Brian Gault was born in Northern Ireland in 1960 with no arms due to the “completely safe” drug prescribed for his mother’s morning sickness. I’ve just finished reading his autobiography, Look, No Hands.

At Bethlehem Baptist's Disability Ministry blog, you can read about some of the impact of the book on me.

The Gospel Coalition has recently updated their website. The site is really excellent and I encourage you to check it out.

Here are some of the things you might find most helpful there:

• It brings together content from more than 50 pastors and teachers, including D.A. Carson, Tim Keller, Mark Driscoll, C.J. Mahaney, and John Piper.
• You can browse all of the resources by media type (audio, video, text), author/speaker, topic, and resource category (sermons, questions answered, conference messages, online books, articles, and interviews).
• There is a lot of great video content.
• All issues of the Themelios theological journal.
• They have a really sharp and helpful blog aggregator.

These things just scratch the surface. What an amazing gift to have several thousand sermons and resources brought together into this single, usable interface.

This short note is mainly for those with connections to Bethlehem Baptist Church. Our weekly newsletter, the Bethlehem Star, is now offered in a very attractive electronic version. I love this new edition.

I am writing to encourage everyone who gets the Star or wants the Star to subscribe to this electronic version. It’s simple. Click here, and enter your email address twice. That’s all there is to it. You can unsubscribe just as simply at any time.

Thank you for considering this.

I invite you to be a part of the Wednesday Connection on November 5 at 6:15 PM at Bethlehem. (It will be live at the North Site, simulcast downtown, and replayed the following week at the South Site.) We will interrupt for one week the flow of the Fall sessions on “Growing a Heart For the Nations.”

The TBI Board of Directors has asked me to give a public lecture on the biblical foundations for Bethlehem College and Seminary. The message is titled:

“The Earth Is the Lord’s”
The Supremacy of Christ in Christian Learning—
Biblical Foundations for Bethlehem College and Seminary

The implication of the words college and seminary is that we are moving toward offering an accredited B.A. in Biblical Studies and an accredited M.Div. at the seminary level...

Read the rest of the article.

Did you know that you can complete your freshman year of college through The Bethlehem Institute (TBI) at Bethlehem Baptist Church?

TBI, in conjunction with Northwestern College in St. Paul, offers an accredited, one-year undergraduate program designed for the freshman or sophomore year of college. It’s called INSIGHT, and it’s not your typical college experience.

The classes are small.

For starters, we keep the class sizes limited, around 16 students per instructor (instead of those mammoth introductory courses at most colleges).

The price is small, too.

For 2008-2009, the tuition was only $9500 for 32 hours of credit (compared to $22,250 for Northwestern College Day School). And if you apply and are accepted before June 1, we'll help you find affordable housing with other students near Bethlehem Baptist’s downtown campus.

The teachers are many.

Besides learning from their regular instructors, during the year students will learn from over 40 scholars, pastors, and missionaries, all of them accomplished in their fields.

The coursework is integrated.

Rather than taking separate courses on anthropology, Bible, history, missions, and world religions, all of these subjects (and more!) are integrated into one comprehensive course of study. Students will see the connections between Darwin and Moses, between Confucius and Solomon, between Athens and Jerusalem, between Genesis 1 and taking out the trash (no, really—there’s a connection).

We take a chronological approach, beginning with creation and moving through to the present day, exploring God’s mission in history and how various religions, philosophies, and worldviews have left their mark on the world.

The program is church-based.

We don’t just want to instruct the mind of our students; we also want to engage their hearts and shape their lives. Thus, the classes don’t just take place at the church building; the entire program is woven into the life of Bethlehem Baptist.

Along with coursework, the program includes mentorship by Bethlehem members, field trips to mosques, synagogues, and temples, and ministry opportunities in the most diverse neighborhood in the country.

In the end, our goal is simple: to provide a unique, God-centered, life-transforming, economical, one-year, undergraduate experience.

John Piper explains,

What we have seen, and what we would like to teach, is a God-entranced vision of reality that will make all other study and all the rest of life, deeper, richer, and more in sync with God’s ultimate purposes for your life.

For more information, visit our website, or contact us at info@thebethleheminstitute.org.

As I've mentioned before, I like being read to. If you can relate, I want to make sure you're familiar with Christianaudio.com.

