College should be a temporary season of academic preparation and personal growth to propel a lifetime of effective service to God and neighbor. It should be a launching pad into all that goes with responsible Christian adulthood. Yet for some, it’s a time when they abandon the Christian faith, displaying that they never really belonged to Christ (1 John 2:10). For others, their faith remains intact, but they waste their college lives with video games, partying, and other frivolities—an expensive vacation funded by Mom, Dad, and debilitating student loans.

Today, seven out of ten high school graduates immediately go on to college, but about 30% will never become sophomores, and about 50% will not have graduated even six years later.¹ Many who do graduate move right back home with their parents, assuming little responsibility and armed with little ambition for Christ.

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Children Desiring God Conference – Saturday Morning – April 28, 2007

[Alex Chediak is guest writing for the DG Blog, covering the Children Desiring God Conference.]

After a stirring time of worship through song, Pastor Sam Crabtree introduced Pastor David Gerald Michael. David was born 53 years ago, the youngest of 4 children. From an early age, he aspired to become a gas station attendant and a pastor. He got in trouble in Sunday school for dismantling activities, and had trouble sitting still in the first and second grade. David responded in faith to the Lord Jesus at the age of 7. David eventually graduated from school and, along the way to the ministry, did log some hours as a gas station attendant.

Pastor Sam exhorted us from Heb. 11:1 and Heb. 2:3 to persevere in the work of ministry to children – by grace through faith in God and his promises . God…

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Children Desiring God Conference – Friday Night - April 27, 2007

[Alex Chediak is guest writing for the DG Blog, covering the Children Desiring God Conference.]

A wonderful time of corporate singing, including a pastoral prayer offered up in both Spanish and English, preceded the introduction of the speaker.

Jon Bloom, Executive Director of Desiring God, gave a biographical introduction to C.J. Mahaney. Mahaney was a cute kid… just imagine a little kid with the same face and a lot of blond hair. He was a crafty one, too, apparently able to convince the kids in the neighborhood to pay him for doing his chores. Watch out, Tom Sawyer! Mahaney grew up nominally Catholic, but soon abandoned it for drugs and partying. God saved him at the age of 18 through a friend of his who shared the gospel with him. To the best of C.J.'s knowledge, it was the first time he …

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Children Desiring God Conference – Friday Afternoon – April 27, 2007

[Alex Chediak is guest writing for the DG Blog, covering the Children Desiring God Conference.] 

Session III started with Wayne Grudem continuing his message from the previous session. Earlier he had unpacked the gifts of election, the gospel call, regeneration, faith and repentance, and justification. This message was an explanation of adoption, sanctification, perseverance, death and the intermediate state, and glorification.

VI. Adoption

"Adoption is an act of God whereby he makes us members of his family."

1. Scriptural evidence for adoption.

There's a sense in which all of humanity is God's offspring (Acts 17:28), but the Bible is more specific regarding believers (John 1:12; Rom. 8:14-17; Gal. 3:23-26).

2. Adoption follows conversion, and is an outcome of sav…

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Children Desiring God Conference – Friday Morning – April 27, 2007

[Alex Chediak is guest writing for the DG Blog, covering the Children Desiring God Conference.]

We began with another wonderful time of corporate worship.

Pastor Craig Sturm introduced Wayne Grudem with a series of photos from Dr. Grudem’s childhood. Here are a couple of the personal interest tid-bits I picked up: Dr. Grudem enjoyed monopoly and snowball fights. He read science fiction and collected coins. He enjoyed every subject and did well in every class except art (I can relate). Wayne took piano lessons, but did not enjoy practicing. However, he did enjoy singing hymns on his piano bench. He enjoyed reading his King James Bible every night, a habit he learned from his parents.

Title: Teaching the Richness of the Entire Gospel from Election to Glorification

[This message w…

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Children Desiring God Conference – Thursday Night - April 26, 2007

Listen to John Piper's message.

[Alex Chediak is guest writing for the DG Blog, covering the Children Desiring God Conference.]

The first plenary session kicked off with a beautiful time of corporate singing. John Piper led in prayer, and after another song, two children read from Psalm 42 and Psalm 63:1-8.

Pastor David Michael gave a personal state-by-state welcome to the conference attendees. There are about 200 guests from Minnesota (not counting volunteers), 80 from Texas, and 68 from California gathered at the conference. The neighboring states (Wisconsin, Iowa, and North and South Dakota) have sent 114 guests.

But an astonishing 10% of the 1,000 or so total conference attendees are international guests. Indonesia, South Africa, Ethiopia, Hong Kong, Romania, Englan…

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