wonder if the whole “excellence in praise and worship music” phenomenon we’ve seen over the past few years–for all the good it’s done–hasn’t also had some less-than-desirable effects on young Christians. I wonder if it hasn’t created a generation of functional mystics who gauge their relationship with God by emotional experience rather than the objective reality of redemption." Read the whole article

Greg Gilbert is senior pastoral assistant at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C.

17 September 2009

Children's Ministry Leadership Course

The next Children's Ministry Leadership Course (CMLC) in Kilchzimmer, Switzerland will take place (D.V.) from 26th September – 18th December 2009 with two classes for English and German speakers. We praise God for the 33 students who have registered:
  • For the English class, we have 13 students, representing Ireland (North and South), USA, Germany, Tanzania, South Korea, Slovakia & Britain.
  • For the German class, we have 20 students from Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Pray for the current group of students who will be graduating tomorrow (Friday), that they will be obedient to follow God's leading in their lives and that He would use them mightly to see more children in Europe (and beyond) being transformed with the Gospel. Pray too for a good start to the Autumn CMLC on 26 September.
To find
out more about this course click here.

06 September 2009

Walking in the Swiss alps

(Click photo for full-size image)
The Swiss Alps are spectacular to look at but they are also very dangerous for the inexperienced walker. That's why I was really excited for the opportunity at the weekend to join a Swiss mountain-guide and seven others (in total 6 Swiss and 2 Irish men) for a challenging walk in the Alps. After a 3 hour walk on Friday evening, we spent the night in a Guest House (nearest town Göschenen). On Saturday we began at 07.00 hrs and reached the Vorälphütte around 09.00 hrs.
(Just one of many restaurant/B&Bs in remote mountainous locations which offer shelter, food and B&B. On a long tour it is possible to go from hut to hut and stay in the high mountains)

It had snowed overnight and over 2000m high there was several centimetres of snow, making the route more treacherous than usual. We were wearing a harness and safety rope which we used when crossing several steep slopes. These could be hooked into the safety lines which are installed into the rock.We also had to negotiate 50 metres of ladders down a sheer rock face and we were able to cross the new 90m long rope bridge, the Salbitbrücke. This was a special experience, not only because it only opened this summer but because our mountain-guide was actually the man behind building the bridge and the landlord of the Salbithütte.
(See photos of the bridge construction)
Around 19.00 hrs we were back at the car with very heavy legs and great memories of a wonderful tour.

29 August 2009

Let the nations be glad

I have just finished reading the revised and expanded edition of a contemporary mission classic – John Piper's, Let the nations be glad: The Supremacy of God in Missions (First published in 1994 and revised in 2003. Inter-varsity press)
Piper asks the hard questions about why we do missions. He asks if it is possible to be saved by any other means than through Christ. He then argues, quite convincingly, using scripture, that it is not possible. This leaves us with two realities: 1) People who die without Christ will go to hell; and 2) it is our mission to make Christ known among the nations so that people will be saved from eternal punishment and become worshipers of God rather than of themselves and things.
"Saving faith means receiving Christ as your treasure, not just as a deliverer from pain. It is possible to claim faith in Christ as merely a rescuer from hell. Such faith saves no one. [...] Until your soul has a thirst for Christ as the bread of life and living water, you will use Christ for what your soul thirsts after. Many people who claim to have saving faith simply use Christ to get what they really want, which is not Christ but his gifts (escape from hell, peace of mind, health of body, a better marriage, a social network, etc.). We are saved by coming to Christ not only as our deliverer but also as our treasure–coming for all that God is for us in Jesus."