They offer a different free Christian classic audiobook download each month. This month it’s All of Grace by Charles Spurgeon. After October 31, you’ll pay $14.98 for exactly the same download that’s free right now.

They also always have a long list of free downloadable sermons, interviews, lectures, etc.

Now I’m waiting to see what the November free offer will be.

Today Johnathon Bowers introduces us to the new online Bible study site, Bible Arc.

In his post, Johnathon explains what the website has to offer, what the Bible study method "arcing" is, and why learning it is worth all the time you'll invest.

He testifies that it is “one of the most significant tools for Bible study I’ve ever learned.” And he concludes with a quote from John Piper that tells how arcing transformed the way he reads his Bible.

27 million people worldwide are victims of modern-day slavery. They are forced into the sex trade or back-breaking labor. Most of the victims lured into this criminal world are innocent children.

A new documentary in theaters this week, Call + Response, explores the injustices that are taking place in this underground society.

These atrocities are not only happening in other parts of the world, but also in the United States.

My good friend, Ben Patterson, who helped produce this documentary, encourages me by his example to move toward need and not comfort.

See this movie if you want to learn more and help support modern-day abolitionists. It is only in theaters for a limited time, so I would encourage you to attend one of the showings around the country this week. Check to see if it is in your city.

We thank the Lord for the national conference, and now we turn our prayers toward the regional conference in Austin, Texas. Please considering attending. We'd love to have you with us.

And here are two other excellent events that you may want to consider:

The Purpose-Driven Death conference (October 18-19 in Austin, TX), and the Together for Adoption conference (November 1 in Greenville, SC).

Both have needed themes, solid speakers, and low costs.

Over 1,400 different titles. Almost 35,000 items. The Desiring God Conference Bookstore is stacked high, and now it’s a step more accessible—many steps actually.

For this weekend’s conference-goers (and we know that most reading this post will not be at the conference, but our list of recommended books should be relevant to all!), the DG bookstore is located in the same exhibition hall as the sessions. The effect: less walking and more time browsing books.

Here’s a handful of recommendations to whet the appetites of those shopping at the conference and those staying at home.

The Reformation: How a Monk and a Mallet Changed the World by Stephen Nichols

Thank God for Stephen Nichols. This excellent, brief introduction to the Reformation is another helpful contribution from his keyboard. Also recommended: his new Jesus Made in America: A History from the Puritans to the Passion of the Christ.

Radical Reformission: Reaching Out Without Selling Out by Mark Driscoll

Yes, this is Mark’s first book. He’s published several since, and that may have left this one forgotten by some. But it shouldn’t be. It’s instructive, inspiring, and written by a guy who manifestly loves Jesus, the gospel, and lost people in Seattle (and models how to love lost people in your city).

The Doctrine of the Christian Life by John Frame

Another mammoth and magnificent one from Dr. Frame. His Doctrine of God is 800 pages. This new volume is 1,000. Yes, that’s long, but it’s a treasury of wealth on ethics. So, the longer, the better, right? I haven’t finished it yet, but I intend to, even if it takes several years. What I’ve read so far has been excellent.

The Christian Life: A Doctrinal Introduction by Sinclair Ferguson

Not to be confused with Frame’s title above, this jewel runs through “the order of salvation,” covering the doctrines of election, calling, new birth, justification, sanctification, assurance, glorification, and more. Very accessible for its depth.

Total Church: A Radical Reshaping Around Gospel and Community by Tim Chester and Steve Timmis

Just released in the US, this is a provocative and beneficial read. We interviewed Tim Chester at the DG blog earlier this week.

The Reason for God by Tim Keller

Keller’s Reason for God is a tremendously helpful book in strengthening your own faith and thinking how to engage non-Christians. Also a beautiful demonstration of what apologetics should be: practical and presuppositional.

Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health by Don Whitney

Everything I’ve read by Whitney has been good, but this may be his best. I’ve found it useful on the college campus and in the church.

Game Day for the Glory of God: A Guide for Athletes, Fans, & Wannabes by Stephen Altrogge

It just landed on my desk, so I haven’t read it yet, but it looked good as I read the back and flipped through. Here’s why I’m planning to read it: Because I’m a Christian and a sports fan, and I want to think better through how my time playing and watching sports should be lived to God’s glory. And this book is barely a hundred pages—short enough for the stereotypical sports fan.

