Today’s MARBC Messenger announces Rev. Kenneth E. Floyd of North Park Baptist Church in Grand Rapids as the new State Representative for the Michigan Association of Regular Baptist Churches. Rev. Floyd takes the place of Rev. Maynard Belt who is retiring in October 2006 after faithfully serving the MARBC with his wife Ann for over 16 years. The announcement from Maynard Belt follows…
—Read the Rest of the Entry…

Carolyn just got back from being at a Lake Ann Camp ladies retreat for a couple of days. The kids and I welcomed her back with this little video highlighting how things are without her. We’re glad she could go and deserves to get away for a bit–but we like it better when she’s here.

Desiring God Radio has announced that they will be leaving the airwaves soon–Radio Without Radio? Why Desiring God Will No Longer Air on Radio Stations–but they aren’t done broadcasting. They’ll be focusing their energy on making their radio programs available on the internet instead of pushing the program through Christian radio stations.

Their announcment notes these interesting statistics…

“The folks at OnePlace.com tell us that Desiring God is among their most requested programs (50,000 to 70,000 requests per month). And our iTunes podcast consistently ranks in the top ten most requested programs in the “Religion & Spirituality” category (total subscribers currently unavailable). We frequently hear from online listeners. In fact, 85-90% of responses we receive from people who listen to our program come from those who listen online. But we’re not seeing growth in responses from radio station listeners, even though new stations were added this year.”

“The safest way to hear God speak is to read your Bible. And beware of every other notion about how you are going to hear from God.”

Allister Begg, Why Bother With the Bible - Part One B

A dose of Spurgeon this Sunday…

He will be the best Christian who has Christ for his Master and truly follows him. Some are disciples of the church, others are disciples of the minister, and a third sort are disciples of their own thoughts; he is the wise man who sits at Jesus’ feet and learns of him with the resolve to follow his teaching and imitate his example. He who tries to learn of Jesus himself, taking the very words from the Lord’s own lips, binding himself to believe whatsoever the Lord hath taught and to do whatsoever he hath commanded-he I say, is the stable Christian. Follow Jesus my brethren and not the church, for our Lord has never said to his disciples, “Follow your brethren,” but he has said “Follow me.” He has not said, “Abide by the denominational confession,” but he has said, “Abide in me.”

From: The Hold Fast by C. H. Spurgeon

Rediscovered this today. Writing, Briefly. Especially appreciate the last line–”learn to recognize the approach of an ending, and when one appears, grab it.”

“All of us would be wiser if we would resolve never to put people down, except on our prayer lists.”

D. A. Carson, A Call to Spiritual Reformation: Priorities from Paul and His Prayers, pg. 29

Reading…

A Call to Spiritual Reformation: Priorities from Paul and His Prayers
by D. A. Carson

My wife, Carolyn, has been getting into the blogging swing of things lately. Today she links to recent transcripts and audio from Nancy Leigh DeMoss on the Power of Words.

My brother Ken’s piece this week is more than a nicely told story, it’s a call to fathers everywhere to make time for your family before it’s too late.

The John Piper interview on Desiring God Radio today is well worth listening to as we remember the tragic loss of so many just five short years ago. One question asked of John Piper was “have you prayed for the salvation of Osama Bin Laden.” His answer is one that may challenge the prayer life of many Christians.

Michelle Malkin points to the 2,996 Project which is commemorating today each and every one of the victims of 9/11 on this fifth anniversary with over 3,000 bloggers participating.

The Buckeye’s showed up strong in Texas last night–they looked really good with the one exception Kevin Jr. mentions.

NeverThirsty.org issues A Call: Teach The Bible.

“Some churches have heard the alarms and have responded. Not everyone is interested in the solid teaching of scripture, but not everyone wants to know God either. What type of church should we look for? We should look for pastors and teachers who teach the Bible and who do not just give illustrations and an application. We should look for churches that are serious about teaching the entire Bible. Only then can we be strong in our faith. Only then can we know the character of God and discover hidden treasures about Him. Do you have a hunger to know God? If so, then seek to know the Bible. But remember the goal is to know God through a study of the Bible.”

Early blockbuster: Buckeyes vs. ‘Horns

Ohio State vs. Texas would be a big game any time, any year.

Plop it in early September, make it No. 1 vs. No. 2, and mix in that Texas beat the Buckeyes on the way to the national championship last season and you’ve got one big-time early fall blockbuster.

Reading…

Raising Kids for True Greatness: Redefine Success for You and Your Child
by Tim Kimmel

Since Carolyn mentioned the woodpile earlier today, I figured a picture would be in order. And many thanks to the wood crew from church who helped provide for a warm winter for our family.

eBible.com has gone live today. You could call eBible.com the Web 2.0 of online bibles.