Tyler Kenney is the Web Content Assistant at Desiring God.

For the next five weeks John Piper is on his annual writing leave. During this time he hopes to work on about five projects, which also gives us the privilege to labor alongside him in prayer.

In lieu of new sermons, over the next few weeks we'll be featuring some of his more notable sermons from last year.

This video, directed by DG staffer Tristan Carnahan, was used to kick off the Pastors Conference this past Monday night.

The script comes straight from C. S. Lewis:

If there lurks in most modern minds the notion that to desire our own good and earnestly to hope for the enjoyment of it is a bad thing, I submit that this notion has crept in from Kant and the Stoics and is no part of the Christian faith. Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased. (The Weight of Glory, 26)

(Update: watch the video)

The manuscript and audio of John Piper's "Lessons from an Inconsolable Soul: Learning from the Mind and Heart of C. S. Lewis" are now up.

Towards the end of his message, Piper lists 8 lessons—apart from the major lesson on joy—that Lewis has taught him. They are, as titled,

1. Liberation from False Dichotomies
2. Liberation from Chronological Snobbery
3. The Wakening of Wonder at What Is Really There
4. The Perils of Introspection
5. The Incompleteness of Duty Without Delight
6. The Painful Value of Self-Knowledge
7. Story Is Great—But Not Everything
8. The Glory of Simply Being Human

If you couldn't make it Minneapolis for the Pastors Conference—whether because of the cost, the timing, or the fact that you couldn't get a visa to the US—that doesn't mean you have to miss it. We praise God for our ability this year to stream the whole conference live online.

Visit the live streaming page on our website and watch, learn, and worship with us. You can also follow along on Twitter using the #dgpascon hashtag.

Here's a refresher on the schedule:

Monday

• 7:00-8:30pm Session 1: Sam Storms 

Tuesday

• 8:30-10:00am Session 2: Eric Mason
• 10:30-11:30am Session 3: Sam Storms
• 1:45-3:00pm Session 4: John Piper
• 7:00-8:30pm Session 5: Sam Storms
  

Wednesday

• 8:30-10:00am Session 6: Bob Blincoe
• 10:30-11:30am Session 7: Speaker Panel Q&A
  

Yesterday, in my anticipation to hear John Piper's message on C. S. Lewis this coming Tuesday, I curiously checked the index of The Quotable Lewis for any listings under "biography." I wanted to see if Lewis himself ever said anything about what Piper is going to do with him.

Here's what I found. Not surprisingly, Lewis' words here point towards the theme of this year's Pastors Conference: The Pastor, the People, and the Pursuit of Joy.

It is a very consoling fact that so many books about real lives—biographies, autobiographies, letters, etc.—give one such an impression of happiness, in spite of the tragedies they all contain. What could be more tragic than the main outlines of Lamb's or Cowper's lives? But as soon as you open the letters of either, and see what they were writing from day to day and what a relish they got out of it, you almost begin to envy them. Perhaps the tragedies of real life contain more consolation and fun and gusto than the comedies of literature? (75; Originally published in The Letters of C. S. Lewis to Arthur Greeves [4 December 1932], p. 445)

Along with the recent release of A Sweet and Bitter Providence comes Ruth: Under the Wings of God. This shorter book is a compilation of John Piper's 1995 advent poems, published in hardcover, with illustrations by Cory Godbey of Portland Studios.

John Piper says he wrote A Sweet and Bitter Providence because there is a way to suffer that honors Christ and glorifies God:

1. Ask Pastor John Live-November 2009, Parts 1, 2, and 3
2. Media from Angola Prison, LA
   • Jesus Came Not to Give Bread, But to Be Bread
   • Questions and Answers
3. Piper's messages in Germany and Russia last October
4. Why Does Desiring God Offer Everything Online for Free?
5. Why I Abominate the Prosperity Gospel
6. Piper's 2008 Trinity Journal article, "I Believe in God's Self-Sufficiency"
7. Updated video for the Pleasures of God 2007 Regional Conference
8. Media from Evangelical Theological Society Annual Meetings:
   • 2006 - William Tyndale and the Vernacular Bible
   • 2008 - Why God Is Not a Megalomaniac in Demanding to Be Worshiped
   • 2009 - Evangelicals and A Common Word
9. Media from Together for the Gospel conferences:
   • Why Expositional Preaching is Particularly Glorifying to God (2006)
   • T4G 2006 Panel Discussion (2006)
• How the Supremacy of Christ Creates Radical Christian Sacrifice (2008)
• T4G 2008 Panel Discussion (2008)
10. Media from Ligonier National Conferences:
    • Let the Nations Be Glad (2000)
    • Counting It All Joy (2000)
    • Questions and Answers (2000)
    • Faith and Reason (2007)
    • The Challenge of Relativism (2007)
11. Campus Outreach's 2000 Atlanta Christmas Conference: "Desire of All Nations"
    • Our Desires and Their Fulfillment in Christ, Part 1
    • Our Desires and Their Fulfillment in Christ, Part 2
    • Others' Desires and Their Fulfillment in Christ
    • The Need for Christian Courage
    • College Men's Rally: Family, Fatherhood, and God
12. Passion 98:
    • Did Christ Die for Us or for God?
    • God Is Glorified in Us When Christ Is Gain to Us
    • Christian Hedonism with Questions and Answers - Leaders Seminar
13. Passion 97:
    • Building a God-Focused Ministry - Leaders Seminar

In his sermon a couple weeks ago on "Holding Fast the Word of Life in 2010," Pastor John modeled scripture memory by reciting the entire book of Philippians to his congregation.

Later in the sermon, however, Piper issued the warning that memorization alone doesn't guarantee spiritual life or growth to any of us. Satan himself could quote the Bible, just like he did when he tempted Jesus. What is needed is both God's word and his Holy Spirit, who works through that word to bring us spiritual power.

Here are two more examples of scripture memory by men we know here at DG, men who have labored diligently to store up God's word for their own and others' true spiritual good:

• Jon Bloom, Desiring God's Executive Director, recited the book of Hebrews as a sermon for his church.
• Sam Crabtree, Executive Pastor at Bethlehem and Desiring God board member, recited the Sermon on the Mount at Bethlehem's 2010 Fighter Verse Kickoff event.

For resources related to memorizing scripture, check out Bethlehem's Fighter Verse Program page or Fighterverses.com.

Nearly six thousand people on the steps of the Minnesota State Capitol building today, opposing abortion, is an encouraging thing to see. (36 photos)

So is the ongoing work of Michael Spielman and his ministry, Abort73.com.

Just as we seek to remember "the reason for the season" behind our Christian national holidays, it is likewise fitting for us to revisit the histories and heroes that have inspired our other national holidays.

Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and there are events taking place throughout the country commemorating the life and message of this man. You may wish to find one of these and attend (if it's not already too late).

Another option is to locate old speeches, videos, and documents and go through them on your own. My roommates and I are going this route, and we've invited some friends to join us in listening to his message "The Church on the Frontier of Racial Tensions."

Here are some other online resources that might help:

• Wikipedia article on Martin Luther King, Jr.
• The King Center website
• The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute
• Video of King's famous speech, "I Have a Dream"

Any other resources you would recommend? Feel free to share by leaving a comment.

I recently picked up A Severe Mercy. It’s the story of a couple whose initial “high pagan love” for one another is eventually assaulted and sanctified by a greater love—God’s love.

Before starting the book I knew that C. S. Lewis—whose biography John Piper is presenting at our upcoming pastors conference—plays a major role in their story. But I was not aware of a similarly strong connection between the theme of our conference and their story—the pursuit of joy.

The author recalls a “revelation” he received as a yet unsaved fifteen-year-old:

He had been wont to despise emotions: girls were emotional, girls were weak, emotions—tears—were weakness. But this morning he was thinking that being a great brain in a tower, nothing but a brain, wouldn’t be much fun. No excitement, no dog to love, no joy in the blue sky—no feelings at all. But feelings—feelings are emotions! He was suddenly overwhelmed by the revelation that what makes life worth living is, precisely, the emotions. But, then—this was awful!—maybe girls with their tears and laughter were getting more out of life. Shattering! He checked himself: showing one’s emotions was not the thing: having them was. …

What is beauty but something that is responded to with emotion? Courage, at least partly, is emotional. All the splendour of life. But if the best of life is, in fact, emotional, then one wanted the highest, purest emotions: and that meant joy. Joy was the highest.