This is not a book to read with the television going in the background. It demands the full attention of an engaged mind and heart. I found myself stopping on occasions to 'come up for air' and to contemplate the reality of what I had just read and given my assent to.
For me, I found particularly helpful his dealing with the questions of what is meant by going to 'the nations' and what it means for a country or a people group to be classified as 'reached'. I am bothered when mission organizations draw up their maps of the world and colour-in whole countries they are 'reaching' when in reality there may be only one worker, most of the churches in the country may never have heard of the mission and no significant ministry has been established. We must resist the temptation in missions to exaggerate in order to impress. Our reports should be acurate and not missleading. They should also be careful to acknowledge the work of indigenous churches and other organisations and avoid giving the impression that they (or we) are the only poeple doing any worthwhile Gospel work.
"In spite of the fact that every nation of the world has been penetrated with the gospel, four out of five non-Christians are still cut off from the gospel because the barriers are cultural and linguistic, not geographic." Quoting Ralph D. Winter he writes: "Why is this fact not more widely known? I'm afraid that all our exultation about the fact that every country of the world has been penetrated has allowed many to suppose that every culture has by now been penetrated. [...]"

This book must surely be essential reading for Christian missionaries, pastors and Christian leaders.

27 August 2009

Let me tell you where I am with facebook


Go to my facebook page

Slovakian Annual CEF Conference


I have just returned from taking part in the annual CEF conference in Slovakia. Around 100 people of all ages were in attendance for all or part of the 4 day programme. I had a couple of seminars each day on Youth Challenge related subjects. This was particularly appropriate as it tied in with the launch of the JYC manual, 'God Says' in Slovakian.
It was a particular privilege to share the pulpit with Czeslaw Bassara who was the main Bible teacher. After the conference I accompanied Josef and Lubica to visit the CEF camp centre, the National Office, their home and a half day visit of the centre of Bratislava.

08 August 2009

Visiting Geneva





During our holiday we spent 2 days in Geneva, Switzerland (a drive of around 3 hours from our home). We have never really had a look around the city before and as this is the 500th anniversary of the birth of the most influential man ever to live in the city, we took the opportunity to visit the sites associated with John Calvin. It was very special to be able to visit these locations and to remember one who was so influential in continuing what Luther and others had begun. His pulpit was central to his ministry in Geneva, for it was here that he brought the people away from the traditions of Rome and back to the Word of God. It was here that he brought comfort and hope to Genevan's and others who were seeking refuge from increasing persecution in France and other European countries.
What made his ministry distinctive was his Bible-based, Christ-centered, and life-changing systematic, verse-by-verse exposition of the scriptures both through preaching and in writing, particularly his magnum opus, Institutes of the Christian Religion.
It was a personal joy for me as a father to explain the significance of these things to my sons as we sat under that great pulpit in St. Pierre Cathedral. I was so glad that they were interested as I simply explained to them "that we should be very thankful to God for the Pastor who preached here, because he told the people that what the Bible said was more important than anything else and that as a result of his preaching, the same message went out across Europe and the world".
It was also a unique experience to visit the Reformation Wall in the Le parc des Bastions and to look upon the 5 m-tall statues of Calvinism's 4 main proponents: Theodore Beza (1519 – 1605), John Calvin (1509 – 1564), William Farel (1489 – 1565) and John Knox (c.1513 – 1572).
We also visited the International Museum of the Reformation and the special exhibition they are hosting entitled, A day in the life of John Calvin.
It's not cheap to stay in Geneva, so we took the cheapest option, a tent in a nearby-campsite! An added bonus was the free travel passes that every guest staying in the City receives. This gives free use of buses, boats, trains and trams, so we were able to get around the city without the hassle of driving and looking for a parking space.

25 July 2009

Armenia - Day 7


It was hard to say goodbye last night to this lovely group of students. They were a joy to teach and I was blessed to spend a week with them. They are overflowing with questions and they have an almost inexhaustibly appetite for learning in order to be equipped to minister to the children and teens of Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh and Iran.
Classes continue until the 26 August 2009 when they will complete the first ever 12 week CMLC in Armenia. Some will go back to a children's ministry in their own church, others will be applying to CEF. Pray for God to raise up new workers out of this group and that they will be able to raise the necessary support. Praise God that we are also provisionally planning a JYC Instructor Course for January 2011.

