Make Time to Watch Rachel Barkey

So you may have seen links on some other blogs to this video about a lady dying from cancer named Rachel Barkey. You may have clicked on the link, then seen how long the video was and moved on... Let me strongly encourage you to sit down some evening this week and take the hour to watch the whole thing. You cannot watch Rachel's talk and remain unaffected. She is a beautiful personification of Job 13:15, "Though he slay me, I will hope in him." Taylor and I just finished watching the video and I am praising God for the courageous, Christ-exalting witness of Rachel Barkey.

Rachel's Site: Death is not Dying

MP3 Sermons vs. Your Pastor's Sermons

Began thinking some about this dilemma after listening to a message on counseling at the Sovereign Grace Pastor's conference. In that message the speaker admonished us to encourage people we are counseling to make the sermons in their local church a higher priority than those of "super-star" preachers. This focus is supported by the truth that God is sovereignly speaking through your pastor to you in ways that miscellaneous preachers aren't. Forget people I'm counseling - that was convicting to me!

Here's a post by Tony Reinke on the same topic: MP3 Sermons vs. Your Pastor's Sermons

Woman @ the Well

Wish I had found this video prior to preaching on the Woman at the Well a couple of weeks ago...

Courage and Choosing to Suffer

I praise God for the courage demonstrated by this family.

Hospitality and the Gospel

Piper connects them here.

Mark Driscoll Debating the Existence of Satan

Watch the Nightline Face-Off on whether or not Satan exists.

From the ABC News website:

In this third installment, philosopher Deepak Chopra and Bishop Carlton Pearson will face-off against Pastor Mark Driscoll of the Mars Hill Church and Annie Lobert, founder of the Christian ministry "Hookers for Jesus" about the existence of the Devil.

1 Peter 3 Beauty

Hoping that my Tabitha will resemble this young lady when she's thirteen... I love how she displays an intelligent confidence in the truth of God's word combined with a humble, gentle spirit. It made me think of 1 Peter 3:3-4:

Do not let your adorning be external--the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear--but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.



Read more about Deborah Drapper at The Rebelution.


(HT: Josh Harris)

The New Calvinism in TIME

A recent edition of TIME Magazine featured "10 Ideas Changing the World". Number three on their list was The New Calvinism. Very interesting that they picked this to be on their list. You can read the article here.

I also found that Thabiti Anyabwile offered some wise cautionary advice concerning this article. Why the Time Magazine Trumpeting of New Calvinism Is a Bad Thing

Never Let the Gospel Get Smaller

John Piper exhorts us to Never Let the Gospel Get Smaller.

Al Jazeera on Iraqi Converts

I would encourage you to pray for pastor Hazem Gergeis and his church....