The Everlasting Righteousness by Horatius Bonar

This is undiluted gospel. Take up and read on the first page: “The voice from the tree did not summon them to do, but to be satisfied with what was done.” Then keep reading. His section on how Christians will remember the cross in heaven is glorious. Those who don’t yet know Bonar will be happy they found him sooner than later.

New Piper Titles

We also have several new Piper titles:

• Spectacular Sins
• This Momentary Marriage
• Rethinking Retirement

Conference Speakers

It’s a prolific lineup of speakers at this event. We have 8 titles from Driscoll, 18 from Ferguson, 2 from Bob Kauflin (and several worship CDs), 5 from Dan Taylor, and 6 from Paul Tripp.

Publishers on Hand

One final note. Representatives from the following publishers will be available in the bookstore:

• Banner of Truth
• Christian Audio.com
• Christian Focus Publications
• Crossway Books
• Moody Press
• P&R Publishing
• Reformation Heritage Books
• Shepherd Press

September is fitting for a rundown on Bible software. Many are entering seminary or Bible school for the first time and in the market for electronic Bible helps.

The tools available today for Bible study are breathtaking. If Martin Luther raved over the power of the printed 16th century Bible study tools, what would he say today? Church history will tell the story of the impact of these electronic aids.

Below are three major Bible software options—one for Mac, one for PC, and one that will soon be available for both.

BibleWorks

BibleWorks is available on PC and majors on the original Greek and Hebrew. It’s designed for scholars and students who are using the original languages. If you’re doing all your Bible study in English—which most of us do—then this likely isn’t the tool for you. Those with Greek and Hebrew and PCs should give it a look.

Accordance

Accordance is only on Mac and focuses on harnessing Mac’s uniquenesses and usability. It's more useful than merely in the original languages, but this again is a large emphasis for those who make the most of this software. However, Accordance is expanding its English resources. Coming soon to Now available in Accordance, in partnership with Desiring God, is the John Piper sermon manuscript library .

Logos

Finally, Logos may have the broadest appeal. It’s available on PC and plans to be available soon on Mac. Logos uses an electronic library system, so that it not only includes the capability for original language study (as just a small piece) but also serves as a kind of digital library. For more, see Doug Wilson’s recent review.

Logos currently has two Piper products: the 24-volume Piper book collection and the sermon manuscript library. Two additional Piper titles will be available in the new Baker collections (currently available for pre-order).

Two recommendations in addition to the Piper libraries: Logos has two collections of books by Don Carson (volumes 1 and 2) and the recently added works of John Frame, which is the first of several collections of Frame’s writings.

Also, right now, Logos is offering 25% off any of its base packages for DG blog readers. The coupon code is desiringGod.

Is It Worth It?

Finally, a word on price: Each of these products are several hundred dollars. Bible software is expensive stuff. Don’t buy haphazardly. But it can be invaluable when purchased wisely and used well to help maximize your study of God’s Book.

Update: Several readers have written in to say that e-Sword is a good, free option.

Don Carson is a pastoral scholar. John Piper is a scholarly pastor.

Next Spring they will team up to address the topic “The Pastor as Scholar, and the Scholar as Pastor: Reflections on Life and Ministry with John Piper and D.A. Carson.”

The event is scheduled for April 23, 2009, sponsored by the Henry Center at TEDS, and hosted by Park Community Church in Chicago. And it's free!

Those attending The Gospel Coalition conference April 21-23, 2009, in the Chicago area may want to consider staying an extra night for this unique gathering.

Join us at Bethlehem Baptist Church's North Campus this weekend (Sep 12-13) as John Piper teaches the seminar "Gravity and Gladness on Sunday Morning."

We have invited musical guests The Glorious Unseen to lead us in song. Stay for a special extended worship session after the session on Friday night.

About the Seminar:

The indispensable, defining heart of worship is the experience of being satisfied with God. Whether we are worshiping God by singing a hymn or visiting a prisoner, the impulse is the same: a thirst for God—a desire to experience as much satisfaction in God as we can.

In this seminar for The Bethlehem Institute, John Piper applies this heart of worship to how people meet God at church on Sunday mornings.

