Tyler Kenney is the Web Content Assistant at Desiring God.

After Solomon’s reign and the split of the twelve tribes, not one king of Israel, the northern kingdom, was righteous. Nearly every monarch gets the explicit judgment, “he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.”

But despite their unremitting evil the Lord still had mercy:

The Lord was gracious to them and had compassion on them, and he turned toward them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them (2 Kings 13:23).

God’s good to his people depended on the great promises he made to the patriarchs, promises that went far beyond their lifetimes. They were faithful men who persevered to the end, but they died, and God’s word still remained unfulfilled.

So God, being a “man of his word,” simply (gloriously!) followed through on what he had sworn. He blessed their descendants for generations, no matter how wicked they became. He didn’t count their trespasses against them, but he blessed them because of the faithfulness of their fathers and his faithfulness to his word.

What’s even more encouraging is that today God does this same thing for anyone who makes themselves a descendant of Abraham through faith in the Messiah (Romans 4:16). On account of Christ’s faithfulness we who gain adoption through him are forgiven all of our trespasses, are reconciled to God, and receive every good thing that his obedience earned.

Despite eight years of new life in Christ, my poor, guilty soul still becomes overwhelmingly anxious at times. A dark cloud comes and just sits over my head, not letting any hope from God’s promises or past faithfulness get through and restore my joy.

And it’s my fault. It’s unbelief and sin.

God never intended for me to find my abiding joy in the circumstances of this life—“in this world you will have trouble”—but to hope in him and his salvation (Habakkuk 3:17-19; 1 Peter 1:13).

Nonetheless, I still let outward things determine my inward state, with the result that I have fickle joy, not Paul-like joy—the kind that would lead me to say,

I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. (Phillipians 4:12)

So when this unhappy lack of sturdy joy leads me to pray (which it always does, and I thank God!), I don’t want to pray primarily for my circumstances to change. I want to pray first for my unbelieving heart to change.

And then I take more comfort in the Father than ever before:

Return, O faithless sons; I will heal your faithlessness. (Jeremiah 3:22)

Leprosy can make life a lot simpler. Being terminally ill often cultivates the clarity of mind that enables people to approach things that are good for them, but which previously made them cower.

Remember the four lepers of Samaria? The city was being starved to death under siege from Syria, and these four were stuck outside the gate between the city and the Syrian army.

They deliberated,

If we say, ‘Let us enter the city,’ the famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we die also. So now come, let us go over to the camp of the Syrians. If they spare our lives we shall live, and if they kill us we shall but die. (2 Kings 7:4)

The question wasn’t whether or not they'd die. That was the no-brainer that their leprosy helped them recognize. The issue, then, was simply when and where: Next week in the city? Tomorrow at the gate? Or today at the hands of our enemies?

They concluded that their enemies could do nothing more to them than what nature had already assigned. And, unlike their city and their skin, their enemies might even show them mercy.

So, in this case, the most frightful prospect was actually the wisest, most fruitful way to go.

Confused about or unfamiliar with the "doctrines of grace"? Do you want to learn more about their biblical foundations and implications for the Christian life?

We've just updated Pastor John's TULIP seminar with new audio and video.

In this seminar he goes through all five points—Total depravity, Unconditional election, Limited atonement, Irresistible grace, and Perseverance of the saints. He identifies them from the Scriptures, considering the arguments against them, and explaining why this package called "Calvinism"—though controversial—is wonderfully good news.

The only sign of religion I saw while driving through Malibu today—alongside the Mercedes, Porsches, and Ferraris—was a single cross carved into the side of a college building.

True, a lack of churches on main street is not a certain indication of a city's spiritual condition, but it made me remember Pastor John's exhortation on Saturday to beware the love of money.

Malibu has nice houses, great views, big beaches, and wonderful weather. No doubt about it—part of me would enjoy spending some extended time there. But I'm thinking that, on account of my weakness, I'd do better to join Agur in his prayer:

Give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with the food that is needful for me,
lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?”
or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.
(Proverbs 30:8-9)

I asked Scott Anderson, Events Director at Desiring God, why we're having this regional conference here in San Luis Obispo.