23 July 2009

Armenia - Day 6

Tomorrow is my last day in Armenia so I was glad for the opportunity following my classes today to spend the afternoon with Terenik and Hasmik getting various things in Yerevan. Below are some of the photographs of things that you can see about the city. For example it is very common at this time of year on almost every main street to see sellers of water melons. These are often piled up in rows or displayed on specially made shelves. Fruit and vegetables, soft drinks, eggs and coffee (ground while you wait) can also be purchased.
To a westerner as a passenger in a car, there seem to be near misses at almost every junction but amazingly we always seem to make it - just!

22 July 2009

Armenia - Day 5

The Manoukians came today to visit the CMLC and meet the students. It is a dream come true for them, after pioneering the work here in 1991 to live to see the moment, 18 years later, when Armenia has its own 'leadership training institute'. It was a pleasure to have them present while teaching and also to have lunch with them.

Last night I was continuing to read in John Piper's book, Let the Nations Be Glad: The Supremacy of God in Missions. I read something on prayer that I found very challenging and well worth sharing:

Prayer is the walkie-talkie of the church on the battlefield of the world in the service of the Word. It is not a domestic intercom to increase the temporal comforts of the saints. It malfunctions in the hands of soldiers who have gone AWOL. It is for those on active duty. And in their hands it proves the supremacy of God in the pursuit of the nations. When missions moves forward by prayer, it magnifies the power of God. When it moves by human management, it magnifies man.”

21 July 2009

Armenia - Day 4

A little cloud cover brought some welcome relief from the high temperatures of recent days. It also gave me the needed stimulation to venture outside this afternoon and to climb the mountain across the valley. The scenery is magnificent and I am constantly reminded that these were some of the first mountain peeks to appear following the great Flood.
The second day of classes went very well. I have now discovered that about five of the students speak English well enough to hold a conversation and many of the rest understand some. When in different countries, I have found that a good way of getting to know people is to simply say, “tell me how you became a Christian”. Then I try to listen attentively remembering the key events. It’s true that behind every face – there’s a story. I’m looking forward to hearing many more such conversation stories this week.
I don’t know what the architect was thinking when he designed the centre we are staying in. It has quite a unique shape (one set of stairs with no corners leading from a huge lobby up 5 floors). Also for the past 3 weeks another organisation has been staying in the same centre. They are a fairly large group of teenagers and as you can imagine they bring their own ‘extra loud noise level’ with them. It has been difficult for the CMLC students to study in the evenings and to get enough sleep, as it is seldom quiet in the house before midnight. CEF did not know about this when hiring the facility but things should be back to normal this weekend. Thank you for continuing to pray for us.

20 July 2009

Armenia - Day 3

Today I taught my first classes. It was refreshing to stand in front of a group of 20 students, were the average age would appear to be in the mid 20's! I was really humbled by a sense of the awesome potential there is for God to use this group of people to raise up a new generation of Armenian children who will know and love their God. What a privilege it is to be here for a week and to be able to make such a valuable investment.

19 July 2009

Armenia - Day 2

Today I was in the capital city Yerevan and it was 40ºc! I was the guest of Pastor Levon Bardakjian at the Evangelical Church of Yerevan. Two of our CMLC students come from his church. It was a wonderful service, the Pastor was so very supportive. He interviewed the two girls gave me 15 minutes to share about the work of CEF and another 30 minutes to preach (maybe it was longer - probably it was longer)! It was one of those messages were I left my manuscript and really sensed God the Holy Spirit carrying me along and prompting my mind with the things I should say. I consider occasions like these to be among the greatest blessings of the ministry. The service will probably be televised on the local Christian TV station.
I myself was blessed to meet so many beautiful saints and to listen to their stories. I even met Armine and George Manoukian who first started the work of CEF in Armenia back in 1991 (their son-in-law is the Pastor!). They attended the first ever Leadership Training Institute at Kilchzimmer in 1973! They now live in USA but they were on one of their many trips to this country. Over lunch they shared some of their amazing story of how God has kept them and used them to His glory to see a work established among the children of Armenia. I could have listened to them all day.
Later we drove around the city picking up students, and my interpreter, before driving back to the centre. Now we are ready for the week of teaching to begin.

