50% OFF | A Puritan Theology: Doctrine for Life

I'm picking up A Puritan Theology: Doctrine for Life right now. A massive (1,200 pages) work, just released, and 1/2 off the price of Amazon. More...

A Puritan Theology: Doctrine for Life offers a groundbreaking treatment of the Puritans teaching on most major Reformed doctrines, particularly those doctrines in which the Puritans made significant contributions. Since the late 1950s, nearly 150 Puritan authors and 700 Puritan titles have been reprinted and catalogued by Joel Beeke and Randall Pederson in their 2006 collection of mini-biographies and book reviews, titled, Meet the Puritans. However, no work until now has gathered together the threads of their teaching into a unified tapestry of systematic theology.

A Puritan Theology, by Joel Beeke and Mark Jones, attempts to do that. The book addresses Puritan teachings on all six loci of theology, covering fifty areas of doctrine. The book explores Puritan teachings on biblical interpretation, God, predestination, providence, angels, sin, the covenants, the gospel, Christ, preparation for conversion, regeneration, coming to Christ, justification, adoption, church government, the Sabbath, preaching, baptism, heaven, hell, and many other topics. It ends with eight chapters that explore Puritan theology in practice. Some chapters highlight the work of a specific theologian such as William Perkins, William Ames, John Owen, Stephen Charnock, or Thomas Goodwin on a specific topic. Other chapters survey various authors on a particular subject.

Together for Adoption 2012

If you haven't been to Together for Adoption, it's a great experience. We loved it, even though we haven't adopted a child. It fed our soul, showed us the love of our adopting God, while also revealing to us the need great need to encourage Christians to consider adopting. Here's info on the conference in Atlanta in September...

The primary objective of our September 14-15 national conference is to take Christians deeper into God’s story of Adoption to give hope and practical tools to walk with deep joy through “the sufferings of this present time” (Romans 8:18-23) for God’s glory and the good of orphans around the world. God’s work of adoption within the world is a story that encompasses all of human history, from its pre-temporal beginnings when God predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to the renewal of the heavens and the earth. From the Apostle Paul’s perspective, Adoption is the story that makes sense of the universe, that makes sense of our broken lives and gives the existence of all creation ultimate meaning.

[...]

Join us September 14-15 in Atlanta for Together for Adoption National Conference 2012. Over 1,000 people will gather together at Cross Pointe Church to explore God’s Story of Adoption for a Broken World.

Register now. Follow on Twitter.

Chicks 4 Orphans

One of the exhibitors here at the Together for Adoption 2011 Conference that has caught my eye is Chicks 4 Orphans: Buy a Chick. Help an Orphan. My first question was, "Was this created by a college fraternaty?" I've heard a similar buzz among other conference-goers and even the speakers. It's a fun bit of viral marketing. It enticed my wife to seek out one of their t-shirts, and then they wanted me to wear one because they wanted guys to not be afraid to wear "Chicks 4 Orphans" shirts. I'm proud to be wearing one today and want to share this interesting and viral kind of ministry with you.

From the Chicks 4 Orphans Facebook page...

Chicks help orphans. You can help orphans too!

Chicks 4 Orphans is both a sustainable poultry farming business in Zambia and a fundraising campaign for Every Orphan’s Hope, a ministry dedicated to sharing the love of Jesus Christ with children left orphaned and vulnerable because of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa.

What impact can Chicks 4 Orphans make? As you give and encourage others to give to Chicks 4 Orphans, you’re helping to create sustainable poultry farming projects that will help feed and care for orphans. Chicken farming also provides an income generating business to support the many other needs of these children, such as education, clothes, housing, healthcare and more. 

The goal is to create sustainable poultry farming businesses that employ villagers, sustain ministry operations and care for orphans in Zambia.

"LIKE" Chicks 4 Orphans on Facebook and take the 100 Chick Challenge. Follow on Twitter. We are excited to get home tomorrow and discuss this ministry with our kids, especially our daughter, Sarah. It's something you can do online, in your church, in a small group. It's a simple and beautiful way to help orphans. 

T4A | Tullian Tchividjian - Session 2

Tullian delievered a great message on Law & Gospel at Together for Adoption 2011 Conference. Rather than redo work others have done, I commend to you the notes of a new friend of mine, Aaron Armstrong (author of Awaiting a Savior). Here are a couple of my favorite quotes I took on Twitter from Tullian's talk...

"It's a lie that grace is dangerous and needs to be kept in check."

"It's silly that we have to put the word 'radical' before Grace, as if there's some other kind."

"There is nothing more radically unbalanced than grace."

I'm excited about Tullian's new book coming out October 31st, Jesus + Nothing = Everything. Order it now.