How did one find joy? In books it seemed to be found in love—a great love. … But in the books again, great joy through love seemed always to go hand in hand with frightful pain. Still, he thought, looking out across the meadow, still, the joy would be worth the pain—if, indeed, they went together. If there were a choice—and he suspected there was—a choice between, on the one hand, the heights and the depths and, on the other hand, some sort of safe, cautious middle way, he, for one, here and now chose the heights and the depths. (18)

1. The Life-Giving Voice of the Son of God (Spanish)
   La Voz del Hijo de Dios Da Vida
2. The New Birth Produces Love (Spanish)
   El Nuevo Nacimiento Produce Amor
3. All Things for Good, Part 3 (Spanish)
   Todas Las Cosas Para Bien, Parte 3
4. Slaves to God, Sanctification, Eternal Life (Spanish)
   Siervos de Dios, Santificación, Vida Eterna
5. Jesus Christ and the Law of God (Spanish)
   Jesucristo Y La Ley De Dios
6. No Condemnation in Christ Jesus, Part 2 (Spanish)
   No Hay Condenación en Cristo Jesús, Parte 2
7. Subjected to Futility in Hope, Part 1 (Spanish)
   Sujetos a Vanidad en la Esperanza, Parte 1
8. Subjected to Futility in Hope, Part 2 (Spanish)
   Sujetos a Vanidad en la Esperanza, Parte 2
9. It Is God Who Justifies! (Spanish)
   ¡Dios Es el Que Justifica!
10. Dead to the Law, Serving in the Spirit, Part 4 (Spanish)
    Muertos a la Ley, Sirviendo en el Espíritu, Parte 4
11. United with Christ in Death and Life, Part 2 (Spanish)
    Unidos a Cristo en la Muerte y en la Vida, Parte 2
12. Ask Your Father in Heaven (Spanish)
    Pidan A Su Padre Celestial
13. "All Flesh Will Come and Worship" (Spanish)
    “Vendrán Todos A Adorar”

Seventeen years' worth (1981-1997) of previously unavailable Taste & See (a.k.a. Star) articles are now online. We've announced the progressive addition of them from time to time over the past year or so, but yesterday marked the posting of the final article and the last day of work on this project.

Among the benefits to having them online is that they are now categorized according to topic and are available to be searched alongside the rest of Pastor John's works. For those interested, they also provide a fuller view of the history of Bethlehem Baptist church and of John Piper's ministry there.

The media from last week's webcast of Ask Pastor John—where John Piper fielded questions sent in through Twitter—is now online.

• Ask Pastor John Live—November 2009, Part 1
  
• Ask Pastor John Live—November 2009, Part 2
  
• Ask Pastor John Live—November 2009, Part 3

I'm extremely grateful to our volunteer Alice Rogan for getting these translations posted. I just review her work and summarize it in a blog post. Second to the translators themselves, she has done the real labor and made them available online.

Bulgarian (2)

• The Tornado, The Lutherans, and Homosexuality (Bulgarian)
  Торнадото, лутераните и хомосексуалността
• Clarifying the Tornado (Bulgarian)
  Обяснение на торнадот

Portuguese (1)

• The Family: Together in God's Presence (Portuguese)
  A Família: Juntos na Presença de Deus

Spanish (33)