18 July 2009

Armenia - Day 1

I arrived in the early hours of this morning and was met at the airport by the CEF leader for Armenia and brought to our centre. The 20 students have just finished their practical week and they have been given the weekend off. In the afternoon, Terenik took me, his family and those of us who were around to see a nearby lake and the orthodox church at the top of the hill.
Tomorrow I will share about the work and preach in a church in the centre of Yerevan (Armenia's capital city). Then from Monday to Friday I will be teaching in the CMLC (Children's Ministry Leadership Course).

06 July 2009

Happy 500th Birthday Jean Caulvin *10 July 1509

John Calvin
(Born 10 July 1509)

Read more about the signifigance of John Calvin in this online version of Tabletalk Magazine
This issue celebrates the 500th birthday of John Calvin by looking at his legacy. Contributors include R.C. Sproul, Thabiti Anyabwile, Richard Gamble, David Hall, Keith Mathison, Iain Murray, David Powlison, Gordon Reed, Philip Graham Ryken, R.C. Sproul Jr., Derek Thomas, and Gene Edward Veith.

18 June 2009

Disbelief and shock

Two German women murdered in Yemen were Brake Bible College students. Anita G. (24) and Rita S. (25) were working at the Al-Dschumhuri hospital in Saada, Yemen as part of their summer internship. The hospital is run by the Dutch humanitarian organisation Worldwide Services. The women were taken hostage north of Saada on 12 June along with a German couple, their three children, a British engineer and a South-Korean woman. (At the time of writing, the fate of the others was still awaiting official confirmation.) The two women came from a Russian-German Baptist Church in the Gifhorn area near the city of Wolfsburg in Germany.

On Tuesday evening, the German TV news networks had this as their top story. The principal of the Bible College featured on many of the reports. While there is shock and sympathy in the secular media there are also many aspersions being cast which are only adding to the pain. The college has stressed that the women were not involved in evangelism but only in humanitarian work in a local hospital. If you understand German you can read the statements from the Bible College here.

CEF Europe has had a close relationship with Brake over many years. Many former Brake students have taken our Leadership Course at Kilchzimmer and are serving the Lord across the globe. As former students ourselves, we are also deeply troubled by the news of these murders.

Now the photographs of the women have been released to the press – their faces are very familiar! Through several visits to Brake Bible school in the last few years, I have gotten to know many of their classmates. I remember speaking for a long time to Anita in 2007. Now I am trying to remember the conversation... but I know I shared with her how God had led in my life and encouraged her to trust God for each step in her own life. She listened intently and seemed to soak in every word I was saying. She struck me as a young lady with a real deep desire to serve the Lord. Now she has paid the ultimate price. Today Anita and Rita are in the presence of the Lord. We don't understand why but our God knows best (Phil. 1:21).

Please pray for all affected, especially the families, friends, school colleagues and staff in Brake.

------
News report from the German Evangelical News Agency IDEA in English

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02 June 2009

Discovering the Black Forest

Pentecost Monday is a public holiday in Germany so we took advantage of a special train ticket deal to go and explore some of the Black Forest.