The idea came about three years ago during the Passion book promotion. The Central Coast Evangelical Pastors Network (CCEPN) did a massive giveaway, and I knew at that time that we must have some mission partners out there.

That's when we connected with Steve Potratz, owner of Parable and chair of the CCEPN steering committee. God graced us with a relationship with him and, through him, a coalition of churches and people who have now gone through several Piper books and DVD kits. Conversations about a regional conference also began to stir.

It's because of their partnership that we've been able to host this conference and the big college event here at Cal Poly tomorrow night.

So we chose San Luis Obispo because of key relationships out there.

We also chose it because it's a really nice place to live, which means that the temptation to waste your life is strong here. So it's a place that needs to hear the call to not waste your life.

We want the central coast of California to be a sending place to the world rather than a destination.

On my flight yesterday morning, I asked two fellow California-bound travelers, “What do you think a conference about not wasting your life would be about?”

“I think of a self-help program with some guy giving ten easy steps for how to not waste your life,” was Eric’s response.

Ben had the same notion, only a little more specific: “It sounds like a self-help group that’s focused on career development.”

“What is a wasted life?” I then asked.

Eric didn’t hesitate: “It’s when someone doesn’t challenge themselves and doesn’t constantly seek new experiences in life.”

“It’s when someone doesn’t seek the good of society but only seeks to benefit themselves,” said Ben.

John Piper just finished his first of three messages on this theme of Don't Waste Your Life, here in San Luis Obispo.

Read or listen to what he has to say about “The Essence of the Unwasted Life.”

Perhaps the best paragraph in the whole Lord of the Rings trilogy is when Frodo is honored with a song to celebrate his success in destroying the Ring of Doom.

And all the host laughed and wept, and in the midst of their merriment and tears the clear voice of the minstrel rose like silver and gold, and all men were hushed. And he sang to them…until their hearts, wounded with sweet words, overflowed, and their joy was like swords, and they passed in thought out to regions where pain and delight flow together and tears are the very wine of blessedness. (The Return of the King, 933)

Like those who listened to the minstrel’s song, we who see our Savior in the last day will also be made merry with the story of his victory. And we too will be hushed by and wounded with the sweet words that are sung of his self-sacrifice on our behalf.

We will have joy like swords—bright and piercing—and all of the pain and loss of Christ’s death (and our daily dying with him) will only mix with and enhance our bliss.

Session 7: Question and Answers - Piper, Carson, Loritts, Livingstone

The answers to the questions below are summaries from my notes, not necessarily direct quotations. Listen to the audio to see what they said exactly.

How do you sing about God's sovereignty when his providence is sometimes so destructive, even of good things?

John Piper: You do it the way Job did. He fell on his face, saying "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord." That's how he sang. Jesus spoke and made the storm still, and he still has complete control. If you read your Bible, every page of it, then you simply have to stop believing if you can't handle carnage in the world. The horrors of suffering are no surprise to those in Scripture. "Do not think it strange..." (1 Peter 4:12). Don't wait until the suffering shows up until you decide what to do with it. Just settle it: "He reigns!" And weep with your mouth shut.

D. A. Carson: You have to be able to believe many things at once. You have to believe in his goodness as well as acknowledge that there is still pain and evil in the world. And you have to remember the cross. The ultimate evidence of God's love is Jesus, and this Jesus is the one who suffered and died and now reigns over every disaster.

Crawford Loritts: Get on your knees and look at 1 Peter 1:3-9. Our reaction to tragedy shows what we are focusing on most. Peter talks about rejoicing because of the things that last forever. And if we focus on that, we will find a lot of our questions answered already.

John, why did your dad only visit you twice while living in Minnesota?

JP: I don't know the answer. It is an odd thing, but I never held it against him. I'm not afraid to criticize my dad, but it isn't a sore for me. I think my dad was an emotionally broken person. We never talked about really deep personal things, which was a weakness in him. I've discovered that weakness in me, and my sons know that I'm trying to improve. It probably has something to do with a lack of intimacy between him and his father as well as his personality.

