Cartoon courtesy of World Magazine.

~ UPDATED PAGES ON THE BLOG ~

 New to the Leadership Library – The Traveler’s Gift by Andy Andrews and Next Generation Leader by Andy Stanley

New Movie Reviews –

• God’s Not Dead
• Mr. Peabody and Sherman
• Veronica Mars
• Divergent

New Music Review – Sun and Shield by Peter Furler Band

~ THIS AND THAT ~

• Neil Skaggs’ message “Prelude to Wilberforce” delivered recently at the Ithaka Fellowship, is now available via podcast at the Ithaka site. Listen to it and the other previously archived messages at: http://ithakafellowship.org/media.php?pageID=13
• The Reformation Study Bible is undergoing a major revision/updating. It should be completed within the next year and will be available in the English Standard Version (ESV) and the New King James Version (NKJV).
• Each Friday, Ligonier Ministries offers “$5 Friday”, with several special offers for just $5. Check out the specials each Friday at http://www.ligonier.org/store/collection/5-friday/
• Dr. Albert Mohler recommends the watching of this moving video titled “Lost”: http://vimeo.com/17677804
• Albert Mohler recently gave the second annual Spurgeon Lecture at Reformed Theological Seminary. You can watch it here: http://www.reformation21.org/blog/2014/03/mohler-on-spurgeon.php
• Here are the top selling Children’s books of 2013: http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/61447-for-children-s-books-in-2013-divergent-led-the-pack-facts-figures-2013.html?utm_source=Publishers+Weekly&utm_campaign=c54996c4f6-UA-15906914-1&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0bb2959cbb-c54996c4f6-304659793
• Pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church in Seattle recently sent a communication to his church to address some issues about his recent book Real Marriage, church turnover, and his use of social media. Read about it here: http://www.christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2014/march/mark-driscoll-retracts-bestseller-status-resets-life.html?utm_source=ctdirect-html&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_term=9449742&utm_content=256132296&utm_campaign=2013
• Thabiti Anyabwile recently announced that he was leaving his church in the Cayman Islands to plant a church on east coast. Read more here about what he calls the most difficult decision he has ever made: http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/thabitianyabwile/2014/03/10/the-most-difficult-ministry-decision-ive-ever-made/

Breaking News ~

•  World Vision just announced a change in their hiring process. Read Christianity Today’s article, “World Vision: Why We’re Hiring Gay Christians in Same-Sex Marriages”: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2014/march-web-only/world-vision-why-hiring-gay-christians-same-sex-marriage.html?utm_source=Albert+Mohler&utm_campaign=fe356ac62e-The_Briefing_2013&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b041ba0d12-fe356ac62e-307165422. Read reaction to the decision from several leaders here: http://www.reformation21.org/blog/2014/03/world-vision-roundup.php

All Tim Challies all the Time!

• Tim Challies recently gave a plug to Books at a Glance, a service that will provide synopses of important Christian books. You can check out their site at http://www.booksataglance.com/
• Here’s a helpful article from Tim Challies on how to get more done this week and every week: http://www.challies.com/christian-living/8-ways-to-get-more-done-this-week
• And speaking of Tim, check out this visual history that he posted on where all the new Calvinists came from: http://www.challies.com/resources/where-did-all-these-calvinists-come-from-a-visual-history

CALLING ALL PIPETTES!

• John Piper recently wrote a short article including 15 prayers for God’s power. Check it out here: http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/15-prayers-for-god-s-power
• John Piper recently spoke at Westminster Seminary on “The New Calvinism and the New Community: The Doctrines of Grace and the Meaning of Race.” You can watch the video of the message here: http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2014/03/14/john-pipers-lecture-at-westminster-theological-seminary-on-new-calvinism-and-the-new-community/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+between2worlds+%28Between+Two+Worlds%29. Tim Challies summarized Piper’s main points from the message in this helpful article: http://www.challies.com/quotes/john-piper-12-features-of-the-new-calvinism

Music and Movie News

• NEEDTOBREATHE has released a video for their song “The Heart” from their April 15 album Rivers in the Wasteland. Check out the video here: http://www.needtobreathe.com/theheart
• The AudioFeed Festival will be held at the Champaign County Fairgrounds July 3-5. A few of my favorite artists – Steve Taylor, Peter Furler and the 77s will be among those appearing. Find out more here: http://audiofeedfestival.com/lineup/
• Christian hip-hop/rap artist Trip Lee was back in the studio in late February recording his follow-up to his 2012 record The Good Life.
• As Jars of Clay continues to celebrate their 20^th anniversary, they have plans to record a new album of acoustic versions of their most popular songs. They are launching a PledgeMusic project today and need YOUR HELP to pick the Top 20 Jars of Clay songs for them to record acoustically. The new Jars 20 album will come out in the fall but they need your help today….so they know what to record! Plus, 10% of the proceeds generated from the project will go to Blood: Water Mission.
• Cracker Barrel will release an exclusive Michael W. Smith Hymns album on March 24. Read more here: http://www.crackerbarrel.com/music/music-news/michael-w-smith-3-5-14/
• Reach Records continues its flow of exciting Christian hip-hop/rap with Below Paradise from Tedashii on May 27.
• The album from Passion 2014, Passion – Take It All will be released April 29.
• Keith and Kristyn Getty will bring their Hymns for the Christian Tour to College Church in Wheaton for a 7:00 pm concert on April 23. To order tickets, go to: http://www.itickets.com/events/323741/Wheaton_IL/Hymns_for_the_Christian_Life.html
• Check out this new Jackson Brown tribute album, streaming on USA Today.com: http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2014/03/25/jackson-browne-tribute-looking-into-you-album-premiere/6850559/
• With the movie version of the popular book Heaven is for Real due out soon, John MacArthur writes on the subject of visits to Heaven here: http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/am/v9/n2/visits-to-heaven 

 

2014 Ligonier Ministries National Conference

We recently attended Ligonier Ministries National Conference in Orlando, something we have been blessed to do almost every year since 1997. It was a bit dicey getting out of town as we left in a snowstorm, with the plane having to be de-iced twice before we left. Once we got down there we had a great time with our friends Don and Angela Lusk, who were attending the conference for the first time.

Below are recaps from each of the three days of the conference from Ligonier’s blog:

http://www.ligonier.org/blog/2014-national-conference-day-1/

http://www.ligonier.org/blog/2014-national-conference-day-2/

http://www.ligonier.org/blog/2014-national-conference-day-3/

Here are social media highlights from the conference: http://www.ligonier.org/blog/2014-national-conference-social-media-highlights/

You can watch or listen to all of the messages from the conference FREE here: http://www.ligonier.org/blog/2014-national-conference-audio-and-video-now-available/

R.C. Sproul released his new book on systematic theology Everyone’s a Theologian at the conference – the book sold out the first day! This is a fantastic book; look for a review soon.

The conference was again held at First Baptist Church in Orlando. The church will be going through a building/renovation program next year and will not be available for the 2015 conference. The 2015 Ligonier National Conference will be held February 19-21, 2015 at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort.

 

 

Quotable: You can tell who is being worshiped on Sunday morning in a given church by whom the service is attempting to please. – Michael Horton

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cartoon Submitted by Julie Pence