11 May 2009

Another weekend

Friday night JYC (twister, smelly socks, new muscles and Bible study)
Saturday - school outing to the local bird park
Sunday - church (we eat together every second Sunday)

05 May 2009

4.5 on the richter scale


At 3.39 am this morning we jumped out of bed screaming. As the children came running into our bedroom we instinctively knew that we had just experienced our first ever earthquake. It was scary! It's not uncommon for this area to have minor tremors but this was certainly above average!
The bed shook and it was over in less than a second. The noise was a loud, deep rumble, like many lorries driving through the house or someone using a power drill with hammer action.
This morning I checked the website and confirmed that it was indeed a tremor that could be felt within a 100 km radius. When we put on the news, we discovered that they have pinpointed the epicenter to the town of Steinen. Heard of it before? It's the town 7 miles from here where we go to church and where God has been really blessing recently. Maybe I should have titled this post "Church causes seismic waves in Steinen" :) Steinen actually is the German word for 'stones'. Well the stones were certainly moving this morning!
At this time, no damage has been reported. We are thankful that it wasn't worse. In 1356 a huge earthquake destroyed the nearby city of Basel.
Listening to the reports coming in, most local people here were woken by the quake, but simply turned over and went to sleep again. Everyone is talking about it but they don't appear to be overly concerned. The authorities have said that aftershocks can not be ruled out.

04 May 2009

"Gott ist treu!" 50 years Bibelschule Brake


Since its foundation in 1959 under John Parschauer, Ernest Klassen und Heinz Weber, Brake Bible School in Germany has trained over 1,800 people many of whom are serving today in over 60 countries worldwide. Claudia and I graduated in 1999 and we both look back with thanks for the privilege of spending 3 years living and studying at this wonderful place and to be a little part of this history.
The missionary exhibition, which this year was held outdoors, proved to be a great success. The beautiful spring weather and circa 2000 visitors provided the perfect backdrop for meeting old friends and catching up with what God has been doing in our lives.
Some of the current students are interested in joining CEF. Pray that the conversations we had with them over the weekend will be used of God to direct them to the next step.

11 April 2009

mission-net





Mission-net continues until Sunday evening. We are really enjoying being here and so thankful for this privilege. I have 2 more seminars on Sunday to interpret but it is going well. Thanks for your prayers.

01 April 2009

The worlds' leaders are coming to Germany are you?

This weekend will see the worlds' leaders descend on the French-German border for a NATO summit (about 1 hour north of us). Preparations have been ongoing for months and the locals are having to put up with a number of restrictions on their movements during the weekend.

What most of the delegates probably don't know is that around 3,000 young people from all over Europe are expected to descend on Germany (8-13 April) for a summit that could make an even bigger mark on history – the mission-net congress.
CEF and 150 other mission organisations, Bible colleges etc will be there. Through the speakers, seminars and conversations at the missions exhibition, we are seeking to mobilize young people who will go out across Europe to tell men and women and boys and girls the Good News of the Gospel. What about you? Are you coming? It's not too late to sign up! You can still register online.

20 March 2009

"I don't know"

He's on TV all around the world preaching but what does he believe? Larry King puts him on the spot but watch how he dodges the questions and count how many times he says "I don't know".


"I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed." Galatians 1:6-8.

I believe
the clip below demonstrates how today 'a different gospel' is being propagated. We can only share in the apostle's astonishment when he exclaims "O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?" Galatians 3:1

"Jesus said to him, “I am
the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6


For an excellent critic on this and a passionate call for men to come forward who know the truth and are willing to proclaim it, make sure you download and listen to Steve Lawson's message at the 2009 Shepherds' Conference (General session 8). It's the best message I have heard this year! Click here for an outline of the message

16 March 2009

Irish night in France


The Herons who were with (Irish) Baptist Missions are now pastoring the Baptist Church in Colmar, France. As it is only 50 minutes away and we heard that they were having a special outreach evening with an Irish band – we decided it was time we went along.It was so good to hear the music, see the images of the emerald isle, hear the (Northern) Irish accents and to see the Herons in their new ministry. In fact I was pleased to find out that most of the guys in the band are actually Irish baptists! The church was well filled and Andrew told me that there was also a good number of visitors.The band continues to play throughout France and Switzerland this week. Pray for them that through their music and the presentation of the Gospel in word and song, that people will become aware of their spiritual state and their need of the Saviour.