• All Things for Good, Part 2 (Spanish)
  Todas Las Cosas Para Bien, Parte 2
• Do Not Let Sin Reign in Your Mortal Body, Part 1 (Spanish)
  No Reine el Pecado en Tu Cuerpo Mortal, Parte 1
• Do Not Let Sin Reign in Your Mortal Body, Part 2 (Spanish)
  No Reine el Pecado en Tu Cuerpo Mortal, Parte 2
• Faith: In Hope, Against Hope, For the Glory of God (Spanish)
  Fe: En Esperanza Contra Esperanza Para la Gloria de Dios
• The Father Has Given All Things into Jesus’ Hands (Spanish)
  El Padre Ha Entregado Todas las Cosas a Jesús
• The Food of Christ Is to Give Eternal Life (Spanish)
  La Comida de Cristo es Dar Vida Eterna
• For God's Sake, Let Grace Be Grace! (Spanish)
  ¡Por Amor de Dios, Dejen que la Gracia Sea Gracia!
• Free from Sin, Slaves of Righteousness, Part 1 (Spanish)
  Libres del Pecado, Esclavos de la Justicia, Parte 1
• Free from Sin, Slaves of Righteousness, Part 2 (Spanish)
  Libres del Pecado, Esclavos de la Justicia, Parte 2
• The Free Gift of God Is Eternal Life, Part 1 (Spanish)
  El Regalo de Dios es Vida Eterna, Parte 1
• The Free Gift of God Is Eternal Life, Part 2 (Spanish)
  El Regalo de Dios es Vida Eterna, Parte 2
• Gentiles Rejoice in the Root of Jesse (Spanish)
  Los Gentiles se Regocijan en la Raíz de Isaí
• Go, Your Son Will Live (Spanish)
  Vete, Tu Hijo Vive
• God Did Not Spare His Own Son (Spanish)
  ¿Por Qué Dios No Escatimó A Su Propio Hijo?
• Gospel to the Nations, Generosity to the Poor (Spanish)
  El Evangelio a las Naciones, Generosidad Hacia los Pobres
• The Greatest Thing in the World: An Overview of Romans 1-7 (Spanish)
  La Mayor Realidad del Mundo: Una Visión General de Romanos 1-7
• Greatness, Humility, Servanthood (Spanish)
  Grandeza, Humildad, Servicio
• Healed for the Sake of Holiness (Spanish)
  Sanado para Ser Santo
• How Is It Right to Justify the Ungodly? (Spanish)
  ¿Cómo Puede Ser Correcto Para Dios Justificar al Impío?
• How to Kill Sin, Part 1 (Spanish)
  Cómo Matar el Pecado, Parte 1
• How to Kill Sin, Part 2 (Spanish)
  Cómo Matar el Pecado, Parte 2
• How to Kill Sin, Part 3 (Spanish)
  Cómo Matar el Pecado, Parte 3
• The Importance of Knowing Our Sin (Spanish)
  La Importancia De Conocer Nuestro Pecado
• Jesus: Equal with God (Spanish)
  Jesús: Igual a Dios
• Justified to Break the Power of Sin (Spanish)
  Justificados Para Romper el Poder del Pecado
• The Kingdom of Heaven Is a Treasure (Spanish)
  El Reino De Los Cielos Es Semejante A Un Tesoro
• The Reformed Faith and Racial Harmony (Spanish)
  La Fe Reformada y la Armonía Racial
• The Suffering of Christ and the Sovereignty of God (Spanish)
  El Sufrimiento de Cristo y la Soberanía de Dios
• Ten Aspects of God's Sovereignty Over Suffering and Satan's Hand in It (Spanish)
  Diez Aspectos de la Soberanía de Dios Sobre el Sufrimiento y la Mano de Satanás en Ello
• Thank God for Famous Faith (Spanish)
  Gracias Dios por la Fe Famosa
• Treasuring Christ Together Above All Things (Spanish)
  Atesorando Juntos A Cristo Por Encima De Todas Las Cosas
• What God Has Joined Together, Let Not Man Separate, Part 1 (Spanish)
  Lo Que Dios Unió, Que No Lo Separe El Hombre, Parte 1
• What God Has Joined Together, Let Not Man Separate, Part 2 (Spanish)
  Lo Que Dios Unió, Que No Lo Separe El Hombre, Parte 2

We've lowered our prices on the John Piper Small Group Series DVDs.

Each one is at least $7 cheaper than before.

