John Piper: What is God’s Glory?

How to Be Relevant 500 Years from Now

Kevin DeYoung wrote a wonderful post on the celebration of John Calvin’s birthday and why nearly 500 years after his death, his legacy remains:

Calvin’s confidence was not in man’s potential or the triumph of the human spirit… Calvin’s confidence was in the Word of God, and that’s why his theology and vision of the world continues to capture the minds and hearts of people in the 21st century. That’s why five hundred years later we remember his birth. That’s why Calvin the preacher and expositor has millions more spiritual children than Erasmus the scholar and hermeneutical skeptic. Strive for relevance in your day, and you’ll may make a difference for a few years. Anchor yourself in what is eternal and you may influence the world for another five centuries.

Go, spend about 5-10 minutes reading this article. It’s well worth your time.

The God Who Gives Strength as Needed: An Interview with Terry Stauffer

Tim Challies interviews Pastor Terry Stauffer about how God and strong Gospel Theology has strengthened his family since his daughter’s murder in September, 2008. Normally I don’t include large excerpts, here’s Tim’s introduction:

On September 28, 2008, I was shocked to read these words on the blog of Terry Stauffer, a man I had met at a couple of conferences and who has long been a reader and commenter at my blog: “Last night at about 4:45 our precious 14 year-old daughter Emily was attacked and killed as she was out for a walk. We don’t know a lot of details, but we know that two young men came upon the scene right away, but it was too late for Emily. I will write more as more details come available. Please pray for us, for our church family who are meeting without us right now, and for family that is travelling. We are realizing from the inside the value of good, Gospel theology right now. ”

Terry is pastor of Edson Baptist Church in the small town of Edson, Alberta. Emily’s murder shocked this small town of less than 10,000 people—the kind of town where this crime is unheard of. I continued to follow Terry’s blog as he dealt with the aftermath—Emily’s funeral, national media attention, the arrest of a suspect and life following the loss of a child. Through it all, Terry’s faith strengthened me from afar. I recently asked Terry if he would be kind enough to participate in an interview and I am grateful that he was willing and able to do so. I offer this interview in the hope that it encourages you in the Lord who promises (and delivers) strength as strength is needed.

Read the entire interview at Challies.com

In case you missed it

Here are a few of this week’s notable posts:

Everyday Theology: “God Helps Those Who Help Themselves” Exploring if there’s any validity to the statement “God helps those who help themselves.”

The Cool Thing About a Genealogy… An important lesson from the genealogy of Jesus in Matt. 1:2-16.

Three Simple Letters Briefly examining one of the most important words in Scripture: BUT