Come, People of the Risen King

08 March 2009

JYC training course in Karlsruhe, Germany

Sword drill demo
Stefan (local CEF worker) teaching the class on starting a JYC
It was a joy to help out Stefan and to teach the 8 students who had traveled from across Southern Germany and from as far as Winterthur in Switzerland. The students have 2 more weekends when they will come together for more classes. Pray for them that they will learn much and that as a result new JYC's will start in Germany and Switzerland.

24 February 2009

Bookworm activities in 2009

I am quite a slow reader (I like to chew long) but there's nothing I like to do more on these winter evenings after getting the children to bed, than to turn off the computer (to resist the compulsion to constantly check my in-box), put some logs on the fire, make a cup of German Jakobs coffee, switch on the reading light, grab the highlighter and pen and sink into the double sofa to disappear into a good read. Good intentions often end in my eyes closing on me after 30 minutes or so but I am getting better at keeping awake and staying concentrated.
Above is the pile of books that I hope to get through this year! They are mostly theological books which I read both devotionaly and for the purpose of keeping abreast with current trends and winds of doctrine.
I also read in order to sharpen my skills in areas of interest. For example the book slide:ology is written by one of the worlds leading design agencies and focuses on making good PowerPoint presentations. This is something I often have to create as I both teach and promote the work of CEF. I have also had opportunity to teach other CEF workers and future workers on this subject. The book on public speaking from Richard Bewes is another example of reading to sharpen skills. Some of the books were given to me as gifts with the recommendation of the giver.
In addition to reading the above, I ensure that I give priority to the reading of God's Word. I have been following the 'Bible in a Year Plan' in my Explorer Quiet Time notes. For this I use the ESV study bible and often listen to it online while reading (I find this helps me to concentrate and to retain more). If I continue to keep up with the readings, I will have completed this in September.
In between I pick up Grudem's huge Systematic Theology and read a chapter of that.
I also subscribe to the monthly Evangelical Times and Evangelicals Now, and the quarterly Gemeindegründung. On top of that are all the blogs which I find impossible to keep up with! There's just so much information and good solid material out there (can you ask for a Sabatical after two years service :) )???
As well as all of this reading, I listen regularly to sermons I download on my iPod. They are normally sermon series or Pastors/Leadership conferences. On my playlist you would find, John Piper, Don Carson, John MacArthur, Mark Driscoll, Mark Dever, C.J. Mahaney, Alistair Begg and music from Sovereign Grace Music.
Perhaps I will post the odd review and recommendation over the coming months.

23 February 2009

The wrath of God that I deserved

I'm currently reading Pierced for Our Transgressions: Rediscovering the Glory of Penal Substitution. The song below contains excellent theology on this subject and has helped to restore to me the glory of this doctrine. (Isaiah 53:5)

His Forever

From Worship God Live. Words and Music by Pat Sczebel, © Sovereign Grace Worship (ASCAP)

Jesus, friend of sinners
Loved me ’ere I knew Him
Drew me with His cords of love
Tightly bound me to Him
’Round my heart still closely twined
The ties that none can sever
For I am His and He is mine
Forever and forever

Jesus, friend of sinners
A crown of thorns You wore for me
Bruised for my transgressions
Pierced for my iniquities
The wrath of God that I deserved
Was poured out on the Innocent
He took my place, my soul to save
Now I am His forever

Jesus, friend of sinners
I love to tell the story
Redeeming love has been my theme
And will be when in glory
Not death nor life nor anything
Can ever separate me
O love that will not let me go
Yes, I am His forever

Download it here or get it on iTunes

14 February 2009

Text revision of the next JYC manual completed

Together with David Crutchley, I have just completed the text revision of the next JYC manual 'The World'. We are very excited about how this project has developed and we think this could be the best manual yet!
Please pray for Sarah as she now edits and proofreads and for Brent as he works on the layout and design.
We praise God for giving us the strength to reach this important milestone. The finished product should be out in May.