Crawford, could you tell us why it took your dad 40 years to tell you, "I love you"?

CL: It's important for us to communicate to our kids that they didn't have a fourth member of the trinity raising them. My father was not perfect. Pop was impatient, and my wife says it's genetic. He had a bit of a short fuse. He didn't suffer stupidity and foolishness with us. He had glaring weaknesses. I never once doubted that my dad loved me. He could be tough as nails and tender as all get-out. But he never articulated "I love you" because of his generation. He didn't want to feminize me. I longed to hear him say it, but it was never a wound to me. He wasn't cold or detached. He made time for me, hugged me, was tremendously affectionate. Just saying those words, in his generation, was not a very manly thing to do.

DA: It is shuddering to think what our children will say about our blind spots in 40 years.

Greg, can you address your signing of A Common Word?

Greg Livingstone: When people have lived for years and years looking for an open door, they find themselves getting a bit hasty when they see an opportunity. Some of us are more called to defense of the faith, and others are more called to opportunity.

I'm not afraid to rebuke the American Christian that thinks that Muslims are bigger sinners than we are. The idea of signing it was to get into the same room as these guys, and then to get one on one. There might be a Nicodemus among them.

Should it have gone in the NY Times? Probably not. It's not my first mistake.

In regards to the Trinity, does the Father exalt the Father or is it just the Son who exalts him?

DA: I once read The Pleasures of God, which I think is John Piper's most important book. That states it best.

JP: It is absolutely true that the Son exalts the Father and the Father exalts the Son, but God is no less God-centered. It is no help to try and soften what sounds like megalomania by defering to language about the Trinity. God's exaltation of his own glory is the very fullness from which his love flows.

How can I discern between taking courageous action and waiting on the Lord?

CL: Major in the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The Word of God is our life, and if you want to know His will, it's in the Scriptures. Nevertheless, there is the existential ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The spiritual disciplines serve to help us tap into his ministering.

In the counsel of many there is wisdom. I don't trust any decision I make alone. If there is persistent desire in your heart, pay attention to that too.

Be careful to not equate courage with extroversion. It is about being focused, passionate, and serious about what God has said, and acting accordingly.

How do I honor a father who is an unbeliever or spiritually less mature than me?

DA: There's no formulaic answer to this. The principle of honoring our parents doesn't mean that we obey all that they tell us to do, just as honoring the king doesn't mean you do everything he tells you to do. You don't render to Caeser the things that are not Caeser's. There are ways of disagreeing with our fathers honorably.

JP: The text says to not only honor the king, but to honor all men (i.e. rapists, murders, etc.). How? 1) They are made in the image of God. 2) They have the potential to be sons of God. 3) Listen to them. This honors them. 4) Talk to them in the right tone of voice. Revere the office they hold (and parents hold an office).

What determines which doctrines are fundamental and which ones are necessary?

JP: My principial answer is that the fundamental doctrines are those that grow out from the center of the gospel: Christ died for our sins and rose again the third day. Who is Christ? What happened at the cross? What is the nature of faith? etc.

The closer it is towards the center, the more necessary it is for being a Christian, the more fundamental it is.

DA: When Paul writes to the Corinthains he addresses the matters of first importance: the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ (1 Cor 15). The Bible itself insists that there is a core of doctrines that are most important. As soon as you start assuming the center and then just focusing on the marginal items, the next generation will be looser on the center. Be prophetic from the center to address the margins, but don't leave it.

How do you evangelize a Muslim friend?

GL: When you get to methodology of witness, you aren't dealing with a lot of absolutes. You're dealing with attitudes: humility, kindness, etc. These things are commanded of us as Christians. And we have lots to be humble about. Try to understand the motivation of the other person. Schaeffer said it well: "I'd much rather win the man than the debate."

How do you stay fresh spiritually?

GL: I talk to God first thing in the morning. I keep a running conversation all day. When I realize that I've been so busy with somebody else and gone out of communion with him, I repent and renew that communion with him. I also journal and converse with him then. I journal to the Lord.