Details:

• Teaching: John Piper
• Musical Guests: The Glorious Unseen
• Date: September 12-13, 2008
• Location: Bethlehem Baptist Church North Campus, 5151 Program Avenue, Mounds View, MN 55112
• Cost: Free to the public
• Seating: General admission

Schedule:

Friday, September 12

• 6:00 pm - Doors open
• 6:30-7:00 pm - The Glorious Unseen leads in worship
• 7:15-9:00 pm - John Piper teaches
• 9:20-10:30 pm - The Glorious Unseen leads in worship

Saturday, September 13

• 8:30-9:00 am - The Glorious Unseen leads in worship
• 9:00-12:00 pm - John Piper teaches

They say that nothing is certain except death and taxes. In America, at least, we can add one more thing to the list: Every four years politicians and pundits will wax eloquent about the “difficult” and “controversial” issue of abortion.

Debates about “a woman’s right to choose” and “a baby’s right to life” will quickly degenerate into shouting matches that obscure rather than clarify the issues.

As Christians, we don’t have the luxury of speaking with vagueness, ambiguity, and cliché. When we open our mouths, we must speak clearly (Ephesians 6:19-20; Colossians 4:3-4).

But if we are to speak clearly, we must first think and feel clearly about difficult and controversial moral issues.

So we need to realize that abortion is not mainly about a woman’s right to choose.

And it isn’t mainly about a baby’s right to life.

Abortion is about God, the Creator of the universe, the Giver and Sustainer of all life, the Judge of the living and the dead, the Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ, and the Redeemer and Forgiver of all who trust him. Abortion is about God.

To leave God out of the picture of abortion is to trivialize it. All things are trivial without God. God is the ultimate reality over the universe. All other reality is derivative and dependent and has no ultimate meaning at all without reference to God the ultimate reality. In him we live and move and have our being. If we leave him out of account, we know nothing of any lasting significance about ourselves or the world. (John Piper, “Where Does Child Killing Come From?”)

During this election season, as politicians court the evangelical vote, it is vital that Christians remind themselves why abortion is the transcendent moral issue of our time.

To that end, The Bethlehem Institute has designed a unique, six-week Sunday School curriculum advancing the truth that the deepest evil of abortion is that it defies God’s supremacy over life in the womb.

Entitled Abortion Is About God: Reframing a Moral Issue, the course provides a biblical and theological foundation for the pro-life cause from a God-centered perspective.

At a time when being pro-life is marginalized in some evangelical circles, we want to lift up the cause of the unborn and urge our fellow Christians to not grow weary in doing good.

We will reap a harvest if we do not give up. And the strength to persevere comes from realizing that God’s supremacy over all things includes his work in the womb.

Abortion is an assault on the person-forming work of God. Children are a gift from God. To reject them through abortion is to reject him.

But we do not merely preach against sin. We also preach Christ crucified—crucified for women who have had abortions; for family members who have pushed for abortions; for doctors who have performed abortions; and for Christians who have failed to love both mother and baby as we ought to.

In that spirit, we commend this new curriculum to you. Our prayer is that God would use it in churches around the country to reawaken people to the centrality and supremacy of God in the cause of the unborn so that one day soon abortion will not only be illegal, but unthinkable.

*               *               *

Discounted Pro-life Resources

• 20% off “Abortion Is About God: Reframing a Moral Issue” and a free copy of Why Pro-life? by Randy Alcorn with each purchase.
• Get additional copies of Why Pro-life? for $.99 each.

Free Online Pro-life Resources

• John Piper Video: Abortion Is About God
  
  


• All John Piper’s Sanctity of Life Sermons
• A great website for awareness: Abort73

“Serving the Voices” is the tag line for a new ministry that I've enjoyed getting to know over the past months. The RYFO Network seeks to holistically care for the unique physical and spiritual needs of touring musicians.

Knowing about our mission to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples and our commitment to give resources away, RYFO asked Desiring God to join them in serving this influential group of young people.

One example of this partnership occurred this July at the Cornerstone Festival where RYFO's founder Nick Greenwood and others gave away a few hundred resources backstage to many of the musicians.

If you are interested in praying for musicians, RYFO is starting a prayer support network that you can check out at their website.

Sam Storms has accepted a pastorate in Oklahoma City. The announcement is available at his ministry’s website.

Sam is a long-time friend of Desiring God. One of our more requested conference messages is Sam’s address on “Joy’s Eternal Increase: Edwards on the Beauty of Heaven” from our 2003 national conference.