• God Is the Gospel
• Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ
• TULIP
• What's the Difference
• When I Don't Desire God
• Why We Believe the Bible

John Piper explains why the so-called "prosperity gospel" is not the gospel.

I bought The Complete English Works of George Herbert recently, hoping to add a little more poetry and devotion to my reading list. Not 10 minutes after laying my hands on it I read "Bitter-sweet" and knew I would not be disappointed. I'm tempted to say these are the best 8 lines of English poetry I know of.

Bitter-sweet

Ah, my dear angry Lord,
Since thou dost love, yet strike;
Cast down, yet help afford;
Sure I will do the like.

I will complain, yet praise;
I will bewail, approve;
And all my sour-sweet days
I will lament and love.

(I've also discovered that John Piper quotes this poem in When the Darkness Will Not Lift (PDF), pg. 78.)

Arabic

• The Great Offense: Was Jesus Really Crucified? (Arabic)
  اإلساءةاألعظم:هلحقًا ُصِلبالمسيح
• How Shall We Love Our Muslim Neighbor? (Arabic)
  كٌف ًضتطٍع ٔاى ًحت جبسًب الوضلن

Russian

• Audio and video added to the 7-part Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ series
• Discerning Idolatry in Desire (Russian)
  Чем отличается идолопоклонство от простого желания
• Why Expositional Preaching is Particularly Glorifying to God (Russian)
  Почему разъяснительная проповедь в высшей степени прославляет Бога

American Sign Language

• 7 video sessions from last month's 2009 National Conference

Burmese (New language!)

• Quest for Joy

Chin (New language!)

• Quest for Joy

Russian

• 6 transcripts from the 2005 Regional Conference: When I Don't Desire God

Spanish

• Live translation audio of all 8 sessions from the 2009 National Conference

The video and audio from John Piper's talk "Other Sheep I Have: The Power of God's Grace Among Native Americans Then and Now" is now online. It was given at the Native American Awareness Conference held recently at Bethlehem Baptist Church (see the PDF brochure).

Also available now is the audio—not just the manuscript anymore—from his message "Beholding Glory and Becoming Whole," which he delivered last week.

If you've ever tried reading through the Old Testament, chances are at some point you've found yourself bored, stuck in the middle of a genealogy or list of laws and wishing you were back in Mark. And if you didn't fall asleep, skip the chapter, or quit entirely, you at least came away wondering why these sections are in Scripture and what they mean for us today.

The New Testament affirms that every word of the Old Testament is God-breathed and for our good (Matthew 5:17-18; Romans 15:4; 2 Timothy 3:16; etc.). But how do we experience this, especially when some passages seem to be nothing more than antiquated lists of numbers, names, or laws? How do we benefit from the parts of the Bible that seem so boring?

Here are three possibilities:

1) "Boring" passages are the evidence of God's faithfulness.

Taken individually, many details in Scripture can seem useless, like scattered stones at the bottom of the Jordan. But when we read them in context and observe how they have been drawn out and arranged on the other side of the river, we start to see them as concrete reminders of how God has been faithful to his people and promises.

What significance is it, for instance, that in the census at Sinai the tribe of Judah had a noticably larger number of men than the other tribes (Numbers 1:26-27)? For one, it shows us that God was making good on his promise to exalt Judah above his brothers (Genesis 49:8).

2) "Boring" passages equip us to understand greater spiritual realities.

By enumerating details from the past, "boring" passages introduce us to concepts by which we can understand later revelation.

Consider this: Why does the Pentateuch contain so much material that describes the old covenant and its laws? One reason is that Moses wanted to increase our anticipation and appreciation of a new covenant.

By chronicling the old covenant—one in which God's law is external to his people, written on stone and unattainable in all its requirements—Moses sets up a contrast by which his readers can better apprehend the nature and glory of the coming covenant. In the new covenant there is still law and obedience, but the law is written on our hearts and obedience comes from within as "faith working through love" (Deuteronomy 30:6; Galatians 5:6).

3) "Boring" passages help us experience what they talk about.