I usually start my morning by going over the day before. I also seek to meditate on the word and not read it too fast.

CL: I wake up early, go to my study, and get on my face before the Lord. I ask him to take the items of my day. I listen to sermons on the treadmill in the morning. Then I go and read my Bible and journal.

There is a relationship between my physical pace and my spiritual freshness. I pay close attention to my physical exhaustion because it can take my soul down with it.

DA: My traveling makes me irregular. I try to compensate then by taking extra time. I'll take a half day here and there, before leaving on the next trip. I also keep a prayer list, so that I'm not left praying just for those things that happen to come to mind.

Pick up where you are. Don't think that your acceptability before God is dependent on your devotional life.

Being in close fellowship with other people in worship is also a strong means for spiritual freshness.

JP: Everything I have tried to answer for that question is found in When I Don't Desire God. Similar to what Crawford said, I find physical fitness an important factor in my spiritual life. I feel spiritually numb when I don't get enough sleep, and if that numbness endures then I'm a goner.

Session 6: "Fathering a Pioneer Mission Ministry" - Greg Livingstone

In this message, Greg Livingstone shares his experiences of fathering and being fathered, at home and abroad, for the glory of God.

Greg wasn't fathered by his biological father. He never knew him. But he was fathered by his brothers in Christ. And now he is the father, not only of his biological sons, but of countless missionaries and Muslims also.

Who are you fathering? We can each multiply our lives through those around us and those in the far corners of the world (2 Timothy 2:2). God's will is that you be a "both-and" pastor, not "either-or." We are called to be his witness in both Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).

This morning The Bethlehem Institute (TBI) hosted an informative breakout session. TBI is a ministry of Bethlehem Baptist Church that seeks to spread a passion for the supremacy of God through higher education.

They offer three tracks for educational development:

1) Track 1: Leadership Training. This track is for anyone in the church who wants to be better equipped for mission work, teaching Sunday school, etc. The four courses offered in this track have been turned into curricula that will soon be available to order.

2) Track 2: Vocational Elder Training. This track offers seminary level education in a church context. Students learn to diagram and arc in Greek, read Hebrew, and learn preaching with John Piper. They are also involved in ministry at Bethlehem and mentored by a pastor. Graduates have gone into Christian academics, pastoring, and missions. There is also now a worship pastor concentration.

3) Track 3: Academic Credit Programs. This includes INSIGHT, a fully accredited equivalent to a freshman or sophomore year of college. There are also options for earning a B.A. in Global Studies or an M.A. in International Development.

Session 5: "The Pastor as Father to His Family and Flock" - D. A. Carson

Is it artificial to call a pastor the father of his flock? It wasn't for Paul (1 Corinthians 4:15; 1 Thessalonians 2:11-12).

There are a number of parallels between fathering a family and fathering a church. Both require:

1) Training and teaching the whole counsel of God.

This is evident in Proverbs and Nehemiah 8-9. We must always be attentive to bringing up our families in the instruction of the Lord. We must not delegate it to another person. Our children must never think that reading and teaching the Bible is for women and children only. Neither should our church (Acts 20:27).

2) Wielding authority.

This is part of leading. Leading doesn't involve teaching only, though that is the heart of it. There is also oversight. That's why, in the New Testament, pastors are also called elders and overseers. The sermon isn't an end in the work of pastoral ministry. It is only the means to an end.

Matthew 20:20-28. We are to reject authority as it is used by earthly rulers. Rather, we are to use it as Christ himself uses it. What's the difference? Pagan authorities want to rule because they like to rule, they like having the limelight. It is very rare to find a person who doesn't let their authority go to their heads.

Jesus, however, doesn't have to fight for his position, because the Father has given it to him. His authority is exercised in such spectacular self-giving, for the sake of others.

Where a minister is giving himself transparently, for the good of others, it is remarkable how much authority he begins to accrue to himself.

3) Exercising compassionate love.

This is evident for the home in Paul's exhortation to not exasperate his children (Ephesians 6:_). For the church, it is evident in 1 Timothy 5:1-2.

4) Disciplining.

