Archives for May 2021

This morning I conducted a memorial service for Mary Carlson, a member of our church who passed away at age 86. Including in-laws, she had 42 children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. In her mid-50s she became convicted of sin and cried out to God for mercy. Sometime later the Holy Spirit granted her freedom through clinging to God’s five-fold “I” promise in Isaiah 41:10, so I spoke on that text graveside. At the church, I preached on Isaiah 49:15 where God stresses that His love even supersedes the love of a mother. Please pray for Dick Carlson, as he grapples with being a lonely widower after 57 years of marriage to Mary.

Back home safely from the helpful and significant Gospel Reformation Network conference (“O Church, Arise!”) in Alabama, which was attended by several hundred (mostly ministers) from the conservative wing of the PCA. Above is a picture of the speakers and QA panelists (except David McWilliams and me as we had to leave before the end of the conference).

Pray for these pastors and leaders that they will continue to contend earnestly for the faith and experience God’s help and blessing in so doing (Jude 3).

I just finished speaking on “The Puritans and the Old Paths of Christian Piety” at the Gospel Reformation Network conference in Birmingham, Alabama.

We were sitting on the edge of our seats flying into Birmingham, Alabama. It was a very rough ride, even though the storm clouds had lifted a bit. Everyone was silent. The light all around was an eerie yellow because the sun was setting under the canopy of clouds. We looked toward the east, and a brilliant rainbow appeared, curving toward the wing of the plane. We felt God’s nearness. “Oh Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!”

Link to sermon: https://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=42721225396

We’re enjoying a quick turn around time at home now after completing a conference in Grand Blanc, as Mary and I hope to fly to Birmingham, Alabama tomorrow to speak at “A Gospel Reformation Network Conference” organized by my good friend, Dr. Jon Payne, to be held at Briarwood Presbyterian Church: https://stayhappening.com/e/o-church-arise-%7C-a-gospel-reformation-network-conference-E3LUS772E9D3

Your prayers are coveted.

Yesterday we left behind a precious family with six children (see photo above; this father’s brother is a godly pastor with a family of twelve children!) that drove a healthy distance to be at the conference in Grand Blanc, Michigan. This brother was a real encouragement to me throughout the conference. Along with other families, they purchased the Puritan Documentary (https://puritandocumentary.com) and a workbook for each child so as to walk their children through this course on the Puritans in their family worship.

Would to God that every Christian family would do so, and that our young people would grow up having real and godly heroes rather than the worldly heroes of our day!

I had a great talk with these two Filipino brothers over the weekend at the conference we did in Grand Blanc about the things of God and about possibly applying to our seminary. They are completing their college degree in a few weeks and feel called to be missionaries back in the Philippines. They long to be trained in a biblically Reformed and Puritan way. Please pray that God will guide and bless them.