At times the biblical authors illustrate or elaborate on certain details in the past in order to give their readers a felt sense of what they are describing.

For example, when listing out the instructions for how to build the tabernacle, Moses goes into great detail about all the materials and measurements. Did he intend for the reader of Exodus to actually build a tabernacle? No! That was Bezalel and Oholiab's job (Exodus 31:1-11).

Rather, it appears that Moses included the full set of blueprints in order to convey to us, as we literally labor to read them, a greater sense of the weight and worth of God. The effect is that we feel more hopeless about attaining our own righteousness, and we marvel more at God's mercy in still coming to dwell among feeble and failing people.

Every passage of Scripture plays its part perfectly. Sure, not all are dramatic or suspenseful or flowering with sweet promises. But God has his wise—and needed—purposes for every inspired line.

Along with being able to purchase The Power of Words and the Wonder of God, you now have the option to download it for free.

Bulgarian

• Go, Your Son Will Live
  Върви, синът ти ще живее
• What Does It Mean to Seek the Lord
  Какво означава да търсиш (да се стремиш към) Господа?

Chinese (Simplified)

• The Pleasure of God in Obedience
  耶和华喜悦顺从
• What God Has Joined Together, Let Not Man Separate, Part 1
  神所配合的，人不可分开，第一部分
• What God Has Joined Together, Let Not Man Separate, Part 2
  神所配合的，人不可分开，第二部分

Japanese

• Not in This or That Mount, but in Spirit and Truth
  この山でもエルサレムでもなく、霊とまことによって

Portuguese

• Christ and Cancer
  Cristo e o Câncer
• The Pleasure of God in His Son
  O Prazer De Deus em Seu Filho
• The Absolute Sovereignty of God: What Is Romans Nine About?
  A Soberania Absoluta de Deus: De Que se Trata Romanos 9?

Spanish

• Let Marriage Be Held in Honor Among All
  Honroso Sea En Todos El Matrimonio
• How to Welcome a Weak Brother
  Como Acoger Al Hermano Débil
• Each One Should Be Fully Convinced in His Own Mind
  Cada Cual Esté Plenamente Convencido Según Su Propio Sentir
• By Signs and Wonders: Where Christ Has Not Been Named
  Con Potencia De Señales Y Prodigios: No Donde Cristo Ya Hubiese Sido Nombrado
• Holy Ambition: To Preach Where Christ Has Not Been Named
  Ambición Santa: Predicar No Donde Cristo Ya Hubiese Sido Nombrado
• Joy+Debt = A Two-Thousand-Mile Detour to Jerusalem
  Gozo + Deuda = Desvío de 2000 Millas Hasta Jerusalén
• Resting and Wrestling for the Cause of Christ—Together
  Luchar y Descansar por Amor a Cristo—Juntos
• The Beautiful Faith of Fearless Submission
  La Hermosa Fe de la Sumisión Sin Temor
• The Tragic Cost of Her Cavernous Thirst
  El Trágico Costo de la Su Profunda Sed
• Racial Harmony and Interracial Marriage
  La Armonía Racial y el Matrimonio Interracial
• Abortion, Race, Gender, and Christ
  El Aborto, La Raza, el Género, y Cristo
• What Makes the Good News Good? Seeing the Glory of Christ?
  ¿Qué Hace Buenas a las Buenas Noticias? Ver la Gloria de Cristo
• Honoring the Biblical Call of Motherhood
  Honrando El Llamado Bíblico A La Maternidad
• Fathers, Bring Them Up in the Discipline & Instruction of the Lord
  Padres, Criadlos En Disciplina Y Amonestación Del Señor
• Marriage, Singleness, and the Christian Virtue of Hospitality
  El Matrimonio, Soltería, y la Virtud Cristiana de la Hospitalidad
• Marriage Is Meant for Making Children...Disciples of Jesus, Part 1
  El Matrimonio Es Para Tener Hijos..Discípulos De Jesús, Parte 1
• Marriage Is Meant for Making Children...Disciples of Jesus, Part 2
  El Matrimonio Es Para Tener Hijos..Discípulos De Jesús, Parte 2