This includes admonishing and rebuking. It also includes excommunicating in the cases of 1) major doctrinal sin, 2) major moral sin, or 3) having a continual schismatic attitude and behavior. It's done for the sake of the individual, that he might be saved on the last day. It is also done for the good of the whole body.

Church discipline can be a bitter thing, with no sweet taste at the end. But there are cases where the reconciliation can be wonderfully encouraging and refreshing.

Disciplining is necessary in the home as well. If a man does not know how to rule his own house, he has no right to rule in the church.

5) Having flexibility.

Different approaches to teaching and leading are needed according to the situations of your family members and people. Fathers must adapt their teaching methods as their children grow older.

That is true of pastors as well. Churches must be able to wratchet up the teaching so that they can give meat to those who have outgrown milk.

6) Enduring hardship.

7) Persevering.

8) Being a mentor.

Play games with your children. Laugh at yourself. Invest yourself into the lives of the next generation of leaders and saints. Some of you who are older ought to be looking for younger men to invest in. And those who are younger ought to seek out mentors.

9) Fostering independence.

You don't want everyone's health to be contingent upon you. The aim is to build maturity.

10) Spending time with people.

This means talking with them, listening to them, and taking them out to lunch. For your earthly children it means going bow-hunting and pistol-shooting with them, if that's what they like to do.

Session 4: "Evangelist Bill Piper: Fundamentalist Full of Grace and Joy" - John Piper

John Piper highlights the life and spiritual legacy of his father, a man supremely happy in God.

(The video clips Piper used in his message are now posted in the manuscript.)

Session 3: "The Pastor as Son of an Earthly Father " - D. A. Carson 

Our heavenly father is utterly perfect. But even those of us with excellent earthly fathers would not call them perfect. The parallels must be drawn carefully. God has incommunicable attributes that cannot be shared by earthly fathers. He is omnipotent and omniscient, attributes which men cannot possess.

There is a large variety in our experience of earthly fathers. Some have been kind and warm, some others gruff and abusive. Some have been spiritual leaders, others have surrendered that role to the mother. Some have known their fathers all their lives. Others have never known their fathers.

What can we learn about how we should view our earthly fathers? There are three stances that the Bible emphasizes:

1) Honor your father and your mother (Exodus 20:12).

This is the fifth commandment, and the first one with a promise. Honor your father and mother, "so that you may live long in the land that I am giving you" (Ephesians 6:2-3).

Obedience to this commandment begins with the recognition that our existence is dependent upon our parents. They conceived us, bore us, nurtured us, and cared for us for all of those years that we no longer remember. And if we grew up with Christian parents, they nurtured our souls as well as our bodies. They modeled to us sincere devotion.

This commandment is for the ordering of society. Without good parenting and the obedience of children there is no intergenerational stability in society. If you want to live long in the land then you have to have this kind of stability.

This commandment does not limit its applicability to good fathers. The text does not say, "Honor your father, so long as he is righteous." Compare this to Paul's statement to "honor the king." God wants us to respect the structures that God has given, because all who are in a position of leadership or power have been given it by God. We may, at times, have to defy that authority in order to obey God; but insofar as it is possible for us, we should honor them.

You must honor your father and mother. This ought to be enforced in the home and modeled by the father. The children should not be permitted to dishonor their mother. The father should teach and demonstrate this.

To honor you father and mother does not presuppose that at every stage you should obey them. Genesis 2:24 speaks of there being a new home that is set up. We leave our mothers and fathers and cleave to our spouses.

The practical implications of leaving father and mother means that we stay in touch, pray for them, care for their needs, and know their counsel.

Where this commandment is breaking down, not only is God being dishonored, but the stability of the culture is breaking down too.

2) Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right (Ephesians 6:1).

This is a subset of the command to honor father and mother.

Proverbs is full of counsel and illustration on this matter (i.e. 13:24; 19:18; 22:17; 29:17). But be careful to not treat these Proverbs as though they are binding promises (especially 22:17). They cultivate a spirit of wisdom on how to live.

This biblical stance presupposes that the parents are actively engaged with their children. They are thinking through situations and giving instruction to them.

