"Brokenness Like a Tidal Wave!"

I just got a comment on my Facebook "wall" from a student at the University of Pennsylvania. I met him last month at a conference where I gave him a copy of John Owen's "The Mortification of Sin" after he'd told me that he had never read anything by a Puritan. Here's what he just sent me:
"Steve - I finished The Mortification of Sin. Excellent book. By the last chapter my brokenness hit me like a tidal wave. I actually broke down crying on the train in my commute. First from brokenness and despair, but then from joy of grace. Do I want more? Yes."

I am not surprised!
That's why I am so excited that Banner of Truth's first-ever Study Guide for a Puritan Paperback is on John Owen's "The Mortification of Sin" (for those of you who have been guessing). It just arrived here in the U.S. warehouse. It was written by an RUF campus minister in Athens, GA for his own use with guys on campus. But this is NOT just a study for college students and adults. In my mind, THIS is also what today's church youth ministries ought to be studying! We've already sent quantities of this study guide to a youth pastor in Maryland and to another in Ontario. These guys get it! And the young people in their churches are going to get it, too. Oh, that more churches, and more youth pastors would give up on the "sucking-spaghetti-through-our-noses" youth ministry activity games and "Bible-lite" devotionals. Instead, let's raise the bar for what we expect from our young people and they will reach and exceed it for the glory of God! I would encourage you to get this information to your own youth pastor right away. And let's pray for hundreds or thousands of young people to also experience "brokenness that hits them like a tidal wave" as they truly grow in the knowledge and grace of the Lord.
For more information or to place an order, visit http://www.banneroftruth.org/.

Grace & peace ...
Steve

A Mid-Summer Night's Update

Either the earth is spinning faster than when I was a kid, or something happens to one's perspective on time the older we get. It's probably the latter, isn't it?
With about 4 weeks to go before the unofficial summer season comes to a close, here are some noteworthy (and not so noteworthy) bullets from this part of the world:
(1) My oldest daughter, whom I can still remember leaving my sight for the first time on her tricycle about 17 years ago, completed her first semester of college and safely made it to and from Hungary, Croatia, Bosnia and Italy .... Her dad made it through the ordeal, too.
(2) Two of us "Banner men" attended another CBA/ICRS in Orlando (that would be "Christian Booksellers Association" and "International Christian Retail Show"). I always come home from that saddened at the state of the church ... seeing attendees being photographed with "Jesus" (or whoever was donning the costume and walking the aisles) was the "over the top" moment this year.
(3) I learned that not all barbers understand "Take a little off the top" the same as other barbers. My wife and daughters said it will grow back. :-)
(4) We at Banner of Truth are excited about the release of our new Pocket Puritan series, AND are just days away from making available the very first study guide that we've ever published for any title in the Puritan Paperback series. Any guesses? Perhaps a free copy to the first few who are right! :-)
(5) Our family was personally challenged by our attendance at Alex & Brett Harris' "Rebelution Conference" recently. Their book is titled, "Do Hard Things" and presents a worthy challenge to all. Not many 19-year olds could lead an 8-hour event with five sessions in front of more than 3,000 people and say something worth listening to.
(6) Family vacation time is not far away - camping in the woods, swimming in the lake, hiking on the trails, and reading lots of books ... Nice!
I hope you're having a great summer - at work, in ministry, with family, and in fellowship with the Lord! Don't the miss the new Banner of Truth titles for August; I'll be putting them on the Web site in the next few days - http://www.banneroftruth.org/. And my next trip will bring Banner books to a few thousand of you at the Desiring God National Conference, September 26-28, 2008.
Grace & peace ...
Steve