T4A | Friday Morning Song Set

I very much enjoyed the song choice this morning, so I asked th worship leader, Jimmy McNeal, for the set list. Here you go...

"Your Great Name" - The People's Church
"From the Inside Out" - Hillsong
"You Alone Can Rescue" - Matt Redman
"How Great Thou Art" -hymn (Arron Ivey version)
"Let Your Kingdom Come" - Aaron Ivey

Together for Adoption 2011 Conference

Registration is now open for the 2011 Together for Adoption Conference. Come to Phoenix on October 21-22 and join me and Joe Thorn and our wives and a bunch of other good folks for what is sure to be informative, insightful, fun and, uh, hot. From the website...

Join us October 21-22 in Phoenix for Together for Adoption Conference 2011. Over 1,200 people will gather together at Redemption Church (Gilbert Campus) to explore the theme Missional Living, the Gospel and Orphan Care. One of our primary objectives for this year’s conference is to create a forum to consider the good news of the Gospel, explore its implications for how we think about and implement orphan care strategies, and discuss how we can move toward greater collaboration as the people of God for the sake of orphans worldwide.

General session speakers include: Darrin Patrick, Tullian Tchividjian, Tim Chester (coming to us from England), Bryan Loritts, Juan Sanchez, and Jeff Vanderstelt.

Registration:

• Early Bird: $109 Per Person (good through August 31st)
• Regular: $149 Per Person (price from September 1 until October 21)

*Registration price includes two onsite lunches and afternoon snacks.

Worship Leaders: Shaun Groves, Aaron Ivey, and Jimmy McNeal

General Session Hosts: Shaun Groves and Johnny Carr (National Director of Church Partnerships at Bethany Christian Services)

Note: Childcare is available.

Pre-Conference Event (Thursday, October 20):

Missional Church, Missional God, Missional Story
Tim Chester and Dan Cruver

Missional church is not simply the latest fad. It’s rooted in the trinitarian character of God and the story of the Bible. Explore the foundations for shaping life around gospel, community and mission along with practical application for church life and the implications for orphan care.

Registration: $75 Per Person

Pre-Conference information.

Current list of our Featured Bloggers: MegMiller, Lindsey Nobles, Reformissionary (Steve McCoy), JoeThorn.net, Julie Gumm, Zach Nielsen, Missional Thoughts (Josh Reich), and Michael Robinson. More will be added.

There will be 60+ breakouts to equip you and provide you with opportunities to meet others who share your same passion for orphaned and vulnerable children. Over 60 organizations involved in orphan care, adoption, and foster care will also be there to serve you as you seek to live out James 1:27.

Notice on the list of featured bloggers, my real name is secondary to my blog name. That can't be good! ;)

I hope many of you will join us. So go register for the conference. Also check out and "Like" the Together for Adoption page. 

Giveaway: Reclaiming Adoption

BOOK GIVEAWAY

I recently read and endorsed Reclaiming Adoption: Missional Living Through Rediscovery of Abba Father (Kindle version only $5.99). Check out my endorsement & many others. Love this book by Dan Cruver, also with John Piper, Richard D. Phillips, Scotty Smith, and Jason Kovacs. There's a PDF study guide and sample of the book available.

By the way, Dan Cruver is also leading a breakout session at the Desiring God Pastor's Conference at 3:15-4:15pm this coming Tuesday. 

*****

So, to the point. I've been given the chance to host a GIVEAWAY of 5 COPIES of Reclaiming Adoption. Here's your chance to pick up one of the best books I've read in the last year.

Do this...

STEP 1: Copy & share the following without the quote marks on Twitter (if you aren't on Twitter, use Facebook, or do BOTH!): "Get a FREE copy of Reclaiming Adoption! RT this & comment at Reformissionary to win: http://bit.ly/ih1LeK "

STEP 2: Leave a comment below (so I can verify you did step 1). Include your full name and real email address (kept private) so I can contact the winners. For fun, also comment on your Super Bowl winner & score. 

I will randomly choose 5 winners in the late afternoon/early evening on Friday (28th).

GO!

Reclaiming Adoption - My Endorsement

I had the privilege of reading & endorsing Reclaiming Adoption ($5.99 on Kindle!) by Dan Cruver (also contributions by John Piper, Richard D. Phillips, Scotty Smith, and Jason Kovacs). My endorsement...

I’m excited to share this book with those interested in or involved with earthly adoption. But Reclaiming Adoption deserves a much wider audience. This is a book about the Gospel, about our heavenly Father’s love for us and our adoption by Him. It’s a book about responding to our adoption by joining God’s mission to spread His love. Read it. It just may change the way you think of earthly adoption. It just may change the way you think of God’s love.

Heartily recommend it. Read more about Reclaiming Adoption.