3) Hate your father and mother (Luke 14:26-27).

Jesus was a strong as anyone on endorsing the command to honor your father and mother, so this is a surprising text. But Jesus had, before reading the fifth commandment, read the first.

There is a real threat for us to idolize our families. The point of the gospel is not just to make nice families. It's true that good families are a byproduct, but it is not the end. The gospel does have good sociological benefits, but ultimately it is about the glory of immeasureless love of God.

What is most commonly mentioned in Scripture that makes God angry is not rape, murder, or broken families. It is idolatry. So if, instead of listening to the gospel and bowing to Christ as Lord and Redeemer, we put it second place to the well-being of our families, we make a dangerous mistake.

"What shall it profit a man if he gain a happy family and lose his own soul?"

There are many fathers who are pushing their children to succeed academically and financially but aren't pushing them to pray. Jesus makes it painfully clear in this verse that first things must be first.

And remember what he says in Matthew 19:29:

And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.

Our nuclear families do not go into eternity, but the church does. In Christ we gain spiritual fathers, siblings and children. "Who are my mother and my brothers?...Whoever does the will of God" (Mark 3:33-35).

Session 2: "The Call to Courage" - Crawford Loritts

Crawford Loritts learned what he knows about leadership, courage, responsibility, etc. primarily from his dad. To this very day, when challenged with tough decisions and discouragement, he hears his dad's voice saying, "Don't walk away."

There is an epidemic of weakness that is sweeping into the church. The culture is infiltrating the church, leaving us fearful of leading and making decisions. Our preoccupation with "consensus" has a stranglehold around what we do, and we're taught to sanitize our lack of commitment.

Some of us are discouraged in our ministries because we have refused to do what God has told us to do, not because he hasn't told us.

Nothing in life or in ministry ever happens apart from courage. Somebody has to pull the trigger. The very nature of leadership is that it is a prophetic statement of where things ought to be. Inherent in leadership is a call to embrace aloneness and resilience.

When you read Joshua 1 you must read it in its emotional context. Moses is dead because he disobeyed God. He allowed the pressure of those following him to get to him and he acted in unbelief. He commissioned Joshua to carry on.

Now God comes to Joshua personally to give him an exposition on courage. This is the best leadership text in the Bible. It is not for the faint-hearted. It's as if God reaches out and grabs Joshua (and us) by the lapels. He doesn't coddle us but gives us a fourfold description of courage.

1) Courage rests upon a clear assignment from God (v 1-4).

There is no such thing as courage apart from mission, just as there is no such thing as faith apart from challenge. You're not just courageous to be courageous, but you are courageous for something.

As for Moses, a man of God had died; but nothing of God died. He gave Joshua the assignment. He reiterated to Joshua what he had told Moses to do. God isn't needy of worthy men. He makes men worthy. Therefore we shouldn't fear the loss of any of his human instruments. God isn't fearful of his cause failing.

Ephesians 2:10 implies that we should step out in bold obedience. The good works he has prepared beforehand—we should walk in them!

What are the things God has prepared for you to do? When did you last reassess God's call on your life? What are those things that God has given you a passion for?

Your courage will rise when you have confidence in the call. Most people leave the ministry because of confusion and a lack of courage.

2) Courage rests upon the assurance of God's presence (v 5, 9).

God never calls us to do anything apart from him. Every assignment that God gives is also his primary means of sanctifying the leader. Some of us are getting burnt out because we are separating the sanctification process from our ministry. The very thing that God is using to draw us to himself is his calling upon us. His calling is a statement of his presence.

Pastoring is not just a job for you. It's not some evangelical corporate fulfillment. God's assignments come with a special sense of God's presence, also known as unction or annointing; and his presence is real.

Do you think God would leave Joshua high and dry? If God has called you, he is with you. Courage doesn't mean that I am not afraid. It means that I fear God more than I fear my environment. It means that I trust in divine resources more than the resources of man.

Philips Brooks: "Don't ask for tasks equal to your powers. Ask for powers equal to your tasks."

3) Courage rests upon focused determination (v 6, 7, 9).