Some of the finer points in Scripture regarding Jesus' tomb—like the fact that it was new and that it belonged to a rich man—have helped archaeologists match their dig findings with the gospel record, thus affirming its reliability.

Leen Ritmeyer, the archaeological and architectural reconstruction editor for the ESV Study Bible, shares some of these connections in a recent interview he did with Justin Taylor.

Our friends at Covenant Life Church are preaching a series of “Don’t Waste Your…Life” sermons this summer. The whole series looks great!

Joshua Harris, Gregg Harris, Dave Harvey, C. J. Mahaney, Robin Boisvert, Mark Mitchell, Jeff Purswell, and Jon Smith will all contribute.

If you know anything about C. J., you won’t be surprised that his sermon assignments are “Don’t Waste Your Humor” (which he preached yesterday) and “Don’t Waste Your Sports.”

If you're a blogger or otherwise interested in how we can spread the gospel and honor Christ online, I recommend considering a trip to Las Vegas this fall for GodBlogCon. Here are 5 reasons I think this could be beneficial for you:

1. The other attendees.

There are only a few events that gather Christian bloggers together in a real room rather than gathering at each other's websites. This physical facetime is invaluable for interacting at a truly personal level. Last year, fellowshipping with new acquaintances and meeting friends who I'd only interacted with online was the highlight of the conference for me.

2. The speakers.

The folks presenting at this conference will help us think deeply about how we use new media to honor Jesus in everything from how we do church to how we interact with Hollywood.

3. It's unique.

I know of no other conference specifically for Christians bloggers. If blogging is important—and I think it is—then events like GodBlogCon serve a valuable role in keeping us encouraged and on task.

(Of course, I'd be happy for my ignorance to be pointed out to me. If you know of other events like this one, let me know.)

4. It's still small.

As blogging becomes more mainstream, events like this will become more commonplace. This will have its advantages, of course, but for now, GodBlogCon is still the kind of conference where you can actually meet most the attendees and maybe even glean some wisdom from one of the speakers over a rack of ribs at a smoky casino a block off the Strip.

Which leads me to the fifth reason to consider coming to GodBlogCon...

5. It's in Vegas.

OK, I know that for almost everyone reading this, GodBlogCon being in Vegas is probably a reason to not come, but let me have a shot at giving it a positive spin for you.

The practical advantage of having the conference there is that it can be in conjunction with BlogWorld Expo, an "industry-wide tradeshow, conference, and media event dedicated to promoting the dynamic industry of blogging and new media." Registration to GodblogCon includes access to the tradeshow.

On a deeper level, the value in meeting in Vegas is because it is undesirable. The Christians who come to GodBlogCon could easily hide in their hotels and conference meeting-rooms, stuffing their uncharitable feelings toward Sin City. Or we could recognize that here we are, people who love Jesus, at the heart of a place where Jesus is ignored, if not worse.

What an influence we could have if we saw this as an opportunity to love Christ and those who need him! Along the Strip is every kind of sinner. Let's not forget that we Christians follow a man who would go out of his way to love and save these kinds of people—just like he did for you and me.

I'm excited for this conference—thinking, talking, eating, learning—and now, after writing this post, I don't even mind that it's in Vegas anymore.

I like listening to unabridged books while I do relatively mindless tasks. Recently I remembered a long-ago recommendation from Justin Taylor and I began downloading audiobooks from LibriVox, where they offer “acoustical liberation of books in the public domain.”

All the books are read by volunteers. I suspect that means a range in quality, but so far, everything I’ve dipped into has been very well done. I’ve tested a few and listened all the way through to Orthodoxy by G. K. Chesterton and Jewish Children by Shalom Aleichem.

There are 1,476 listings in the catalog, with more being added as volunteers finish them. I see lots of good “reading” ahead—Dante, Defoe, Descartes, Dickens, Dickinson, Mary Mapes Dodge, Dostoyevsky, Frederick Douglass, and Arthur Conan Doyle, to name a few from just one letter of the alphabet.

Of course, I mustn’t leave this topic without a reminder of the all the free audio resources from my favorite author, available here at Desiring God.

I just got a copy of Francis Chan’s new book, Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God.

My favorite phrase so far: “Your best life later.”

Yes! If that's not true, we are of all people most to be pitied (1 Corinthians 15:19).