Coram Deo ~

Looking at contemporary culture from a Christian worldview

Monthly Archives: August 2022


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3 Christian Conferences You Might Want to Attend

My wife Tammy and I enjoy growing spiritually by attending Christian conferences. Here are three conferences we have attended that we would recommend to you:

Ligonier National Conference. R.C. Sproul, who went home to be with the Lord in 2017, was a theological mentor to me. Over the years we have attended a number of Ligonier regional conferences, and since 1997, we have tried to attend the annual Ligonier National Conference in Orlando, Florida each year. For me, the conference is a wonderful break from the late winter weather in central Illinois and a little taste of Heaven. I’ve been introduced to many excellent speakers at the conference such as Sinclair Ferguson, John Piper, Alistair Begg, John MacArthur and many others. The 2023 National Conference, with a theme of “Stand Firm”, will be held March 23-25. Speakers include Sinclair Ferguson. Voddie Baucham, Michael Reeves, Derek Thomas and more.

Sing! Getty Worship Conference. This conference, led by Keith and Kristyn Getty, is a unique experience of teaching and singing songs written specifically for congregational singing. We have attended the last three conferences available in-person and plan to attend the 2022 conference to be held September 4-7 in Nashville, Tennessee. The theme will be “Christ Our Hope in Life and Death: Prayers and Confessions”. Speakers and artists scheduled to appear will be the Gettys, John Piper, John MacArthur, Andrew Peterson, CityAlight, Bryan Chapell and many more.

The Gospel Coalition National Conference. We attended the 2019 National Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana, and really enjoyed it. The 2023 conference will again be held in Indianapolis September 25-27. The theme will be “For All of Life, For All the World: Hope for Pilgrims for the Book of Exodus”. Featured speakers will be John Piper, David Platt, Ligon Duncan, J.D. Greear and more.

These are three conferences we have attended and would recommend to you.
What conferences would you add to the list?


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THIS & THAT: A Roundup of Favorite Articles and Quotes

  • Speeding in Opposite Directions: Lightyear and Maverick. Brett McCracken writes “Yet for all these similarities, the two summer blockbusters that bear their names could not be more different. And the differences between Maverick and Lightyear reveal subtle but important cultural divisions in how we view the past, the future, and the nature of progress.”
  • 2 Films Explore a Volatile Question: ‘What Is a Woman?’ Brett McCracken writes “Two recent documentaries have spoken up, offering rarely heard pushback on the sexual revolution’s party line. While you won’t find these films in theaters or on major streaming sites—no corporate entity could survive association with them—they are worth seeking out and discussing.”
  • Roe v. Wade Has Ended – Our Pro-Life Work Has Not. On this special episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to the question “As the work continues, what has been your answer to the question “What should I do?” How have you answered that question in your own life and ministry?”
  • Roe v. Wade Has Been Overturned…What Now? Scott Sauls writes “The answer to what it means to be consistently pro-life includes laying down our own lives for others, just as Christ has done for us.”
  • The FAQs: SCOTUS Upholds Religious Freedom in Praying Coach Case. Joe Carter writes “The Supreme Court issued its ruling in Kennedy v. Bremerton, a religious liberty case involving a Washington State high school football coach who lost his job because he prayed silently on the 50-yard line after a football game. The decision states, “The Free Exercise and Free Speech Clauses of the First Amendment protect an individual engaging in a personal religious observance from government reprisal; the Constitution neither mandates nor permits the government to suppress such religious expression.””
  • Praying Football Coach Wins at Supreme Court. Daniel Silliman writes “Joseph Kennedy’s prayers are protected by the First Amendment’s right to free speech and free exercise of religion, the court decided. The coach didn’t coerce any Bremerton, Washington, high school players into praying, so the school district was wrong to try to stop him from practicing his Christian faith.”

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  • More interesting article links
  • Favorite Quotes of the Week

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FAITH AND WORK: Connecting Sunday to Monday

Faith and Work News ~ Links to Interesting Articles

  • A Conversation with Tim Keller. This interview with Tim Keller by Mike Cosper is an excellent bonus episode on The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill
  • Abram Van Engen, Professor: Origin Stories. On this episode of the Working with Dan Doriani podcast, Dan talks to Abram Van Engen, professor of English at Washington University in St. Louis, Executive Director of the Carver Project, and the author of two books. The second and most well-known is titled City on a Hill, a History of American Exceptionalism.
  • Managing Tension. On this episode of the Andy Stanley Leadership Podcast, Stanley discusses why a certain amount of tension is necessary for a healthy organization. Leaders must learn to recognize the difference between “conflicts that need to be resolved” versus “tensions that need to be managed.
  • “You Are An Agent of Flourishing” Featuring Amy Sherman. On this episode of the Denver Institute for Faith & Work Faith & Work Podcast, join Joanna Meyer and Amy Sherman, author of Kingdom Calling and the new book Agents of Flourishing, as they discuss community, shalom, and the Church.
  • Called to Lead. My book Called to Lead: Living and Leading for Jesus in the Workplace is available in both a paperback and Kindle edition. Read a free sample (Introduction through Chapter 2).
  • On this episode of the Minute with Maxwell podcast, John Maxwell tells us that a career is what you get paid for, while a calling is what you’re made for. You can quit a career at any time, but a calling stays with you throughout your life.
  • Examining Our Aspirations & Worship in the Great Resignation. Judy Allen writes “The impact of the Great Resignation will not be fully understood for years, but Christians can take immediate advantage of it by asking ourselves two important questions: To what do we aspire? Who, or what, do we worship?”

Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:

  • More links to interesting articles
  • The Top 10 Faith and Work Quotes of the Week
  • My Review of The Road to J.O.Y. Leading with Faith, Playing with Purpose, Leaving a Legacy by Scott Drew
  • Quotes from the book You’re Only Human: How Your Limits Reflect God’s Design and Why That’s Good News by Kelly Kapic

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My Review of Where the Crawdads Sing

Where the Crawdads Sing, rated PG-13
***

Where the Crawdads Sing, based on the bestselling novel by Delia Owens, is a well-made and acted film that has some content concerns. For those who have not read the book (as myself), the film includes a few surprising twists.
The film is directed by Olivia Newman and the screenplay is written by Oscar nominee Lucy Alibar (Beasts of the Southern Wild).
The film, primarily set in the 1950’s and 1960’a, is about Kya Clark, played well by Daisy Edgar-Jones. Daisy and her family live in the marshes of Barkley Cove, North Carolina. When she is young (the young Kya is played by Jojo Regina), she meets a boy on the marshes named Tate Walker. Kya’s father (played by Garrett Dillahunt), is an alcoholic with a bad temper. He eventually drives Kya’s siblings and then her mother to leave the home, leaving Kya with her father, who eventually abandons her as well.
Kya has to survive on her own, and becomes known as the “Marsh Girl”. She is helped by the friendly Christian couple – Michael Hyatt as Mabel and Sterling Macer Jr. as Jumpin’ – that run the country grocery store.
When Kya is older, she meets Tate again, played by Taylor John Smith, and he teaches her to read and write. Kya has a real talent for drawing the animals, insects and trees she encounters in the marsh. Continue reading →