Three times he repeats "be strong and courageous." God does not have a speech impediment. When he repeats himself, he intends to.

Be very careful of making decisions based upon your personality profile, etc. God is not bound by the way we're "wired." God never dialogues with anybody about how they're wired before he calls them to a job. Consider Moses and quit camouflaging doubt with psychobabble.

Leadership is strengthened by acts of obedience. It's a verb, not a position. You know you're flying over the right target when you're being shot at. If you're running because of opposition, you'll be running for the rest of your life.

The ability to endure deepens your resolve. If you act courageously, you'll get more courage. God is with you, but he'll only strengthen you when you raise your leg and put it forward. He can't steer a parked car. The wind will only blow when you put up the sail.

4) Courage is anchored by the word of God (v 7-8).

Success or failure in a mission is tied to your relationship to truth. There are three primary relationships in the verse:

a) Proclaim the Word ("let it not depart from your mouth").

The amount of biblical illiteracy in evangelicalism is appalling. How dare you think that you have the right to presume that ministry can succeed without being built upon the word. Pragmatism is taking the supernatural right out of our ministry. You can have C- leadership ability, but if you honor his Word you will succeed.

Pastors, make your time alone in God's Word inviolable. Your people deserve to hear from God every Sunday morning. They can't make it on illustrations, stories, or insights. They need a word.

b) Meditate upon the Word ("you shall meditate on it day and night").

The reason you can proclaim the word is because you have it stored up within you. It is the background noise of your life. When the trials come you can just turn up the volume.

Devotionally master the word of God for your souls. Immerse yourself in the book. Love it, live it.

c) Do all that is written in it.

Hypocrisy is an occupational hazard in ministry. It is the primary fault in our work. The problem with evangelicalism today is that if you can pull ministry off, nobody will ask you any questions. There isn't a dynamic relationship between giftedness and holiness, but true fruitfulness will prove itself over time. The integrity of your ministry is everything, so you have to practice the truth you're proclaiming.

You have to be the destination where you want other people to arrive.

When I was a kid I would sometimes play a game called “Mercy.” A friend and I would interlock hands and try to put each other into painful, inescapable positions. When one of us couldn’t handle any more we would cry “Mercy!” and the game would be over.

Stupid game, huh? But reading in Luke 18 recently I noticed a similar theme in Jesus’ parables and practice.

First, he tells the story of a widow who was seeking justice. Even though the judge was unrighteous, he heard the widow’s case because of her persistence. Jesus applies the parable, saying, “And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night?”

Next, he talks about the Pharisee and the tax collector who both prayed in the temple. Unlike the Pharisee, the tax collector went home justified, because he recognized his unworthiness and cried out, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!”

The chapter ends with Jesus’ encounter with a blind beggar who would not quit calling out “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Others were telling him to be quiet, but Jesus stopped and asked the man, “What do you want me to do for you?” At the man’s request, Jesus restored his sight.

In each of these instances the Lord answered prayer—prayer of a certain type: a cry for mercy, desperate and persistent. And this is how he still deals with his people.

The Lord is pleased to help us in our distress, but he doesn’t always answer us right away. Sometimes it feels like we’re playing Mercy with him and he’s going to twist us until all that’s left is for us to beg for help.

He doesn’t have to insist that we ask for justice a hundred times like the judge does to the widow. He could answer after just one prayer. Jesus could have healed the blind man without waiting for him to scream out twice. But often the Lord keeps us under some weighty trial so that we can better see our great need for him and cry for mercy.

Paul notes this in 2 Corinthians 1:8-9:

[W]e were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.

Paul was pushed to the limit, and it was by God’s design. The Father’s purpose in burdening us and making us wait for him is the same as it was for Paul: he wants to make us humble. He wants us to rely not on ourselves but on him.

He wants us to rely on the one who can break our addictions, make us more patient, free us from anxiety, open our hearts to our enemies, open our family members’ hearts to the gospel, and give us greater affection for our Savior (to name a few things I’d like to see happen in my life).

