God-centered resources from the ministry of John Piper

I love the prayer of David in 1 Chronicles 29:10-14. It has been on my heart during this conference season. David's prayer perfectly expresses the amazing grace of God that any of us has the privilege of serving the Lord ("who am I?"), and our utter dependance on the Lord for all things including the strength to serve him!

Therefore David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly. And David said: "Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.

And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name. But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you."

So as we serve at the pastors conference next week, we have the sheer joy of rendering back to God what he has so graciously given to us because of Christ.

Here are a few facts to let you know what things will be like at this year's conference:

• About 1500 attendees (our largest pastors conference to date)
• Nearly all 50 states represented
• 10 other countries represented: Brazil, Chile, Czech Republic, Great Britain, Ireland, Canada, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, and the Philippines
• New venue this year: the Minneapolis Convention Center
• Speakers: D. A. Carson, Crawford Loritts, Greg Livingstone, and John Piper
• A 9,000 square foot bookstore and a 12,000 square foot fellowship hall.
• 10 ministry exhibitors
• Nearly 130 staff and volunteers working during the conference

And if you would like to join us in prayer, please ask God to...

• prepare the hearts of attendees and pour out his Spirit on them; that he would use the father-son dynamic to bring relational healing and blessing to many father, sons, grandfathers.
• provide traveling mercy to all; that the international attendees would have easy logistics in travel and find the conference uniquely refreshing to their souls.
• bless the convention center staff; that He would keep us safe and cause all the logistics to run smoothly; that they would see Christ in us and then want to know him as their treasure and joy, too.
• grant the empowering of his Spirit to each speaker as they study and prepare; that each speaker would find joy in his ministry and would truly sense the Spirit carrying him along and leading him; that each speaker would be refreshed and encouraged in the Gospel as a result of being here.
• cause the books in the bookstore "to run" and the truth in them "be glorified"; that the bookstore and fellowship hall would be an oasis of grace and encouragement and joy.
• cause the exhibitors and attendees to connect in providential ways; that relationships between exhibitors and pastors would be initiated that might bear spiritual fruit for the sake of the Kingdom.
• cause the staff and volunteers to serve in the strength that he supplies so that, in all the conference details, he would get the glory; that we would walk by the Spirit; that we would constantly breath up prayers for help and strength and guidance; that our speech would minister grace; that, in serving attendees, each staff member and volunteer would experience the blessing of knowing that it is better to give than to receive.
• give good health to all involved.

Thank you for praying!