Therefore God, in his mercy, sometimes bends us into painful, inescapable positions so that we will learn to cry “Mercy!” to him for every relief that we seek, and so that we will rely more on him who is able to cure every sorrow and pain.

Please don't misunderstand the title. I'm not asking God for more food today. I want to get at the meaning of 2 Corinthians 1:11.
 
Paul, after sharing his hope of being delivered by God from future afflictions, tells the Corinthians, "You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many."
 
My conception of why it is good to pray for others was transformed after I meditated on this verse.

Paul wants to be prayed for so that many others will be able to thank God for the way God blesses him. He wants as many people as possible to have the joy of feeling thankful because their prayers for Paul and Timothy will be answered.
 
What can we learn from this line of thinking?
 
God has ordained prayer to be a primary means for us to receive his blessings, because prayer develops expectations and eagerness in us—and affections for those we pray for—that only increase our gratitude when he answers them. Additionally, 2 Corinthians 4:15 shows us that the thanksgiving that results from grace is "to the glory of God." Therefore, because God delights in the glory he gets from grateful hearts, he delights to answer the prayers of his saints.
 
I can think of at least two implications of this.
 
1. Extravagant requests honor God. Do you recall the line from Ephesians 3:20—"Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think"? God is able to exceed every dream for good that we could ever dream in the lives of our loved ones, in the midst of our trials, and despite our sins. And not only is he able, he delights to do it. Wouldn’t it honor God, therefore, for us to pray as extravagantly for his Kingdom purposes as we can?
 
2. Praying for others is good for you (and vice versa!). If praying for others and being prayed for by them strengthens our mutual love, increases our awareness of God's ever-abundant grace towards us, and results in more gratitude, then we should be all the more eager to share and take prayer requests.
 
May the Lord be pleased over this Thanksgiving to increase our prayers, our gratitude, and our joy for his name's sake.

On September 28th, just before the start of this year's national conference, our executive director Jon Bloom delivered a short address to DG's Philippian Fellowship.

Before he spoke Bloom showed a video about God's work through DG in the life of Luis Arocha and his church in the Dominican Republic. Then, using Luis' story as a model, he unfolded the five goals that guide our ministry strategies:

1. Proximity - make the gospel as available as possible (such as putting it on the web).
2. Access - offer the gospel to as many as will take it (with free downloads and the whatever-you-can-afford policy).
3. Understanding - present the gospel as clearly as we can (by translating it, writing study guides, etc.).
4. Love - point people, through the gospel, to the ultimate Treasure worth selling all our goods to possess (Matthew 13:44).
   
5. Spreading - inspire and equip leaders throughout the world to share the Treasure with others (and rejoice over more stories like Luis').
   

Read Bloom's full address.

See another video about DG's influence in Brazil.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm pretty bad about keeping up with the news. It seems like enough work just to handle what is on my plate already, no less to spend additional time reading about what's going on in the world.

But knowing the news is important. How else are we to learn about what to pray for, or where to send our church's ministry teams, or where to invest our next tax return?

Despite my failures, I have begun making a little headway on this issue. And though I plan to increase my exposure in the future, a good way for me to at least get some news these days has been through the Day in pictures section on the BBC World News website.

Not only can I read through the major headlines in the captions, but I can also learn a lot through the photographs. (The old adage "A picture is worth a thousand words" is right). Oftentimes headlines hit me like, well, nothing. But a photograph helps me see the suffering on a mother's face, or it reawakens me with the picture of a Hindu holy man to the desperate reality that millions of people around the world are bowing down to gods other than the Lord Jesus.

So whether you're a college student with no front step for a newspaper, or whether you've decided to not waste your life and gotten rid of your TV, I recommend at least checking out some of the news in pictures from time to time.

I for one have found it to be an enjoyable way to get the keeping-up-with-the-news habit started. And as it continues and matures I trust that I will, by God's grace, only grow in my affections and abilities to love my neighbor.

The audio and video of every message from our conference "Stand: A Call for the Endurance of the Saints," has now been posted.

If the Lord wills, we plan to post future regional and national conferences in this same manner. So we invite you to continue visiting the blog for those and other ministry updates.